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Walt Disney had a dream to build another theme park “Disney World” Orlando, Florida this would be much larger and more elaborate than Disney Land California complete with golf courses and resort hotels.
And you could say that the monorail connects all the dots. The monorail opened its doors on 1st October 1971.
Where does the monorail go in Disneyworld?
Where does the monorail go to in Disney World is a question that is sometimes overlooked because lots of people think that it just services The Magic Kingdom, however it’s a lot more complicated and varied than that. Hopefully, this general outlook of the Disney Monorail system will give you a better understanding of how it integrates with not only The Magic Kingdom but also some of the most iconic resorts around the Disney World property also the other modes of Disney transportation. For a bit of trivia, it’s also one of the most used monorail transportation systems in the whole world.
After you are ferried from your car to the main ticket center at The Magic Kingdom you will find the monorail transportation center where the Magic Kingdom loop is, also known as the magic kingdom resort monorail, the ferry boat and the bus service stops. This post is all about how the monorail system works and where it goes so I will be concentrating on a closer look at that particular service as it really is a great way to travel, however as you can see there are other alternatives for transport within Disney World and very cleverly they all link up in one way or another so in reality you never really have to drive anywhere especially if you stay on-site in one of the many Disney hotels.
The Disney monorail system currently runs the mark vi monorail trains, first introduced in 1989, there are a number of different trains which usually can be identified by a colored stripe, also the trains have been wrapped with some of your favorite characters and films and yes they look fantastic. A monorail is a good option for a quick ride to The Magic Kingdom especially for those earliest park opening times and for extra magic hours. It’s also in operation after the latest park closing time so you don’t have to worry about getting back to your car or to your Disney resort hotel.
The Magic Kingdom Monorail.
We will start at the ticket and transportation center, here you can board one of three separate lines for the monorail tracks, yes three! All have easy access for all people. One is the express line, one is the resort line, and one is for Epcot. Cast members are always on hand to help and show you the way. The stations are well signposted and the trains run frequently, however, if the park is reasonably quiet there may only be one or two trains running so waiting between trains can be a few minutes. Of course, there’s a tradition of the welcome and safety message played during boarding as the doors close, you may laugh but if you are a seasoned veteran of the parks then it’s like a welcome home message.
The Express Monorail.
The express monorail runs only between The Magic Kingdom and ticket and transportation so this is usually the fastest way to get to and from The Magic Kingdom. I say usually because at peak times when the park is closing for example you may queue for some time to get on a monorail train, however on occasion, it can actually be quicker to get the resort monorail train, although it stops a few times en-route to ticket and transportation, the queues can be much shorter.
The Resort Line
The resort line monorail runs around the Seven Seas Lagoon and across the link to Bay Lake a Disney Vacation Club hotel to the resort monorail stations. If we go from the ticket and transportation monorail station the first resort we stop at is Disney’s Contemporary Resort, the monorail track actually runs directly through this brilliant hotel and resort, look out for the great Chef Mickey’s restaurant below you as you glide into the station, you might even spot chef mickey himself below if you’re lucky.
You emerge from the Contemporary resort with Bay Lake Towers on your right as the monorail speeds up and travels to its next stop. The Magic Kingdom, where all your dreams come true. From here it’s a smooth ride round to Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort for the next monorail stop above its front entrance and near its main lobby area. Probably the most luxurious resort on Disney property and somewhere you can take in The Magic Kingdom firework spectacular on the peaceful landing deck situated on the edge of the lagoon, they even pipe in the sounds from the show.
Leaving The Grand Floridian behind we smoothly arc around to Disney’s Polynesian resort a beautiful Walt Disney World Resort. Which is the last of the monorail resorts and definitely worth a stop to look around or even stay in one of the best Disney resorts.
Jumping off the monorail resorts line at ticket and transportation we can take a short walk on to the Epcot line, another one of the different routes, and take a ride to another of the Disney theme parks, Epcot. From here you can board the Disney Skyliner which links up to some of the other Disney resorts and Disney Springs. The Epcot monorail runs alongside the main road entrance to The Magic Kingdom so when you first drive up to the car parking lot lookout for the track, you may even see a train swoop by.
So whether you’re on your first time Disney vacation or a seasoned visitor, the Disney world monorail route is definitely one of the fun ways to travel around and a monorail ride always makes it a little bit more memorable. Another tip, if you like fireworks, you can if you time it right and stand in the right places actually take in the Magic Kingdom fireworks and then jump on the monorail to catch the Epcot spectacular, so plan your day well and get loads of bangs for your bucks.
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