Take a Holiday Ride on the Monorail

By Frances

“Por favor mantenganse alejado de las puertas. Ladies and Gentlemen, please collect your belongings and watch your head and step. Please assist small children by the hand.” There are very few complete quotes that my eight year old daughter knows better than this one. If you have ever ridden the the Walt Disney World or the Disneyland Resort monorail more than a few times, then you know at least a piece of it.

Since the 1971 opening of Walt Disney World, the monorail system has carried over one billion passengers. The WDW Resort Monorail System, the most heavily traveled passenger monorail system in the world, carries nearly 150,000 passengers every week day. Each year, the monorails transport more than 50 million people. If you are looking for a break from the theme park crowds this holiday season, hop a monorail and tour the breathtaking resorts along the monorail route.

With the holidays right around the corner, here are some Holiday treats you can you find on a ride on the monorail?

You are now leaving from the Magic Kingdom

Your first stop…Disney’s Contemporary Resort & Bay Lake Towers offers shopping and a quick-lunch at the Contempo Cafe. As you watch other monorails zip through the building, you’ll definitely want a Black Forrest Cupcake for dessert ($3.29). A traditional Contemporary must-see is the floor-to-ceiling ceramic mural, created by artist and Disney legend Mary Blair, whimsically celebrating the beauty of the Grand Canyon and the southwest region. Be sure to look for the goat with 5 legs. Need some quiet time to rest your achy feet? Take an escalator down one floor to the Convention Center area, where there are cushioned benches and chairs available. The bathrooms are super clean, quiet, and roomy.

Next stop…Disney’s Polynesian Resort, where you’ll enter a South Pacific themed tropical paradise. Walk down to the lower level and gaze at the 70 species of plants found around the waterfall. Take a seat, so close you are within reaching distance of the flora, and feel your vacation tensions melt away to the sound of the peaceful falling waters. If you need a quick bite to eat, try Captain Cook’s or the Tambo Lounge. If you are here near nightfall, ask about the Polynesian Resort‘s torch-lighting ceremony, which includes a traditional fire-knife dance together with authentic drumming and chants.

Last stop… is the Disney’s magnificent Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. Labeled as the flagship hotel of the Walt Disney World Resorts, just standing in the five-story lobby is a journey into opulence and splendor. There are six restaurants to choose from and shopping at Basin White or M. Mouse Mercantile. Pull up a chair and listen to the frequent musical entertainment, which ranges from a pianist seated at a grand piano to a Disney big band. Because this holiday decoration will be gone after New Years, make a trip over to the Victorian era-style Grand Floridian gingerbread house before you make your way back upstairs for the monorail ride to the Magic Kingdom.

A modernistic transportation system to journey you to the Future, the South Seas, and the Victorian Era…all in a Disney holiday’s time.

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Magical Vacations by Distinctive Journeys is ready to help you plan your next magical vacation. Please visit them at Magical Vacations by Distinctive Journeys on facebook, on the web at Distinctive Journeys or 404-414-6198 or frances@distinctive-journeys.com

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