Next Gen Busses

lazyboy97o

Well-Known Member
While I'd agree with you in terms of the TDR buses being more about branding then not, at the very least they incorporated the branding into the design and didn't just cheap out by throwing a branded wrap on an existing, off-the-shelf commercial bus. For that alone, I'd rather have the TDR buses than WDW's version.
The overall design of the Tokyo Disney Resort bused is definitely better and is further accented by wonderful, sharp employee uniforms that are provided in a proper fit. But far too much emphasis is placed on things like the Mickey windows, same with the very body Hitachi monorails that get fawned over for having Mickey windows and hand straps.
 

Kman101

Well-Known Member
Not a fan of the character wraps. Maybe I'll like it more in person than in pictures? Although I don't mind the Pluto one for some reason. Meh. IMO, of course. I like the grey and red color scheme. I think one of the problems is all the different wraps on the busses. You have the 90s purple and white, the 2010's red and gray and now character wraps (plus you have the ad wraps) ... I don't know. Stick to one, LOL!
 

FigmentFan82

Well-Known Member
Not a fan of the character wraps. Maybe I'll like it more in person than in pictures? Although I don't mind the Pluto one for some reason. Meh. IMO, of course. I like the grey and red color scheme. I think one of the problems is all the different wraps on the busses. You have the 90s purple and white, the 2010's red and gray and now character wraps (plus you have the ad wraps) ... I don't know. Stick to one, LOL!
The kids are going to love these
 

wedenterprises

Well-Known Member
The Skyliner, Magical Express, and Cruise Line buses are all fairly successful in implementing characters into the design without being ugly, tacky, and cheap looking. It's because the characters live *in* the story world of the transportation system.... there even IS a story world of a transportation system to begin with.

These new wraps are just plain ugly. I feel dumber looking at them.
 

MisterPenguin

President of Animal Kingdom
Premium Member
Of course they are. What happens when Suzie and Tommy can't ride on the Mickey Mouse bus?

That's when they'll realize that everything is meaningless. After all, what do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.
 

Marc Davis Fan

Well-Known Member
The Tokyo Disney Resort buses aren’t “small things” that build to a larger whole. They’re character branding, slapping Mickey shapes onto something and saying it’s special.

In general, I strongly dislike “character branding,” and think it should be minimized. In themed environments, it takes away from the immersion / world-building (that’s why I‘m against the use of character motifs in in the design of new Disney hotels like the Shanghai Disneyland Hotel). In unique/special transportation systems, it detracts from the appeal of the transportation itself (e.g., Tokyo monorails).

However, there are three combined factors that I think can make character branding work:

(1) The thing that’s being character-branded is very non-special in itself (e.g., a bus).

(2) The character branding involves a truly customized change to the structure of the thing (e.g., custom-built windows on a bus, rather than paint or a wrap).

(3) The character branding fits the overall design in a subtle, sophisticated way (triple-circle windows, rather than cartoon wraps).

I think these factors are fulfilled in the Tokyo Disney buses, which makes them a positive contribution to the guest experience and sense of being someplace special. I think that, all else being equal, WDW would similarly benefit.
 

Missing20K

Well-Known Member
That's when they'll realize that everything is meaningless. After all, what do people gain from all their labors at which they toil under the sun? Generations come and generations go, but the earth remains forever. The sun rises and the sun sets, and hurries back to where it rises. The wind blows to the south and turns to the north; round and round it goes, ever returning on its course. All streams flow into the sea, yet the sea is never full. To the place the streams come from, there they return again. All things are wearisome, more than one can say. The eye never has enough of seeing, nor the ear its fill of hearing. What has been will be again, what has been done will be done again; there is nothing new under the sun. Is there anything of which one can say, “Look! This is something new”? It was here already, long ago; it was here before our time. No one remembers the former generations, and even those yet to come will not be remembered by those who follow them.
Your ability to poignantly apply widely varying literary quotes to forum comments is unparalleled. :bookworm:

Posts like these are why I always come to the Magic for my fix of Ecclesiastes. :)
 

Missing20K

Well-Known Member
Interesting design choice for the new buses... but I just wonder whether the kids will love them or not?
giphy.gif
 

larryz

I'm Just A Tourist!
Premium Member
It's going to be a little bit of both. They are planning to retire approximately 40 nova busses they are the oldest of the fleet starting with #4815 that has the 2 hidden Mickey's on the back. And with that the total fleet count will still increase, as the current fleet size is at 390 . The total of new bus purchases is 76. As far as " life left" DOT recommends retiring busses at 500,000 miles, Disney does makes an effort to satisfy that recommendation.
Wow... that's like just over a bus for each Skyliner gondola...
 

Goofyernmost

Well-Known Member
So, I've stayed off-site the last few trips and I'm just wondering if this seat arrangement is new? If not, how long ago did we lose seats in rows?
Surprisingly, that seating configuration doesn't affect the number of seats to any degree. It also provides more standing room when the seats are filled.
 

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