Yesterday, August 18, Monorail Orange lost power moments before pulling out of Disney’s Contemporary Resort.
As seen in a video posted to YouTube by TheCapsTV, the Monorail paused around 1:15 p.m. when the vehicle lost power to all systems. Its load of passengers were stranded high above the Cast Member access driveway on the Magic Kingdom side of the resort, adjacent to the Bay Lake Tower.
In the 95° heat of a mid-August afternoon, the Monorail soon became sweltering without air conditioning. In the video, a Cast Member’s announcement could be heard from within the Monorail asking guests to “bring the windows out and place them carefully on the floor next to you.”
The Reedy Creek Fire Department dispatched a cherry picker truck, but ultimately it was the Monorail line maintenance vehicle which came to tow Monorail Orange backward to the Magic Kingdom station.
You can see the full video from TheCapsTV below:
Monorail Orange returned from refurbishment earlier in the Summer, sporting sleek black exterior details and an updated interior. This is part of the ongoing refurbishment of many of the Monorail vehicles across Walt Disney World.
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I heard about getting a “lift” out of life but this is ridiculous
They really need to start replacing them dang monorails, although the refurbishments are cool. A cast member told me that Coral is being refurbished right now actually
Disney needs to pay more attention to doing maintenance and cleaning the park then building new things , all summer long all you have heard is about what has broke down.
My daughter worked for Disney and drove the monorail s back 10 years ago. And they were dangerous and outdated back then and constantly broke down and families were Always stranded. She left Disney because of safety issues and her own safety and didn’t want to be blamed when something awful happened. Theses 🚝 monorails need replaced, not fancy interior upgrades. The monorail s on the line are mark 6 and have been on rails since 1989. The engine s are falling apart.
Okay but to be fair, the fact that ten years have gone by and yet there hasn’t been any cataclysmic event kind of proves Disney was right not to be alarmed (yet). But yes they are due for upgrades. Everyone agrees with that.
They were fortunate that it happened where it did. They only had to tow it downhill. And the switch for access to the yard is only a quarter mile behind the train. Tow it down the hill back to the station, discharge the passengers, and then shove it into the yard.
No wonder prices are going up and new charges being added. Everything is falling apart. Need more money!
The monorail announcer:
“For the low price of $15 per person we’re offering you the FLEXIBILITY to get the monorail moving again and for just $20 extra we’ll even throw in some MAGICAL a/c. Take the guesswork out of whether or not you’ll suffocate by paying $25 to remove a window.”
Hilarious but unfortunately under Chapek et al it could happen
It prob went down since it is sad there is no more fastpass .. and hey the people riding the monorail for free aren’t the people that will be paying their way to the front of the lines, so who cares if those people were hot… Right Disney???
Boo hoo, Disney this and Disney that. Ive been 40+ times and never had and issue. If you cannot tolerate a random inconvenience or maintenance issue without crying about Disney…stay home and do us regulars a favor.
First orange and now silver? I think Disney might be testing a new adventure game – “Escape From The Stranded Monorail”. It would be re-playable because you never know when it’s going to happen! Of course this will be a paid add-on to your “complimentary” Disney Genie app.
Seriously though, I feel sorry for these people and any others who get stuck on Disney transportation up in the air for hours without air conditioning (I’m talking to you Skyliner).
I get that ride and transportation malfunctions can occur, but there seems to be a serious lack attention when it comes to routine maintenance at WDW.
For the premium paid (and ever increasing costs) for a WDW vacation, this is not the “magical” take-away you want as a guest. However, this and other malfunctions of rides and animatronics are becoming more frequent. Add all this to the other ” free” things that have been taken away recently (Fastpass, Fastpass+, Magic bands, resort parking, Extra Magic Hours, Streetmosphere and other various great entertainers, etc., etc.), and a vacation to WDW is quickly losing the magical luster that I have always associated it with.
As a kid in the early 70’s I moved from the northeast to Miami, FL and would frequently travel by bus with friends for the day to Disney World. It was awesome! I’ve since moved back to the northeast and have continued to travel to WDW (and more recently Disneyland) with my wife and kids over the years and have always looked forward to our next trip. As everyone who plans a vacation WDW, I’ve had to financially plan for the trip. However, the value and experience we got from the investment always seemed worth it. We have truly felt like the “guests” that Disney likes to refer to us as. However, recent changes (including but not limited to the things mention above) are making me feel more like just another customer with cash to burn and less like a “guest”.
I’m not naive and know Disney is in business to make money and have stockholders to answer to. As I said before, the costs of my previous vacations have always seemed worth It. I never felt as though I was being “taken”. This however increasingly feels like a “money grab”.
Also, the 50th celebration of WDW is a joke. There’s nothing being offered to guests as in previous celebrations (look it up). There’s one “new” ride (that could have opened a year or more ago), more merchandise to buy, and golden statues. Oh, and they have a new fireworks “spectacular” at the magic kingdom that celebrates none of the parks past 50 years. Don’t know about you, but none of this is making me want to book a trip any time soon.
I don’t like feeling this way because I have been a very loyal Disney World fan since it opened in ’71. However, loyal fans like me are becoming increasingly dissatisfied with the current management. Chapek and his team’s focus that all new things are to be money making and newer IP driven only are really discouraging. They seem to have forgotten the need to also acknowledge the company and park’s past. The newer customers may come initially and spend a bit, but if you lose your loyal fan base, your bottom line won’t look great for very long.
I know I got way off topic. Sorry. Thanks for letting me vent.Here’s hoping for magical days to come.