LA TIMES: Walt Disney World plans to deploy driverless shuttles

ChrisM

ChrisM

Well-Known Member
"Thanks for riding Johnny Cab - hope you enjoyed the ride!"

Johnny-Cab.jpeg
 
kvillegas

kvillegas

Member
Andrew C said:
Haha. Lots of negativity I see. If the world thought like this thread we would still be using horse and carriage. If this is actually being considered, I hope Disney's initial reaction isn't "this can't work because..." but rather, "let's make this work!"

This type of technology is becoming very advanced and moving along very quickly. It would be nice to see Disney become involved and take it to a level not seen yet. Ya know, become innovators.
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That's because some people - NOT EVERYONE - likes the first part of Walt's dedication, but not so much the second part. Remember: "Here, age relives fond memories of the past, and here youth may savor the challenge and promise of the future."
 
Polydweller

Polydweller

Well-Known Member
marni1971 said:
They opened the WEDWay in 1975.

And sat on it.
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Well, that date was WDW's version. But the original was opened in DL in 1967 and the company had an entire division trying to sell the technology to cities, malls, airports etc but only got one sale to the Houston airport. DL's version was supposed to be a prototype for Disney's vision of Epcot and for municipal transportation systems.

But it proved too expensive to build, operate and maintain compared to other mass transit alternatives for most places to consider it. So like many products it and it's division simply died because it couldn't compete. They didn't really sit on it.
 
GoofGoof

GoofGoof

Premium Member
GrumpyFan said:
Hate to be the fly in the ointment, but how is it possible that they can bring something like this online in such a short time (if true), when the project automating the monorails has been ongoing for 2-3 years?
I know, I know, different project, tecnology, company, etc, etc.
Not saying I don't want it to happen and not trying to derail the conversation, I'm just a bit skeptical.
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I think it's feasible. The article stated they would start by testing transport for CM later this year and guests using the system by some time next year. I am assuming the guest use would start with the parking lot trams. There isn't a whole lot to build. They just need to segregate areas for the driverless trams which should be easy in the parking lots. I think it will be a little longer to get to the point of using this for resort to park transport. That will likely require the construction of dedicated lanes. That's still not a major construction project but should take longer. I don't see a scenario any time soon where these vehicles will be riding on a road with other regular vehicles.
 
I am Timmy

I am Timmy

Well-Known Member
Oh, I wish they'd just invent a transporter already! Imagineers just need to be locked in a room, watch every episode of every Star Trek, come up with a working model, and let the Disney bigwigs have first crack at it! Send one of them at a time until one of them makes it. Entirely, and alive. The future is now....
 
ChrisM

ChrisM

Well-Known Member
I am Timmy said:
Oh, I wish they'd just invent a transporter already! Imagineers just need to be locked in a room, watch every episode of every Star Trek, come up with a working model, and let the Disney bigwigs have first crack at it! Send one of them at a time until one of them makes it. Entirely, and alive. The future is now....
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You mean the combination execution/copy machine? Thanks, but I'll pass.
 
I am Timmy

I am Timmy

Well-Known Member
ChrisM said:
You mean the combination execution/copy machine? Thanks, but I'll pass.
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Are you a Disney bigwig? If not, then you have nothing to worry about. In this scenario, it would never be open to the public unless all of them could get through it and live. And their families. It'll happen one day. Yay, science!
 
Creathir

Creathir

Well-Known Member
marni1971 said:
Oh, that they did.

The math added up too. It was cheaper, not more expensive, than comparable systems.

Hence the four lines that got built are still running today.

(The DL system was not a WEDWay - the name was tagged for the LIMs)
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WEDWay is an amazing bit of technology.

They were WAY ahead of their time and failed to capitalize on it.

The Crescent Lake resorts should have had one installed to connect them to the International Gateway.

Especially as computer miniaturization happened. Point to point systems could have easily been created for station sidings with select a destination (similar to PRT) to handle routing.

Oh what could have been...
 
Rteetz

Rteetz

Well-Known Member
Rteetz

Rteetz

Well-Known Member
Corey P said:
Even at one site. Over seas their are huge manufacturing plants that can have easily 75K worth of employees.

Where are you getting the 70K+ figure for employees on site? I thought it was more like 50K?

WDW can be or can't be counted as one site. Many different hotels have employees separately that probably never come into contact with each other, there is no big hotel employee group who works in any hotel on property. Same with everything else at WDW, different groups of employees working in different locations that may be relatively close but not the same location technically. What's the difference between an employee at AKL verses any other hotel at WDW and people working at The Hilton hotel spread out across the US? Each hotel has it's own numbers to hit, pay scales etc.

For your argument I would say how many work at MK? That is one site. AK, DHS, Epcot are different locations and I doubt employees are employed as a group over all the parks? They are employees on a park by park basis having not much to do with each other. Number of employees, hours opened, hours worked, positions etc. are all run independently of each other park to park. I would say that doesn't count as one location. You may work for Boeing building planes, you work for the same company building the same product but you are spread over the country all working in plants that operate independently to produce their parts or product. In the end a plane is build but not in one location.
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The poster stated in the US not overseas.

From a quick google search in 2013 WDW employed 62,000 people. We know that has gone up since then.

WDW as far as I know has been counted as one site. Walt Disney World Resort is where these employees work not all employees at WDW work at one park. Many will work at multiple parks and or resorts. I don't see how the WDW Resort doesn't;t count as one location.
 
Biff215

Biff215

Well-Known Member
Corey P said:
Even at one site. Over seas their are huge manufacturing plants that can have easily 75K worth of employees.

Where are you getting the 70K+ figure for employees on site? I thought it was more like 50K?

WDW can be or can't be counted as one site. Many different hotels have employees separately that probably never come into contact with each other, there is no big hotel employee group who works in any hotel on property. Same with everything else at WDW, different groups of employees working in different locations that may be relatively close but not the same location technically. What's the difference between an employee at AKL verses any other hotel at WDW and people working at The Hilton hotel spread out across the US? Each hotel has it's own numbers to hit, pay scales etc.

For your argument I would say how many work at MK? That is one site. AK, DHS, Epcot are different locations and I doubt employees are employed as a group over all the parks? They are employees on a park by park basis having not much to do with each other. Number of employees, hours opened, hours worked, positions etc. are all run independently of each other park to park. I would say that doesn't count as one location. You may work for Boeing building planes, you work for the same company building the same product but you are spread over the country all working in plants that operate independently to produce their parts or product. In the end a plane is build but not in one location.
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I've heard it reported like this for at least 15 years now, and not just by Disney themselves. That statistic is nothing new.
 
GoofGoof

GoofGoof

Premium Member
Monorail_Red_77

Monorail_Red_77

Well-Known Member
GoofGoof said:
74,000 employees according to this article from last year:
http://wsvn.com/news/local/disney-donates-1-million-to-help-those-affected-by-orlando-massacre/

I think it's pretty well accepted that WDW is the largest single site employer in the US. I suppose you could argue that since it's a land area the size of some major cities it's unfair to consider it one "site", but even Disney refers to it as a single site.
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Yes it is still right around that number. An article I read a few days ago put the number at 73,000. So, I'd say that is still accurate. As far as considering WDW a single site. Yes that too is correct. When they mention "The Walt Disney World Resort" it referrers to the entire site. They do not breakdown the different parks and resorts as separate areas because they are all part of the whole resort complex. That would be the equivalent of breaking apart a Walmart store into the different departments, like Grocery or Housewares. They would consider that a single site too. At WDW employees can move around to different roles at any of the parks, etc. so long as they have training that allows them to do that job function. For example: Their main job could be working at Emporium on Mainstreet in MK. Then they could pick up an extra shift over at Island Mercantile in AK. So they are able to move around the whole resort complex as if it was a single site.
 
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