Disney Skyliner shutdown and evacuation - October 6 2019

[RustySpork]

If weather suddenly arrives Disney is more than likely NOT going to remove the cabins from the various lines. They stay put.

Who's saying they'd remove cabins from the lines for sudden storms? They'll remove them for major storms like Dorian (which they did), but sudden storms that's not really possible.

Edit: Oh, I see it now. @Incomudro did you mean evacuate the cabins from the lines or the guests from the cabins?

 

[RollerCoaster]

I was wondering if there were instructions to close down the vents if a storm enters or are they permanently open. I'm guessing the latter.

Windows and vents on a gondola car are controlled by the riders. If you like having them open and getting wet when it rains then leave them open. There are no rules. Most people use common sense. Operators are likely trained to open closed ones if observed just to keep the airflow.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Who's saying they'd remove cabins from the lines for sudden storms? They'll remove them for major storms like Dorian (which they did), but sudden storms that's not really possible.

In all fairness it has been strongly said a number of times that they expect that they will park the Gondola's in the storage area if they are expecting a strong wind. Not necessarily hurricane force, just wind. But, that thought was dispelled fairly early on in the original thread, but perhaps not in the minds of all the objectors.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Windows and vents on a gondola car are controlled by the riders. If you like having them open and getting wet when it rains then leave them open. There are no rules. Most people use common sense. Operators are likely trained to open closed ones if observed just to keep the airflow.

Glad to hear that, but I do see that it might take a while to get them back to full airflow after they are shut down a little.

 

[RustySpork]

In all fairness it has been strongly said a number of times that they expect that they will park the Gondola's in the storage area if they are expecting a strong wind. Not necessarily hurricane force, just wind. But, that thought was dispelled fairly early on in the original thread, but perhaps not in the minds of all the objectors.

I don't see how it would be physically possible to do that before a storm went through. It took them days to prepare for Dorian.

 

[RollerCoaster]

Glad to hear that, but I do see that it might take a while to get them back to full airflow after they are shut down a little.

Take awhile? If you fully open all of the windows and vents you will IMMEDIATELY have the maximum amount of airflow. The airflow is determined based on the speed of the lift, the number of windows and vents that are open, and how much each is open.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I don't see how it would be physically possible to do that before a storm went through. It took them days to prepare for Dorian.

I totally agree, but that hasn't stopped many from thinking that is what will happen. It won't be done that way and it won't even be necessary. I used to supervise the land transportation on Mt. Mansfield in Stowe, Vermont during the winter. The only time I ever saw them stop was one day when it was about 25 below zero on the mountain and there were wind gusts about 80 miles an hour. The Gondolas were not moving forward but they were at about a 45 degree angle tilted away from the wind, by the wind. The thing that convinced me that people are insane is that there were people up there skiing. One of the regular short ski lifts was still operating.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Take awhile? If you fully open all of the windows and vents you will IMMEDIATELY have the maximum amount of airflow. The airflow is determined based on the speed of the lift, the number of windows and vents that are open, and how much each is open.

Yep, take awhile. If someone has shut them down, not everyone is going to know that they aren't open and will be afraid to touch anything unless there are instructions to do so. So it might go a couple of cycles before anyone knows that there is a better situation available to them.

 

[RollerCoaster]

Yep, take awhile. If some has shut them down, not everyone is going to know that they aren't open and will be afraid to touch anything unless there are instructions to do so. So it might go a couple of cycles before anyone knows that there is a better situation available to them.

No. If they board the car, it's hot, and the window is not open or fully open they're going to adjust it. If it's cold they're going to close it. From experience people are not shy and I have a lot of experience riding lifts since I track my ski stats. I've taken 8,869 lift rides in the past 12 years.

 

[RustySpork]

No. If they board the car, it's hot, and the window is not open or fully open they're going to adjust it. If it's cold they're going to close it. From experience people are not shy and I have a lot of experience riding lifts since I track my ski stats. I've taken 8,869 lift rides in the past 12 years.

Psh, lightweight.

 

[flynnibus]

Are we really still on this weather thing? We aren’t talking predicting weather a week out. Every pool, boat and ride that doesn’t operate in thunderstorms manages to shut down in time when the storm approaches but the magical clouds over the gondola will emerge spontaneously and people will be trapped.

And let's not forget the other skycab ride Disney operated

Its as if people think the answer to 'risk assessments' for any possible topic 'it never happens or we don't do it all'.. and that's just not how the world works.

 

[RustySpork]

And let's not forget the other skycab ride Disney operated

Its as if people think the answer to 'risk assessments' for any possible topic 'it never happens or we don't do it all'.. and that's just not how the world works.

Like just about any risk assessment, identified risks are weighed and categorized as no risk, low, medium, or high.

 

[flynnibus]

Like just about any risk assessment, identified risks are weighed and categorized as no risk, low, medium, or high.

You analyze the probability and impact of it happening to help access your exposure. The problem here is many don't seem to grasp that probability angle and balancing what their real exposure is. Not all situations are completely preventable... nor is that the standard of acceptance.

 

[joelkfla]

I was wondering if there were instructions to close down the vents if a storm enters or are they permanently open. I'm guessing the latter.

I didn't see any instructions, but the handle to close them is pretty obvious. But of the 3 vents on the rear of the cabin, I only saw handles for the top 2. It looked like the bottom one could only be closed from the outside (unless it's somehow mechanically linked to the middle one, which wasn't apparent.)

 

[RustySpork]

You analyze the probability and impact of it happening to help access your exposure. The problem here is many don't seem to grasp that probability angle and balancing what their real exposure is. Not all situations are completely preventable... nor is that the standard of acceptance.

Absolutely. In this case, some people seem to have a different boundary defining what risk is acceptable to them. It may seem sensationalist to us, but they're just assessing it using a different scale than you or I might. Not a direct correlation, but an example might be that some people find there's low risk in leaving their doors unlocked, and others would assess leaving a door unlocked as a moderate or high risk. Is either view really wrong? I'd argue that it isn't, looking at it from a neutral position.

If you want to shift someone's position, wouldn't it would be better to understand the reason behind the assessment? Opinions aren't going to change just because someone says that they're wrong.

 

[Goofyernmost]

No. If they board the car, it's hot, and the window is not open or fully open they're going to adjust it. If it's cold they're going to close it. From experience people are not shy and I have a lot of experience riding lifts since I track my ski stats. I've taken 8,869 lift rides in the past 12 years.

I'm sure you realize that not everyone has been following the boards or has ever ridden in Gondola's before. Your 8869 lift rides will do little for the first timer that doesn't know anything about what is expected for them to do. I'm thinking you are overestimating the thinking power of people that left their brains at the welcome to WDW sign. They may figure it out, or they may decide that CM's set the window to where it was needed and not even attempt to change it. You'd be surprised at how few Rebels there are in the world.

 

[Incomudro]

It's very clear that most of you don't know a lot about ski lifts and don't have a lot of experience riding them.

Many gondolas that are built today DO NOT HAVE CABIN PARKING. In other words they don't remove the cabins from the line for weather events. If weather suddenly arrives Disney is more than likely NOT going to remove the cabins from the various lines. They stay put.

Second, YOU DO NOT rope evacuate a lift unless there is no way for the lift to operate. If wind or weather suddenly arrives the best practice is to stop loading and continue to run that lift at a reduced speed or with stops and starts to unload the remaining riders. If the wind is too strong to run at all then then riders remain on the lift and you wait. Only after an extended period or if the riders were in immediate danger would you rope evacuate the lift. Rope evacuations take a lot of time and should be avoided until absolutely necessary.

The manufacturer (Dopelmayr in this case) determines basic safe operating conditons for the lift. Some of the determination however is decided visually by the operator. Anemometers mounted on the towers and nearby areas monitor weather conditions. The control computer will stop a lift when wind (speed and direction) doesn't allow for safe operation. Wind speed, wind gusts, and direction determine when a lift can operate and at what speed (this is the second part).

Most lifts have thresholds for operations. There is point where wind speed and direction will necessitate the slow down of the lift, but not the closure and there is another point where it necessitates the shut down of the lift. If the wind is variable (gusting) then the lift may be in a situation where it may operate, but may slow and stop periodically as necessary to account for the wind gusts.

Disney claimed they would bring the line in due to severe weather.
Their words, not mine.
And I'm not talking about removing the physical cabins from the line. Why would they do that? That's ridiculous.
I was talking about Disney bringing the line in - as in the occupants riding the system - and the passengers exiting the cabins.
Again, that's what Disney said they would do.
What Disney would do has little to do with with how lines are used in other applications around the world.

 

[TrojanUSC]

I'm sure you realize that not everyone has been following the boards or has ever ridden in Gondola's before. Your 8869 lift rides will do little for the first timer that doesn't know anything about what is expected for them to do. I'm thinking you are overestimating the thinking power of people that left their brains at the welcome to WDW sign. They may figure it out, or they may decide that CM's set the window to where it was needed and not even attempt to change it. You'd be surprised at how few Rebels there are in the world.

Lol go to Disneyland, people open and close the window vents on the monorail all the time.

 

[Goofyernmost]

Lol go to Disneyland, people open and close the window vents all the time.

I wasn't aware that they had Gondola's at Disneyland.

 

[TrojanUSC]

I wasn't aware that they had Gondola's at Disneyland.

On the monorail. There is no reason why the general public would be apt to adjust the settings on a monorail but refrain on another similar mode of public transit.