Does the MK seem different without the railroad?

[ToyStory3]

I'm super bummed about the railroad being down throughout the MK. We have a trip at the end of May and I keep thinking it will feel so different there without it. I'm assuming it won't be back up by then since it doesn't even list a date.

 

[wahmtexas]

I agree...so sad...we arrive in 17 days and our tradition was always Kona breakfast then monorail to MK take bus depot pic with main street/castle backdrop then ride train to our first Splash Mtn FP...not looking forward to the walk back to Splash

 

[ToyStory3]

I agree...so sad...we arrive in 17 days and our tradition was always Kona breakfast then monorail to MK take bus depot pic with main street/castle backdrop then ride train to our first Splash Mtn FP...not looking forward to the walk back to Splash

I don't get super upset about ride closures and things. But, I thought I was going to cry when I heard it would be down during our trip! It's so iconic for us.

 

[gharter]

We will find out in May, but I always enjoy riding it around the park. Not this time.

 

[rosiegmendez]

Disneyland closed the railroad and train a couple years back for Star Wars and it’s not the same. You don’t realize how much you enjoy the sounds of the railroad around the park and the train announcer at the depots until it’s not running.

 

[NickC]

One year, small world was closed most of our trip. Luckily, it re-opened on our last MK day. I would have been upset if we didn't get to ride it at least once.
The railroad is classic and iconic WDW. I would be upset too. I was sad when the old opening show was changed to the stage in front of the castle. I loved seeing the train pull up first thing in the morning during the opening show.

 

[yorkieteacher]

I have always read about how Walt himself loved trains. I wonder what he would think of the parks today-what he would approve of and what he would shake his head over.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

We were there in December and though I did miss riding to frontier land, overall we didn’t miss the train. Just so much more to do.

 

[Disneylover99]

We love the train and usually ride it several times over the course of our trip. That being said, we’ve been on at least 2 or 3 trips when it’s been closed for refurbishment, and yeah, while we thought we would really miss it ahead of time, we didn’t really think about it once we were there.

It didn’t seem different without the train.

 

[Jennygt]

I did not realize it was down

 

[Jennygt]

Is it down because of the tron build?

 

[Tomh]

We are holding out hope that it will be open by the time we get there, but certainly are not counting on it. I for sure will miss riding it if it is still closed.

 

[Searc]

Is it down because of the tron build?

Yes. It will be closed for at least a year, if not longer.

 

[kiford]

I don't think the park is different because it's closed but I do miss it. We always like to jump on it a couple of times a day and ride it all the way around as a way to chill and get off our feet for a bit. It won't re-open until the Tron attraction is completed because it's planned to go through/under (they haven't quite specified what) that attraction. I think it's at least a year before Tron opens.

 

[garris3404]

It was closed on our last visit. I missed it. It's a must do just like People Mover.

 

[Kbosch]

I will definitely miss it! My oldest son has always been obsessed with trains and I was looking forward to him getting to ride it - but since it's his first time at Disney and doesn't even know it's there I think he'll be ok without it.

 

[JETSDAD]

It's fun but to be honest I didn't even think about it on our last couple of trips when it has been down. So no, to me the park does not seem different.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

I missed it when we were at MK in January. Missed riding it and hearing the sounds. But ... I was very happy to enjoy all the other things there that I love. We’ll enjoy the train again next time!

I’m actually still salty about the welcome show moving from the train to the castle. I loved, loved, loved the train welcome show. The new one is cute, but I just adored the train show.

 

[cmwade77]

I seem to be in the minority here, while I think the train is OK at Disney World, unlike Disneyland's version, I certainly wouldn't call it essential. I think the big difference is that at MK it doesn't know what it is supposed be:
Is it an attraction? Well, you face forward the whole time and there is no diorama, etc. so, no, not really an attraction in and of itself.

Is it transportation? Well, you only have three stops total compared to the four at Disneyland, given the much larger size of Disney World, I can't really call it transportation either.

That isn't to say I wouldn't ride it if it were open, but at the same time I am not heart broken when it is closed, especially since you can't take ECVs on the MK railroad (which you can at Disneyland).

 

[BK2014]

I seem to be in the minority here, while I think the train is OK at Disney World, unlike Disneyland's version, I certainly wouldn't call it essential. I think the big difference is that at MK it doesn't know what it is supposed be:
Is it an attraction? Well, you face forward the whole time and there is no diorama, etc. so, no, not really an attraction in and of itself.

Is it transportation? Well, you only have three stops total compared to the four at Disneyland, given the much larger size of Disney World, I can't really call it transportation either.

That isn't to say I wouldn't ride it if it were open, but at the same time I am not heart broken when it is closed, especially since you can't take ECVs on the MK railroad (which you can at Disneyland).

I think the train is essential to the theming of the entrance to the park. The train and train station create the illusion that you have entered Main Street by having arrived on the train. To me, it is like the castle, it doesn't need to be a ride or an attraction to be essential. I think the three stops are intentional. The train fits in well with themes in Main Street USA and Frontierland. It also ties into the Storybook Circus as many circuses traveled by train.