News New Gondola Transportation - Disney Skyliner -

flynnibus

Premium Member
Yes, reality and the one where hurricanes are frequent.

I'll just leave this right here... a visualization of what buildings are required to withstand..
wind.png

https://www.floridabuilding.org/fbc/publications/fbc.pdf

Because... minimum 100mph building code standards would be so.. odd.. for an area not expecting to be hit by storms..
 

WDW1974

Well-Known Member
I put this post on my thread about 24 hours ago, but see myself tagged her multiple times and see the topic now being discussed on many threads. Since I am 30 pages behind here and almost 20 behind on my own, I thought I'd drop this here because it answers some questions asked of me and fills in some other details. Good old WDW ... no news and then ... well, honestly, there would be next to no news if not for a few of our MAGICal members who forced this one!

Anyway, hope this helps:

>>First, a sincere thanks to @danlb_2000 and @P_Radden for their hard work breaking that crazy (but true!) gondola story and Disney's rush to get ahead of their resort plans (massive as they were described to me) and changes coming and rushing out the Coronado tower and admitting changes were coming to CBR, just not with a new transport system, a new DVC deluxe resort and reduced capacity at CBR.

All of this has allowed me to only be a dozen or so pages behind on my own thread. :D:eek::cool:

What exactly is going on you ask?

Well, the CBR is being contracted in size. And a DVC resort will be going there (I am fairly certain on theme, but am holding back for a bit because I still recall my teepee art at the WL that wound up being cabins ... I still like the teepees better!)

Why gondolas?

Because it is the absolute cheapest transportation Disney could add there beyond more buses. And they will be used to tout the area's direct connection to the SWE when it opens in 2019 ... or 2020 (no, I don't really care what Iger said as he often lies publicly, even on opening dates!) This is designed to make the area more desirable and give Disney (they hope) the ability to sell more rooms at higher price points (see those $49 cast rooms at the All Stars or $145 rooms at DAK Lodge right now if you think more rooms is what Disney needs).

This will also bring about the long planned idea of dropping the 'value', 'moderate' and 'deluxe' categories and allow for them to sell based on location and desire. You want direct transport to that outpost on the edge of space at whatever Disney-MGM's corpse will be called? Well, would you pay $250 a night to stay at Pop Century? $400 for CBR? Yes, this IS the thinking behind this. And it will be property wide. You can already smell those $1200 a night standard rooms at the Poly for Christmas, right?

More Gondolas elsewhere?

Down the road, maybe. Right now, no.

How does Coronado fit in?

The resort will be seeing an expansion yet again at the convention center to make up for the loss at the Contemporary (timeshare is more valuable than conventions, apparently). So a need for deluxe inventory will get moved over to this resort, which will see even more upgrades and much higher price points.

Does this mean no DVC at Coronado Springs?

Not 100% sure, but it looks that way.

But there has to be more DVC coming?

Hell yeah. At least three resorts right now, including new builds at CBR and in EPCOT resort area.

Is Coronado the only place where actual new non-timeshare inventory will be added?

No. They are looking at multiples. But the big one is that the EPCOT resort I first broke here years ago appears to be on again as a full blown, very pricey, very deluxe resort. Yes, this is the one at the entrance that was planned as DVC. I still believe the resort will be part hotel/part timeshare, but conflicting talk on that.

There also are plans for a Star Wars themed resort of some type. But it would appear to be so top secret that it isn't worth discussing yet.;) No timeshare with this one.

Should I be excited by this?

No, not unless you are such an addict to a BRAND that you want to pay 5-star dollars for 3-star rooms and services.

Why all this stuff now when we've had next to nothing for years?

Simple. Star Wars, WDW's 50th and ... Pandora.

Chappie and The Weatherman expect WDW attendance to go up BIGLY in the next 5-6 years. They believe demand will outpace supply and that you will pay Four Seasons prices for a Disney motel if it is sold/targeted correctly. They may be right with many of you. I am largely over WDW and admit that. I am excited by DAK and very little else, except CM 40% dining discounts. But if you are an addict or a newbie, maybe you will pay those prices. Even if they excite me, I'll simply use my DVC points. Barring a parks renaissance that I don't see happening.>>>
 

Cesar R M

Well-Known Member
Yep. It does.

Costs are being justified by the expected increase in popularity of the resorts linked. You know how DVC likes their transportation ;) and the less number of busses required.

Expect this to start work very soon and naturally be ready for the SWL influx.
So, its already approved, stamped and ready to build?
 

SLUSHIE

Well-Known Member
Heavenly in CA/NV pretty regularly has high winds, and quite often the gusts are well over 100MPH. They don't operate when the winds are that high, but the chairs/gondolas are often still on the line even in those winds.

If Disney has the foresight of a hurricane, they would probably want to take them off, but I don't see any reason that the structures wouldn't be able to withstand hurricane winds.

If high winds are really a problem, there is another type of gondola called a funitel where the gondolas are attached to two cables instead of one to prevent them from swinging so much. That also allows them to have longer spans between towers. Squaw Valley has one of those.
 

Kamikaze

Well-Known Member
What if any information do we have for hypothesizing about the heights of the gondolas?

My fingers are crossed that they don't rise much above the treetops, for sightline reasons - from the gondolas and from the parks and resorts (and Boardwalk).

Also, how likely do we think it is that the cabins will be custom-designed?

They don't have to go much above the highest obstacle at that given point. Why bother doing so? There really isn't a reason.

Any idea if France is being considered as the secure entry for the gondolas?

Do you mean the International Gateway? I would say definitely. They wouldn't build and staff another entrance if they don't have to.
 
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TiggerDad

Well-Known Member
So here is a thought:

There have been discussions of an attraction in the space in France.

What if that is actually the WDWG station for EPCOT?

Inside the security permitter, and it lines up perfectly with the BW parking lot turning point...

The theming could even be "French Alps"
France is inside the security perimeter but it is also inside the ticketing perimeter. Don't see them letting gondola riders into EPCOT without paying. Also a straight line from the boardwalk building goes just behind France and straight to the IG.
 

*Q*

Well-Known Member
So if the gondola system is secured, meaning you go through screening before you board, that means we'll probably see a complete rebuild of the International Gateway, not just a station plopped down onto the former tram loop. I wouldn't be surprised to see them move the security screening back to between the FriendShip dock and the bridge.
 

olie64

Well-Known Member
I'd expect interior decor to be uniform and hard wearing, with the expected mickey ears flourish somewhere.

Exterior wise possible decals on the windows. But the units theirselves will be standard issue from the manufacturer.
Is this mainly to keep coast down? I have no clue how high it will be but will the color of the units be so they do not stick out like a sore thumb?
 

Disney-Trains

Well-Known Member
They certainly ran in the early 90s. Until afaik until 1995-6.

For those interested:



Wow!!! Thanks for that find. It's cool to see they had resort - specific trams.

So did the tram stop running when Boardwalk was complete? Or was the white pavilion (not in the video, but there now) used as the boardwalk tram stop?
 

WDWdream97

Well-Known Member
... They are looking at multiples. But the big one is that the EPCOT resort I first broke here years ago appears to be on again as a full blown, very pricey, very deluxe resort. Yes, this is the one at the entrance that was planned as DVC. I still believe the resort will be part hotel/part timeshare, but conflicting talk on that.

There also are plans for a Star Wars themed resort of some type. But it would appear to be so top secret that it isn't worth discussing yet.;) No timeshare with this one.
Any possible theme for the Epcot resort? Considering all the resort themes Disney has over the world, WDW is missing an Art Nouveau, Art Deco, and Mediterranean.
 

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