News New Gondola Transportation - Disney Skyliner -

[ToTBellHop]

The walk from Boardwalk to DHS is about 0.8 mi. But how many guests choose to walk rather than ride? I think a relatively small fraction.

Asking guests to walk a mile to get just to the entrance of a park would not make them happy. That's not free theme park transportation.

A lot of people walk like my family. I see them on the path. Especially at park open and close.

What’s another 1500 steps when you are hitting 30k/day?

Being able to walk somewhere from AKL would make me willing to book there. I won’t right now because of the buses.

 

[Magic Feather]

I'm not convinced it's practical as property-wide transit.

Because it’s not. Disney knows that at this point too. The determination seems to be that any gondola that would run longer than the Epcot line would likely be too long.

Personal guess: the next major transportation infrastructure will either be something to tie in Coronado, or the “length of the property” transit THATS been talked about forever. I’d expect neither to happen within the next few years.

 

[Doberge]

The EPCOT line's "problem" is having Riviera in the middle with no dedicated spot off the line, hence ECVs and the like to force the line to slow.

Disney gets a lot of "bang for the buck" with the existing system servicing two parks, two huge values, a huge moderate, and a DVC resort. It's easier to put that cost into the many rooms and two parks kor however it's allocated. The Port Orleans, SSR, OKW resort cluster only gets enough combined rooms to about what POP and AoA give, and maybe it only links to EPCOT? Seems like a more expensive proposition with way less benefit to Disney. The All Stars + Coronado + AK would be a lot with little park payoff that it seems unlikely too.

Anyway, yes I saw multiple parties boarded together. EPCOT station has also begun using the station switchbacks with no plastic barrier. They had been not using the switchbacks because of physical distancing (and no barriers) but the decision to start boarding multiple parties together made avoiding switchbacks foolhardy. I think we'll also soon see shaded switchbacks reopened on attractions that previously only partially used, and this will soon help pull people back into normal queues and out of extended queues that extended far past entrances and into the blazing heat.

 

[doctornick]

Just want to say that we went to WDW for the first time since this opened 2 weeks ago and my kids absolutely loved the Skyliner. To the extent that it was probably among their favorite "rides" in the whole resort. We stayed at Beach Club and used it as our primary mode to DHS (we used the ferry once and they were not as happy with that). Never had problems except one time we stopped for maybe 5 minutes with the warning announcement coming on. The transfer at CBR was smooth and easy - even when we were going for rope drop, the line was small and we got through quickly.

I will say that the cabins are indeed quite cool with the air flow despite the hot/humid weather outside. We had fun looking at the different wraps as we would travel along.

I definitely would be all for them putting this type of system in other places in WDW. At least some sort of AKL/DAK/Blizzard Beach/Coronado set up (probably having to incorporate the All Stars to make it enough rooms to be worthwhile).

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Just want to say that we went to WDW for the first time since this opened 2 weeks ago and my kids absolutely loved the Skyliner. To the extent that it was probably among their favorite "rides" in the whole resort. We stayed at Beach Club and used it as our primary mode to DHS (we used the ferry once and they were not as happy with that). Never had problems except one time we stopped for maybe 5 minutes with the warning announcement coming on. The transfer at CBR was smooth and easy - even when we were going for rope drop, the line was small and we got through quickly.

I will say that the cabins are indeed quite cool with the air flow despite the hot/humid weather outside. We had fun looking at the different wraps as we would travel along.

I definitely would be all for them putting this type of system in other places in WDW. At least some sort of AKL/DAK/Blizzard Beach/Coronado set up (probably having to incorporate the All Stars to make it enough rooms to be worthwhile).

Did you deal with any weather on the trip? We loved the Skyliner as well, but Disney was absolutely horrible about scrambling their bus fleets quickly when the Skyliner had to go down for weather.

 

[matt9112]

Did you deal with any weather on the trip? We loved the Skyliner as well, but Disney was absolutely horrible about scrambling their bus fleets quickly when the Skyliner had to go down for weather.

I mean to be fair they probably cant keep a bunch of drivers just loafing around. The whole idea is to not need that right? So to scramble the fleet os legitimately probably calling people to come in coupled with pulling buses off other services aka reducing the product for other guests.

 

[JoeCamel]

Just want to say that we went to WDW for the first time since this opened 2 weeks ago and my kids absolutely loved the Skyliner. To the extent that it was probably among their favorite "rides" in the whole resort. We stayed at Beach Club and used it as our primary mode to DHS (we used the ferry once and they were not as happy with that). Never had problems except one time we stopped for maybe 5 minutes with the warning announcement coming on. The transfer at CBR was smooth and easy - even when we were going for rope drop, the line was small and we got through quickly.

I will say that the cabins are indeed quite cool with the air flow despite the hot/humid weather outside. We had fun looking at the different wraps as we would travel along.

I definitely would be all for them putting this type of system in other places in WDW. At least some sort of AKL/DAK/Blizzard Beach/Coronado set up (probably having to incorporate the All Stars to make it enough rooms to be worthwhile).

Back in the day I considered the monorail the best ride there

 

[OG Runner]

Did you deal with any weather on the trip? We loved the Skyliner as well, but Disney was absolutely horrible about scrambling their bus fleets quickly when the Skyliner had to go down for weather.

Honestly, I am glad they do. I was coming into the Riviera Station one night and we stopped just on the way down over the highway,
it began to rain a little and the wind picked-up. I really did not enjoy that part of the ride and would have been fine in a bus.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

Honestly, I am glad they do. I was coming into the Riviera Station one night and we stopped just on the way down over the highway,
it began to rain a little and the wind picked-up. I really did not enjoy that part of the ride and would have been fine in a bus.

I think you misunderstod my point.

I agree that they should send out the buses and stop running the Skyliner in bad weather, I just think they're inefficient at it. We waited FOREVER for the buses every time it rained because Disney wasn't fast enough to deploy them for CBR and Riviera.

 

[pdude81]

I mean to be fair they probably cant keep a bunch of drivers just loafing around. The whole idea is to not need that right? So to scramble the fleet os legitimately probably calling people to come in coupled with pulling buses off other services aka reducing the product for other guests.

They can pay 5 people $15 an hour in the middle of the day in the summer to run extra routes elsewhere or do odd jobs until they are needed to pick up more routes. Stranding people in bad weather makes the very angry and can generally be avoided with prior proper planning. If your not also pinching pennies

 

[OG Runner]

I think you misunderstod my point.

I agree that they should send out the buses and stop running the Skyliner in bad weather, I just think they're inefficient at it. We waited FOREVER for the buses every time it rained because Disney wasn't fast enough to deploy them for CBR and Riviera.

You are right I did misunderstand. If you need to change the transportation method, do it and do it efficiently.
The worst time I have had in any vacation is standing waiting for a bus to get me back my resort.

 

[doctornick]

Did you deal with any weather on the trip? We loved the Skyliner as well, but Disney was absolutely horrible about scrambling their bus fleets quickly when the Skyliner had to go down for weather.

It certainly rained a number of times, but we never had a problem with it. As I mentioned one time it stopped for a bit and they had the announcement, but it restarted (that was on the Epcot line). We otherwise found it very quick and efficient, both getting on and the ride itself. We had some times we rode when it was at least a light rain without problem.

There was one night we were leaving Epcot after the fireworks and it was down. They were making announcements - and had people inside the turnstiles - indicating that the Skyliner was down and to go to the front of the park to catch a bus which were running. Didn't affect us as we were at Beach Club and walking, but I could see how that would bothersome that you'd have to walk back to the other side of the park. but, they did at least seem to have activated it and were vocal about letting people know. How good the bus substitute ended up being, I don't know.

 

[dsinclair]

They can pay 5 people $15 an hour in the middle of the day in the summer to run extra routes elsewhere or do odd jobs until they are needed to pick up more routes. Stranding people in bad weather makes the very angry and can generally be avoided with prior proper planning. If your not also pinching pennies

If they're in the middle of one of these odd jobs it would probably take some time to get them away from that task, if it's one that can be stopped midway, briefed on whatever route they're jumping to, onto a bus, and then out to where needed. It's not like someone can be instantly transported from sweeping to waiting behind the drivers seat at a Skyliner station.

 

[pdude81]

If they're in the middle of one of these odd jobs it would probably take some time to get them away from that task, if it's one that can be stopped midway, briefed on whatever route they're jumping to, onto a bus, and then out to where needed. It's not like someone can be instantly transported from sweeping to waiting behind the drivers seat at a Skyliner station.

It would be pretty easy if they were sweeping or pulling trash at the bus depot. Also have you seen the platoon of buses that hang out with the Marquee reading "Waiting to refill my pixie dust"? They already do some of this, just at a smaller level.

 

[gerarar]

Big thread bump, but it’s been revealed (officially) the possible layouts considered for the Disney Skyliner system.

Option 7 is the one that we eventually got.

Among the different possibilities — DHS could’ve had two stations that led to CBR and Epcot. CBR would not be a “hub” in some options. Although interesting enough, Germany could have had a station instead of France in Option 8b.

 

[castlecake2.0]

So we got the cheapest lamest option

 

[gerarar]

So we got the cheapest lamest option

Option 8b is the cheapest it seems like. Theres one less turn station from Riveria to Epcot and only goes to Germany

 

[castlecake2.0]

Option 8b is the cheapest it seems like. Theres one less turn station from Riveria to DHS and only goes to Germany

true. Would be curious to see what made them to decide that

 

[joelkfla]

Option 8b is the cheapest it seems like. Theres one less turn station from Riveria to Epcot and only goes to Germany

I don't think so. They would have needed to build an entrance gate at Germany, and maintain and staff it on an ongoing basis.

I think the chosen option was the best. The only thing I would have changed would be to continue the CBR-Pop line around to DHS, to eliminate the need for those Guests to transfer. Then all 3 major resorts would have direct rides to both parks.

 

[UNCgolf]

I don't think so. They would have needed to build an entrance gate at Germany, and maintain and staff it on an ongoing basis.

That's what I was going to say. I can't imagine option 8b was ever seriously considered for that reason. They already have an entrance gate at the World Showcase; no way they were going to build another one.