Monorail from GF, really that bad?

[Jgruber215]

Hello, I’m booked for the grand Floridian first week in June. I’m a little hesitant now as many of the reviews have been talking about the monorail, being packed and having to wait for multiple trains, especially with the Polynesians new towers. in addition, I believe the buses are shared between the Polynesian and the grand Floridian, as well, similar to the monorail crowds. I’m a little worried about them being too crowded. Any recent experiences?

 

[Mle8308]

We were at the Poly in September and I do remember the busses being very crowded when we went to the GF for a pick up, especially for guests using EVC's, many times the spots were already occupied and they had to wait for the next bus. I remember thinking that if I were paying for a room at a deluxe, I would be frustrated that there were hardly ever any seats on the busses. And this was mid day during a slower time of year. We didn't use the monorail at peak times, so I can't comment on that.

 

[BlueGreen5]

Hello, I’m booked for the grand Floridian first week in June. I’m a little hesitant now as many of the reviews have been talking about the monorail, being packed and having to wait for multiple trains, especially with the Polynesians new towers. in addition, I believe the buses are shared between the Polynesian and the grand Floridian, as well, similar to the monorail crowds. I’m a little worried about them being too crowded. Any recent experiences?

To be fair, no one knows what the crowds will be like with Island Tower because we haven't crossed that bridge yet. There are educated guesses at what a total capacity figure might look like, but we don't really know how the crowds are going to behave (for instance, if you are staying at Island Tower and going to Magic Kingdom, is it better to walk to the boat launch and get on a boat, or walk over to the Great Ceremonial Hall (lobby), and go up the stairs/elevator to the second floor, to get on a monorail that's already passed through Contemporary and the TTC?)

I can, though, tell you what crowds were like at Grand Floridian this past summer.

The Magic Kingdom Monorail: At no point were we unable to load onto the next monorail to arrive. Was it packed? Sure was during park opening hours. But, it's packed for the like two minutes between the Grand Floridian and Magic Kingdom -- hardly noteworthy unless someone forgot to brush their teeth or wear their deodorant. Going the other way, I'd opt to take the boat from the Magic Kingdom to the Grand Floridian unless the monorail line appears to be light or a boat JUST left.

As an aside, I'm still holding out hope that when Island Tower opens, WDW will restrict the ability to get on the resort loop from the TTC -- Turn the TTC into an exit-only for the clockwise monorail. At least during Magic Kingdom open. That would be very simple and would only require them to invest in some signage and gates. I haven't heard any plans to do this, but gosh would it make sense.

The EPCOT Monorail: Different story. We loathe this thing. Except during park open/close, we have resigned to taking an Uber to EPCOT from now on if we are staying at any of the monorail resorts. It's not so much the crowds as it is the inconvenience along with the crowds. Nevertheless, I don't recall people being left at the TTC. I'm sure it happens on occasion, it just didn't while we were there. During park open/close, Uber can be tricky because you have to deal with the parking traffic -- often the EPCOT monorail is the more efficient mode at that time.

The Buses: Usually during peak times (open and close) in the summer, and during other times of the year, they'll run separate busses between each resort and the parks. They know that these are high demand times. They know you're going to be upset if you can't get on a bus in time for park open. And, further, if the crowds get out-of-whack and the busses somehow become a problem, it's pretty easy for them to adjust bus routes to add in extra capacity. I recall a time when we were staying at Beach Club and the ECV line for the Magic Kingdom was getting long - the driver called for an additional bus and it showed up within 10 minutes. I wouldn't worry too much about the busses unless your trip was the week before or the two weeks after Christmas (when they might be ironing out some of these crowd flow issues in the absolute THICK of it lol). By summer, they'll have the busses humming along efficiently. @Mle8308 is right in that they do combine stops during off-peak times -- how that impacts you is really a crap shoot as there's no way to predict whether one or 20 Polynesian/Grand Floridian guests will be wanting to leave Hollywood Studios at 2:00 on June 15, 2025. But this is true of all of the Deluxe resorts except one -- it's really only Riviera that is always non-stop between the one resort stop and the parks (the rest either have multiple internal stops or share a bus between two or more resorts).

For what it's worth, this is one of the bigger reasons why we prefer the Riviera to the Grand Floridian. We'll take the Skyliner and a dedicated bus over the monorail 10 times out of 10. But, I recognize that's not really what you asked...

 

[Jgruber215]

To be fair, no one knows what the crowds will be like with Island Tower because we haven't crossed that bridge yet. There are educated guesses at what a total capacity figure might look like, but we don't really know how the crowds are going to behave (for instance, if you are staying at Island Tower and going to Magic Kingdom, is it better to walk to the boat launch and get on a boat, or walk over to the Great Ceremonial Hall (lobby), and go up the stairs/elevator to the second floor, to get on a monorail that's already passed through Contemporary and the TTC?)

I can, though, tell you what crowds were like at Grand Floridian this past summer.

The Magic Kingdom Monorail: At no point were we unable to load onto the next monorail to arrive. Was it packed? Sure was during park opening hours. But, it's packed for the like two minutes between the Grand Floridian and Magic Kingdom -- hardly noteworthy unless someone forgot to brush their teeth or wear their deodorant. Going the other way, I'd opt to take the boat from the Magic Kingdom to the Grand Floridian unless the monorail line appears to be light or a boat JUST left.

As an aside, I'm still holding out hope that when Island Tower opens, WDW will restrict the ability to get on the resort loop from the TTC -- Turn the TTC into an exit-only for the clockwise monorail. At least during Magic Kingdom open. That would be very simple and would only require them to invest in some signage and gates. I haven't heard any plans to do this, but gosh would it make sense.

The EPCOT Monorail: Different story. We loathe this thing. Except during park open/close, we have resigned to taking an Uber to EPCOT from now on if we are staying at any of the monorail resorts. It's not so much the crowds as it is the inconvenience along with the crowds. Nevertheless, I don't recall people being left at the TTC. I'm sure it happens on occasion, it just didn't while we were there. During park open/close, Uber can be tricky because you have to deal with the parking traffic -- often the EPCOT monorail is the more efficient mode at that time.

The Buses: Usually during peak times (open and close) in the summer, and during other times of the year, they'll run separate busses between each resort and the parks. They know that these are high demand times. They know you're going to be upset if you can't get on a bus in time for park open. And, further, if the crowds get out-of-whack and the busses somehow become a problem, it's pretty easy for them to adjust bus routes to add in extra capacity. I recall a time when we were staying at Beach Club and the ECV line for the Magic Kingdom was getting long - the driver called for an additional bus and it showed up within 10 minutes. I wouldn't worry too much about the busses unless your trip was the week before or the two weeks after Christmas (when they might be ironing out some of these crowd flow issues in the absolute THICK of it lol). By summer, they'll have the busses humming along efficiently. @Mle8308 is right in that they do combine stops during off-peak times -- how that impacts you is really a crap shoot as there's no way to predict whether one or 20 Polynesian/Grand Floridian guests will be wanting to leave Hollywood Studios at 2:00 on June 15, 2025. But this is true of all of the Deluxe resorts except one -- it's really only Riviera that is always non-stop between the one resort stop and the parks (the rest either have multiple internal stops or share a bus between two or more resorts).

For what it's worth, this is one of the bigger reasons why we prefer the Riviera to the Grand Floridian. We'll take the Skyliner and a dedicated bus over the monorail 10 times out of 10. But, I recognize that's not really what you asked...

To be fair, no one knows what the crowds will be like with Island Tower because we haven't crossed that bridge yet. There are educated guesses at what a total capacity figure might look like, but we don't really know how the crowds are going to behave (for instance, if you are staying at Island Tower and going to Magic Kingdom, is it better to walk to the boat launch and get on a boat, or walk over to the Great Ceremonial Hall (lobby), and go up the stairs/elevator to the second floor, to get on a monorail that's already passed through Contemporary and the TTC?)

I can, though, tell you what crowds were like at Grand Floridian this past summer.

The Magic Kingdom Monorail: At no point were we unable to load onto the next monorail to arrive. Was it packed? Sure was during park opening hours. But, it's packed for the like two minutes between the Grand Floridian and Magic Kingdom -- hardly noteworthy unless someone forgot to brush their teeth or wear their deodorant. Going the other way, I'd opt to take the boat from the Magic Kingdom to the Grand Floridian unless the monorail line appears to be light or a boat JUST left.

As an aside, I'm still holding out hope that when Island Tower opens, WDW will restrict the ability to get on the resort loop from the TTC -- Turn the TTC into an exit-only for the clockwise monorail. At least during Magic Kingdom open. That would be very simple and would only require them to invest in some signage and gates. I haven't heard any plans to do this, but gosh would it make sense.

The EPCOT Monorail: Different story. We loathe this thing. Except during park open/close, we have resigned to taking an Uber to EPCOT from now on if we are staying at any of the monorail resorts. It's not so much the crowds as it is the inconvenience along with the crowds. Nevertheless, I don't recall people being left at the TTC. I'm sure it happens on occasion, it just didn't while we were there. During park open/close, Uber can be tricky because you have to deal with the parking traffic -- often the EPCOT monorail is the more efficient mode at that time.

The Buses: Usually during peak times (open and close) in the summer, and during other times of the year, they'll run separate busses between each resort and the parks. They know that these are high demand times. They know you're going to be upset if you can't get on a bus in time for park open. And, further, if the crowds get out-of-whack and the busses somehow become a problem, it's pretty easy for them to adjust bus routes to add in extra capacity. I recall a time when we were staying at Beach Club and the ECV line for the Magic Kingdom was getting long - the driver called for an additional bus and it showed up within 10 minutes. I wouldn't worry too much about the busses unless your trip was the week before or the two weeks after Christmas (when they might be ironing out some of these crowd flow issues in the absolute THICK of it lol). By summer, they'll have the busses humming along efficiently. @Mle8308 is right in that they do combine stops during off-peak times -- how that impacts you is really a crap shoot as there's no way to predict whether one or 20 Polynesian/Grand Floridian guests will be wanting to leave Hollywood Studios at 2:00 on June 15, 2025. But this is true of all of the Deluxe resorts except one -- it's really only Riviera that is always non-stop between the one resort stop and the parks (the rest either have multiple internal stops or share a bus between two or more resorts).

For what it's worth, this is one of the bigger reasons why we prefer the Riviera to the Grand Floridian. We'll take the Skyliner and a dedicated bus over the monorail 10 times out of 10. But, I recognize that's not really what you asked...

Thanks so much for the detailed response. We have the ability to cancel the Grand Floridian and do the Riveria instead. I’m a little hesitant due to the lack of the theming for the hotel, the better pool at the Grand Floridian, and the fireworks at the Grand. As someone who was stayed at both, what’s your thoughts on GF vs Riveria?

 

[Jgruber215]

We were at the Poly in September and I do remember the busses being very crowded when we went to the GF for a pick up, especially for guests using EVC's, many times the spots were already occupied and they had to wait for the next bus. I remember thinking that if I were paying for a room at a deluxe, I would be frustrated that there were hardly ever any seats on the busses. And this was mid day during a slower time of year. We didn't use the monorail at peak times, so I can't comment on that.

Thanks so much for the info! I rally appreciate it.

 

[J&J]

Hello, I’m booked for the grand Floridian first week in June. I’m a little hesitant now as many of the reviews have been talking about the monorail, being packed and having to wait for multiple trains, especially with the Polynesians new towers. in addition, I believe the buses are shared between the Polynesian and the grand Floridian, as well, similar to the monorail crowds. I’m a little worried about them being too crowded. Any recent experiences?

Wonder if Disney will put more buses on the monorail is getting old and sometimes you get stuck on it. Never liked that you really are stuck.

 

[TCRAIG]

Thanks so much for the detailed response. We have the ability to cancel the Grand Floridian and do the Riveria instead. I’m a little hesitant due to the lack of the theming for the hotel, the better pool at the Grand Floridian, and the fireworks at the Grand. As someone who was stayed at both, what’s your thoughts on GF vs Riveria?

1000% would pick GF over RIV…I prefer the overall vibe and pools at GF (less kids). I use an ECV - I prefer to scoot over to MK but I have taken the monorail - it was never a problem getting on the next car if I missed the first one - and I always take the monorail to TTC and switch to the Epcot route - I’ve never had a problem. I only use GF busses for HS - and even on the ECV - I have not had to wait for a second bus.

 

[DizneyFamof4]

The GF monorail to MK is normally great. BUT we totally dislike using it to and from Epcot, there were a number of times when we got off at TTC that the Epcot monorail line was backed up, not to mention the time it takes to exit the 1st monorail and walk over to the Epcot monorail. Even with that said we still love GF

 

[Dave006]

Wonder if Disney will put more buses on the monorail is getting old and sometimes you get stuck on it. Never liked that you really are stuck.

Doubtful since Disney has been rebuilding the Monorail trains and cars since 2019. Monorail Peach came back fresh in March 2024 and Monorail Blue should be almost finished since it went to the service bay in May 2024. Disney has also been modernizing the Electrical system on the beams which provides the power to the Monorail engines and cars.

Dave

 

[BlueGreen5]

As someone who was stayed at both, what’s your thoughts on GF vs Riveria?

Look, opinions are opinions. And both resorts are probably amongst the nicest places you’ll ever stay. So, there’s not a right or wrong answer here.

With that said, we had the opportunity recently to stay at both the Grand Floridian and Riveria virtually back to back over the summer. We compared the two resorts and wrote up our thoughts.

https://www.disboards.com/threads/trips-report-two-weekend-trips-in-a-month-o.3948783

 

[nursejackie]

Only at GF for 5 nights of our 13 night trip, we're intending to walk from GF to MK for early entry, and drive to Epcot for early entry there. We'll definitely use the monorail to return to GF from MK, and for our evening trip to/from MK on a different day.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

I'm not saying a crowded monorail or bus doesn't happen on occasion at GF during occasional peak moments on any given day, but it's the exception and not the norm, in my experience. Personally it's not on my list of concerns/worries when thinking about staying at GF.

As for the new Island Tower, people can have different takes on this and that's OK, but personally I'm not concerned. The maximum total new guest count (assuming every room is occupied at its max occupancy, which isn't realistic) is some 1,162 possible guests. Factor in actual room and guest occupancy spread over the course of the day and the myriad of guest plans, that's a relatively tiny number in terms of overall bus/monorail/boat capacity, in my opinion.

 

[BlueGreen5]

I'm not saying a crowded monorail or bus doesn't happen on occasion at GF during occasional peak moments on any given day, but it's the exception and not the norm, in my experience. Personally it's not on my list of concerns/worries when thinking about staying at GF.

As for the new Island Tower, people can have different takes on this and that's OK, but personally I'm not concerned. The maximum total new guest count (assuming every room is occupied at its max occupancy, which isn't realistic) is some 1,162 possible guests. Factor in actual room and guest occupancy spread over the course of the day and the myriad of guest plans, that's a relatively tiny number in terms of overall bus/monorail/boat capacity, in my opinion.

That's exactly where I land on this. I'll go a step further.

Let's assume actual, sold out capacity is at 75% of theoretical capacity because not every room is filled to its 5 or 9 person capacity...ever - that would be lightning strike type odds. 75% is even probably really really high, I would bet. But, let's use that conservative estimate and now we're down to about 871 guests. And let's assume 20% of them are checking in or checking out on any given day and as such won't be going to a park. Now we're down to about 698 possible park goers from Island Tower during a completely sold out time. There's almost always capacity at Poly during June, so let's assume some of those 698 are cannibalized sales because those groups were set on staying at Poly either way and the Island Tower is just the more preferred accommodation. Now we're maybe down to 558 true "additional" guests. They're not all going to parks, and further, they're not all going to the same parks, on any given day. Let's assume maybe 40% of them will go to Magic Kingdom, and the other 60% will split between the other four options (EPCOT, DHS, AK, and resort day). So, you maybe are adding 223 additional park goers to the MK monorail, 83 additional park goers to the EPCOT monorail, and 83 additional park goers to the AK and DHS busses. Not all are going at park open, but a high percentage probably are - let's assume 80% again. 178 additional guests to MK at park open, and 66 to the rest of the parks - half of whom are probably children. Further, those 178 guests to MK are going to split between the monorail and boat pretty evenly, I would guess, given the location of Island Tower relative to both modes of transport.

In all, during peak time at a very high capacity, you're probably adding less than 100 additional people to the MK monorail, and less than 70 additional people to the bus line and EPCOT monorail, at park open.

And, as I previously mentioned, park open is not likely to matter (edited to add: with respect to the busses) because Island Tower (edited to clarify: Poly, as a whole, not just Island Tower) is likely to have it's own busses (edited to clarify: separate from the Grand Floridian) at park open and close.

So, as Mark Twain once said, rumors of demise have been greatly exaggerated.

 

[eticketplease]

We'll definitely use the monorail to return to GF from MK

It is the last stop so we prefer to get on the small boat that goes to GF.

 

[kylenne]

I'm not saying a crowded monorail or bus doesn't happen on occasion at GF during occasional peak moments on any given day, but it's the exception and not the norm, in my experience. Personally it's not on my list of concerns/worries when thinking about staying at GF.

As for the new Island Tower, people can have different takes on this and that's OK, but personally I'm not concerned. The maximum total new guest count (assuming every room is occupied at its max occupancy, which isn't realistic) is some 1,162 possible guests. Factor in actual room and guest occupancy spread over the course of the day and the myriad of guest plans, that's a relatively tiny number in terms of overall bus/monorail/boat capacity, in my opinion.

This is exactly my take on it. There has never been a time I haven't been able to get on the monorail at GF, even during peak times. Maybe I've had to walk down a few cars, or stand, but in 5 minutes after it gets to MK it generally clears out. Though admittedly I take the monorail a lot less than I used to since they opened the walking path because I always prefer walking over any other mode of transportation, and I especially enjoy that walk from GF to MK. The real reason I love the GF/Poly so much is the sheer number of options getting to and from MK, which I easily find the most annoying park to get to. We stayed in Conch Key in Sept and the dock was literally right next to our building so we mainly took the resort launch home except when we were going to Epcot.

Re: the buses, again we had no issues even coming back from parks when we shared with Poly. It adds on maybe 5 minutes tops to your trip and is absolutely not comparable to the doing the whole loop business at the giant mods.

But...as usual per a transportation thread, I feel obligated to point out that I take public transit daily at home as a New Yorker and thus my feelings on WDW transportation are viewed through that lens. I simply do not find it as onerous as many others seem to because I'm used to the occasional quirks of public transportation. Once you've had to transfer from the 4/5 to the 2/3 at Fulton St. in Manhattan transferring to the Epcot line at the TTC is nothing lol. Frankly I wish Disney would take over the MTA.

 

[FSU Girl]

I just got back and stayed at the grand Floridian for part of my trip. The monorail was packed. We were there Friday-Sunday and had to wait for a second monorail at the Grand and Poly. Didn’t have to from Magic Kingdom or Contemporary. I was surprised because we weren’t on it at park open so I figured late morning would be less crowded. And once on had to stand. We had two strollers and had to split into different cars to fit

 

[Atlantix2000]

As an aside, I'm still holding out hope that when Island Tower opens, WDW will restrict the ability to get on the resort loop from the TTC -- Turn the TTC into an exit-only for the clockwise monorail. At least during Magic Kingdom open. That would be very simple and would only require them to invest in some signage and gates. I haven't heard any plans to do this, but gosh would it make sense.

The problem I see with this idea is that the monorail resorts don't allow parking for those not staying there unless they have an ADR. So anyone that wants to visit has to park at the TTC and ride the resort loop (or use other modes of transportation).

 

[_19disnA]

From the TTC, there is also an express loop monorail (the outer loop) that only runs between TTC & MK with no other stops. I would imagine most going to MK do that rather than taking the inner loop that stops at each resort. If they let people going to MK park all day at the various resorts, the lots would fill up and those actually staying there would have no place to park. Would also be a way to 'game' the MK parking fees by parking @ a resort for free.