News New Gondola Transportation - Disney Skyliner -

donsullivan

donsullivan

Premium Member
Lift Blog said:
With today's Brightline announcement, a Skyliner link between Disney Springs and the Caribbean Beach hub seems like a no brainer. It could even have a stop at Typhoon Lagoon.

press_release_indivual content | Brightline

www.gobrightline.com www.gobrightline.com
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I'm not sure the Gondola system is a good choice for transportation when everyone is hauling suitcases. Timing to load cars with that extra 'stuff' could really make a mess of load and unload.

This does, however, have the potential to become a replacement for DME when (or if) it is actually built. Guests could take the train from the airport to this transfer station and then Disney would just need to transport them to their on-property hotel which is a much shorter distance and could be a much more efficient exercise.
 
flynnibus

flynnibus

Premium Member
donsullivan said:
I'm not sure the Gondola system is a good choice for transportation when everyone is hauling suitcases. Timing to load cars with that extra 'stuff' could really make a mess of load and unload.

This does, however, have the potential to become a replacement for DME when (or if) it is actually built. Guests could take the train from the airport to this transfer station and then Disney would just need to transport them to their on-property hotel which is a much shorter distance and could be a much more efficient exercise.
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Exactly... if you had a central checkin at DS... then people hop on disney transport and just go right to the parks! Just like the cruise ships.
 
MisterPenguin

MisterPenguin

President of Animal Kingdom
Premium Member
donsullivan said:
I'm not sure the Gondola system is a good choice for transportation when everyone is hauling suitcases. Timing to load cars with that extra 'stuff' could really make a mess of load and unload.

This does, however, have the potential to become a replacement for DME when (or if) it is actually built. Guests could take the train from the airport to this transfer station and then Disney would just need to transport them to their on-property hotel which is a much shorter distance and could be a much more efficient exercise.
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Plus gondolas are great for high traffic between two points.

However, the train station would need to connect to every resort, which is unwieldy for a rope system.

A baggage shuttle like many airports have to take you to distant parking would be the ideal.
 
J

joelkfla

Well-Known Member
donsullivan said:
I'm not sure the Gondola system is a good choice for transportation when everyone is hauling suitcases. Timing to load cars with that extra 'stuff' could really make a mess of load and unload.

This does, however, have the potential to become a replacement for DME when (or if) it is actually built. Guests could take the train from the airport to this transfer station and then Disney would just need to transport them to their on-property hotel which is a much shorter distance and could be a much more efficient exercise.
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Brightline handles checked baggage. I expect a free baggage transfer service to resorts similar to the one attached to DME. Or it could simply be handled by bell staff, like resort-to-resort transfers.

Disney could even contract with Brightline to haul baggage from the airport during non-peak hours.
 
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pdude81

pdude81

Well-Known Member
donsullivan said:
I'm not sure the Gondola system is a good choice for transportation when everyone is hauling suitcases. Timing to load cars with that extra 'stuff' could really make a mess of load and unload.

This does, however, have the potential to become a replacement for DME when (or if) it is actually built. Guests could take the train from the airport to this transfer station and then Disney would just need to transport them to their on-property hotel which is a much shorter distance and could be a much more efficient exercise.
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I think there are significant hurdles there because you'd have a huge segment of people only riding between those two stops, and trains have finite capacity. Also you'd need trains to be running around the clock to replace all the buses. It could certainly make a big dent in the number or ME buses at MCO, but brings with it different challenges in throughput. My concern about the DS location is what you do with the huge dump of people on that one train which previously were arriving at more staggered times at the airport.

Now if they manage to make some ugly loop turnarounds for a "local" train just between those locations it would help. I'm just skeptical that this would be that much cheaper for Disney and that people would be just as happy getting the full planes, trains, and automobiles experience.
 
J

joelkfla

Well-Known Member
pdude81 said:
Now if they manage to make some ugly loop turnarounds for a "local" train just between those locations it would help. I'm just skeptical that this would be that much cheaper for Disney and that people would be just as happy getting the full planes, trains, and automobiles experience.
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No need for loops. Brightline trains are bidirectional (as are most modern trains, other than Amtrak.)

In fact, IMHO it's a good possibility that Brightline trains from MCO to Tampa will come up I-4 from the south, and then exit the same way. Their proposed route from MCO to Tampa is SR-417 to I-4. If they can come up I-4 from 417, it would save the expense and time of getting approvals and building a route coming in from the east.

The Grapefruit garage is right against I-4. That area would be an ideal location for a station serving trains coming up I-4.
 
pdude81

pdude81

Well-Known Member
joelkfla said:
No need for loops. Brightline trains are bidirectional (as are most modern trains, other than Amtrak.)

In fact, IMHO it's a good possibility that Brightline trains from MCO to Tampa will come up I-4 from the south, and then exit the same way. Their proposed route from MCO to Tampa is SR-417 to I-4. If they can come up I-4 from 417, it would save the expense and time of getting approvals and building a route coming in from the east.

The Grapefruit garage is right against I-4. That area would be an ideal location for a station serving trains coming up I-4.
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So they would just need to switch tracks to change direction. Not bad. I never really thought about high speed rail having two engines but it makes sense.
 
S

seascape

Well-Known Member
Magic Feather said:
Wrong direction for the potential *Skyliner* expansion.

Disney doesn't want to cut across Bonnet if they don't have to.
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I am not sure you are right about that. Going over Bonnet Creek may not be a bad idea. They could get the Bonnet Creek Resorts to pay for the cost of the line and a big portion of it's operating expenses. Those resorts would benefit from having a stop on the Skyline and therefore be able to charge more for their rooms because they would have constant access to HS, Epcot and Disney Springs.
 
raymusiccity

raymusiccity

Well-Known Member
donsullivan said:
I'm not sure the Gondola system is a good choice for transportation when everyone is hauling suitcases. Timing to load cars with that extra 'stuff' could really make a mess of load and unload.

This does, however, have the potential to become a replacement for DME when (or if) it is actually built. Guests could take the train from the airport to this transfer station and then Disney would just need to transport them to their on-property hotel which is a much shorter distance and could be a much more efficient exercise.
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Seems like a good idea, until you factor how many more hundreds of travelers would be dumped from each train load at one time. Buses at least spread their passengers and luggage more evenly over a period of time. It would be similar to rushing ahead of the crowd each time a ferry boat or monorail pulls in front of the Magic Kingdom vs a few buses from the transportation center.
 
UNCgolf

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
seascape said:
I am not sure you are right about that. Going over Bonnet Creek may not be a bad idea. They could get the Bonnet Creek Resorts to pay for the cost of the line and a big portion of it's operating expenses. Those resorts would benefit from having a stop on the Skyline and therefore be able to charge more for their rooms because they would have constant access to HS, Epcot and Disney Springs.
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I don't think Disney wants to further encourage people to stay at Bonnet Creek over Disney resorts. The Disney resorts are a money printing machine.
 
Magic Feather

Magic Feather

Well-Known Member
seascape said:
I am not sure you are right about that. Going over Bonnet Creek may not be a bad idea. They could get the Bonnet Creek Resorts to pay for the cost of the line and a big portion of it's operating expenses. Those resorts would benefit from having a stop on the Skyline and therefore be able to charge more for their rooms because they would have constant access to HS, Epcot and Disney Springs.
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Long term, there is no plans for the Skyliner to go towards Disney Springs. The only way that would happen would be if it was 100% funded by Bonnet Creek Resorts, and they are doing just fine with buses.

The big quirks of gondola systems that they they mostly have to operate in straight lines. You can’t do mostly straight lines with a gondola without cutting through BC. There are other transportation options that can go around and follow Buena Vista. Those are the ones being looked at for an eventual Springs connection.
 
J

joelkfla

Well-Known Member
raymusiccity said:
Seems like a good idea, until you factor how many more hundreds of travelers would be dumped from each train load at one time. Buses at least spread their passengers and luggage more evenly over a period of time. It would be similar to rushing ahead of the crowd each time a ferry boat or monorail pulls in front of the Magic Kingdom vs a few buses from the transportation center.
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Unless the train replaces DME, which doesn't appear to be likely at this time, I doubt you'll see hundreds of passengers disembarking at WDW from a single train. These would only be travelers arriving from South Florida or the Treasure Coast. I would think perhaps a few dozen per train.

The current 4-car trains seat 248. There has been speculation that they may increase the train length by one or two cars after the Orlando extension opens, but many riders will be getting off at MCO or SunRail, and many others will be continuing to Tampa once the line is completed.
 
JoeCamel

JoeCamel

Well-Known Member
Magic Feather said:
Long term, there is no plans for the Skyliner to go towards Disney Springs. The only way that would happen would be if it was 100% funded by Bonnet Creek Resorts, and they are doing just fine with buses.

The big quirks of gondola systems that they they mostly have to operate in straight lines. You can’t do mostly straight lines with a gondola without cutting through BC. There are other transportation options that can go around and follow Buena Vista. Those are the ones being looked at for an eventual Springs connection.
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If they would just call in Elon we could do 20K for real in his tunnels. Could you imagine coming out like on the spout of a whale? They could theme it to Monstro
 
MisterPenguin

MisterPenguin

President of Animal Kingdom
Premium Member

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