Where Exactly Do the Monorails Go?

August 30, 2016

Though Disney-veterans may know the monorail service like the back of their hands, when you’re planning a Disney vacation for the first time, the plethora of transportation options can have guests feeling a bit like “Buses, boats and monorails oh my…”. In order to make your journey from one corner of Walt Disney World to the next an absolute breeze. Here’s just a brief rundown on Disney World’s much-loved monorail service and where it can take you.

There are currently 3 monorail lines that run at Disney World. They are as follows:

Magic Kingdom Resort Line
Epcot Line
Express line

The Magic Kingdom Resort Monorail makes the following loop:

Magic Kingdom Theme Park
Disney’s Contemporary Resort
Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC)

This line accommodates all of the guests staying on-site at Disney’s Monorail Resorts, but is also a great way for visitors to hop from the theme parks to any of the three Monorail Resorts for things like character dining, dinner shows, babysitting clubs etc.

Though guests heading from the Transportation and Ticket Center to the Magic Kingdom can take the Resort Line, there is also an express option that will get you to the Magic Kingdom alot quicker. The Express Monorail takes the same route as the Magic Kingdom Resort Monorail Line. However, it only makes stops at the Transportation and Ticket Center and the Magic Kingdom.

Finally the Epcot Monorail, similarly to the Magic Kingdom Express monorail will take you from the Transportation and Ticket Center to Epcot and vice versa.

What are the operating hours for the monorails? The monorails are supposed to run from 30 minutes prior to earliest park opening until one hour after the latest park closing. That being said the monorails routinely experience service changes due to maintenance so if you are staying on-site, it pays to check in with resort staff to find out if there are any changes before planning out your days. Also, I have known the monorails not to stay open for evening Extra Magic Hours so be prepared to have a back-up.

What happens if I want to get between Magic Kingdom and Epcot? – Then like most commuters you’ll need to make at least one transfer. You’ll have take your monorail from one theme park to the TTC and then hop on the monorail for the other theme park.

So the monorail doesn’t go to Animal Kingdom or Hollywood Studios? Correct. You can transfer to Hollywood Studios by bus or boat (depending on your location) and Animal Kingdom by bus only.

I’m trying to get to my Advanced Dining Reservation but the monorails aren’t running! What should I do? I’ve had this happen to me more than once. If you are parked at the TTC and trying to get to Magic Kingdom or any of the monorail resorts and the monorails aren’t yet running, there is a boat that will take you from the TTC to the Magic Kingdom. In my experience this tends to run a bit earlier. From there you can transfer to boats to any of the monorail resorts if Magic Kingdom isn’t your final destination.

I heard that lucky kids may have a chance to ride in the front of the monorail is this true? Sadly not. There was a time where kids were given the special opportunity of riding in the front with the monorail conductor and were even given a monorail trading card as a memento of the experience. However, the policy was changed several years ago due to safety concerns.

What are the different monorail colors? Disney will occasionally swap out monorail colors though the ones in current operation would appear to be Silver, Black, Blue, Red, Coral, Yellow, Lime, Green, Gold, Orange, Gold, Peach and Teal. See how many you can spot during your next Disney visit.

So if you’re heading to Walt Disney World for the first time, hopefully you can now ride this beloved Disney system with confidence and don’t forget to “Please Stand Clear of the Doors”.

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