Disney Skyliner shutdown and evacuation - October 6 2019

[RustySpork]

The fact you draw that comparison shows why its futile to continue to argue this. Its nothing like that. This is a shaded, ventilated space where you are not in the sun.

People survive outside without ac.

Ventilated, yes. Shaded, no. If the sun is shining, you are out in the sun. If there's no wind, ventilation is largely irrelevant.

 

[Clamman73]

This in my opinion is what the key takeaway will be here, improvements to the evacuation procedures.

I may have missed it, how did they evac the folks stuck above the canal near IG? In training they had someone harnessed up and crawling the cable to the cars, wasn’t sure if that actually got implemented.

Seems like they didn't evacuate all of them and once they got it going they slowly went to the station...

 

[techgeek]

This is supposed to be a ‘showcase’ system for Dopplemayr, proof that these can be used safely and effectively in urban settings around the world. I can’t think of any other modern transportation system that limits evacuation in a reasonable time. Modern monorails / elevated rail systems are built with accessible walkways, for instance. 3 hours is a very long time, especially for hundreds of passengers spread over this many cabins over miles of cable. If you’re looking at the risk management of this system going forward you have to be asking a lot of questions this morning.

If the system was damaged beyond immediate repair how long would a full evacuation have taken? What kind of resources have to be on immediate standby do achieve that? What’s the likelihood of breakdown events happening in the future?

 

[WDW862]

This in my opinion is what the key takeaway will be here, improvements to the evacuation procedures.

I may have missed it, how did they evac the folks stuck above the canal near IG? In training they had someone harnessed up and crawling the cable to the cars, wasn’t sure if that actually got implemented.

Kinda hard to improve evacuation procedures when your fire department is severely understaffed...

https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/state/union-warns-disney-world-fire-department-is-understaffed

 

[Bob Harlem]

3 Hours was how long they were doing evacs before the system started moving again, they were still evacuating by the trucks one by one right up until it started moving again. I think to fully evac it would be a lot longer than 3 hours based on how far they got.

 

[Liberty6]

Kinda hard to improve evacuation procedures when your fire department is severely understaffed...

https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/state/union-warns-disney-world-fire-department-is-understaffed

This story is an exaggeration used by the union to negotiate higher wages. Reedy Creek is adequately staffed for the area it covers.

 

[Lilofan]

Kinda hard to improve evacuation procedures when your fire department is severely understaffed...

https://www.abcactionnews.com/news/state/union-warns-disney-world-fire-department-is-understaffed

Maybe a blessing there was not a major fire nearby? Reedy Creek firefighters busy assisting the skyline incident would have called a 911 for City of Orlando to help with other issues? We need help!

 

[TrainsOfDisney]

I rode the skyliner opening day and enjoyed it but this is why they needed a monorail or people mover (people mover like at the Orlando airport, not the attraction) with dedicated emergency walkways. As usual... the cheap comes out expensive!

 

[John park hopper]

I will hold off judgment until I have all the facts

 

[RustySpork]

This story is an exaggeration used by the union to negotiate higher wages. Reedy Creek is adequately staffed for the area it covers.

You forgot to prefix that statement with "In my opinion". You have no idea if your assertion is correct, as you have no actual insight.

 

[drizgirl]

Tomorrow, Disney will announce: The Skyliner evacuation insurance plan.

“For only $279, you can be assured that your gondola cabin is among the first evacuated should an emergency occur.”

Hey, create a problem, solve a problem, right?

 

[Lilofan]

This story is an exaggeration used by the union to negotiate higher wages. Reedy Creek is adequately staffed for the area it covers.

And Reedy Creek fire dept actually told you this as fact??

 

[Father Robinson]

You can evacuate a peoplemover or monorail easier than individual ski resort sky boxes held by a wire

...hanging over water in many places

 

[RustySpork]

Hey, create a problem, solve a problem, right?

It's an opportunity for a Disney Gondola Dining Plan. Instead of 3 water pouches you get 6, and a cupcake to share among guests.

 

[Heppenheimer]

It's a fact that the human brain does not reach full maturity until age ~27. That's why it costs more to insure your car until you get older. Call it ageism all you want, it's a fact of life.

Ski lift operators are frequently rather young also.

 

[beertiki]

I really enjoyed riding it the past 3 days, and was looking forward to riding it again tonight.

 

[olie64]

This is super unfortunate... I have to say though some people on this forum really boggle my mind. They seem almost happy with this happening employing a “I told ya so” mentality. I’m not sure what is going on with the Disney fan mentality but this is starting to get ridiculous ever since Galaxy’s Edge I’ve noticed people actively root against Disney even during accidents like this. I’m happy (as of now, that I’m aware) their doesn’t appear to be any major injuries. I think under any normal circumstances an accident like this wouldn't be that big of a deal for the skyliner. This happening so close to opening is definitely not a good look. I hope everyone on those cabins is ok. People making an AC joke...shame on you.

I have to say this forum overall has gotten real negative and not as fun as it was when I first started coming here.

Maybe it’s just part of the current times we live in.

 

[Shaman]

This is supposed to be a ‘showcase’ system for Dopplemayr, proof that these can be used safely and effectively in urban settings around the world. I can’t think of any other modern transportation system that limits evacuation in a reasonable time. Modern monorails / elevated rail systems are built with accessible walkways, for instance. 3 hours is a very long time, especially for hundreds of passengers spread over this many cabins over miles of cable. If you’re looking at the risk management of this system going forward you have to be asking a lot of questions this morning.

If the system was damaged beyond immediate repair how long would a full evacuation have taken? What kind of resources have to be on immediate standby do achieve that? What’s the likelihood of breakdown events happening in the future?

These systems are used around the world, many similar ones going up mountains and over forests...how do those systems account for evacuations? I would suspect a system like the one at WDW (or flat urban setting) is easier to evacuate than one headed up a slope. Not sure why it took as long as it did to get everyone down. I suspect a total shutdown was a worse case scenario type of event. They probably sat on it trying to fix things before launching evacuation protocols. Managers with an eye on the PR nightmare. IMHO knowing very little here, but it seems like human error all around and poor management. That crash at the station, not sure how it happens. When I was there last week I saw at least three CMs watching the lines inside the station at controls.

Has a cause been revealed? Was it the handicap cabin operation the culprit?

Good thing this happened late and not in the middle of the day. Horrible stuff. Hopefully people werent too shaken up. I think in the end this will be good for the system. The pain points will be addressed, maybe they will add AC to the cabins. If poor management/operations then hopefully the responsible heads will roll. Definite black eye for WDW.

Not sure if as an AP holder I would be happy with a gift certificate and park hoppers as I was evacuated from a hot cabin of panicky people after more than an hour. Maybe a lifetime pass?

 

[jrhwdw]

I really enjoyed riding it the past 3 days, and was looking forward to riding it again tonight.

I KNOW!

I'm not down there but every time I see it on YT(before last night of course) IT LOOKS SPECTACULAR!!! I was looking forward to this more than SWGE. Granted I'm not down there looking at the numbers but this might be more successful than SWGE. I hope it comes back with any safety changes TDO might need to do. Might be me, but I hope it doesn't turn into a DL Rocket Rods fiasco!

 

[danlb_2000]

...hanging over water in many places

The lines only cross two significant bodies of water. There are probably only a dozen cars over water at any given time.