News New Gondola Transportation - Disney Skyliner -

Horizons '83

Well-Known Member
In the Parks
No
What the heck are those things? Never seen before now. Are they trackless "buggies". I would think its wouldn't hod many guests so maybe that is why?
 

AndyMagic

Well-Known Member
So sorry if this was already answered but this thread is 297 pages and the summary on the front doesn't address this and nor did my searches. I understand the system is fixed with a total of three lines and Caribbean Beach station being the hub, (IG to Riviera to CB) (CB to HS) (CB to Pop/AoA), but how would that work for people travelling from Epcot to Caribbean Beach with there being an interim station? Wouldn't this complicate people boarding Riviera station bound for Hollywood Studios with most gondolas arriving already full? How would the flow of guests work there? If it's true that enough people would depart from Riviera to make room for incoming guests without a capacity issue, why didn't they just make the system two lines instead of three with a IG, Riviera, CB, Pop/AoA line and a connecting line from HS to CB?
 

MisterPenguin

President of Animal Kingdom
Premium Member
So sorry if this was already answered but this thread is 297 pages and the summary on the front doesn't address this and nor did my searches. I understand the system is fixed with a total of three lines and Caribbean Beach station being the hub, (IG to Riviera to CB) (CB to HS) (CB to Pop/AoA), but how would that work for people travelling from Epcot to Caribbean Beach with there being an interim station? Wouldn't this complicate people boarding Riviera station bound for Hollywood Studios with most gondolas arriving already full? How would the flow of guests work there? If it's true that enough people would depart from Riviera to make room for incoming guests without a capacity issue, why didn't they just make the system two lines instead of three with a IG, Riviera, CB, Pop/AoA line and a connecting line from HS to CB?

There's two solutions: During peak times CB or IG sends empty gondolas in between full ones to Riviera. If they have a radio hook-up between the stations, they can communicate to send more or fewer empty ones.

Or, everyone who arrives at Riviera gets off to get on the back of the queue as if it were switching station between two ropes. They'd only have to do that if there aren't enough empty (or partly filled) gondolas coming along the way. Since the system can gobble up 220 people every six minutes, getting back in line shouldn't be a great imposition at any exchanging station.
 

truecoat

Well-Known Member
So sorry if this was already answered but this thread is 297 pages and the summary on the front doesn't address this and nor did my searches. I understand the system is fixed with a total of three lines and Caribbean Beach station being the hub, (IG to Riviera to CB) (CB to HS) (CB to Pop/AoA), but how would that work for people travelling from Epcot to Caribbean Beach with there being an interim station? Wouldn't this complicate people boarding Riviera station bound for Hollywood Studios with most gondolas arriving already full? How would the flow of guests work there? If it's true that enough people would depart from Riviera to make room for incoming guests without a capacity issue, why didn't they just make the system two lines instead of three with a IG, Riviera, CB, Pop/AoA line and a connecting line from HS to CB?

It seems the worst part would be the Caribbean Beach line to Epcot. Here's where you'd end up with full cars entering the Riviera headed to Epcot in the morning. This leads to the solution @MisterPenguin was talking about. Epcot to Caribbean would probably be a short wait except towards closing.
 

Brad Bishop

Well-Known Member
This basically is a people mover, its just suspended.

A real people mover would probably cost multiple times more and also wouldn't be finished by the time they need this to be done.

I find it funny that things that were put in place back in the early 1970s, and didn't bankrupt the park, are inconceivable now. Not knocking @SLUSHIE, just saying that in the 1950s and 1970s they could build a Peoplemover and had full plans to use it as a transportation system but not it's not even considered.

I'll grant you that the gondolas are cheaper but it kind of sucks that things like the Peoplemover and Monorail are left in the past and we get gondolas and buses now that we're in the future.
 

Bocabear

Well-Known Member
not to mention the sort of Monorail technology is being used around the world as a viable transportation system, but TDO deems it too expensive to work in Florida... In the end they will spend more money by implementing all different sorts of transportation that will not be as reliable as a good old fashioned Monorail system...
 

Bender123

Well-Known Member
not to mention the sort of Monorail technology is being used around the world as a viable transportation system, but TDO deems it too expensive to work in Florida... In the end they will spend more money by implementing all different sorts of transportation that will not be as reliable as a good old fashioned Monorail system...

The issue is not just cost, its that a continuous load system is going to be much more efficient than a bulk batch system. The Disney Monorails have a deceptively low capacity of about 360 per train, if you pack them to the gills.
 

Kamikaze

Well-Known Member
I find it funny that things that were put in place back in the early 1970s, and didn't bankrupt the park, are inconceivable now. Not knocking @SLUSHIE, just saying that in the 1950s and 1970s they could build a Peoplemover and had full plans to use it as a transportation system but not it's not even considered.

You're missing one thing though - its not the cost of the actual system, its the added cost of crossing obstacles such as roads, canals, etc. The peoplemover inside the park that was already graded and prepared to have attractions placed inside it is far cheaper than building it around other things. Same with the monorail. Cheaper to build when there is nothing around it than it would be to build a new track/route around what exists.
 

Kamikaze

Well-Known Member
not to mention the sort of Monorail technology is being used around the world as a viable transportation system, but TDO deems it too expensive to work in Florida... In the end they will spend more money by implementing all different sorts of transportation that will not be as reliable as a good old fashioned Monorail system...

Gondola systems have a much higher reliability than monorail systems.
 

Minthorne

Well-Known Member
I rode this to prepare for gondolas. (I'm not to thrilled about heights and this was terrifying! I basically was like the guy at 1:05)

 

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
“E.P.C.O.T's People Mover is a silent, all-electric system that never stops running. These cars continue to move even while passengers are disembarking or stepping aboard. Power is supplied through a series of motors embedded in the track, completely independent of the cars. No single car can ever break down and cause a rush hour traffic jam in E.P.C.O.T Because the cars run continuously, there will be no waiting in stations for the WEDWAY People Mover; the next car is always ready."”

The gondolas meet the performance criteria of the WEDway PeopleMover that were highlighted in The EPCOT Film.
 

Knothead

Well-Known Member
“E.P.C.O.T's People Mover is a silent, all-electric system that never stops running. These cars continue to move even while passengers are disembarking or stepping aboard. Power is supplied through a series of motors embedded in the track, completely independent of the cars. No single car can ever break down and cause a rush hour traffic jam in E.P.C.O.T Because the cars run continuously, there will be no waiting in stations for the WEDWAY People Mover; the next car is always ready."”

The gondolas meet the performance criteria of the WEDway PeopleMover that were highlighted in The EPCOT Film.

I may be misremembering , but didn't the EPCOT film and city model have a gondola type transportation system in certain places in addition to the Wedway and Monorail?
 

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