If you could create or expand a transportation network on property..

[RoadiJeff]

When we were there last March, after the parks closed, we saw several folks riding their road bikes on property. Since it was well empty it was a great place to ride. I love to ride myself, but the thought of riding in Florida say 6 or 7 miles from Old Key West to the front of MK, walking around the parks, then riding back in the heat - not thank you.

I know making the WDW grounds more bicycle friendly would not benefit most people, especially those with families. It's just a dream of mine that will never happen. When I was in line the other week at the parking lot toll booth and reading the fee list for various vehicles I noticed that there wasn't one for pedestrians. I've never researched it but I wonder how far away someone would have to park where their vehicle would not be towed and then walk/jog past those parking booths. The thought of doing that is there, not because I'm that cheap, but just to beat the system.

As far as riding in the heat, I rode across Death Valley, CA in early July one year with a group on our way to the east coast. I don't think anything will ever top that 125*F (actual temp, not heat index) experience. I'll gladly take on the FL heat and humidity, especially since I live in the Midwest and I'm pretty much used to that type of summer weather.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

A small thing I'd like to see is more frequent shuttle boats, especially at peak times. I'd also bring back bus CM's telling jokes, or perhaps some thing else to make the bus rides more fun. Like maybe every so often everyone riding the bus gets some little extra freebie.

 

[Sbk1234]

I'd also bring back bus CM's telling jokes, or perhaps some thing else to make the bus rides more fun. Like maybe every so often everyone riding the bus gets some little extra freebie.

THIS!! The character of the bus drivers really enhanced the whole transportation experience. Such a little thing with no expense to Disney, but makes such a difference.

 

[RollerCoaster]

I would love it if WDW was more bicycle friendly. I even asked the person at the parking lot ticket booth a few weeks back when I was handing him my $25 parking fee for my SUV what they would charge someone if a person showed up on a bicycle. He briefly asked the other person in the booth and apparently neither one of them knew. However, he said bicycles probably would not be permitted since there was no place to leave them while inside the park.

Florida is so bicycle-friendly in July and August.

Let me ask you a question? Why if you arrived on a bicycle would you even stop at the "automobile" toll booth? I would never stop, but for your information bicycles are $25 and those who walk through the toll booth are charged $20.

 

[MikeyK72]

The skyliner is the cheapest way construct transportation of this magnitude in the park (besides a bus/boat) and is quick to build. the loading on the skyliners takes long and is problematic for some with disabilites and the system has to stop constanly for the loading/unloading. That being said it seems to be a big success and considering the monorail is millions per mile and more staff to run it, this is probably something you might see more off. i still think they need to do something cool at AKL to AK, maybe an offshoot of the conservation station train and guests at the AKL lodge come in the back way. the boats for boardwalk area are nice but way to slow and too infrequent. i beat the boat from the swan/dolphin to Epcot every time without trying, that shouldn't happen. im not a fan of the buses just because too many people and i didnt like it before covid. plus too many kids getting car sick and doing a Linda Blair all over the place

Just my opinion here, but I think Disney did a good job creating the separate stationary Skyliner loading area for scooters, wheelchairs, etc. For those folks who haven't ridden the skyline yet, those stationary loading areas can be found at the endpoints of every line. However, they fell way short in making Riviera a passthrough station because that is why the Epcot line has to slow down so often...folks with wheelchairs and scooters do not have a separate stationary place to board or disembark at Riviera like they do at the endpoints. The only option is to stop the line momentarily.

I speculate that if the Riviera station were a forced transfer like the hub station at Caribbean the Epcot line would flow much smoother (because they could have built the stationary loading areas at Riviera too.)

If they ever decide to turn the Boardwalk turn station into a connection point to a different line (say to Coronado Springs and on to AK), folks boarding and disembarking there would cause even more slowness of the line.

 

[Robbiem]

I remember years back watching some animated concept fully automated 'pod' style system. Individual pods follow their own route. When on a common path, they connect together for efficiency, then seperate when their 'exit' comes up. Sorta like a free-roaming/tracked Skyliner.

The heathrow airport ultra pod system is like this. A PRT like this would be a great way to get around WDW

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/ULTra_(rapid_transit)

 

[RoadiJeff]

Florida is so bicycle-friendly in July and August.

Let me ask you a question? Why if you arrived on a bicycle would you even stop at the "automobile" toll booth? I would never stop, but for your information bicycles are $25 and those who walk through the toll booth are charged $20.

Wow, I didn't know that. I don't recall seeing any fee listed for pedestrians on the sign at the toll booth. Since I would not be parking I think I would have to escalate that fee up the ladder if they tried to charge me a parking fee for walking/jogging to WDW. What source do you have for those fees?

And yes, I would stop at the parking toll booth if I arrived on a bicycle. When I pedaled the length of the Blue Ridge Parkway and Skyline Drive back in 1997 I was the only one in my group of 3 riders who stopped at the ranger station and paid the $1 fee. The ranger said they would catch up to the group leader and get the money, although I don't know if that ever happened.

 

[Twirlnhurl]

Just before Disney announced the Skyliner system, I laid out an ideal Walt Disney World Monorail System using a transportation demand model. The image below shows the peak hour passenger demand for each segment of the network.

It would require 13 car monorail trains (as long as the A-frame building at the Contemporary Resort, with trains departing every 2.2 minutes on the park connector line.

You can read more about the characteristics of the system in my original forum thread here or at my blog in a somewhat cleaned up form here.

One of these days I need to rerun the model with Skyliner and the newer resort in place.

 

[horizons82]

While the monorail and/or some kind of rail transportation would tug at my heart strings, perhaps a more practical, cheaper, and more efficient method might be something like the O-Bhan.

I could envision an O-Bhan-like network around WDW property on its own special track, using both tunnels and overpasses to avoid lights and being separate from regular traffic. This should make trips around the property faster for the busses, and lessen traffic on the regular roads. Plus, it would have the extra touch of being something a little different and unique, and the bus design itself could be a little futuristic-looking, and being on its own closed track network could be semi or completely automated.

(The O-Bhan is sort of a regular-looking bus that is on a guided track which, designed in a certain way, could allow for double or maybe even triple or quad-length "additions" to the main cabin, just as there are some "accordion" busses in use now.)

 

[redsfan4life]

It was a Spaceballs reference that nobody picked up on. I feel like Cliff Clavin doing stand-up.

My first thought when I saw head on backwards . President Screwb

 

[UNCgolf]

Expanded monorail or a resort wide peoplemover sounds great.

Really anything except more skyliners. I hate the skyliner.

 

[RoadiJeff]

Florida is so bicycle-friendly in July and August.

Let me ask you a question? Why if you arrived on a bicycle would you even stop at the "automobile" toll booth? I would never stop, but for your information bicycles are $25 and those who walk through the toll booth are charged $20.

So, you just made those prices up since you did not reply to my question about where you got them from? I figured as much.

 

[Jae Sea]

I know making the WDW grounds more bicycle friendly would not benefit most people, especially those with families. It's just a dream of mine that will never happen. When I was in line the other week at the parking lot toll booth and reading the fee list for various vehicles I noticed that there wasn't one for pedestrians. I've never researched it but I wonder how far away someone would have to park where their vehicle would not be towed and then walk/jog past those parking booths. The thought of doing that is there, not because I'm that cheap, but just to beat the system.

As far as riding in the heat, I rode across Death Valley, CA in early July one year with a group on our way to the east coast. I don't think anything will ever top that 125*F (actual temp, not heat index) experience. I'll gladly take on the FL heat and humidity, especially since I live in the Midwest and I'm pretty much used to that type of summer weather.

People riding bikes? Good luck with people renting scooters because they can't or don't want to walk in the parks. Wall-E is closer than we realize...

 

[Brer Panther]

My vote goes to expanding the monorail. I like the bike paths idea, too, though.

 

[CLEtoWDW]

I feel like the Skyliner was a neat idea but the execution and practicality were severely lacking. Why on earth would you build a transport system that can’t run during thunderstorms in central FL? Also, it bothers me that the track/path makes zero logistical sense.
But I digress… my idea for a transport system is this: transport on demand. Kind of like the MinnieVan service but larger scale and larger vehicles. In lieu of just constantly throwing buses on a loop have kiosks at every resort bus stop where the guest selects where they wish to go and within minutes a vehicle arrives. Now this would only be available at Deluxe and Moderate resorts as Value resorts are just too darn big for this to work.

 

[JoeCamel]

I wonder how far away someone would have to park where their vehicle would not be towed and then walk/jog past those parking booths. The thought of doing that is there, not because I'm that cheap, but just to beat the system.

Florida is so bicycle-friendly in July and August.

Let me ask you a question? Why if you arrived on a bicycle would you even stop at the "automobile" toll booth? I would never stop, but for your information bicycles are $25 and those who walk through the toll booth are charged $20.

Park for free at the convention center bus lot and hop on. For $2 you will get to WDW ------------eventually............. parking fee free.

 

[castlecake2.0]

I feel like the Skyliner was a neat idea but the execution and practicality were severely lacking. Why on earth would you build a transport system that can’t run during thunderstorms in central FL? Also, it bothers me that the track/path makes zero logistical sense.
But I digress… my idea for a transport system is this: transport on demand. Kind of like the MinnieVan service but larger scale and larger vehicles. In lieu of just constantly throwing buses on a loop have kiosks at every resort bus stop where the guest selects where they wish to go and within minutes a vehicle arrives. Now this would only be available at Deluxe and Moderate resorts as Value resorts are just too darn big for this to work.

It’s been hinted that the skyliner was built that way for future projects...

 

[Vegas Disney Fan]

I feel like the Skyliner was a neat idea but the execution and practicality were severely lacking. Why on earth would you build a transport system that can’t run during thunderstorms in central FL? Also, it bothers me that the track/path makes zero logistical sense.
But I digress… my idea for a transport system is this: transport on demand. Kind of like the MinnieVan service but larger scale and larger vehicles. In lieu of just constantly throwing buses on a loop have kiosks at every resort bus stop where the guest selects where they wish to go and within minutes a vehicle arrives. Now this would only be available at Deluxe and Moderate resorts as Value resorts are just too darn big for this to work.

This is my problem with the Skyliner also, I don’t get the layout. I love the convenience but the layout makes no sense to me and I hate how it looks over Caribbean beach, I think the hub should have been by Hollywood studios. I also don't understand why they put it 60' in the air when they could have put it 40' in the air and had it easily accessible by a scissors lift which could evacuate the entire line in a matter of minutes rather than hours.

I'd have done a central Caribbean station where the boats are now, kept the other stations in the same spot, and had a single transfer station near HS. Much simpler and without the ugly mess that's above Caribbean right now.

It would also make for a simple park hop between Epcot and HS.

 

[Robbiem]

It’s been hinted that the skyliner was built that way for future projects...

Interesting are there any hints on what phase 2 would be? Another line to Disney Springs from the Caribbean beach hub, or maybe studios to animal kingdom via coronado and maybe blizzard beach?

 

[castlecake2.0]

Interesting are there any hints on what phase 2 would be? Another line to Disney Springs from the Caribbean beach hub, or maybe studios to animal kingdom via coronado and maybe blizzard beach?

I think it was more about not having the skyliner in the way of future structures that might be built