News New Gondola Transportation - Disney Skyliner -

RobbinsDad

RobbinsDad

Well-Known Member
There's a few things I love about it, both from a practical and an emotional side:

- I like the idea of a different transportation option to Boardwalk and the International Gateway. I absolutely hate the bus drop off system at Epcot. It's the worst in the resort IMO. Plus there are many times that I only want to go to World Showcase, and I either have to drive/take the bus to Epcot main gate, or bus to an Epcot resort via another park. I know that if it were important enough I could stay at an Epcot resort, but this gives me (in theory) another option to stay at a more affordable resort and have direct transportation to the IG.
- It's a greener option which is something WDW needs. I also think that for the most part WDW bus transportation is efficient, but not very environmentally-friendly. If this works and can be expanded further, it cuts down on the need for buses to transport guests.
- I think it's cool as hell. I ride in a car every day. A bus is not that different. For me, part of the novelty of a vacation is living differently than you do on a daily basis. If I can get to where I want to go in boats, gondolas (not the Venice kind), or monorails - that is a different experience. Why see the world from the ground when you have a chance to see it from the sky?
 
danlb_2000

danlb_2000

Premium Member
Original Poster
Sachilles said:
So to confirm, we don't know that any sort of a station is going to the international gateway. We are taking a leap of faith based on alignment correct? The one thing that bothered me about the boardwalk lot turn station is it doesn't make a lot of sense in terms of angles. Some suggest it's to avoid backstage areas.
I suggest this. Continue the line from the boardwalk lot, to the IG logical spot. Continue straight. You are right at the bus area at the front of Epcot. You then have a bigger entrance to the park, and connection to the monorail.
Click to expand...

We know that the line points towards IG based on the shape of the turn building, but you are right we don't know for sure that a stop would be there. It could continue to the front of the park, although stopping at the IG has an added advantage in that it provides access to the Boardwalk resorts and transfers some of the crowds from the main entrance to the IG which tends to be less crowded
 
RobbinsDad

RobbinsDad

Well-Known Member
danlb_2000 said:
We know that the line points towards IG based on the shape of the turn building, but you are right we don't know for sure that a stop would be there. It could continue to the front of the park, although stopping at the IG has an added advantage in that it provides access to the Boardwalk resorts and transfers some of the crowds from the main entrance to the IG which tends to be less crowded
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I sure hope it stops at IG. That would greatly lessen my enthusiasm for this if it didn't.
 
TiggerDad

TiggerDad

Well-Known Member
RobbinsDad said:
There's a few things I love about it, both from a practical and an emotional side:

- I like the idea of a different transportation option to Boardwalk and the International Gateway. I absolutely hate the bus drop off system at Epcot. It's the worst in the resort IMO. Plus there are many times that I only want to go to World Showcase, and I either have to drive/take the bus to Epcot main gate, or bus to an Epcot resort via another park. I know that if it were important enough I could stay at an Epcot resort, but this gives me (in theory) another option to stay at a more affordable resort and have direct transportation to the IG.
- It's a greener option which is something WDW needs. I also think that for the most part WDW bus transportation is efficient, but not very environmentally-friendly. If this works and can be expanded further, it cuts down on the need for buses to transport guests.
- I think it's cool as hell. I ride in a car every day. A bus is not that different. For me, part of the novelty of a vacation is living differently than you do on a daily basis. If I can get to where I want to go in boats, gondolas (not the Venice kind), or monorails - that is a different experience. Why see the world from the ground when you have a chance to see it from the sky?
Click to expand...
Yes, but everyone here is missing the biggest downside of replacing bus transportation with gondolas....Where are we going to get our latest WDW info from if no more bus drivers?
 
LukeS7

LukeS7

Well-Known Member
Don't know if this has ever been done before with a PRT system, but they theoretically could have the individual cars speed up or slow down into larger trains before arriving into a station, decreasing empty space on the line and potentially increasing capacity. Probably a pipe dream, I know, but the technology to accomplish this pretty much already exists
 
CastleBound

CastleBound

Well-Known Member
Gringrinngghost said:
Come to Six Flags Great Adventure and ride the Worlds Fair one...
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hahaha totally this. That one is pretty rickety. But I think it's a valid complaint of a transportation system like this. These parks are certainly a place for riders of all kinds, but for some, Disney is a place for people that like attractions but may not like rides/thrills/heights. Obviously not everyone, but certainly some adults and kids have a fear of heights. I wonder how that will affect anything, if at all.
 
J

jpeden

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
TiggerDad said:
Yes, but everyone here is missing the biggest downside of replacing bus transportation with gondolas....Where are we going to get our latest WDW info from if no more bus drivers?
Click to expand...

I kid you not I literally had an Uber driver tell me last night on our way to Flying Fish for dinner that Disney was building a new transportation system over in this area. My wife and I both got our and laughed it off as we all know that the Uber drivers know less than the bus drivers…
 
Coaster Lover

Coaster Lover

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
LukeS7 said:
Don't know if this has ever been done before with a PRT system, but they theoretically could have the individual cars speed up or slow down into larger trains before arriving into a station, decreasing empty space on the line and potentially increasing capacity. Probably a pipe dream, I know, but the technology to accomplish this pretty much already exists
Click to expand...

For a land/rail based PRT system, that would absolutely work, but for a cable based system, I'm sure there are limits to the amount of weight you can add to a segment of cable, expecially in spans between two support towers. Additionally, with the flexibility of the cable, placing cars too close together could potentially result in gondolas bumping into each other. Finally, the gondolas themselves are not powered, they attach and detach to a constantly moving cable that moves the gondolas at a constant speed so the only opportunity to bring gondolas closer together would be in a station where they are disconnected from the main cable. With a cable system, the best way to increase capacity is larger gondolas or faster cable speeds. If you are releasing gondolas every 15 seconds on a cable moving at 6 m/s, all of the gondola's are 90 meters (nearly 300 ft) apart. You could decrease the time interval between gondolas to 13 seconds (while maintaining the actual distance) by increasing the speed of the cable to 7 m/s or decrease the interval further to around 11 seconds by increasing the cable speed to 8 m/s. Then again, if you are increasing the number of guests per gondola, only allowing 11 seconds to board may be difficult (for say ~20 people... not so bad for 5-8 people).
 
DDLand

DDLand

Well-Known Member
HarrisburgMouse said:
From the comments on the site that did not.... Pretty childish (and did not deny he basically stole the hard work from the sleuths here):

Jon
February 15, 2017 at 10:04 AM - Reply
Why didn’t you acknowledge it was WDWMagic forum members who made the discovery?
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You know the funny thing? It means he carefully read all of this and forumulatted an article. He's also still reading WDWMagic. Funny he can't stay away...

Hi Tom!
 
Creathir

Creathir

Well-Known Member
jpeden said:
I kid you not I literally had an Uber driver tell me last night on our way to Flying Fish for dinner that Disney was building a new transportation system over in this area. My wife and I both got our and laughed it off as we all know that the Uber drivers know less than the bus drivers…
Click to expand...
Maybe his day job is over at WDI...

Just picking up some extra spending cash driving an Uber...
 

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