Disney World’s monorail system has been in place since 1971, and remains an comfortable, efficient and fun way to get park guests from one location to another. The current trains have been circulating through the Magic Kingdom and Epcot since the last upgrade in 1991.

Each monorail train is air-conditioned and equipped to transport almost 400 passengers to either a Disney resort, theme park or parking area. Since the trains are fully enclosed and air conditioned, they are a comfortable way for guests to get around quickly and minimize traffic in and out of some of Disney World’s busiest locations. The monorail is free for visitors to ride as needed and a ticket is not required.

There are three separate monorail tracks in Disney World. The “Express Monorail” offers direct service from the Ticket and Transportation Center and parking lot to the gates of the Magic Kingdom, with no other stops. Guests traveling to the Magic Kingdom by car can use this route to arrive at the entrance gates.

The “Resort Monorail” travels the same route as the Express, the tracks are situated side by side in parts of the journey. This monorail makes frequent stops as it passes through the Magic Kingdom, Ticket and Transportation center and three separate Orlando hotels inside Disney World. This monorail is most useful for guests staying at one of the three trackside resorts – the Contemporary, Polynesian or Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. One of the benefits of staying in one of these deluxe Disney World hotels is the ease of traveling to the Magic Kingdom and Epcot via monorail.

The third monorail route is also the longest. Making a continuous loop between the Ticket and Transportation Center and the Epcot Theme park, the Epcot monorail can be used by anyone wishing to avoid driving and parking at Epcot center. This route takes about 10 minutes, and concludes with a brief tour around the Future World section of Epcot, allowing guests a sneak preview of the fun to come.

Guests choose the monorail for convenience and speed. As long as you board the correct monorail (which is easy do, as long as you read the signs), you will be swiftly shuttled to your destination. Relying on the monorail can help you save money as well; if you stay in a monorail resort and intend to spend plenty of time going to the Magic Kingdom or Epcot, you can bypass the rental car.

The monorails run all day long, from park opening until two hours after the theme parks have closed, so you can hop aboard whenever you need to. As with any high occupancy form of transportation, delays are possible. If you arrive at a monorail station as a train pulls away, you will have a ten minute wait until the next train arrives. Monorails do allow strollers and wheelchairs and are designed to be comfortable for all members of the family.

The Disney World monorail system has been refined to the point that is the most economical, safest and easiest way to get around the Magic Kingdom area.