Why you should consider a stay at one of Disney World’s monorail resorts

WDW Prep SchoolWhy you should consider a stay at one of Disney World’s monorail resorts

Heather Thomas
May 13, 2019
July 25, 2020

Disney World has many beautiful resorts and some of the most iconic of them reside along the Disney World monorail line.

If you’re looking to stay someplace with convenient access to Magic Kingdom (and Epcot), then one of the monorail resorts may be just what you are looking for.

Here’s why.

In this article

Which resorts are directly on the monorail?

There are 3 resorts located along the monorail:

Why should you stay at one of the Disney hotels on the monorail?

The main reason people choose to stay on the monorail is for the convenience, especially the convenience of getting to Magic Kingdom.

If you are planning to spend most of your time at Magic Kingdom then a monorail resort might be for you. This is especially true if you use a stroller.

The nice thing about the monorail is your little ones can stay in their stroller when riding the monorail unlike the buses where you have to fold your stroller up.

Another advantage that the monorail resorts have are their amenities.

Like the other Deluxe Category resorts, the monorail resorts offer some of the most amenities and extras of any the resorts, including:

Larger-sized standard rooms
Extensively themed pools with slides
Multiple transportation options
Table Service dining options

For example, Disney’s Grand Floridian has a spa and a 5 star restaurant (Victoria and Albert’s). All 3 of the resorts have character meals and you’ll find several signature dining experiences in the monorail resorts, too.

Those are all things you won’t find at the Moderate and Value resorts.

The grounds of the monorail resorts are lovely and lush and being on the monorail also means being along the water, where you’ll find boats that can transport you to other areas of the Disney World resort (which is a nice perk!).

So, while the monorail resorts are pricey, they do offer guests a lot in the form of convenience and amenities in return.

So how do you pick which one is the best for your vacation?

Thankfully, each resort has its own pros and cons that should make narrowing down your choices a little bit easier:

Disney’s Contemporary Resort

Pros: Can walk to Magic Kingdom, easy to get to most other resorts using monorail or MK buses, views of Magic Kingdom fireworks, can view Electrical Water Pageant from hotel, 50-minute specialty cruises for up to 10-12 people available at the dock, large rooms, salon on site

Cons: Pool isn’t anything special, theming seems sterile to some people, bathrooms don’t have separate sinks and showers, bus transportation can be shared with other hotels, can be noisy from Chef Mickey’s

Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa

Pros: One monorail stop away from Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Flagship Resort with very elegant theming, great on-site dining options, can take boat to Magic Kingdom, view of Magic Kingdom fireworks and Electrical Water Pageant

Cons: Expensive, transportation to parks other than Magic Kingdom can take a while (shared buses, have to transfer monorails to get to Epcot), not as kid friendly as other resorts

Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

Pros: Easy access to both Magic Kingdom and Epcot by monorail (can walk to TTC to get Epcot monorail if you would like), boat option to Magic Kingdom, theming, view of Magic Kingdom fireworks with music piped in, very popular/delicious on-site restaurants, big rooms

Cons: High cost, shared buses which can mean long bus rides to places other than Magic Kingdom and Epcot, resort can feel too spread out