The Monorails of Disney's Wonderful World of Theme Parks

Monorails now run in four of the five Disney Resorts in California, Florida, Tokyo, and Hong Kong, with Disneyland Paris the only one not to boast its own system. And, in each park, they're very different, although they're also undeniably Disney.

The monorail system I grew up with was the one at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. Somehow, I think probably because the monorail expanded to serve Epcot when that park opened in 1982, I always assumed that the system would grow as more theme parks arrived on the scene. Sadly, that wasn't the case, as there's nothing I'd have loved more than to travel between all the parks via monorail. I guess though, at a reported investment of $1 million per mile of track, it would be a steep price to pay, just to put a smile on my face!

Having said that, what we've got now is superb and covers something like 14 miles around the resort, running from the Magic Kingdom to Epcot, with three separate lines in operation. My favorite has always been the line that takes you into Epcot, simply because it allows you to glide over Future World, offering tantalising glimpses of the delights inside my favorite park. That's something that is replicated over at Disneyland in California, where one of the monorail stations is actually inside the park, in Tomorrowland.

The first time we used the Disneyland monorail, it was only partially operating, due to all the work being undertaken on Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage at the time. Immediately, one of the reasons I added to my list of why I wanted to go back to Disneyland was to experience the full monorail route. When we did, I will admit to being a bit disappointed. I was expecting something along the lines of the Epcot line, where you get some superb views of the park below you, but to be honest, the monorail was zooming along too quickly to see much, which was a shame. I did love the way that it winds its way through the Grand Californian Hotel and I couldn't help but think that they should have added a monorail stop into this resort.

Despite all the monorail systems around the world, the only place with monorail stops at the resorts is still Walt Disney World in Florida and, let's be honest, you can't beat being able to board a monorail from the hotel you're staying at. I think most of us would agree to still having a sense of wonder every time the monorail glides through the concourse of the Contemporary Resort. I know it's a sight I'll never get tired of seeing.

As for the monorails themselves, these do all vary tremendously between the different parks. I think it's fair to say that those at Walt Disney World are now the least attractive to me, having seen the new Mark VII trains in operation in Disneyland in California. True, we've only seen the red and blue trains, with an orange one now added since our last visit, but they are radically different to what you're used to. Gone is the white monorail with a colour band running through it -- these are literally made up of bright colours and are quite a contrast. It takes some getting used to.

But these aren't my favourites either. To my mind, they're still a bit of a shock to the system, being very modern, and it will take me a long time to get used to them. Now having seen the monorails at both Hong Kong and Tokyo, I can't help but have a pang of sadness that they didn't introduce this style of train into Disneyland. So what's so special about these? Well, the first things to say are that both systems are very different than the American ones. For starters, both charge a fee, although if you're a guest at one of the Tokyo Disney hotels, you will be able to ride the monorail for free. Seeing ticket machines at the stations really does take some getting used to.