Mouse Extra

While it may be debatable if it can still be considered a technological marvel, the Walt Disney World Monorail System holds a firm place in the hearts of Disney World fans and a spot on the list of the Seven Wonders of Walt Disney World.
 
Building on the technology pioneered by Bob Gurr and used originally at Disneyland, the Monorail serves an equal purpose in transportation, entertainment, and practicality. It moves tens of thousands of guests quietly and efficiently around Disney World each day, and covers over 13 miles of track. But more importantly, it is part of the very essence that builds a feeling magic in every guest that rides it.

For many who come to the Magic Kingdom for the first time, the Monorail is often your initial hint that this is not your average theme park. You walk up to what looks like an average train platform, but then are amazed as the massive yet silent train pulls in. For many, the words “please stand clear of the doors” serve as a signal that one has arrived at their favorite destination.

When planning the Magic Kingdom, Walt Disney wanted a place that you didn’t just walk up to. He wanted to develop a sense of anticipation in the arriving guests and a feeling that  they were leaving the real world behind and entering a truly magical kingdom. The Monorail’s unique Learjet look is unlike anything else you’ve seen and it primes the guest perfectly for that feeling. As it glides along the tracks, the view of the castle across Seven Seas Lagoon is jaw-dropping.  By now, you’ve been pulled in.

As the anticipation builds for your arrival at the Magic Kingdom, it passes through the Contemporary Resort, right through the middle of it! Because of its remarkably quiet mechanism, being able to go right through the lobby serves a practical purpose. But more than that, it is yet another site along this journey that your eyes have never seen before.

In later years, the Monorail began transporting passengers from the Magic Kingdom to Epcot, in a journey more like true commuting then showmanship.  But by the time you arrive at Epcot the show resumes.  Gliding over Future World, the buildings take on a dimension that one only experiences from atop the Monorail’s concrete tracks.  From the ground, the Monorail fits perfectly among the buildings of the future.

But there is a much larger reason why the Monorail is among the Seven Wonders of Walt Disney World.  It is a reason that transcends the Disney theme parks.  The Monorail stands as an example of something that could have been.  Not just another lofty idea for the future, but something that was developed, tried and perfected. It is a fully working transportation system that has proven its ability to move people efficiently and quickly, with greater quiet and comfort then any rail service that came before it and many that have been developed since.  It’s the kind of transportation advancement that one can only sit and wonder why it has not been integrated into the American landscape.