Disney Skyliner shutdown and evacuation - October 6 2019

[joelkfla]

That is used where the cabins are only like 10ft above the water. At IG... they are much much higher. You cant have tall, but skinny boats on water and be stable. Thats why they use ropes there

They're also at a fairly constant height. The cable is at a pretty steep angle over the IG canal; you'd need a platform that could be adjustable over a large range of heights.

 

[joelkfla]

Actually, Brom; I, too, thought people were zip lining from the real evacuation. I even asked about small children and babies getting down the zip line. I was worried. It wasn't until later that I found out the zip line scenario was just a drill. Some news articles put the zip drill pic along with the actual photos of the evacuation, I was confused.

That's what happens when "news" organizations use social media as a source.

 

[scottieRoss]

Actually, does anyone have any evidence of "news" organizations using the zipline photo as a real evac? Or was it just social media sites?

 

[natatomic]

I saw photos of the boat that sails under the cabins with a high platform that can pull up to them.
That seems far more logical and expedient.

I know others have responded to this with reasons it would work so well, but another is that the boat would need to be small enough to fit under the France bridge or under the IG bridge. Basically, the height of a FSB and no taller. You’d STILL have to have people rappel down in that case.

 

[EdnaMode]

Are you trying to say this thread has gone off the rails?


Bad puns aside, I can’t even tell what people are arguing about anymore.

Hipaas and turkeys and bears, oh my!

 

[MisterPenguin]

So is this reopened yet or not? If not is there a possible date expected for it to reopened?

There is now a dedicated thread for tracking Skyliner operating status
Disney Skyliner operating status - October 2019

If you go to that status thread, click on "Watch" in the upper right hand corner, and chose the option to be sent email. This way, you'll get an email when there's actual news.

 

[Disstevefan1]

Lets try to get this thread back on the cable, er, track...

The Skyway had a malfunction in the 6th day of operation.

Malfunctions happen and will happen. In the case of attractions, most of the time, the lights come on and you get up and leave. Even the monorail malfunctions can be handled reasonably for the most part.

The big question for the skyway going forward is the potential for guests getting stuck in a skyway car in the sun for hours possibly.

Reedy creek has already warned WDW they do not have the manpower to handle such an evacuation. The open question is, what is the plan going forward for evacuating guests? There is no answer for this.

On the other hand.....

On international drive in Orlando we have the Orlando Icon. ICON Orlando is the sixth-tallest Ferris wheel in the world at 122 m (400 ft). This is a big wheel with a bunch of larger gondola cars on it.

I can’t remember the exact quote, but it was something like, if there were people stuck at the top of the icon, it would take several hours just to get the equipment to that location to get them down. In my mind a worse problem than we face with the skyliner. And the icon has been open since 2015...

 

[BromBones]

There are thousands of operating chair lifts and gondola systems in the world. It is a safe, reliable system with very few incidents. Someone having to be ziplined down would be so rare that you might as well play the lotto on the way down. Do you know how many times more likely you are to die in the car on the way to the airport than you are to get hurt in a gondola or to even have to zipline down from one?

Stop with this paranoia. It's not conducive to an actual discussion.

I am basing entirely on the odds. It's a new system and within about a week it already had a crash and people were stranded for up to 4 hours.
Had the Disney gondolas been operating for decades or even years without incident and then there was a crash I would chalk it up to a fluke.
But I know...defend Disney at all costs.

 

[BromBones]

Actually, Brom; I, too, thought people were zip lining from the real evacuation. I even asked about small children and babies getting down the zip line. I was worried. It wasn't until later that I found out the zip line scenario was just a drill. Some news articles put the zip drill pic along with the actual photos of the evacuation, I was confused.

Thank you for understanding and being a rare voice of rationality on this site.

 

[ImperfectPixie]

Lets try to get this thread back on the cable, er, track...

The Skyway had a malfunction in the 6th day of operation.

Malfunctions happen and will happen. In the case of attractions, most of the time, the lights come on and you get up and leave. Even the monorail malfunctions can be handled reasonably for the most part.

The big question for the skyway going forward is the potential for guests getting stuck in a skyway car in the sun for hours possibly.

Reedy creek has already warned WDW they do not have the manpower to handle such an evacuation. The open question is, what is the plan going forward for evacuating guests? There is no answer for this.

On the other hand.....

On international drive in Orlando we have the Orlando Icon. ICON Orlando is the sixth-tallest Ferris wheel in the world at 122 m (400 ft). This is a big wheel with a bunch of larger gondola cars on it.

I can’t remember the exact quote, but it was something like, if there were people stuck at the top of the icon, it would take several hours just to get the equipment to that location to get them down. In my mind a worse problem than we face with the skyliner. And the icon has been open since 2015...

Yeah, but I'd almost bet money it doesn't have the ridership that the Skyliner will - in volume or characteristics.

 

[BromBones]

Psst. Nobody died on the Skyliner. The odds of you surviving are in your favor!

To be honest, some had an inconvenient 3-hour delay. The odds of that not happening at an airport aren’t in your favor.

I wasn't talking about death. I was talking about having an accident.
And based on the current run of the Disney Skyliner the odds on having an accident are currently much higher.
Hopefully they can go a few years without one.

And come talk to me later when there is a 3 hour delay in the hot Florida temperatures in those hotboxes.
We'll talk about that after it happens. It's only a matter of time.

 

[BromBones]

I know others have responded to this with reasons it would work so well, but another is that the boat would need to be small enough to fit under the France bridge or under the IG bridge. Basically, the height of a FSB and no taller. You’d STILL have to have people rappel down in that case.

Perhaps they can develop a boat with a telescoping platform so it can fit under the bridges but still extend up so people can evacuate easier.

 

[danlb_2000]

Lets try to get this thread back on the cable, er, track...

The Skyway had a malfunction in the 6th day of operation.

Malfunctions happen and will happen. In the case of attractions, most of the time, the lights come on and you get up and leave. Even the monorail malfunctions can be handled reasonably for the most part.

The big question for the skyway going forward is the potential for guests getting stuck in a skyway car in the sun for hours possibly.

Reedy creek has already warned WDW they do not have the manpower to handle such an evacuation. The open question is, what is the plan going forward for evacuating guests? There is no answer for this.

On the other hand.....

On international drive in Orlando we have the Orlando Icon. ICON Orlando is the sixth-tallest Ferris wheel in the world at 122 m (400 ft). This is a big wheel with a bunch of larger gondola cars on it.

I can’t remember the exact quote, but it was something like, if there were people stuck at the top of the icon, it would take several hours just to get the equipment to that location to get them down. In my mind a worse problem than we face with the skyliner. And the icon has been open since 2015...

Yes, malfunctions happen, but there is a big difference between a malfunction that causes a ride to stop and one that causes vehicles to crash into each other.

 

[Lilofan]

Yes, malfunctions happen, but there is a big difference between a malfunction that causes a ride to stop and one that causes vehicles to crash into each other.

Not only are some guests scared to ride it, Disney is scared on what happened and also moving forward.

 

[bubbles1812]

I wasn't talking about death. I was talking about having an accident.
And based on the current run of the Disney Skyliner the odds on having an accident are currently much higher.
Hopefully they can go a few years without one.

And come talk to me later when there is a 3 hour delay in the hot Florida temperatures in those hotboxes.
We'll talk about that after it happens. It's only a matter of time.

So don't go on them? There are other transport options. Buses... Ferries... Monorails... You're own vehicle... Someone else's vehicle...

I guess I'm just not getting this "the sky is falling" attitude some on the thread have taken. Sure, it'll happen again where the cars get stuck for short periods. It may even happen where the cars will get stuck for long periods. But is that really likely to happen often? No. Gondolas overall have a strong track record for safety, lest I missed all the news stories about people falling out of them or suffering in them. The monorails will still be more likely to breakdown on a regular basis than the gondolas. Why? Cause the monorails have a well documented habit of doing so.

People will deal if they are stuck for however long of time. The majority would be able to handle that type of heat for even that amount of time. Would it be comfortable? No, of course not, but it's still something most could handle. And for those that are struggling, well that's what the emergency phones or whatever they have in the gondolas are for.

Clearly Disney has some lessons to learn here. This wasn't ideal. But they'll learn and make it better and life will go on. I'll still ride them.

 

[NormC]

Thank you for understanding and being a rare voice of rationality on this site.

Welcome back.

 

[joelkfla]

Reedy creek has already warned WDW they do not have the manpower to handle such an evacuation. The open question is, what is the plan going forward for evacuating guests? There is no answer for this.

Correction: not RCFD, but the head of the firefighters' labor union.

 

[Bocabear]

If you have no plans to ride them why do you care about them.so much ?

Because this is a discussion forum about the parks...not a list of personal likes and dislikes...
I personally cannot stand Meet & Greets, but I feel like I can certainly discuss their merits, application and appropriateness...

 

[King Capybara 77]

Because this is a discussion forum about the parks...not a list of personal likes and dislikes...
I personally cannot stand Meet & Greets, but I feel like I can certainly discuss their merits, application and appropriateness...

And i would appreciate your balanced input sir .

 

[lazyboy97o]

Not only are some guests scared to ride it, Disney is scared on what happened and also moving forward.

How is Disney scared about moving forward?