Monorail Update: Disney Park Introduces New Transportation

One Disney resort has debuted a brand new monorail on May 7, 2024.

The brainchild of Walt Disney himself, Disney’s monorails are famous worldwide. Park guests had their first taste of a monorail fleet back in 1959 when the Disneyland Alweg Monorail System debuted at Disneyland Resort alongside the Matterhorn Bobsleds, the Submarine Voyage, the expanded version of Autopia, and the Motor Boat Cruise.

Disneyland’s monorail has had more than a name change in the 65 years since. What started as a way to show guests the sights of Disneyland evolved into a fully-fledged transportation system with a 2.5-mile extension added in 1961 to transport guests from the park to a station near the Disneyland Hotel. Nearly 20 years ago, Disney also gave the entire fleet a refurbishment to introduce the Mark VII monorails.

Further east, Disney boasts an even more impressive – but even more troublesome – fleet. Walt Disney World Resort’s monorail system (which visits Magic Kingdom, EPCOT, the Transportation and Ticket Center, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort, and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa across its three routes) carries 150,000 visitors per day and has faced multiple issues over the years, including a fatal crash in 2009.

To find the cream of the Disney monorail crop, you’ll need to travel even further east. Tokyo Disney Resort boasts its own monorail, the Disney Resort Line, that takes guests between Resort Gateway Station, Tokyo Disneyland Station, Bayside Station, and Tokyo DisneySea Station (for a small fee, unlike the free trains at Disneyland and Disney World).

Unlike its cousins overseas, this monorail is distinctly Disney. Not only are the windows shaped like Mickey Mouse himself, but guests can grab hold of Mickey-shaped straps to keep themselves steady during the ride.

It also routinely receives makeovers to celebrate special occasions – and May 7 marks the premiere of one such makeover.

As of May 7, 2024, Tokyo Disney Resort guests can ride on a monorail with a Fantasy Springs wrap. Designed to mark the opening of Fantasy Springs at Tokyo DisneySea on June 6, this includes the land’s logo and silhouettes of characters such as Peter Pan, Anna, and Elsa.

The interior has also been decorated for the occasion – primarily whimsical nature patterns and the Fantasy Springs logo. Music from Fantasy Springs is also apparently piped into the vehicle.

Service starts today, May 7th!
Disney Resort Line Tokyo DisneySea ” #ファンタジースプリングス ” The liner car has silhouettes of Anna & Elsa, Rapunzel, Peter Pan, and the interior is also decorated with exciting decorations ☆

本日5月7日より運行スタート！
ディズニーリゾートライン 東京ディズニーシー「 #ファンタジースプリングス 」ライナー
車体にはアナ＆エルサ、ラプンツェル、ピーター・パンたちのシルエット、車内にも期待高まる装飾も☆ https://t.co/Y1ap9U9VYm pic.twitter.com/vDxF09SKND

— DtimesDeparture (@DtimesDeparture) May 7, 2024

While there’s currently no firm end date for the Fantasy Springs monorail, local sources estimate that it will run for around a year (as has been the case with other temporary monorail designs).

When Fantasy Springs opens, it’ll allow guests to step into three new fictional worlds inspired by Frozen (2013), Tangled (2010), and Peter Pan (1953). Across these three mini-lands, the park will welcome four new attractions: Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey (a newer, more superior version of Frozen Ever After), Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival, Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure, and Fairy Tinker Bell’s Busy Buggies.

The land will also boast its own hotel, Tokyo DisneySea Fantasy Springs Hotel. This will be the second hotel situated within Tokyo DisneySea after Hotel MiraCosta and will provide its residents with direct access to the land (although with rooms ranging from $420 to $2,000 per night, this luxury doesn’t come cheap).

Elsewhere at Tokyo Disney Resort, guests can also look forward to a new Wreck-It Ralph (2012) attraction in place of Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters and the upcoming Marvel overlay for “it’s a small world,” which will see it transformed into “it’s a small world with Groot” in 2025.

Do you plan on visiting Tokyo Disney Resort any time soon? Let us know in the comments!

This post originally appeared on Inside the Magic.