On February 25, 2024 I made a whirlwind one-day tour of all four Walt Disney World theme parks, and I returned the following day to explore the Seven Seas Lagoon resorts. Despite the fast pace of my trip I made sure to stop and watch the monorails go by whenever I could. The "highway in the sky" is an iconic part of the WDW experience and over 50 years after opening these unique trains still feel like a glimpse into the future. In this video I've captured Monorails Blue & Red on the Epcot beam; Teal, Coral, and Yellow on the Express beam; and Lime, Silver, Green, and Orange on the Resort beam.
The Walt Disney World Monorail System opened with the resort on October 1, 1971. At that time 10 Mark IV trains operated between the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC), Polynesian Resort, Contemporary Resort, and the Magic Kingdom park, with the Grand Floridian Resort being added in 1988. Services run on the Express beam between the TTC and the park and the Resort beam serving the hotels. When Epcot opened in 1982, a third beam was added circling the park's Future World and connecting it to the TTC. In 1989 the aging Mark IVs were replaced by new Mark VI trains that continue in service to this day, and with the entire fleet of 12 having been recently refurbished they will continue to ferry guests through the skies above the most magical place on Earth for many years to come.