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Is Disneyland's monorail necessary?

Disneyland: It just goes around the corner.

From Daniel Etcheberry
Posted October 6, 2010 at 8:53 PM
The one at WDW makes more sense because there is a big distance between Magic Kingdom's parking lot and the park.


Comments in chronological order. Most recent at the bottom. Scroll down to respond.

From M. Ryan Traylor
Posted October 7, 2010 at 10:30 AM
When this attraction first opened, it was adjacent to the Disneyland Hotel. It provided transportation from the hotel to the park. Otherwise, the guests would have to walk through the parking lot.

This parking lot is now gone and replaced with the entry plaza. And the hotel has been moved also.

However, the attraction still fits into the Tomorrowland theme. And it's a nice way to relax. Plus the track layout allows for a great tour of Tomorrowland and Fantasyland.

From Zack McDonald
Posted October 7, 2010 at 12:06 PM
They don't remove rides that Walt put in. The locals love the Monorail and the horn they use on it. It's basically another ride in the park.

From Rob P
Posted October 12, 2010 at 1:42 AM
The monorail at Disneyland is iconic. The fact that it's transportation services are not needed quite so much these days is purely academic. It's as much a part of Disneyland as the Castle or the Railroad and it should be preserved for future generations to enjoy.

As Joni Mitchell put it : " You don't know what you've got 'til it's gone "

From Robert Niles
Posted October 12, 2010 at 9:57 AM
Hey, it's a ride. You might as well ask... Is the PeopleMover necessary? Is the Skyway necessary?

Oh, wait a minute. Bad examples. :-(

From Anthony Murphy
Posted October 12, 2010 at 11:13 AM
Hey, its just fun!

From M. Ryan Traylor
Posted October 12, 2010 at 12:30 PM
In response to Robert's joke:

Sadly the gondolas are gone. But at least the cost of removing them was seen as a necessity.

It's such an eyesore to see the PeopleMover track just sit there, doing nothing.

From Nick Markham
Posted October 12, 2010 at 3:00 PM
^It is not that much of an eyesore. To a person who wasn't around when a ride was there, it just looks like some futuristic theming.

And taking out the monorail is like taking out the Disneyland Railroad (there is a good example Robert!) Do you need the railroad to get around the park? No, of course not! But it is so iconic and original to the park it just has to stay and provides great views of the park itself.

From Javier Suarez
Posted October 12, 2010 at 5:29 PM
Aesthetics and playfulness are always necessary, otherwise you would never go to a theme park. Something might not be useful, but it could still be necessary.

I found the monorail useful last New Year's Eve when I had to meet up with some peers who arrived in Anaheim late. We used the in-park station as a meeting point amid the crowds.

From Bryan Fear
Posted October 14, 2010 at 10:36 AM
Agreed with numerous responses above. Leave it because it's iconic. Also, since the skyway and people mover are gone I'd say Disney has already tightened it's belt in regards to cutting back on transportation theme rides. You can go on a skyway in numerous theme parks around the world. How many monorails are there in north America? Oh yeah, right....

From parker reave
Posted October 14, 2010 at 7:40 PM
Yes, it’s necessary.

The one at Disneyland makes sense because it it’s a great, iconic ride not unlike the Matterhorn Bobsleds or the Pirates of the Caribbean. Don’t look at the Monorail as the equivalent of the transportation system at WDW - look at it as a great ride in Walt’s first park.

From M. Ryan Traylor
Posted October 14, 2010 at 8:19 PM
Nick, the problem with having a ride housing or track remain in view/available and not in use in Tomorrowland reminds guests of the past and not the future. :D

From rick stevens
Posted October 14, 2010 at 8:38 PM
The Monorail is iconic. It is also a great way to bypass the entrance lines when you have an annual pass. You get on in Downtown Disney and exit in Tomorrowland. If you stay in one of the hotels, it is a convenient way to enter early. It would be great if they could expand the track to include area hotels, but that would be cost prohibitive.

From Nick Markham
Posted October 15, 2010 at 7:59 AM
^^ But it would not remind people of the past when they didn't even know there was a ride there to begin with! You look at it and can't even tell if you haven't been there when the ride was there.

From Ryan Wathen
Posted October 23, 2010 at 7:32 PM
In response to M.Ryan Traylor who commented that they "moved the hotel". The monorail and the Disneyland Hotel are in the exact same place they have always been. The three towers for the Disneyland Hotel remain as always, but the two story outer building, restaurants and bars were removed to make way for Downtown Disney. They were part of the hotel and in between the monorail station and the towers. It never went directly to the towers, but to the other part of the hotel that no longer exists. And, I for one would not want to see the monorail go away. It is still just as convenient as before to the hotel and a ride within itself.

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