News New Gondola Transportation - Disney Skyliner -

[Incomudro]

Yea this was my family and I's first time ever using the system. My mom so far is not a fan because of the long stoppage plus swayings from the stop and go intervals after resuming operations.

I'm trying to convince her that this was an anomaly and probably won't happen again on any future trip. But she's convinced otherwise and wants to take a bus back to HS for our RoR BG call..

What happened to you is a scenario that I can easily imagine happening to me.
Convincing my wife and sons to board at Hollywood Studios to Epcot or vise versa and getting stuck up there for 15 minutes to a half hour - especially given that I know it's a possibility. My wife and sons don't know that the system has such hitches at this point.
If such a thing happened to us, it wouldn't go over well - I can tell you that.
My sons would get over it, but my wife...

 

[jaklgreen]

I have never been on one of these, is this normal to have the stops and for such long stretches? Do they stop like this at all of the other locations in the mountains and such?

 

[DisAl]

It doesn't surprise me that the skyliner stops more often that most ski lifts. Ski lifts don't have to deal with scooters, strollers, and wheelchairs.....

 

[Disstevefan1]

Is the Disney implementation of the gondolas unique in that cars come on and off the line for wheelchairs and scooters, of has this been done elsewhere?

 

[joelkfla]

Is the Disney implementation of the gondolas unique in that cars come on and off the line for wheelchairs and scooters, of has this been done elsewhere?

I think it is the first for this application, but a very similar system has been used for years on "combined lifts" which run chairs and gondolas on the same cable. On the one below, it looks like chairs load on the inner loop, and gondolas load on the outer loop.

 

[jaklgreen]

It doesn't surprise me that the skyliner stops more often that most ski lifts. Ski lifts don't have to deal with scooters, strollers, and wheelchairs.....

Didn't someone post a video that it would be smooth for those in wheelchairs to just roll onto the gondola without it even stopping? I can see stops of a few minutes, but what of these 20-30 minute stops that people are reporting. I wonder what is causing these.

 

[joelkfla]

Didn't someone post a video that it would be smooth for those in wheelchairs to just roll onto the gondola without it even stopping?

Yes, that is done on other gondola lifts in tourist areas and parks. But I guess Disney thought that wouldn't be adequate because of the large number of inexperienced scooter users.

 

[jaklgreen]

Yes, that is done on other gondola lifts in tourist areas and parks. But I guess Disney thought that wouldn't be adequate because of the large number of inexperienced scooter users.

Well that does make sense and I am not surprised. There was a lot of back and forth about how easy/not easy it was going to be for those in ECV/wheelchairs to board. I don't think that it is going as smoothly as they thought that it would. All of the stopping and starting has to be harder on the system the just continuous flow.

 

[Unbanshee]

Yes, that is done on other gondola lifts in tourist areas and parks. But I guess Disney thought that wouldn't be adequate because of the large number of inexperienced scooter users.

It's tough watching a party of 5 without a scooter or wheelchair try to board. No chance Disney guests are able to maneuver themselves into a cabin in time without the ADA loop

 

[Phil12]

Yea this was my family and I's first time ever using the system. My mom so far is not a fan because of the long stoppage plus swayings from the stop and go intervals after resuming operations.

I'm trying to convince her that this was an anomaly and probably won't happen again on any future trip. But she's convinced otherwise and wants to take a bus back to HS for our RoR BG call..

WDW has set up a special concierge phone number for things like missed dining reservations or FastPass+ selections when the Skyliner breaks down. They are expecting these delays to be routine:

Dedicated Disney Skyliner Guest Service Phone Number Installed in Cabins

Walt Disney World news, photos, and reviews! We provide you with daily news from the Walt Disney World theme parks and beyond

blogmickey.com

 

[Magic Feather]

WDW has set up a special concierge phone number for things like missed dining reservations or FastPass+ selections when the Skyliner breaks down. They are expecting these delays to be routine:

Dedicated Disney Skyliner Guest Service Phone Number Installed in Cabins

Walt Disney World news, photos, and reviews! We provide you with daily news from the Walt Disney World theme parks and beyond

blogmickey.com

Or... They want to nip any issues in the bud, without making people go to emergency services first.

 

[Rider]

"Hello? 911? Yes I'm going to miss my Turtle Talk Fastpass!"

 

[Goofyernmost]

It's tough watching a party of 5 without a scooter or wheelchair try to board. No chance Disney guests are able to maneuver themselves into a cabin in time without the ADA loop

There is only one location where there is no special area for loading those people. In all the rest the cabin is stationary while the rest circle behind them. When loaded they are added to the line as another empty one is directed into the stationary area. If it is stopping for the 20 or 30 minutes that are claimed then something else is wrong, not the people with scooters, or wheelchairs. If it takes a long time for 5 people to board it is because they are fighting over who gets to face forward and who is facing backward. Let's not blame the system for that. I'm pretty sure that the estimated stop time is quite overblown, but if it is it is for something other then loading procedures. Ray Charles would have been able to figure out how to board a barely moving gondola.

 

[Incomudro]

WDW has set up a special concierge phone number for things like missed dining reservations or FastPass+ selections when the Skyliner breaks down. They are expecting these delays to be routine:

Dedicated Disney Skyliner Guest Service Phone Number Installed in Cabins

Walt Disney World news, photos, and reviews! We provide you with daily news from the Walt Disney World theme parks and beyond

blogmickey.com

You know, I was just thinking that there have to be instances where people miss dining reservations and fast pass reservations due to Skyliner issues.

 

[Phil12]

Or... They want to nip any issues in the bud, without making people go to emergency services first.

 

[Goofyernmost]

I have to wonder how many actual delays happen caused by anything other then stupid guests and how long those delays have truly been. The human animal is notoriously stupid and tends to exaggerate to a criminal degree. If it isn't mechanical then it is something out of the control of Disney or the manufacturer. Since the system wasn't built by Disney then it is the fault of the Manufacturer who I wouldn't be surprised have had a whole lot of loud screaming in their ears.

 

[Kamikaze]

I have to wonder how many actual delays happen caused by anything other then stupid guests and how long those delays have truly been. The human animal is notoriously stupid and tends the exaggerate to a criminal degree. If it isn't mechanical then it is something out of the control of Disney or the manufacturer. Since the system wasn't built by Disney then it is the fault of the Manufacturer who I wouldn't be surprised have had a whole lot of loud screaming in their ears.

A good number of the slowdowns/stops are still caused by CMs being a little too jumpy on the controls. Then, yes, the next most common reason is guests doing something incorrectly.

 

[drizgirl]

I have to wonder how many actual delays happen caused by anything other then stupid guests and how long those delays have truly been. The human animal is notoriously stupid and tends the exaggerate to a criminal degree. If it isn't mechanical then it is something out of the control of Disney or the manufacturer. Since the system wasn't built by Disney then it is the fault of the Manufacturer who I wouldn't be surprised have had a whole lot of loud screaming in their ears.

Disney has been in the stupid guest business for many years. It's on them to offer systems that minimize the impact that can have on the non-stupid guests.

 

[danlb_2000]

A good number of the slowdowns/stops are still caused by CMs being a little too jumpy on the controls. Then, yes, the next most common reason is guests doing something incorrectly.

How is either of those things causing 30 minute+ stoppages?

 

[Kamikaze]

How is either of those things causing 30 minute+ stoppages?

Didn't say they were.