Andrew C
You know what's funny?
Except with a gondola...you just push on your stroller or wheelchair...so it is different from bus loading in that sense.
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News New Gondola Transportation - Disney Skyliner
- Thread starter danlb_2000
- Start date
Except with a gondola...you just push on your stroller or wheelchair...so it is different from bus loading in that sense.
peter11435
Well-Known Member
Correct. The platform could be the same height as the gondola floor allowing guests to roll right on and off. No time needed for ramps and lifts.
Tonka's Skipper
Well-Known Member
true, it will be very like a monorial........but its WDW......tired families, loaded with stuff...........always delayed. Plus you have to side track the gondola and then wait for space to return the gondola to the main line.
TeriofTerror
Well-Known Member
You don't know man...
See nothing more than my post that said it could be either:
http://forums.wdwmagic.com/threads/possible-new-transporation.924477/page-19#post-7580308
The fact is- until more permits come out, you can't conclusively say yes to either.
Dude, we have this:
Seriously, in Martin I trust. If he says that's what's currently on the drawing board, that's good enough for me!It'll stop running every afternoon?
It is indeed a gondola transportation system that's being planned.
A little odd I know given the central Florida climate and it's a shame it's not a WEDway but it is a real thing.
ETA: I was a little harsh here, and I apologize. Keeping up with this thread is a mind-boggling task. It would be easy to miss a post or two!
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Tonka's Skipper
Well-Known Member
Folks, look at page 6 photos..that is the generally size, capacity line your looking to build........MASSIVE......EXPENSIVE.........true your not dealing with hills, but you are dealing with swamp. I am sorry, but your looking at close to the Monorail costs.
AKK
AKK
Andrew C
You know what's funny?
ehh...they don't need to reinvent the wheel here. Gondolas are already successfully being used under many different types of circumstances and at different levels of capacity around the world. They will be able to come up with an efficient system that meets the needs of WDW.
http://www.tampabay.com/news/transportation/weather-no-worry-for-gondolas-experts-say/2266113
covers cost, wind, and lightning
covers cost, wind, and lightning
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Tonka's Skipper
Well-Known Member
No debate there...not new tecnology........but...........high speed, high capacity...........intricate by pass for loading and unloading...swamp, Disney look............EXPENSIVE!..................again maybe close to monorail costs
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
Computers can handle all of the dispatching. It's nothing new.
CaptainAmerica
Well-Known Member
The beams don't look that cool when there's nothing on them. I think this'll look fine in motion, just like the beams look fine when there's a monorail humming past.
Sachilles
Member
I guess you can put me in the camp of cautiously optimistic.
I'd agree that it seems a large effort to ultimately connect 1 resort, maybe 2 if you consider AoA to the parks. The easy button would have been to only go from CBR to DHS and forget about the connection to epcot.
The cost to scale up to include epcot connection seems odd to me, unless it's part of a greater project where we have yet to see all the pieces.
I think connecting to the front of Epcot(in addition to IG?) makes a lot of sense, however, more stops really aren't a great fit for a gondola. Yet a lift/Gondola is what fits with the evidence.
Certainly think WDW needs more transportation options that are not bus related, as the roads are already saturated. If you expand park capacity, which they are getting at AK and DHS, then augmenting the transportation makes a lot of sense.
Some part of me want to believe they want to be able to say you can connect to every park without a bus at some point, even if it's not the quickest option(s).
If anything, I feel like we are seeing a phase 1 of an infrastructure project. In the same vein as magic bands. It isn't super sexy, but will benefit the business in the long run.
I'd agree that it seems a large effort to ultimately connect 1 resort, maybe 2 if you consider AoA to the parks. The easy button would have been to only go from CBR to DHS and forget about the connection to epcot.
The cost to scale up to include epcot connection seems odd to me, unless it's part of a greater project where we have yet to see all the pieces.
I think connecting to the front of Epcot(in addition to IG?) makes a lot of sense, however, more stops really aren't a great fit for a gondola. Yet a lift/Gondola is what fits with the evidence.
Certainly think WDW needs more transportation options that are not bus related, as the roads are already saturated. If you expand park capacity, which they are getting at AK and DHS, then augmenting the transportation makes a lot of sense.
Some part of me want to believe they want to be able to say you can connect to every park without a bus at some point, even if it's not the quickest option(s).
If anything, I feel like we are seeing a phase 1 of an infrastructure project. In the same vein as magic bands. It isn't super sexy, but will benefit the business in the long run.
CJR
Well-Known Member
Gondolas or a cable monorail, I think this sounds amazing and I'm honestly a bit surprised they decided to go this route (if they actually are, because you know, until it's announced... and even sometimes then....)
It would definitely making park hopping between Epcot and DHS a lot more fun. I enjoy the boats, but they're so time consuming sometimes that we walk. Of course, there's nothing quite like a nice stroll along the boardwalk after dusk.
If this happens and is successful, I would hope they'll consider pushing something for AK. I know it's a bit further, but it would be really cool riding a gondola into the park.
It would definitely making park hopping between Epcot and DHS a lot more fun. I enjoy the boats, but they're so time consuming sometimes that we walk. Of course, there's nothing quite like a nice stroll along the boardwalk after dusk.
If this happens and is successful, I would hope they'll consider pushing something for AK. I know it's a bit further, but it would be really cool riding a gondola into the park.
hpyhnt 1000
Well-Known Member
I'm trying to look at this on the "glass half full side" and see it as Disney realizing that WDW transportation can't keep relying so heavily on buses. This gondola system will at least relieve pressure at 3 high capacity resorts and provide for easier connection to 2 theme parks. Admitting you have a problem is always the first step in fixing said problem, and this gondola proposal/plan is evidence that Disney is doing just that.
But you're absolutely right - it's unclear how this addition will address broader property wide connectivity problems (and we'll need more details on the exact system being used to determine any capacity or weather issues, too). The resort currently has isolated transportation systems that don't always connect easily to one another. WDW really needs a comprehensive transportation plan that fully integrates every guest area into a unified network, just like (for example) a city's public bus, subway, streetcar, and rail network all connect into one broad transport system. It remains to be seen if/how this gondola systems fits into something like that.
coasterphil
Well-Known Member
Guys, ski areas across the globe have been operating high capacity gondolas forever. I'm pretty sure they'll be just fine for whatever system WDW decides to build. You all are acting like high altitude ski areas are a totally controlled environment and Florida/WDW is a nightmare hellscape.
peter11435
Well-Known Member
No more a risk than with the monorails.
Tonka's Skipper
Well-Known Member
Good Point, but it still will take time, with the help of CMs to get people on in a orderly manner..that is not a big deal, but I person was saying a 20 person gondola unloaded and loaded in 15 to 20 secounds.............no way.
EPCOTCenterLover
Well-Known Member
If it makes you feel any better, I credited you (and others here) along with WDWMagic on my blog.
Which blog is yours?
As for me, I love the idea of gondolas! I will ride it just for the view.
I don't know if my word means much to anyone, but I can confirm that this is all pretty much green lit. It's been in the works for about a year now, I think? Last I heard, they have a company lined up and everything.
Edited to add: I also heard upwards of 200+ units.
Edited to add: I also heard upwards of 200+ units.
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The article discusses lightning but really doesn't give a solution for it. Only thing it said was that the downtime for lightning would be "short" (like 45 minutes) but that's still incredibly inconvenient if it's happening every day of the summer (like it will).
Having a transportation system that people count on going down every day in the summer for an hour or two (at completely unpredictable times), doesn't sound like a viable option to me.
I doubt Disney would want to take the chance of inconveniencing its guests on a daily basis like that but it's a cool idea.