Diswithkids Disney Blog

Disney Monorail

[fa icon="calendar"] Sat, May 24, 2014 @ 09:00 AM / by Becca Bell

Becca Bell


Disney monorailI would be shocked if you told me that you had not heard of the Walt Disney World Monorail.  I am a huge fan of the Monorail system and have utilized this free transportation system at Walt Disney World many times! 
The Walt Disney World Monorail opened along with the park on October 1, 1971.  It has expanded and improved over the past forty plus years.  Each of the twelve Monorails has six cars and can carry 365 passengers.  They travel on rubber tires on concrete beams which are supported by concrete columns.  The entire track is 13.6 miles and will carry an average of 150, 000 people per day.  It can be used one hour prior to the earliest park opening and one hour after the latest park closing.  The cars are air conditioned and the doors open automatically.  Passengers can sit or stand in the cars and there is space for strollers. Castmembers are available at all time to assist any passengers with mobility issues or special needs.

The Monorail is just one part of the Walt Disney World transportation to various locations or as a fun ride to see some of the sights in Walt Disney World.  The Monorail offers two routes with stops in different locations.
Route 1 stops at the following:
* Magic Kingdom
* Disney's Contemporary Resort
* Transportation and Ticket Center
* Disney's Polynesian Resort
* Disney's Grand Floridian Resort & Spa 
Route 2 stops at the following:
* Transportation and Ticket Center
* Epcot
If you find yourself at Epcot and you want to get to Magic Kingdom you can board the Monorail at Epcot and take it to the Transportation and Ticket Center, you will then need to board another Monorail that will take you to the Magic Kingdom and vise versa.  Everything is clearly labeled and announcements are made during your ride, but if you miss your stop on Route 1,which I have done, DO NOT WORRY!  The average speed of the Monorail is 40 miles per hour, sit back, relax, and when you loop around to Magic Kingdom (the second time), simply exit the cab once it has stopped and the doors have opened. 
For some Disney fans the Monorail is more than just transportation, while you await the arrival of your Monorail, take note of the color stripe or special scheme.  Three of the Monorails have a Delta line to differentiate them from the other colors.  Some fans can tell you all the colors and schemes that have existed over the years and chances are, if you're a super fan, you've ridden all of them, too! 
The current colors are:
* Red  * Orange  * Gold  *Yellow  * Peach
*  Green  * Blue  * Silver  * Black
* Coral (Delta)  * Teal (Delta)  * Lime (Delta) 
Recently I saw that an original Red Monorail car had been listed on Ebay for $189, 000!  I am not sure what you would do with a Monorail car if you bought one, but no doubt this particular Disney fan had something magical in mind.
From time to time the monorail cars are "wrapped" to promote special events or movie premiers.
If you are a big Star Wars fan, be sure to listen closely as the announcements are made along your Monorail ride. Tom Kane who voiced Yoda in the series, Star Wars: The Clone Wars, is the currant narrator!  Sit back, relax, and enjoy the ride!

Topics: Disney Vacations

Becca Bell

Written by Becca Bell

Mother of two, lover of all things Disney and family travel agent at Vacationkids.com. In her free time Becca can be found either running her kids to activities or running a marathon