News New Gondola Transportation - Disney Skyliner -

[Jordanaous]

Surprised we're still talking about AC on the Gondolas... Did the same people complain when Disney didn't include AC on the Ferry Boats? I know they're open (to an extent) but when you have 600 bodies pressed together, gets hot in there...

You'll be surprised by how cool it will be on the gondola, at the end of the day, it's got ventilation that is pushing air through as it moves at around 10mph. It'll have the same effect as using a fan, sure the air isn't actively cooled, but that circulation should still keep you cool - and thankfully, you're only on the gondola for about 5 mins, the effects of the AC in the station may not have even worn off by then...

 

[cindy_k]

i feel like Disney is really moving on this project. Getting Pop and AoA on alternative transportation would be a huge relief for the bus system. There's a lot of people at those resorts.
I won't be surprised if we are looking at opening dates in 6 months.

 

[lazyboy97o]

I'm sorry to ask this, but could someone please tell me if these are gonna have A/C? I'm too lazy to go back 2 or 3 pages of the TWO HUNDRED AND FORTY EIGHT pages to find out.

Then do a search.

 

[mergatroid]

Has anyone mentioned the heat yet? sucker

 

[Kamikaze]

i feel like Disney is really moving on this project. Getting Pop and AoA on alternative transportation would be a huge relief for the bus system. There's a lot of people at those resorts.
I won't be surprised if we are looking at opening dates in 6 months.

Definitely not six months. We're looking at 2019 most likely. I would figure a year at the absolute minimum.

 

[Jordanaous]

i feel like Disney is really moving on this project. Getting Pop and AoA on alternative transportation would be a huge relief for the bus system. There's a lot of people at those resorts.
I won't be surprised if we are looking at opening dates in 6 months.

A rough estimate of the distance between CBR and HS says that it'll be a line roughly 1,247m long. That's just one part of the line as well. The distance between Pop/AoA and CBR is roughly 500m, while CBR to Epcot (including Riviera and Boardwalk Stations) is about 2,500m. Note: All extremely rough using online tools to measure distance between two points on a map...

For comparison with other systems, it took a year to build London's Emirates Air Line, which was 1,100m - so *just* shorter than all the lines bar Pop/AoA - CBR. A year is pretty average for a 1km Gondola system, as long as it's not complex.

Six months would be impressive, and amazing, but I think would be far too optimistic.

 

[Bartattack]

How many 'towers' are usually (approximately) needed for such distances?

 

[danlb_2000]

@danlb_2000 This thread could use a comprehensive 'What we know' on the first post. At least we could send people there to read first.

Good idea, but I just don't have the bandwidth to maintain that. If someone wants to write it up I will happily post it.

 

[Creathir]

How many 'towers' are usually (approximately) needed for such distances?

It depends on the lay of the land, but in Disney's case they are going to be about 50' in the air or so, essentially "hugging" the ground (as opposed to going really high and coming down) so they will need quite a few towers.

 

[Jordanaous]

Good idea, but I just don't have the bandwidth to maintain that. If someone wants to write it up I will happily post it.

@MisterPenguin's write-up on the rumour/upcoming timeline thread sums it up pretty well:

Gondola Lift!

• This is verified by around 5 insiders, permits, the beginning of construction, and documents obtained by the Orlando Sentinel. [confirmed at D23 2017]
  
• It will connect POP/AoA and Caribbean with DHS/Epcot. And likely raise the prices there.
• Possible I.D. of the gondola make and model here.
• Can gondolas handle wheelchairs, strollers, and EVC? Yes, here.
  
• Will it be installed in other places? No plans right now, but, always a possibility if it works out well.
• All the gondola stations will be ground level with a steep incline coming in/out [here]
• gondolas stations will be themed to nearby architecture: International Gateway will be Parisian; DHS will be Art Deco; AoA/Pop will be a Wave (near Little Mermaid); CBR Stations will be regal and stoney (which is which isn't confirmed). [here]
• gondolas will be 8 person cabins from Doppelmayr, have a through-put of 5,000 people per hour, have wi-fi, and ample passive ventilation [here]

 

[Creathir]

Good idea, but I just don't have the bandwidth to maintain that. If someone wants to write it up I will happily post it.

Will it include links to the 10 separate AC arguments?

 

[cosmicgirl]

According to @Lift Blog Doppelmayr builds ski lifts in six months, which makes sense given that they need the work to be done by the time the snow comes. In this case they don't have to go up a mountain so construction will likely be less complicated, although the FL swamp land might require more elaborate underground work for the towers than a mountain.

Now I'll gladly admit that I haven't read all 250 pages of this thread, but I did do a search for keywords regarding a potential opening date and @SomeInternetGuy posted construction notices here which indicate that the station at Pop/AoA should be completed in a little over a year (at the latest). Given that this station will be on the water it is likely the second most complex to build with the transfer point at CBR likely requiring the most work.

Based on the ski resort analogy I believe they could have this up and running by Easter if they wanted to, but it all depends on the number of construction crews working simultaneously. Will they build the system one line at a time, or will they work on all segments at the same time? That'll probably be a whole lot easier to guess in a month or two. As for the construction notices: I'm too much of a newbie here to know how accurate the estimated end dates are. More experienced members may be able to be the judge of that.

ETA: I wanted to add that when booking CBR you get a notice saying that there will be construction until June 30, 2018 so the station should be completed by then, but I just checked and they've removed the end date.

 

[LukeS7]

Guys, guys, I think everybody is missing the real question we need an answer to: Will it have heating?

 

[Communicora]

Usually how it works at a ski resort is that they load by party, unless smaller groups don't mind traveling together. Its going to be less than 5 minutes per trip, not that big of a deal. Single rider line is a definite no.

Obviously running with less than full cabins takes down your capacity, but it won't be that big of a deal. The numbers they are talking are so far above any other form of WDW transport that they don't even compare.

I'm glad to hear this. I don't know that I'd want to be stuck in one of these, even for five minutes, with some people just for personal safety / comfort reasons. I remember riding in the Tempozan Ferris Wheel in Osaka. The cars were very visible to others cars when you loaded, but the couple that boarded just before us didn't seem to care that they were giving everyone a free show. I would hate to be trapped in a gondola with that. haha

 

[Kamikaze]

How many 'towers' are usually (approximately) needed for such distances?

Depends on the terrain, really. They can range from small distances when going uphill (so say 50 feet) to the Peak2Peak system at Whistler Blackcomb which has towers that are 3 kilometers apart.

 

[Dapper Dan]

The ponds and canals are all the same elevation. The waterway from DHS, crescent lake and the Epcot lagoon are all elevated. Use the tools google provides you and just stop

You mean like how World Showcase Lagoon has an elevation of approximately 92ft, Cresent Lake has an elevation of approximately 92ft, the waterway to Hollywood Studios has an elevation of approximately 92ft, the Caribbean Beach pond has an elevation of approximately 92ft, and the pond between Pop and Art of Animation has an elevation of approximately 92ft? Those tools?

 

[Maeryk]

You mean like how World Showcase Lagoon has an elevation of approximately 92ft, Cresent Lake has an elevation of approximately 92ft, the waterway to Hollywood Studios has an elevation of approximately 92ft, the Caribbean Beach pond has an elevation of approximately 92ft, and the pond between Pop and Art of Animation has an elevation of approximately 92ft? Those tools?

They are, but the point I believe is being made, is the other, non designed as boat traffic canals, runoff ditches, and overflows, are lower. Which means they would all have to be raised, in order to directly connect the two systems, for water traffic. They are, in effect, spillways for when the main system gets too much water, but directly connecting them in freeflow would see the water seek it's own level.. and thusly water levels in the transportation system drop.

 

[MisterPenguin]

@danlb_2000 This thread could use a comprehensive 'What we know' on the first post. At least we could send people there to read first.

What we know:

The Walt Disney Company has decided to create killing booths that can execute 8 people at a time. The means of death include excessive heat, electrocution by lightning, and abandonment miles in the air. Unfortunately, the system doesn't work perfectly and has a side effect of moving people from one place to another.​

 

[djdan888]

Ok, so, it looks like if I am at Epcot, and would like a quick straight line transport to Hollywood, these are not the gondolas for me? I feel like with all the stops it has to make, the bus would be a much better option, heck even the boat seems better. I don't like the no AC/ heat and am just envisioning people pressed in a claustrophobia's nightmare.

 

[Dapper Dan]

They are, but the point I believe is being made, is the other, non designed as boat traffic canals, runoff ditches, and overflows, are lower. Which means they would all have to be raised, in order to directly connect the two systems, for water traffic. They are, in effect, spillways for when the main system gets too much water, but directly connecting them in freeflow would see the water seek it's own level.. and thusly water levels in the transportation system drop.

On the Crescent Lake side, the drainage canal crosses under the canal that connects the lake to World Showcase Lagoon.