News New Gondola Transportation - Disney Skyliner -

[SLUSHIE]

I think there are signs, they just aren't super obvious. I know for a fact the Epcot line has sign for wheelchair line above the entrance.

I would have expected them to put out temporary stanchions at CBR to extend and mark entranced of lines as necessary. Maybe they will start doing this later once they can confirm the flow of people and what lines are more used at different times. In general signage and permanent line length at CBR seems pretty lacking.

The ski resort I worked at we had a few different patterns of stanchions we would put out for the line wether it was a weekend or weekday etc.

 

[KC00]

Okay. Stepped off the Skyliner at International Gateway at 5:13 so it took me just under an hour to do DHS to Epcot. Actually entered the park at Epcot at 5:20.

 

[tissandtully]

Okay. Stepped off the Skyliner at International Gateway at 5:13 so it took me just under an hour to do DHS to Epcot. Actually entered the park at Epcot at 5:20.

Wow should be a bit quicker when it’s not opening day. Do people here know what is up with all the stopping?

 

[cosmicgirl]

I think there are signs, they just aren't super obvious. I know for a fact the Epcot line has sign for wheelchair line above the entrance.

I would have expected them to put out temporary stanchions at CBR to extend and mark entranced of lines as necessary. Maybe they will start doing this later once they can confirm the flow of people and what lines are more used at different times. In general signage and permanent line length at CBR seems pretty lacking.

The ski resort I worked at we had a few different patterns of stanchions we would put out for the line wether it was a weekend or weekday etc.

They had tape on the floor at CBR like for parades or fireworks so they had extended lines, but no signs telling you which line was going where.

 

[halltd]

I’m surprised the signage at CBR isn’t overhead like at bus stops and monorail stations. When there’s a mass of people standing in front of low-level signage, you can’t see anything.

 

[KC00]

Okay. Stepped off the Skyliner at International Gateway at 5:13 so it took me just under an hour to do DHS to Epcot. Actually entered the park at Epcot at 5:20.

I’m surprised the signage at CBR isn’t overhead like at bus stops and monorail stations. When there’s a mass of people standing in front of low-level signage, you can’t see anything.

There is overhead signage but it is useless when the lines are longer than the structured queue. Both lines were pretty long when I was there and well outside the marked queue. The end of the Epcot line started down the ramp that runs alongside what I think is the Pop skyliner line. So when you got off the DHS line you could see the sign pointing you to the Epcot line on your left but the line actually started down a ramp on your right and crossed across the middle of the station.

 

[KC00]

This was taken while standing in the structured part of the Epcot queue looking back towards the middle of the station.

 

[monothingie]

Here I was worried about being burned to death in one of these hot boxes of hell and the biggest problem is they took little into account for crowd flow and surges of guests.

 

[GoofGoof]

Here I was worried about being burned to death in one of these hot boxes of hell and the biggest problem is they took little into account for crowd flow and surges of guests.

...and the crowds and surges of guests when just opened. This will even out over time. I know my next trip to WDW I will be riding the gondolas at some point just to try them out even if staying nowhere near them but I probably won’t go out of my way to ride them after that.

The signage I’m sure can be improved if necessary.

 

[Ponderer]

Here I was worried about being burned to death in one of these hot boxes of hell and the biggest problem is they took little into account for crowd flow and surges of guests.

Yes, it's disgraceful. The next thing you know, they'll have guests sinking into the asphalt or something. But you'd have to be REALLY incompetent to let something like that happen.

 

[_caleb]

They'll probably just claim the people giving such good reviews are paid shills for the company, like they usually do when anything positive is said.

I know it's confusing, but it's actually the negative reviews that are coming from the shills...

 

[flynnibus]

Because people just can't wrap their minds over how big the capacity actually is versus the unlikelihood of everyone show up at once and overwhelming that capacity.

I am already concerned they are spilling out to uncontrolled line areas at just normal operating... not peak. That will make for a bit of crowd control mess.. especially in the CBR hub.

There should be more 'walking queue' space to keep things orderly. At night, when people are cranky... if its chaotic.. its only going to get uglier.

 

[GoofGoof]

Looking back at the early pages of this enormous thread, it's amazing how many people were quite indignant and insistent that this would be a monorail or a Peoplemover, citing numerous reasons why a monorail would work better, be more economical, gondolas could never withstand hurricanes, could never work in Florida... so much nonsense it's unreal.

I would love to hear from those people now we are a couple of years later and the Skyliner is open... I wonder what they make of the rave reviews it's getting?

This has been an epic thread to watch. I had the 3rd post in the thread and I did suggest that maybe it could be a people mover. I was obviously wrong. That was when we only had vague info gathered from permits and knew it would cross parking lots and water so was likely not ground level. It was a lot of fun speculating and watching things unfold. Pretty cool that some of our regular posters here figured this thing out before anyone else had it. I’m also glad the thing is operational so we can stop all the speculation of death and carnage.

 

[Lift Blog]

I was surprised by the lines in the afternoon. Part of it was the operators' lack of experience with what we call "point," which is as politely but forcefully getting people into cabins at the same speed the lift is moving. Not an easy job but a very important one that takes real skill.

The signage at CBB needs to be much bigger and overhead. I think someone will be going to the queue/maze supply store tonight

All in all a very successful opening in my book (so far.)

 

[Steph15251]

I went on this during cast previews and we only stopped like once.

 

[danlb_2000]

You can get a good view of the ECV loading process in this video...

 

[danlb_2000]

In Resort TV1's video they got into the Epcot line at CBR which was extended well past the switchbacks, and it look only 10 minutes before they were loaded.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Wow should be a bit quicker when it’s not opening day. Do people here know what is up with all the stopping?

Here...

I’ve had 2 different people tell me that the heavy number of short stops on EC leg are controlled part of testing, not anything going wrong

 

[peter11435]

I am already concerned they are spilling out to uncontrolled line areas at just normal operating... not peak. That will make for a bit of crowd control mess.. especially in the CBR hub.

There should be more 'walking queue' space to keep things orderly. At night, when people are cranky... if its chaotic.. its only going to get uglier.

Again.. today is not normal operating

 

[Disone]

I was surprised by the lines in the afternoon. Part of it was the operators' lack of experience with what we call "point," which is as politely but forcefully getting people into cabins at the same speed the lift is moving. Not an easy job but a very important one that takes real skill.

The signage at CBB needs to be much bigger and overhead. I think someone will be going to the queue/maze supply store tonight

All in all a very successful opening in my book (so far.)

Hi! Two questions.... I remember reading where you say every 15th Gondola is one they can pull off the line. But from watching the process it looks like they can pull anyone offline and it just immediately replace it with one of the two they have in the fully stop load area. I know I have seen gondolas parked there for way more than 90 seconds. What are your thoughts on that?

I do get what you're saying about the point person. But I am wondering what's causing the Epcot line to stop so often. At both the Caribbean and Epcot stations there was nothing obviously wrong about the loading. The system was slowing down the process by stopping which is different than the system being slowed down by the point person who's not loading fast enough. He would think it was the point person they could just simply let one or two go empty and not worry about putting people in them and just keep the system moving at speed.