Guests Trapped Aboard Disney's Monorail for 2 Hours
After an emergency evacuation, Guests were shocked at the "compensation" offered for the ordeal. Do you think Walt Disney World should have provided more because of this inconvenience?
Disney Emergencies
Many dream of a trip to a Disney Park. Much planning, preparation, and saving go into a dream vacation. Even if the unexpected, like a rain shower, happens, many feel that a "rainy day at Disney is still better than a sunny day at home." Unfortunately, even the Walt Disney Company cannot create the ideal park day.
Things inevitably still cause a trip to the Disney Parks to be a bit less than magical, from weather to technical difficulties to attractions, fire alarms, and transportation delays.
Disney trains Cast Members in the "5 Keys" which help to provide the highest quality of hospitality to all guests. These include Safety, Courtesy, Inclusion, Show, and Efficiency. Safety is listed first and is vitally important to provide safety for all guests and fellow Cast Members.
Disney Monorail Evacuations
The Disney monorail system was revolutionary when it first debuted at Disneyland in 1959 and later at Walt Disney World in 1971. Over the past few months, the Disney monorail has made a few headlines.
On September 8, 2026, Guests aboard the EPCOT monorail reported that the monorail was struck by lightning, causing it to lose power. After a while, Disney Guests were instructed to remove the windows of the monorail to allow for airflow.
Guests were stuck for 90 minutes and finally slowly moved towards EPCOT. They were greeted by emergency vehicles.
Disney Compensation
Disney Guests lost 2 hours of their park day, which greatly affected their travel plans and reservations. While this was an emergency situation, Guests were shocked when they were only given two $25 gift cards and a Lightning Lane Multi-Pass that was only available for select attractions.
EPCOT Monorail lost power when it was struck by lightning on September 8, 2026.
Thanks to Coastin' with Dan for sharing his experience:
Do you think Disney should have provided more for these Guests? Share your thoughts with us and share this news with your Disney pals.
ABOUT THE AUTHOR: Donna loved Disney from an early age. As a child, her family would joke that she lived in "Donna Land." As an adult, she enjoys planning and creating magical vacations for her family. She always brings a little faith, trust, and a little bit of Pixie Dust!
I would have happily accepted that compensation unless I missed a LL (that was excluded on the free one) or nonrefundable ADR. I guess those affected hoped for more?
I know it is a pain to be delayed but this was not Disney’s fault. I was trapped on the monorail due to a tornado warning and we were delayed for our O’Hana breakfast.
We didn’t get any compensation. I am just glad they kept us safe.
I think the compensation provided was more than generous as it wasn’t from their doing.