-
Welcome to the WDWMAGIC.COM Forums!
Please take a look around, and feel free to sign up and join the community.
News New Gondola Transportation - Disney Skyliner -
- Thread starter danlb_2000
- Start date
, sir...
Creathir
Well-Known Member
This sentiment PERFECTLY summarizes my wife's reaction, and no, I'm not your husband.Are you my husband????Seriously though, I feel the same way as your wife for the most part. I'm terrified of heights but I can tolerate it in certain circumstances. I can go to the top of a building to enjoy the view, but don't make me look down and I will *NEVER* walk out on one of those glass bridges/decks. NEVER. I'm fine on the monorails because they are on a "solid" foundation (though the confined space with no easy immediate escape can get to me). I haven't ridden a Skyride type ride at any park in probably 40 years because they can "swing" and feel unstable to me. Ferris Wheels are also on the "not happening" list...again because of the swinging motion. This past weekend our family was at a local park (the nature type, not amusement park) and we walked across a steel open-grate bridge. The bridge wasn't terribly high -- probably 15-20 feet above the water but I couldn't cross it because it felt "unsafe/unstable" to me (it wasn't -- it used to be a bridge for vehicles before they decided to close that road to make it a walking path and created a "grand" entrance at the other end of the park.). I tried to cross it -- kept looking straight ahead rather than down but could only get about 1/4 of the way across. I turned back and waited on a bench while the rest of the family crossed it and walked a little beyond it before returning to me.
The Skyliner is going to be a challenge for me. We've stayed at Pop Century or AoA for our last 6 visits and have another stay at AoA next month. I'm not sure what we'll do on the next trip (when Skyliner will be open). I guess we'll have to wait and see how many kids are traveling with us on that visit. If we have 3 or 4 kids (actually teens/adults) with us, we'll probably end up at AoA again. If we're down to 1 or 2 kids, we'll probably stay at a Deluxe resort. If we stay at AoA, I will try the Skyliner. We typically spend a few hours at Epcot on arrival day so that will be a good time for me to try it -- I won't have a whole day ruined with heart palpitations/anxiety attacks if it is too much for me. I *want* to ride it because I think I will enjoy the view (out, not down!) but it will be a battle to keep the irrational fears from creeping in to my head (it sounds so easy but it's not). If I find that I can't ride it, then I know my options and will adjust. While I would *love* for Disney to continue offering a bus from AoA/PC/CBR to Epcot & DHS, I don't expect them to.
She knows its irrational as well, but the fear is VERY real, and VERY much there.
Fortunately neither of us have any particular attachment to the affected resorts, though the new DVC resort likely will be a place we end up on one trip or another, so we'll see how that goes.
You'll do fine with it, just close your eyes and pretend you're in a car for a few minutes, and you'll be beyond it in no time.
(On a separate note, did your husband ever talk you into riding a ferris wheel? Did he intentionally rock the seat? Maybe that was just us...)
allgiggles
Well-Known Member
This sentiment PERFECTLY summarizes my wife's reaction, and no, I'm not your husband.
She knows its irrational as well, but the fear is VERY real, and VERY much there.
Fortunately neither of us have any particular attachment to the affected resorts, though the new DVC resort likely will be a place we end up on one trip or another, so we'll see how that goes.
You'll do fine with it, just close your eyes and pretend you're in a car for a few minutes, and you'll be beyond it in no time.
(On a separate note, did your husband ever talk you into riding a ferris wheel? Did he intentionally rock the seat? Maybe that was just us...)
Funny you should mention this... He did talk me in to going on one a few years ago. We were at a black-tie fundraiser and there was a ferris wheel there (the type that you'd see at a traveling carnival....the type I swore I would never ever ride and certainly would never allow any of our kids to ride. Talk about unstable and potentially unsafe...at least in my over-active mind). I had no interest in going on this thing. But he wanted to...and he made sure I always had a fresh drink in my hand. After several drinks, I finally agreed to go on it. While he didn't intentionally rock the car, he would not stop moving and saying, "Look at that over there!!! And look at so-and-so down there!!!" The thing rocked (and in my overactive mind, it was going to flip backwards and we were going to fall out...at the top of the wheel no less). I went into a panic -- eyes clamped shut, hands gripping the car for dear life as if I was dangling from it rather than sitting on the seat. But then the Kharma gods smiled down on me (sort of). My husband kept shifting around in the car and since my eyes were closed, I don't know exactly how this happened, but his car keys fell out of his pocket and somehow fell out of the ride car and fell down through the ride, hit the loading platform, bounced, and fell through a crack in the platform. I had my set of keys (but I didn't tell him that) so I wasn't worried. They had to shut down the ride so that the workers could dismantle the loading platform and get his keys. I don't think he'll try to get me to go on a ferris wheel again.
Monorail_Red_77
Well-Known Member
Yes, those wonderfully mature hub trees blocked the view pretty well. But, now its pretty loud when looking down this way. It's even more obvious at night with all the lights on Contemporary.
BoardwalkGlenn
Well-Known Member
We won't tell anyone that she skipped out on the conference for a bit. I'm sure someone on this board will write a note to excuse her.
We appreciate the updates and photos. Keep 'em coming!
Disone
Well-Known Member
Well the good news is it'll be one or the other. They're not going to inflate the prices before the Skyliner actually opens.
Then again.....
Kram Sacul
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
Back when the hub had trees....
...and shade, and places to sit. At least now we have plenty of space for people to shove eachother for a viewing spot and sit on fake grass.
There's only two sections in the back part of the hub with fake grass. Those are reserved areas and they expect people to stand or sit on the grass night after night. If it wasn't fake grass, it wouldn't be grass at all with the wear and tear. All the other grass around the hub is real grass.
You complain about shoving for space to see, but you lament the loss of trees making viewing difficult. An obvious contradiction.
Your complaints you make here are obviously in bad faith as you spout off chapter and verse complaints of haters without really understanding what you're talking about.
Kram Sacul
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
Why the attitude? My complaints are valid. The MK hub used to be park-like and pleasant. A place you would want to be. Now it's just a big open space to view fireworks and projection shows at night. During the day it might as well be a parking lot. Better for crowd control but the lack of charm is obvious and disappointing(ie your post).
That time of the month again?
Last edited:
Because you overextended to make your points: making it sound like the whole hub is astroturf, which it isn't; and then the opposing digs of no trees and having to now jostle for views... which would be worse if there were trees.
So, with the double digit attendance increase over the decades you have a choice: a park-like hub with trees and then ditch the fireworks because the trees make them unviewable to the increased crowd in attendance; OR.. ditch the parkiness of the hub and get rid of trees and create a viewing venue for thousands of folks to see the fireworks; OR, drastically reduce crowds with either giant cost hikes or limit ticket sales so you can keep the trees.
I can assure you people would complain much, much more with ditching fireworks or tighter attendance controls over losing some trees.
But you can't pretend that keeping the trees is something that doesn't have consequences... an angry mob that can't see the fireworks. Those complaints would be much worse than those who feel the hub is too hot and exposed midday.
V_L_Raptor
Well-Known Member
Now, if you could please put on your best James Burke and explain how astroturf in the hub affects the design of a gondola landing in World Showcase...?
In the 1988 movie Bull Durham, Kevin Kostner said, "I believe there ought to be a Constitutional amendment outlawing Astroturf and the designated hitter."
Kevin Costner was in Criminal (2016) with Jill Buchanan who was in Bridget Jones's Baby (2016) with Colin Firth
In Kingsman 2, Colin Firth rode on a gondola lift in Italy, a World Showcase country.
truecoat
Well-Known Member
Or, in the 1977 movie, The Bad News Bears in Breaking Training, the Bears are invited to play in the Astrodome on AstroTurf by Clifton James’ character Sy Orlansky.
Clifton also starred in Live and Let Die (1973) and The Man With the Golden Gun (1974), where he played a bumbling cop from Louisiana, Sheriff JW Pepper for comic relief with Roger Moore.
Roger Moore of course starred in Moonraker (1979) where he fought Jaws on top of a gondola in future World Showcase country, Brazil.
Disone
Well-Known Member
Ta daaaaaaaaa ! (Post of the day!!!, and its only 10am EST)
Goofyernmost
Well-Known Member
I guess attitude runs in many directions. I have to wonder how people would respond if you went to a theater and they had planted trees in front of the stage so that after spending heaps of money to see the play, it was all blocked by the trees. That in affect is what the trees were doing to this show and the stage of the castle. I can't speak for you or anyone else but, if I pay that much to get into MK, I didn't do that to sit in the shade and stare off into space. There are things to do, rides to ride, shows to see. Chances are you have a park in the town or city you live in where you could go sit on a bench in the shade and not pay a cent to get in. That is why there are no trees anymore, but, they did put in some very attractive fountains and mini parks where you can sit on the artificial grass and relax without getting grass stains on your clothes or damp because they were just watered. Sometimes the glass really is half full and we have to understand that we cannot have everything no matter how much we believe in magic.
Kram Sacul
Well-Known Member
- In the Parks
- Yes
Funny how the trees in the hub weren’t really a problem for most of MKs life. Did they suddenly turn bad and move in front of the castle? I hate it when that happens.
Seriously though they could’ve done a better job. They could’ve removed and planted smaller trees (not the sticks they have in there now). Retained the nice water ways (near Main Street). They had a lot of options and it’s a shame they chose to basically level everything and give use something closer to a concrete lot than the nice green space we had before. At least Disneyland’s hub still retains it’s atmosphere and benches, for now. Who knows when they’ll decide to “enhance” that for optimal fireworks viewing.
Last edited:
V_L_Raptor
Well-Known Member
Ahem.
I'm not sure who Kevin Kostner is (Kevin Costner is well known, though), but I think the original prompt to get back on topic related to the design of the gondola landing in WS...?
Just using the words doesn't the connection make, y'know.