Question about being at a monorail resort.

[BensWife]

DH and I are thinking about going to WDW for our 10th anniversary. We were just there with the whole family this past June for SWW. We think it would be nice to try going just the 2 of us. Anyway, we stayed at SSR last time and it was very lovely there. However, it seemed like we spent most of our time waiting for a bus or on a bus. So, we were thinking it would be nice to be at a monorail resort. Does it really reduce travel time? Are the lines for the monorail in the mornings as long as waiting for a bus at another resort? I'm not really a boat person, so I'd rather not do one of those resorts. Any info you can share would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

 

[trishadono]

DH and I are thinking about going to WDW for our 10th anniversary. We were just there with the whole family this past June for SWW. We think it would be nice to try going just the 2 of us. Anyway, we stayed at SSR last time and it was very lovely there. However, it seemed like we spent most of our time waiting for a bus or on a bus. So, we were thinking it would be nice to be at a monorail resort. Does it really reduce travel time? Are the lines for the monorail in the mornings as long as waiting for a bus at another resort? I'm not really a boat person, so I'd rather not do one of those resorts. Any info you can share would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

We often stay on the monorail resorts for 3 main reasons.


1. Transportation: the monorail comes about every 4/5 minutes so really no waiting. As one pulls away.. not to worry as the next one will be there soon. Also the boats are a fun and relaxing way to travel too. One loop is MK, gf and poly. The other is cr to WL/FW .

2. We spend most of our time at MK so being close makes sense for our family.

3. It feels like you are staying in the park when you can see the castle and space Mtn and hear the train.

We also enjoy restaurant hopping between the resorts too. The quick service restaurants have some good offerings and the sit down restaurants are top notch.

If you have time look at page one of each of the resorts threads. Lots and lots of great info

Lastly I have stayed at gf, cr,poly and BLT. We loved them all. I don't have a favorite because each have different strengths and weaknesses.

Good luck deciding!

 

[ancestry]

In my experience it does reduce travel time to the MK -- assuming that the monorail is running as it should and not having breakdowns or maintenance issues.

It sometimes reduces travel time to EPCOT but you still have to transfer at the TTC and wait for a second monorail.

As for AK and HS the travel time isn't any quicker in most cases, in my experience.

 

[Pea-n-Me]

Yes, it does. As an example, GF is a 5 minute monorail ride to MK and a 5 minute boat ride back. Very nice when you're hot and exhausted.

 

[mickeynut1]

DH and I are thinking about going to WDW for our 10th anniversary. We were just there with the whole family this past June for SWW. We think it would be nice to try going just the 2 of us. Anyway, we stayed at SSR last time and it was very lovely there. However, it seemed like we spent most of our time waiting for a bus or on a bus. So, we were thinking it would be nice to be at a monorail resort. Does it really reduce travel time? Are the lines for the monorail in the mornings as long as waiting for a bus at another resort? I'm not really a boat person, so I'd rather not do one of those resorts. Any info you can share would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

Transportation times vary at every resort, but generally speaking, yes the monorail usually reduces travel time (IMO). Sometimes there are long waits for the monorail, other times there are not. Unfortunately, there is no way to know ahead of time whether or not lines will be long during your stay. We have stayed at both the Poly and GF and have never found very long waits; however, we are never in a hurry to get anywhere so if we did have to wait, it probably didn't phase us too much. With that said, there have been reports of the monorail being down for a certain amount of time each day, so depending on when you are thinking of going and how long the monorail closures will be taking place, you may run into that during your stay.

 

[Marthasor]

In my experience, the monorail comes along much faster than a bus. On our last trip to Poly, it seemed any time we walked onto the monorail platform, the monorail was just pulling up! So, yes, it does cut down on wait time to MK and EP, but you still need to take a bus to DHS and AKL. Also, the monorail is undergoing maintenance from Jan. 21 to end of March with limited running time (monorail will be down from 11:30 am - 7 pm on those weekdays), so if you are planning on going during that time and want a monorail during those hours, you may want to reconsider your resort.

If you spend more time in EP and DHS than MK, you also may want to consider an EP area resort (BC, YC, BWI) - You can walk to EP and DHS from any of those resorts.

 

[OKW Lover]

DH and I are thinking about going to WDW for our 10th anniversary. We were just there with the whole family this past June for SWW. We think it would be nice to try going just the 2 of us. Anyway, we stayed at SSR last time and it was very lovely there. However, it seemed like we spent most of our time waiting for a bus or on a bus. So, we were thinking it would be nice to be at a monorail resort. Does it really reduce travel time? Are the lines for the monorail in the mornings as long as waiting for a bus at another resort? I'm not really a boat person, so I'd rather not do one of those resorts. Any info you can share would be greatly appreciated. Thanks!!

The answer to your questions depend on what park you are hitting. If you are just going to the MK, then the monorail resorts are very convenient and quick. If you're going to Epcot its not quite as fast since you have to go from your resort to the TTC and switch monorails to get to Epcot.

If going to DHS or DAK there is no advantage at all to being at a monorail resort.

 

[Babsy]

Staying at a monorail resort does save time travelling to the MK, but for everywhere else it is the same as any other hotel - a wait and longer time getting there. You can use the monorail to get to Epcot, but you have to transfer to the Epcot monorail at the TTC so it isn't a big time saver. (except the POLY, where you can walk to the TTC)

The most convenient resort to the MK (especially if you do not like boats) is the CR. You can walk to the MK in a few minutes from the CR. It is just past the MK bus stop from the nonMK resorts. This also means that the CR is convenient to the MK buses for all the non MK resorts as well as on the monorail line to the monorail resorts. Finally, there is a boat from the CR to FW and WL, so the CR is arguably the only resort with direct resort - resort transportation.

Transportation from the monorail resorts to the AK, DHS and water parks is by bus. The time to get to the AK is the longest of any resorts.

You might be forgiven for expecting good transportation from these very expensive resorts to all theme parks. NOT true! Some of the longest waits that I have ever had to get to a theme park has been from deluxe resorts to a theme park not next door. The bus transportation to the value and moderates far surpasses the bus transportation to the MK and Epcot resorts (in my experience, at least).

 

[Wood Nymph]

The monorail resorts are great for the MK. But if you want to reduce your time spent on buses for all parks, then the Epcot resorts, i.e. BC, YC, and BWI, will give you the least amount of bus time when considering overall travel time. You can walk to Epcot and DHS from these resorts and the bus to AK is a relatively short ride. You can travel to MK by bus or walk through Epcot to catch the monorail. We prefer an Epcot resort to a monorail resort for overall ease of travel.

 

[Brian Noble]

TouringPlans did a comparison of total transportation times for a "hypothetical" vacation that was an even mix of several WDW destinations. The results were surprising.

http://blog.touringplans.com/2012/0...spending-the-least-amount-of-time-in-transit/

I'll agree with some of the other PPs: for an adult-only trip, I'd probably rather stay in the Epcot area than the MK area. We tend to enjoy Epcot dining, World Showcase, and the Streetmosphere in Studios as much or more as anything in MK. This is especially true if your anniversary happens to fall during either Food & Wine or, to a lesser extent, Flower & Garden.

 

[KonaKaiTom]

I'm going opposite of everyone regarding the monorail to Epcot -- when we stayed at the GF, we took the monorail to the MK (and it wasn't 5 minutes, it averaged under 1 minute).

When we went to Epcot we did the loop to the TTC and even if we didn't connect perfectly for the next monorail, we waited no more than 10 minutes -- and the monorail ride from TTC to Epcot was usually 8 minutes --- Not too bad. I can honestly say, I've never taken the bus from the GF. When we went to AK, we took the monorail to Epcot and then took the bus from BWI -- we did that because one in my party gets car sick but she didn't have a problem with the monorail.

Tom

 

[disfreak24]

In my experience, the monorail comes along much faster than a bus. On our last trip to Poly, it seemed any time we walked onto the monorail platform, the monorail was just pulling up! So, yes, it does cut down on wait time to MK and EP, but you still need to take a bus to DHS and AKL. Also, the monorail is undergoing maintenance from Jan. 21 to end of March with limited running time (monorail will be down from 11:30 am - 7 pm on those weekdays), so if you are planning on going during that time and want a monorail during those hours, you may want to reconsider your resort.

If you spend more time in EP and DHS than MK, you also may want to consider an EP area resort (BC, YC, BWI) - You can walk to EP and DHS from any of those resorts.

We stayed at Boardwalk and loved having the short walk to EP and DHS. The only part we didn't like was how many other resorts shared the buses for AK, MK, and DTD.

I agree that if MK is your most visited park then a monorail resort, probably CR, would be most beneficial.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

The monorail resorts are great for the MK. But if you want to reduce your time spent on buses for all parks, then the Epcot resorts, i.e. BC, YC, and BWI, will give you the least amount of bus time when considering overall travel time. You can walk to Epcot and DHS from these resorts and the bus to AK is a relatively short ride. You can travel to MK by bus or walk through Epcot to catch the monorail. We prefer an Epcot resort to a monorail resort for overall ease of travel.

Ding! I totally agree with this post!

When we stay in the Epcot area we rarely take the boat. for us, it's WAY faster to walk.

However....you don't say when you are going. Transportation always depends a bit on overall crowd levels and weather. If you are going in a cold or hot month- taking the boat can be a big plus. another big variable is how mobile you are. If a member of your party has trouble walking, then that's a very different ball of wax.

We have also had plenty of stays now, where the monorail was not (really) working. When the monorail is running, it's great. When it is not running- then the monorail resorts use buses. Waiting for a bus to a monorail resort is a nightmare. Disney is generally a well oiled machine...but it takes years of experience to tweak things. It's far worse than getting a bus to most resorts because the bus drivers are not familiar with the routes.

So no matter what, it's always a bit of a gamble.

And as I say, if a member of your part needs a scooter- then loading a scooter onto a bus/monorail is a challenge.

And no matter what....transportation in heavy rain can be a varied experience.

No matter where you stay, may I suggest that you consider choosing table serve dining (if you plan to do TS dining) at both your home resort, and resorts in the same area as your resort. Going to dinner between the monorail resorts is nice- when the monorail is running. going to dinner at your home resort is nearly always a great idea.

It is a VERY long distance to go from a monorail resort to dinner in the World Showcase. You have to allow over an hour. Whereas BC to France, brisk pace, is about 15minutes. (or slightly longer depending on gate lines).

all that said, if you don't want to wait for Disney transportation, a rental car can be a good solution- even if you end up using it part of the time. You know, at WDW, time = money. Spending money at WDW, often = more real vacation time.

 

[jperrot1]

Because you are looking for shorter travel times, may I suggest the Poly. As other pp has stated, the Poly is the only resort with direct monorail to MK and Epcot Attractions/Rdes Side (as you walk a short pash to the TTC). Perhaps consider a split stay with any Epcot area resort for fast access to Epcot (World Showcase Side) and Hollywood Studios (short boat ride or longer walk via pathway).

Without kids the split move would be easy as pie.