Disney Tips Your Guide To A Great Disney Vacation
After stripping Walt Disney World of the Reedy Creek Improvement District and replacing it with the Central Florida Tourism Oversight District, Florida Governor Ron DeSantis, and the new Board he appointed realized that Disney had essentially stripped the new Board of any power, leaving both of them a little embarrassed.
Credit: Disney
As a way of getting back at Disney, Governor DeSantis and the Florida Legislature stripped Disney of the ability to regulate the 15-mile Disney World Monorail System. A bill signed by the governor eight months ago gave the Florida Department of Transportation (FDOT) the authority to inspect and oversee the privately-owned transportation system.
One slight issue is that the FDOT had never conducted monorail inspections, and with the new law, the FDOT took over inspections not just at Disney World but also the people-mover trams at Orlando International Airport, Tampa International Airport, and Miami International Airport. So, it has taken them some time to get acclimated to monorails.
FDOT District Five Public Information Director Cindi Lane told Click Orlando:
Being that this is the first time that the State has had oversight, FDOT is doing its due diligence to thoroughly complete the review while ensuring the safety of travelers. The Department continues to work with Disney on necessary information for the non-structural portion of the (monorail) system.
Lane also said that Disney World had provided the FDOT with manuals and safety records for its monorail systems. However, the agency has not yet produced any written reports on Disney World’s monorail system, as it is required to do after a field inspection, which is required every one to two years.
Credit: Disney
As a part of the law, the FDOT is required to create minimum safety standards for the usage of monorail systems, but it has yet to comply with that part of the law.
The FDOT now has the authority to shut down the Disney World Monorail System at any point or for any infraction, which would wreak havoc on the Disney transportation system, especially for guests heading to the Magic Kingdom.
And that is the fear of the Disney World. The monorail system is no longer in their control and can be shut down at someone else’s request.
Credit: Disney
The Disney Monorail System
The Walt Disney Company has operated a monorail system for the past 65 years, first at Disneyland in California and then at the Walt Disney World Resort in Central Florida. The Disney World monorail has two separate lines that span 15 miles.
The first line runs from the Magic Kingdom Ticket and Transportation Center to Disney’s Polynesian Resort, The Grand Floridian Resort, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, and finally ends at the Magic Kingdom.
The second line takes guests from the Magic Kingdom Ticket and Transportation Center to EPCOT. But before entering the EPCOT station, the monorail loops around Spaceship Earth and gives guests a birdseye view of the entire park.
This post Florida Takeover of Disney’s Monorail System Is Now Complete appeared first on Disney Fanatic.
This is not a bad thing. After working in the monorail system for many years I can only hope that inexperienced managers will be prevented from making ill advised decisions about the operation of the monorails. I come from a time when the monorail pilot (driver) had full control of his train. Fortunatly most of that control has been taken away since an incident in 2009. At the time the training of the drivers was changed to make it easier to become a monorail driver. I had objected to those changes and stopped training cast members due to those changes. I retired shortly before the incident in 2009. I truely believe that incident would not have happened had the previous training procedures been lift in place. When the safety of the public and cast members is at stake, the training can not be altered to let less qualified people operate the equipment. Non Disney oversite should help prevent this from happening again. That doesn’t mean that a accident will not happen in the future, but it should be a lot less likely.
IF the State has personnel trained and experienced on these systems, some oversight is a good idea. But now, stop and look at the resources Disney puts forward every morning or night. Is the State willing to do the same?
IF the State wants to send one or two people to verify the inspection paperwork is signed, and give them orders not to make wave, what is to be gained?
Disney is not perfect, humans are not perfect. I have been involved in similar systems, Disney has been involved in these systems, for decades, they have on site engineering, they have decades of experience maintaining this equipment. The State does not.