Disney World may discontinue resort's Monorail system? False report

I have seen the solar panel farms near Colorado Springs, but perhaps having them "seen" by guests is taboo and unsightly? I personally view it as an opportunity to showcase the latest technology (e.g. concentrated photo-voltaic) and have Disney be a pioneer in deployable renewable energy.

Not the Mickey Mouse silhouette via car going towards Flamingo Crossings.

You said that Disney may view solar panels as taboo and unsightly to be seen by guests. I showed you that there is a large Mickey solar panel farm right next to Epcot that is completely in the open and seen by guests only a few feet away driving by in their cars or Disney buses. Merely saying Disney is perfectly fine with guests seeing the solar panels and that would not prevent them from doing elsewhere like PP mentioned. Disney likes to be noticed for their environmental efforts.

So you are talking about the Mickey Mouse Forest west of Disney? Which of course only makes sense from the sky .......... I don't see what that has to do with Disney not wanting to see solar panels on property?
 
You said that Disney may view solar panels as taboo and unsightly to be seen by guests. I showed you that there is a large Mickey solar panel farm right next to Epcot that is completely in the open and seen by guests only a few feet away driving by in their cars or Disney buses. Merely saying Disney is perfectly fine with guests seeing the solar panels and that would not prevent them from doing elsewhere like PP mentioned. Disney likes to be noticed for their environmental efforts.

So you are talking about the Mickey Mouse Forest west of Disney? Which of course only makes sense from the sky .......... I don't see what that has to do with Disney not wanting to see solar panels on property?

Correct. I said MAY view the solar panels as taboo or unsightly (and your embedded images implied it was western property as noted by connotation about Coronado Springs - correction). I showed you that the average guest, without the privileges of a drone or helicopter ride, would not even notice the Mickey solar panel farm (I would argue that it is not large in comparison to other entities). Merely having it, within a lower percentage view, does not constitute the kWh generated or efficiencies. How do we know it is even operational and to what extent?

So my argument is that if Disney embraced full solar integration, why don't we see a massive deployment across all parks and resorts? Should I expand upon my empirical observations in Southern CA where a business/metropolis saved ~$850K monthly on electrical generation costs due to RE integration?

Where in EPCOT are the solar fields viewable? I was there last week, as a local, and I must have missed it.

Incidentally, I do wonder how many Disney buses take the route to Flamingos Crossing? There isn't a single Disney resort north of Coronado Springs in Florida.
 
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Correct. I said MAY view the solar panels as taboo or unsightly (and your embedded images implied it was western property as noted by connotation about Coronado Springs - correction). I showed you that the average guest, without the privileges of a drone or helicopter ride, would not even notice the Mickey solar panel farm (I would argue that it is not large in comparison to other entities). Merely having it, within a lower percentage view, does not constitute the kWh generated or efficiencies. How do we know it is even operational and to what extent?

So my argument is that if Disney embraced full solar integration, why don't we see a massive deployment across all parks and resorts? Should I expand upon my empirical observations in Southern CA where a business/metropolis saved ~$850K monthly on electrical generation costs due to RE integration?

Where in EPCOT are the solar fields viewable? I was there last week, as a local, and I must have missed it.

Incidentally, I do wonder how many Disney buses take the route to Flamingos Crossing? There isn't a single Disney resort north of Coronado Springs in Florida.

Not western property, not Flamingo crossing, no low view, not small, not discussing functionality although it's been there a couple years. VERY VERY visible to anyone who drives past it which is most to Epcot and MK. I drive a car by it and can see it. On every bus ride I hear guests say "hey look there is a big solar panel field" .... It is clear in the photo where it is located since photo also includes Epcot and Yacht & Beach Club.

As a local I'm surprised you never heard about it, highly discussed.

Here is some info for you ~

https://www.forbes.com/sites/christ...er-with-mickey-mouse-pv-project/#4b02d5c26b7d

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...scenes-solar-powered-hidden-mickeys-and-more/
 
So my argument is that if Disney embraced full solar integration, why don't we see a massive deployment across all parks and resorts?
Perhaps Disney has decided that it doesn't yet make economic sense? Yes, the cost of the panels are coming down, but the cost of electricity in Central FL is fairly low. Also, I'm wondering when Disney's peak consumption occurs as compared to when the solar panel output peaks. That's a significant factor in determining the cost effectiveness.
Where in EPCOT are the solar fields viewable?
You can't see the solar farm from within Epcot. Its viewable from the roads many people drive on to get to Epcot. BTW, until very recently there was a visible solar installation at Epcot. It was at the Universe of Energy/Ellen's Energy Adventure pavilion.

Incidentally, I do wonder how many Disney buses take the route to Flamingos Crossing?
Right now the only thing at Flamingo Crossing are two non-Dinsey hotels. AFIK, no Disney buses go there.

There isn't a single Disney resort north of Coronado Springs in Florida.
Perhaps you need to look over a map. There are at least 4 (the MK resorts) and as many as 10 depending on how you define "north of Coronado Springs"
 


If the beams are bad, that's one issue. If the trains are bad, that's hardly a surprise. They are 20 year vehicles and WDW has now stretched the Mark VI's to almost 30 years. Next year it will be 30 years, so they will be a decade overdue for replacement or complete overhaul. Here are the usage lives of the previous Disney monorails

Mark I ran as an attraction only for 2 years, '59-61 DL
Mark II was the first resort to hotel connection: '61-'69 DL, still primarily an attraction
Mark III -- generally the first "mass transit" version with capacity to be more than a toy. 69-87, 18 years DL
Mark IV -- WDW's original monorail. Built by Martin-Marietta, '71-91, 20 years WDW
Mark V -- '87-'08, 21 years DL. Built to resemble the Mark IV but on the chassis of the Mark III
Mark VI -- Built by Bombardier, '89 to present. 29 YEARS, WDW
Mark VII -- '08- present DL. Built to resemble the Mark V and on the chassis of the Mark V

The problem is apparent. WDW failed on the replacement schedule. Now there are reasons for this. Primarily because they thought they could refurbish the cars and add automation, possibly to incorporate all the automation into a Mark VIII. However, the automation took longer than expected and the cars have suffered. Life was also extended by salvaging cars from the monorail crash in 2009. But regardless, these trains are almost a decade over their lifespan. A lot of the problems are directly related to this simply problem.
Great post. The fact that the DLR monorail has been regularly upgraded compared to only once for WDW is absolutely embarrassing. Sure, it's more expensive since there's more lines and track, but it's also far more relied on as a mode of transportation at WDW. Getting rid of the monorail with no replacement at WDW would be disastrous. At DLR, it's more of a ride and novelty for most people.
 
Not western property, not Flamingo crossing, no low view, not small, not discussing functionality although it's been there a couple years. VERY VERY visible to anyone who drives past it which is most to Epcot and MK. I drive a car by it and can see it. On every bus ride I hear guests say "hey look there is a big solar panel field" .... It is clear in the photo where it is located since photo also includes Epcot and Yacht & Beach Club.

As a local I'm surprised you never heard about it, highly discussed.

Here is some info for you ~

https://www.forbes.com/sites/christopherhel
man/2016/02/29/disney-world-taps-solar-power-with-mickey-mouse-pv-project/#4b02d5c26b7d


https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...scenes-solar-powered-hidden-mickeys-and-more/

As a local, there is only a 10-30 second window of viewing this potential solar farm via car. But, most buses that I've seen don't traverse this route as there isn't a Disney property north of Coronado Springs (in FL) to my knowledge. So the percentage of VERY VERY visible is fractional compared to the masses of tourists. As a local, I'm actually surprised this hasn't been addressed previously.

So my question still stands, if Disney was so pro solar (PV), why place it in a farm and not on every architecturally capable building at the resort or parks?

Functionality is a completely valid question as I have seen many wind/PV farms that operate at marginal efficiency only to comply within regulations.

Reference to my previous post, a wind farm outside of view of "most" park guests gives me concern to their public recognition of adopting RE.
 
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As a local, there is only a 10-30 second window of viewing this potential solar farm via car. But, most buses that I've seen don't traverse this route as there isn't a Disney property north of Coronado Springs (in FL) to my knowledge. So the percentage of VERY VERY visible is fractional compared to the masses of tourists. As a local, I'm actually surprised this hasn't been addressed previously.

So my question still stands, if Disney was so pro solar (PV), why place it in a farm and not on every architecturally capable building at the resort or parks?

Functionality is a completely valid question as I have seen many wind/PV farms that operate at marginal efficiency only to comply within regulations.
I have to ask. What does this have to do with the topic of this thread?
 
Not a debate, but a valid question. Why does this become a debate when discussing alternative transportation methods for monorails?
 
Not a debate, but a valid question. Why does this become a debate when discussing alternative transportation methods for monorails?
All I asked was how solar panels and guests viewing them is related to the possible removal of the monorails.

As for viewing the already existing solar farms several guests do on a daily basis on Disney buses. I passed by them nearly every day while staying at Bay Lake Tower.
 
All I asked was how solar panels and guests viewing them is related to the possible removal of the monorails.

As for viewing the already existing solar farms several guests do on a daily basis on Disney buses. I passed by them nearly every day while staying at Bay Lake Tower.

Maybe I missed it, but you asked me directly how this relates to the original topic (to which I thought I expanded). I view them (PV farms), almost weekly, going past Coronado Springs (but that's my commute).
 
Maybe I missed it, but you asked me directly how this relates to the original topic (to which I thought I expanded). I view them (PV farms), almost weekly, going past Coronado Springs (but that's my commute).
The original topic is removing monorails not solar panel farms. Since this is off topic I am going to stop and move back to the original topic like we all should :)
 
The original topic is removing monorails not solar panel farms. Since this is off topic I am going to stop and move back to the original topic like we all should :)

No problem as I offered an ancillary topic that brings PV into the mix to help subsidize monorail replacement(s).
 
If Disney wants to ditch the monorail and keep similar capacity, light rail should certainly be considered. Since monorails are fairly rare, it's hard to get good cost estimates because they vary based on local conditions. That said, a few websites I just checked put light rail as being 1/3rd or half the cost of monorails.

Example (a very old 2003 study comparing both modes): http://www.lightrailnow.org/facts/fa_monorail004.htm

The Epcot line would be easiest. A few bridges over roadways and canals and you're good to go if you reconfigure the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC) area. Of course, you'd need to eliminate the scenic trip through Epcot, as light rail typically is run at ground level.

The express route between the TTC and the entrance to Magic Kingdom would be only slightly more difficult. But the benefit of a mostly at-grade track is that you could split up the express loop from the resorts loop. The express route could completely bypass the resorts by using the vacant land immediately north of the current TTC station. The Magic Kingdom station would probably displace some of the current bus loop. Then, run a bridge over the entrance and head back to the TTC by running tracks on the west side of Floridian Way.

A resorts loop would be more difficult. But, it's not impossible, as light rail can be run on elevated tracks. I think the biggest potential problem is train noise when compared to the monorail.

One of the benefits of light rail is that switching tracks is fairly easy. As such, you could potentially eliminate the need to switch trains at the TTC. Instead, the Epcot line could switch onto the express or resorts line, if desired.

If they want to upgrade (and subsequently charge more) Disney's Port Orleans Riverside and French Quarter Resorts, they could have the Epcot line stop there before returning to the Magic Kingdom area via Vista Blvd. Additionally, Disney's Wilderness Lodge could be added to either that Epcot line or the resorts loop fairly easily, too.
 
Great post. The fact that the DLR monorail has been regularly upgraded compared to only once for WDW is absolutely embarrassing. Sure, it's more expensive since there's more lines and track, but it's also far more relied on as a mode of transportation at WDW. Getting rid of the monorail with no replacement at WDW would be disastrous. At DLR, it's more of a ride and novelty for most people.
For many years the monorail was the best way to get into DL from the Disney Hotel, you could walk, but it was a long trek through the parking lot, we stayed at the Disneyland hotel often and always took the monorail to and fro. This was before The Grand Californian, new park and redone downtown Disney, of course.
 
The express route between the TTC and the entrance to Magic Kingdom would be only slightly more difficult. But the benefit of a mostly at-grade track is that you could split up the express loop from the resorts loop. The express route could completely bypass the resorts by using the vacant land immediately north of the current TTC station. The Magic Kingdom station would probably displace some of the current bus loop. Then, run a bridge over the entrance and head back to the TTC by running tracks on the west side of Floridian Way.

If I'm understanding you correctly as to locations an route, there are a couple of obstacles to be overcome.
  1. Any direct route from the TTC to the MK needs to cross the canal that goes from Bay Lake to Seven Seas Lagoon. There isn't any extra room for a rail line under the existing water bridge the cars and buses use. A bridge over that canal would need to be very high so that ferry boats can still be brought back and forth from the dry dock area on Bay Lake. That requires a fairly steep grade which isn't easy for rail lines.
  2. For the return you have the similar problem (again if I understand your route) with the canal that comes out of the MK area between the MK and the Grand Floridian.
 

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