The Disney World Monorail is one of our favorite ways to get to Magic Kingdom and EPCOT, but just like everything else, it’s not guaranteed to be operational 100% of the time.
Monorail at EPCOT
Bad weather is one of the reasons you may notice that the Monorail isn’t functioning as normal, though it’s usually less affected by weather than the Skyliner. However, recently, a lightning strike caused a power outage that left guests stranded on the Monorail for over an hour.
Back on September 8th, passengers on the Monorail were stopped during their ride when lightning struck nearby, according to WFLA. The riders were stuck for an hour and a half with no AC, as the lightning strike caused a power outage that took out the system entirely.
©WFLA courtesy of Tanya Lee
In a video provided by Tanya Lee, who was on the Monorail when the issue happened, you can see three men on board take out the window as they’re guided by the overhead voice of the monorail conductor. In an interview with Storyful, Lee said, “We were there for one and a half hours and during that time the driver talked us through how to take out the window.”
Gold Monorail pulling in
Lee continued, saying that while she was very nervous and doesn’t like heights, and has always been worried about getting stuck on one of the Monorails, but that, “Everyone was in good spirits, as there is not much you can do at that point. The people in the car I was in were upbeat despite the situation.” Lee also said that when they got off the Monorail, Disney was there to meet them with cold bottles of water, $50 Disney gift cards, and a Lightning Lane pass.
Monorail
It’s important to remember that things like this can happen anywhere in Disney World, not just on transportation, and not only in bad weather. We’ve previously been stuck on rides numerous times before and had to be evacuated off, and we’ve been stuck on other modes of transportation too. It’s a risk you take when you get on any attraction in Disney World, so while we don’t think it should stop you from doing a ride or hopping on some transportation, it is something to keep in the back of your mind.
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You would think that the Walt Disney Company which makes billions of dollars a year in profits, would at least have a backup power supply (Generator) to keep the monorail running at least until the next few stops. But that would make too much sense. This is further proof that we live in a world where common sense is no longer common.
Being stuck on a ride and having able evacuation is one thing but, being stuck on something you can’t get off is another. It’s why I don’t ever ride the Skyliner. Reading this is super scarey.
J.R., I agree with you.