News Disney Files Plans for Magic Kingdom Ferry Boat Queue Expansion at Seven Seas Lagoon

[EricsBiscuit]

Wasn’t there a rumor or something not too long ago that they were ordering another ferry? I’m curious why they haven’t already added a fourth.

 

[castlecake2.0]

How much does a new ferry cost compared to new monorails?

 

[JerseyMan95]

I don’t think Epcot even gets all the way to 100k. But those higher numbers were before reservations - I don’t think they ever get that high anymore.

@peter11435 ???

Pre-Epcot reimagining, their capacity was like 120k, but only ever hit 80-90k on New Year’s Eve. Magic is around 100k but it not ever hit 90k+ on New Year’s Eve. When they “close for capacity” they were never really at capacity.

And yeah, not sure of Magic, but EPCOT doesn’t hit nearly as high average as they did pre COVID.

 

[peter11435]

Pre-Epcot reimagining, their capacity was like 120k, but only ever hit 80-90k on New Year’s Eve. Magic is around 100k but it not ever hit 90k+ on New Year’s Eve. When they “close for capacity” they were never really at capacity.

And yeah, not sure of Magic, but EPCOT doesn’t hit nearly as high average as they did pre COVID.

Your numbers are way too high. And keep in mind that there is a huge difference between the parks capacity (the total number that can be in the park at one time) and total daily attendance (the total number of people that enter a park throughout an entire day)

MK’s capacity is no where near 100k. Even over the coarse of an entire day that is well above the top daily attendance.

The highest recorded daily attendance for Epcot was 103k, but the parks actual total capacity is well below that number.

 

[MisterPenguin]

The highest recorded daily attendance for Epcot was 103k, but the parks actual total capacity is well below that number.

Attendance plummeted once they got their popcorn bucket.

 

[Splashin' Ryan]

How much does a new ferry cost compared to new monorails?

Many hundreds of millions less. But..... that also has me wondering..... Iger seemed to have the final say on not ordering new monorails for WDW simply due to the extreme cost, even when they were visibly needed, and ended up opting to have deep refurbishments of them instead. I wonder if Josh will take the risk and spend the money (probably close to a billion dollars in today's money) to order all new monorails for WDW. It could really revolutionize the entire transportation system at WDW if they got stuff with the latest tech.

 

[EricsBiscuit]

How much does a new ferry cost compared to new monorails?

Not sure but I would assume far less than new monorails.

 

[lazyboy97o]

It could really revolutionize the entire transportation system at WDW if they got stuff with the latest tech.

Like what? More than anything, the monorails need greater throughput. That means either smaller blocks or larger vehicles.

 

[Splashin' Ryan]

Like what? More than anything, the monorails need greater throughput. That means either smaller blocks or larger vehicles.

Yes and yes. Higher-capacity vehicles, likely open gangways to hold more people, potentially faster service, the ability to have more monorails on the tracks at one time given better full system tech, better cooling and heating, better windows, faster door operations, safer door operations, probably better themed too.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

it would be crazy expensive to increase the capacity of the monorails. “New monorails” don’t solve that problem.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Yes and yes. Higher-capacity vehicles, likely open gangways to hold more people, potentially faster service, the ability to have more monorails on the tracks at one time given better full system tech, better cooling and heating, better windows, faster door operations, safer door operations, probably better themed too.

A lot of that is limited by the facilities along the track, not the age of the trains.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

A lot of that is limited by the facilities along the track, not the age of the trains.

I suppose, in theory, you could add cars to express trains only and only increase the platform lengths at TTC and MK.

But then you have different trains needing to operate on different routes.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Keep adding vehicles and blocks until they touch front and back. There, it's now an omnimover.

 

[HauntedPirate]

A lot of that is limited by the facilities along the track, not the age of the trains.

This.

People should also remember that existing trains were designed to fit into the Contemporary in the event of the need to be stored (Hurricane, for example). And they barely do - 4 fit in there nose-to-tail, the rest go to the barn. Extending the trains can’t happen if they don’t want to risk damage during such an event.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Don't they have a beautiful paddle driven steamboat that was recently fired that could be added to the seven seas lagoon fleet? All they need is an extra side load dock on both sides and they have a new attraction that is also a utility vessel. They could even have the ghost of Mark Twain pointing out all the sites to be seen during the trip.

 

[lazyboy97o]

This.

People should also remember that existing trains were designed to fit into the Contemporary in the event of the need to be stored (Hurricane, for example). And they barely do - 4 fit in there nose-to-tail, the rest go to the barn. Extending the trains can’t happen if they don’t want to risk damage during such an event.

The barn is capable of holding ten trains, so only two need to be stored in the Contemporary during severe weather. But any new trains need to fit in the barn. That said, expanding the barn is easier than modifying the Contemporary.

The bigger constraint at the Contemporary is the vertical clearance. To date, monorails with open gangways are taller than the Mark VIs. There isn’t a lot of space between the top of the monorails and the underside of the hotel walkway above.

 

[HauntedPirate]

The barn is capable of holding ten trains, so only two need to be stored in the Contemporary during severe weather. But any new trains need to fit in the barn. That said, expanding the barn is easier than modifying the Contemporary.

The bigger constraint at the Contemporary is the vertical clearance. To date, monorails with open gangways are taller than the Mark VIs. There isn’t a lot of space between the top of the monorails and the underside of the hotel walkway above.

Ah, that's right, I was thinking it was 8 trains, but it's 10. Plus steam train storage below, IIRC.

Isn't the vertical clearance currently only a a foot or less? I honestly haven't thought about that in quite a while, so the details have been shuffled to a dusty corner of my memory.

 

[lazyboy97o]

Isn't the vertical clearance currently only a a foot or less? I honestly haven't thought about that in quite a while, so the details have been shuffled to a dusty corner of my memory.

Well less than a foot. Mere inches as most.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Well less than a foot. Mere inches as most.

That's what I was thinking, that it was literally inches of clearance.

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

Don't they have a beautiful paddle driven steamboat that was recently fired that could be added to the seven seas lagoon fleet?

On opening day there was a steamboat - the liberty Belle is sadly not the first WDW steamboat to go the way of the dusky seaside sparrow (anyone? that’s a DEEP cut reference if there ever was one!)