Guests Speak: What Monorails Mean to Me

[Doctor McKey]

We thank you for your support. My wife designed a solidarity <sp> ribbon for us. Below is a picture of it. Their is a vigil being set up in Celebration, below will also be a copy of the invite from Facebook. I see no reason for those who want to show their support to attend.


The Black Ribbon shows us that we are in mourning
The Maroon Ribbon shows our bond by the colors that run deep with in us.

In this time of deep loss, it is important to remember the man that Austin was, one who is and always will be cherished by everyone he touched. Please join us in a Vigil gathering in the Town of Celebration, in front of the lake, at the end of Market Street This Saturday July 11, 2009 at 9pm.

[February]

Oh, Doc.

The ribbons are so touching. The sight of them on the wings...is something that I sit here weeping over as I wish we didn't have to see it ever, truly. Your wife did a beautiful job with them.

I wish I could be there for the service. Please know that I'll be there in spirit and I will observe a moment of silence for Austin at that time.

hugs to you ALL

and please, do me a small favor when you can?

When you see Wallaby.

When nobody's looking and you have a moment.

Give him a really good, firm handshake, and tell him that it represents a hug from Bru. When he shakes your hand in return, consider it a hug for you, from me as well.

Someday on a future trip I really hope to be able to shake your hands myself in person.

~Bru

[turkeyham]

Just wanted to let you know that Outdoor Vendors at Disneyland are wearing purple sashes on their name tags for purple monorail driver who died in the crash. I talked to my friend who is in that department and he is hoping that others will be able to wear purple until they are told to remove it. :)

[ktulu]

One of my favorite experiences comes not with the Monorails themselves, but rather with the Pilots.

On my last trip I was at the same place where the recent events unfolded, and while the images will never go away from my head, the happy memories still come back. It was getting late and groups of tired people were shuffling from the Magic Kingdom side of the TTC to the Epcot side. One group approaches and is stopped by a pilot. The CM announces that he is the official squeeze breeze tester at WDW and needs to test theirs out. The kid holding the bottle is confused as this CM takes the bottle and proceeds to spray himself in the face. He announces it is no good and walks away, dumping the water. Now, at this point the family is like WTH, he's dumping the water out! I interject that this man is in fact an expert and they just need to see what happens. A few more families have started to queue up behind us (after all, it is WDW, if it looks like a line, just get in it). The CM re-fills the bottle at a water fountain, and comes back announcing it is ready for re-testing. Of course he cannot test it on himself, so I get a blast of cool water to the face (yeah, I needed to clean my glasses, thanks :p: ) and then he moves onto the rest of the crowd making sure everyone gets sprayed.

This simple act put smiles back onto the faces of some very tired (and hot) people. That my friends, is what it is about.

[Saint March]

The monorails give you a perspective on Disney and Walt's Dream unlike anything else. when you leave the station at the GF and the view clears and you look out over the water at the Contemporary you see the world from the perspective that he saw it.

And the same when you pass in front of the station at Main street, and continue along the highway in the sky to see the Grand or the Poly in the distance, or when you make the loops around Future World and Spaceship Eath. The monorails lift you to the sky for a view of everything Walt envisioned for Disney World and take you on that gentle gliding guided tour.

For the life of me I still can't decided if the Grand and the Contemporary are more beautiful in the day or at night as seen from the monorails. Maybe i never will.

And that's just riding them...

From the ground you truly appreciate their beauty and as an engineer, I appreciate just how impressive a feat of technology they really are. Nothing like that existed, so of course, Walt made it exist.

I love when they pass over your head when you come down the ramp heading for the MK, and when you are sitting in the Contemporary and the express glides through so quietly and gracefully, as if it were just built to do so, because it was.

Last trip February and I took in a meal at the Kona Cafe, and the best thing about our table was that we could see the monorails leaving the station.

One of the first things I always take note of when we get on property is the first sight of the monorail tracks and the first color of the first monorail we see. That's how you really know you have arrived. The monorail is the offical beginning of the fun and joy. That's what they represent.

I've been fortunate enough to ride in the cabs maybe half a dozen times. I'd be lying if I didn't tell you that when the pilot steps out, I love to get up and look at the instrument panel. i've always loved to figure out how things work, and the monorails more than anything else. Of course I never would touch anything. i wouldn't dare. :)

Every ship needs its Captain. Without the pilots the monorails would never make it out of the shop in the morning. They provide the magic and pixie dust that give life to Walt's dream. You almost forget their purpose is to move you from your hotel or car to Epcot and MK, and back again, because the monorails are an attraction all on their own. The pilots shuttle us, entertain us (they never cease to make us laugh when we talk to them), and above all else protect us.

That last duty is done without any fanfare. It happens quietly in the background and without the knowledge of us guests, but it happens. You are always prepared to do whatever it takes for the safety and well being of your guests, and for that we all owe you our praise, our thanks, and our love.

Never forget we appreciate you all for being the pilots on our highway in the sky!

[February]

"It's just a bunch of trains, lined up in a row."

That is how one monorail pilot I spoke with about my love of the trains responded a few years back, much to my surprise.

We were riding in his cab and I had just said to him, "What I wouldn't give to have an hour in the monorail shop at night, when they've all been tucked in, just to stand there and look at them." Then, he responded with the above.

I was startled, and I stared at him in complete disbelief. I gestured to the glorious scenery around us out the front window, and said "How can you say that when you get to do this every day?"

It was then that it hit me- there have even been few (very few) people to work in Monorails over the years who didn't get it - that the trains don't matter to, in the way that they matter to me. That guy just didn't get it. I'm sure that you long time monorail pilots have known people who didn't and they probably didn't stay. You all get it, so you stay. And that makes you like gold to us- it takes a VERY special person to pilot a monorail.

I have to say, that guy was the only monorail pilot I ever remember meeting in my life long monorail loving career who didn't seem as in awe of the trains as I am.

Everyone else I've met who makes those works of art fly, gets it.

It's clear when you see them at work. And I have to tell you, as a guest who for years has had to use a wheelchair to get around WDW, I try to get out of the chair when I am possibly up to it so that they don't have to use the ramps to get me onto the train because I know how hard it is. But they never complain.

On the days when I have to stay in the chair (I can walk short distances depending on the current condition of my disintigrating joints and spine) I always smile and thank them profusely, and they always at least nod, or smile, or joke with me when I joke with them- I want it to be clear to them how much their work means to me.

Watching the video of Austin with that family from CT on his train just days ago, you could see he totally got it. I just sat here sobbing because I'm sure that he treated every family of guests just that way. What a gift that family just shared with us all, giving those of us who were never lucky enough to meet Austin a chance to ride in his monorail with him. You could just tell how much he loved it.

He made such magic for them, as Monorail pilots have made it for all of us over the years. Through that video, he just made a new memory for me.

I only wish I could've met him.

I just don't know how to put into words what you all mean to us, honestly. But I'm going to keep trying. So here's some more of my memories.

This one jumps ahead a bit, but what the heck you all know I'm all over the place anyway why should this thread be any different. I know that it isn't really truly 'monorail' related but if you're going to understand (or even want to) what Monorails really mean to me, then the How I became a CM story has to be told...) If you're not interested, of course you can just skip the posts that follow to the next poster's contributions.

I was eighteen when the first Disney Store in our state was about to open. I'd worked a lot of retail jobs, (college being discouraged in my family- my parents actually made me turn down a full singing scholarship for religious reasons)

When I saw the image of Mickey with a clap board and the caption "Casting Call" on that ad in the paper, I almost fell over.

I was so excited I couldn't sleep for days. I remember thinking that I wanted this job more than I'd ever wanted anything in my life. I didn't know that they'd actually been casting for awhile and this was 'last call' day so to speak. At last the day came, and I shined myself up 'all neat and pretty', got into the car and headed for the Sheraton hotel where the interviews were to be conducted. Now that I think of it, it was this time of year- it was early August, exactly 20 years ago.

I was shaking when I walked in the doors.

[February]

I went to the table and picked up the application (I'd made an appointment time and brought my resume...all of that) I looked up, and I remember I saw a man sharply dressed, wearing a Disney nametag. I realized, instantly, that he was someone high up in the process and I immediately thought , quick, what can I do to make an impression? I didn't know what to do. I
panicked.

He looked at me sideways...and I just smiled. I didn't put on a smile, I just thought about the monorails and WDW and how I knew in my heart I could bring a tiny speck of that pixie dust here to our state, and I smiled.

He grinned at me and gave me a wave.

I then started filling out my application and there were a sea of them. I wondered what I could do to make it stand out.

I filled in every part in Disney style lettering. I still draw a mean Disney D.

I went to wait my turn, keeping my eyes on the people at the tables, the managers milling about. I noticed a few minutes after I'd put my application down on the table that the man I'd smiled at came up to the lady at the table (I was, believe it or not, quite shy back then and I'd taken up position behind a large potted plant) he pointed to one application, and she looked around and then pointed toward...me.

Oh man, I thought. She's pointing at the plant. What did I do wrong?

He smiled again, looking at the application, and he called my name. My interview wasn't due to start for more than half an hour, he took my application and led me back toward the first table for a 'peer interview'

The other two people at the table were very stiff and unDisney. I made myself chat with them, determined to get past the shyness to get this job. I really, really wanted it.

After the first interview, the man asked, "Do you have to go or can you stay a bit longer and talk to someone else?"

I smiled and said "Of course, I'd be happy to stay."

That afternoon I was interviewed by four groups of people in total.

At the very end a few hours later, (I'd had to wait between groups a bit) they asked me, "Can you work at both stores?"

I almost passed out on the spot. I couldn't believe it. I did it. I was going to be a Cast Member. My mind flashed to all those years of pushing around egg cartons and all the times I'd skipped down Main Street in my Alice in Wonderland dress holding my Grandmother's hand and all these years later at eighteen, I found a way to work for Disney, here.

That first day, someone said to me "You know, once you're in here, you can get a transfer to Disney World..."

I was in ORBIT. (I started dreaming of piloting monorails or working at Spaceship Earth. Soon after my first trip to the Studios, which happened while I was an official CM, my dream job was to be Mugsy at the Great Movie Ride but I was told back then that "There would never be a female Mugsy". Ha I could so have done the role. Every time I ride the ride, I have to banter with Mugsy. We had a GREAT experience on our last trip with the Best. Mugsy. Ever....but I digress.)

So I had the job. First thing they asked was for volunteers to help out the first store, because they were running behind heading toward soft open. Of course, you know I had to be there.

I helped stock the first store and then decided to concentrate on working at the other, closer to home, instead of trying to go between two. I'll never forget the day of soft open. My dad showed up with his camera. I don't think he's ever, before or since, been as proud of me as he was that day when he saw me with my name on a Disney nametag.

Before store opening came Traditions training- and that is the single best work related experience I've ever had in my life. They flew someone out from California to teach us. His name was Dennis (I didn't know he was called Dennis...) and he introduced himself by saying that he'd been General Manager of the Contemporary Resort for many years before he'd taken this job. I was so excited. I couldn't wait to talk to him, about the resort, about Monorails. Our training was to last three full days and I never wanted it to end.

From the moment I got my workbook/handbook and we started meeting each other in that room at the Hyatt Regency hotel they'd taken over for the event...my life changed. I wasn't just the shy girl afraid to talk anymore because I knew the answers to all the trivia questions he asked. Halfway through the first session when he'd ask a trivia question finally he'd laugh and say "Anyone but YOU" when he was calling on people to tease me. I can only imagine, looking back now, how enthusiastic I was. I had stars in my eyes.

...to be continued.

[February]

I remember talking with Dennis during a break the first chance I got and asking him how you became a Monorail pilot. He said to me, "Think you could walk the beam?" and I said. "Umm...why would you have to do that?" In a very innocent, Giselle like manner.

"You have to be able to do that. You also have to be able to climb up out of the cone and get to the emergency hatches in the roof."

Sadly, I knew that day I'd never be a monorail pilot. My health was already bad I knew I'd never have the strength. But that didn't tarnish or change or lessen for one instant my love of the monorails or my desire to move to WDW to work there so I could see them every day.

At the end of our training, I drew a picture of Dumbo holding Mickey shaped balloons with his trunk and asked everyone in the class to sign it for Dennis. when I gave it to him at the end, he just shook his head and said "I've gotten cards before but never anything like this. This is going to be hanging in my office."

I remember most how much they were trying to impress upon us that it was our jobs to give our guests a little bit of the magic from the parks every time they visited the store. This was when there were but a handful of DS in existence; it was a different time. We were very much considered 'real' CMs and we took it very much to heart. My favorite place to work was at the back of the store by Plush Mountain so I could ask the guests trivia questions and play around with them. I loved to use hand puppets to make the kids laugh. Our regulars would come in and ask me advice when planning their trips. I loved the music, the atmosphere, everything. I felt like I was home.

When I was picked to be Mickey's escort at Grand Opening, I was sure I must be dreaming. Yes, they actually brought Mickey and Minnie in for the event and it was funny, at one point a little girl who I knew was in line and when she got to the front, she ran past Mickey and hugged me. Mickey put his hands on his hips as if to say "What the heck" and I laughed and said "Sorry Mickey, I know this one." That was truly one of the happiest days of my life.

...almost finished here...

[February]

I'd go into the store on my day off and they'd shoo me out reminding me I had to punch in the next day. I honestly would've worked there for free. (and almost did *LOL*)

Things only got better as far as my love for the job. But sadly they only got worse for my health. It wasn't long before my joint issues proved that I couldn't work full time on my feet. I believe I worked there in total for nine months and the day I punched out for the last time I cried as I'd never cried before in my car. My fellow cast members gave me a card that said "No one can fill your mouse ears" and said they'd tried to get my name tag to take to get bronzed for me but obviously management wouldn't hear of it.

As far as I know only one other person from our original cast was still working for the company (and if he's reading this I bet he knows who I am LOL)

I had a really funny experience when I was on that one trip to WDW I took as a CM. I was standing in the Grand Canyon Concourse (Watching monorails, what else would I be doing?) and I see Goofy over by the podium at what is now Chef Mickey- back then Chef Mickey was out at the Marketplace. But anyway, he starts waving to me.

I waved back.

He starts really, REALLY waving at me.

I wave back again, starting to giggle. My sister says, "I think Goofy likes you."

I turn red.

Finally, he stomps his foot and waves me over. I walk up to him, and he first looks around to be sure no one is watching (there wasn't) and he takes a piece of paper from the podium and his big autograph pen and writes, "I know you."

"You do?"

He nods emphatically. He looks around again, and writes, "You work at the Disney Store in _______ _______." (name of city and state abbreviation)

My jaw dropped.

"Do you know who I am?" he wrote.

"Of course I do," I joked, leaning in to whisper, "You're Goofy."

He slapped his forehead and then, he got a stern look from a CM passing by and threw the paper away. Then he disappeared before I could ask how the hell he had any idea who I was. I've always wondered about that.

I knew he was too tall to have been friends with Mickey at our opening so to this day, I still have no idea how Goofy knew who I was and where I worked.

I found out at our Traditions training that they'd considered more than three hundred people in the final analysis (people who were in serious consideration) for the jobs at this particular store and picked twenty three of us. And we were a good cast. My assistant managers, especially, the two of them were the best I've ever worked for.

I never ended up transferring down- I actually ended up marrying very young (the first time) about a year later. But five years after that when I took my own child to WDW for the first time, I truly felt I had come full circle in a way.

She was only a year old at the time, and she'd point at the monorails and say "oooooo" and I'd name off the colors. When she could talk, one of her favorite, if unclearly spoken words, was "On-a-rail!"

More memories still to come. Thanks for listening (if you still are...)

Even if you didn't read, please, continue to post your thoughts and memories about what monorails mean to you. I'm reading them all with so much gratitude; thank you all for sharing your stories with me.

Bru

[Switchbeam 9]

All of these great stories reminds me of the magical moments I have had with guests during my time in Rails.

Really touching posts.

One memorable time I had a mother and 3 of her kids in the cab who were around 5 to 12 years old. We were goign from TTC to MK on Express. She had the camera out with the kids sitting on the right side of the cab. As we came out of the Contemp they got a glimpse of the Castle. She told me that she would love to get the Castle in the background. I told her in response that because of the trees right there it's very difficult to get it in the background but it may be possible for a short moment between the trees and the steam train station.

Just then I did something I had not done for a long while. I had an over speed penalty stop down the hill. I have sped up out of the contemp hundreds of times and know by heart when to put the MCU back in braking. It will whine like crazy but the computer won't stop it since it's already in braking and then the train slides down the hill at at steady speed (it's so steep there it's won't lose much speed there even in braking 3).

Due to the momentum of the hill it took a while to stop. But when it did it was in the only place between Contemp and MK entrance where you can see the Castle. A tiny gap in the trees. Perfect for their picture.

She was ecstatic. She asked me if I did that purposely for the picture and I said "No... the train stopped on me" with a smile. She said: "Yeah... sure." We laughed.

A simple piece of magic for a guest (and myself) but one which is very memorable.