News New Gondola Transportation - Disney Skyliner -

lewisc

Well-Known Member
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.
Disney could have had security and ticket scanning prior to boarding. Gondola station could have been in the park.
 

UNCgolf

Well-Known Member
They could have, but still would have required the same amount of staff as building the Germany entrance, which is what I heard killed that option.

Seems like it would have required even more staff. They would have had to have people checking tickets etc. at multiple locations.
 

trainplane3

Well-Known Member
Big thread bump, but it’s been revealed (officially) the possible layouts considered for the Disney Skyliner system.
View attachment 601975

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.


I'm trying to remember, but @marni1971, I remember you talking about them considering a large boat system with canals instead of the Skyliner. Weren't one of the plans to have the Epcot dock for that be Germany?

Interesting it was considered for the Skyliner.
 

castlecake2.0

Well-Known Member
I'm trying to remember, but @marni1971, I remember you talking about them considering a large boat system with canals instead of the Skyliner. Weren't one of the plans to have the Epcot dock for that be Germany?

Interesting it was considered for the Skyliner.
That was apparently one proposal but was abandoned because of cost(both construction and staffing) from what I remember him saying.
 

GoofGoof

Premium Member
Big thread bump, but it’s been revealed (officially) the possible layouts considered for the Disney Skyliner system.
View attachment 601975

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.


Interesting information :)

After seeing the Skyliner in action and using it on a stay at BC I don’t think the Germany station would be very practical and would be a major step down for anyone staying in the Crescent Lake area or trying to get to BC or BW for meals or entertainment. If the station was in the German pavilion you would need a park ticket to get into EPCOT and any guest who wanted to get from BC to DHS would need a park hopper ticket and also would need to wait until park Hopping started to use the system. You would also be limited by the closing time of EPCOT. So if DHS stayed open later than EPCOT that line would either close early or you would have to keep the area of WS between Germany and the Intl gateway open after park close.

If it wasn’t for Riviera I think the best approach would have been to make the hub at DHS then have a line to CBR, a line to AoA and a line to EPCOT gateway. Then anyone going from AoA or CBR to EPCOT would just need to transfer at DHS. With Riviera in the mix the current layout is probably the most efficient.
 

TrippedUp

Active Member
I think having to either build a new entrance at EPCOT or having to have every single person boarding the Skyliner go through a ticket check and security were bigger factors.
I wonder if the new automated bag check would have affected that calculus. Personally, I'm just happy the Germany expansion pad is still available for park expansion, not transportation.
 

mmascari

Well-Known Member
Does anyone know the current hours Skyliner is running?

Looking at the resort early entry, plus getting there earlier than the official time and how that relates to when Skyliner is running.

If it's not running yet, do they run busses instead in that earlier time? Which defeats some of the magic of those resorts if that's how it works.

Also, without a post in months, does that means the EPCOT line is running better now instead of like the first few months?
 

wdwmagic

Administrator
Moderator
Premium Member
Does anyone know the current hours Skyliner is running?

Looking at the resort early entry, plus getting there earlier than the official time and how that relates to when Skyliner is running.

If it's not running yet, do they run busses instead in that earlier time? Which defeats some of the magic of those resorts if that's how it works.

Also, without a post in months, does that means the EPCOT line is running better now instead of like the first few months?
6:30am for Pop and Studios, 7am for EPCOT.
 

GoofGoof

Premium Member
Does anyone know the current hours Skyliner is running?

Looking at the resort early entry, plus getting there earlier than the official time and how that relates to when Skyliner is running.

If it's not running yet, do they run busses instead in that earlier time? Which defeats some of the magic of those resorts if that's how it works.

Also, without a post in months, does that means the EPCOT line is running better now instead of like the first few months?
I would suggest also calling down to the front desk before walking to the station if the weather is questionable. They don’t run during thunder storms. We stayed at BCV and had a view of the EPCOT line so could see if it was running. They do run buses if they are down because the boats also don’t run in thunder storms.
 

mmascari

Well-Known Member
6:30am for Pop and Studios, 7am for EPCOT.
Thanks. So a 9:00 opening DHS, with a extra guest open at 8:30, that really wants a 7:30 arrival when the parking lot opens, means one could get in line for Skyliner between 6:00 and 6:30 to get there, give or take.

I suppose that makes the 7:00 G+ start easy to do, from high in the sky even.

I would suggest also calling down to the front desk before walking to the station if the weather is questionable. They don’t run during thunder storms.
Not there till later June, just trying to get a little planning in. The good news is, storms are more frequent in the afternoon, not at 7:00 AM. :) The bad news is, the little planning I've done seems to say starting at 7:00 AM is the best plan. :( I suppose that means afternoon in the pool (storms permitting) and hopping after 2:00 will not be a problem. Now, just need to figure out how to avoid COVID for the first few days to avoid impacting the last few days. Going to need to plan a nap time too.

This is all supposed to be relaxing right?

At least nobody is bursting into flame in the Skyliner, right?
 

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