News New Gondola Transportation - Disney Skyliner -

[gorillaball]

Actually it would be. TTA is completely covered and has periods where it's indoors in AC. WDW Railroad is very shaded with trees, as is Jungle Cruise. The only similarity is LSR, and only if you're topside.

The Gondola ride will also be shorter than all of those you list. Also, comparing them to a ride in a theme park might not be apples to apples comparison, this is a form of transportation to get from point A to point B. Give me a non air conditioned gondola ride over a bus on any 90 degree 80% humidity day.

I would also say the peak times for using the system would be park open and park closing time - hardly the hottest parts of the day.

 

[*Q*]

So have we decided if we are going to roast to death or plummet to our deaths?

Just need to make the appropriate plans.

Just make sure you pack your brown pants.

 

[RustySpork]

...Says the guy who has never ridden on a similar system but insists people will be passing out due to the heat

I have said numerous times that I have no actual personal experience with enclosed gondolas outside of a ski mountain. So far every person here who has ridden a similar systems around the world has stated that the temperatures were not an issue. I'll defer to them and the liftblog guy since they have actual first hand knowledge.

First, you don't know what I've done or have not done so making assumptions like that, well you know what it means to assume.

Second, people who have ridden other systems around the world have not done so here in Florida in August. Finally, I trust the liftblog guy as much as I'd trust any other anonymous expert on the internet.

I totally though that was you! JK!!

Seriously though - Basically all of us don't really know anything - we are all just conjecturing. We just tend to look down and make sarcastic comments about the conjectures that we don't agree with. It's a human condition- people will defend their position regardless of logic sometimes.

Honestly it will be interesting to see how it turns out and then see who is really right and comes back gloat.

Nope, I'm no expert except in how hot it gets here in August. You're right though, people will defend their position regardless of logic. On that note, I'm sure you sensed the level of sarcasm I left in my comment there.

We'll see how it goes.

 

[gorillaball]

Nothing like funneling in a cool 99 degree breeze to funnel out the hot 99 degree breeze.

Which would be the same 99 degrees in all of the parks, right?

 

[RustySpork]

The Gondola ride will also be shorter than all of those you list. Also, comparing them to a ride in a theme park might not be apples to apples comparison, this is a form of transportation to get from point A to point B. Give me a non air conditioned gondola ride over a bus on any 90 degree 80% humidity day.

I would also say the peak times for using the system would be park open and park closing time - hardly the hottest parts of the day.

The Gondola is transportation, there's no way that it's shorter than what I listed which was listed in response to someone else's comments.

 

[MisterPenguin]

within a few minutes the sky's got dark and got hit by mansion weather of strong storms and lightning

It was raining castles and domiciles!

 

[RustySpork]

Which would be the same 99 degrees in all of the parks, right?

No, it would be hotter in the parks.

 

[BrianLo]

My biggest concern is that these are little terrariums dangling form a cable 30'-50' in the air.

No shade on them, some over asphalt parking lots, others over lakes/wet lands.

As others have pointed out, what happens when these things are stopped for 2 hours due to a mechanical issue.

They are going to get awfully hot awfully fast.

Ever sit in your car with the windows up on a hot summer day? How long does it remain comfortable? How long does it remain safe?

That to me the the biggest problem with the lack of at least a powered ventilation system or windows which open up, let alone a full blown A/C.

All it takes is for ONE incident to be a PR disaster.

Who ever is deciding to shave the bucks and not provide something which could help protect guests is a fool. One elderly person or infant who dies from heat exhaustion due to something entirely preventable will doom this entire project.

Penny pinching is not something which should be done, when guest safety is at stake.

These are likely to be some of the most used gondolas in the world once open, in an environment which likely can be dangerous if just s few conditions are met. Unlike the HK gondola (which has had its own share of incidents, including gondolas falling off the cable) the traffic on the Disney system will be higher, meaning the potentiality for an incident being higher.

Disney needs to rethink the "forced air ventilation" design.

Er what? I sure hope the waits aren't longer than HK. The Ngong Ping Cable Cars frequently have 60-120min waits from Tung Chung. It's a major tourist attraction.

I'm sure there are hundreds of warm weather examples... but personally I've been on summertime cable cars in Canada (many - I'm close to the Rockies), Canary Islands, Barcelona, Germany, Switzerland, Singapore, Japan, Australia, New Zealand, Rio + a few other South American cities.

Several of which the weather was approximating Florida, none of which had, nor needed A/C.

But yes, Florida is building a system that will kill people as you've expertly deducted.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Instead, we get reports of them cutting corners.

Fake News.

No one said they were going with the gondolas with the AC but then some bean counter forced them to "cut corners." WDW went with the industry standard. If a family buys a $30k car instead of a $120k, no one accuses them of "cutting corners."

Just because a gondola doesn't come with a personal sommelier doesn't mean corners were actually cut.

 

[GoofGoof]

From what I have read, usually onboard systems are powered by ultra capacitors which do charge fully inside the station.

If I was designing it, I would have those and onboard backup batteries in the floor or roof.

Normal usage: the ultracaps
Emergency use: the batteries

Then they can also include other nifty stuff onboard such as infotainment systems, music/communication systems, security cameras, etc. All increasing guest enjoyment while also improving the safety and comfort of the guests.

Instead, we get reports of them cutting corners.

Right, they charge in the station and then travel 5 or 10 minutes before recharging again. You were talking about the gondola being stuck for 2 hours. In that case I don't think they would carry a charge long enough to keep running that long.

@marni1971 said they considered options for climate control and opted for no AC. Other people here jumped to the conclusion that it was done purely as cost cutting. We don't know what actually drove that decision. Based on the fact that there is only 1 gondola system in the world that has AC onboard it seems like there are more concerns then just cost cutting.

 

[RustySpork]

Right, they charge in the station and then travel 5 or 10 minutes before recharging again. You were talking about the gondola being stuck for 2 hours. In that case I don't think they would carry a charge long enough to keep running that long.

@marni1971 said they considered options for climate control and opted for no AC. Other people here jumped to the conclusion that it was done purely as cost cutting. We don't know what actually drove that decision. Based on the fact that there is only 1 gondola system in the world that has AC onboard it seems like there are more concerns then just cost cutting.

How would your opinion change if you learned that there was more than one gondola system in the world with air conditioning?

 

[gorillaball]

The Gondola is transportation, there's no way that it's shorter than what I listed which was listed in response to someone else's comments.

You sure about that?

 

[GoofGoof]

First, you don't know what I've done or have not done so making assumptions like that, well you know what it means to assume.

Second, people who have ridden other systems around the world have not done so here in Florida in August.

Sorry, I didn't realize you had personal experience riding other similar gondolas. When you compared this system to the sky ride at Bush Gardens I assumed that was the extent of your personal experience. So what was your experience like on the systems you have ridden? Were they too hot and uncomfortable? Were there health issues?

 

[uncle jimmy]

Is Disney forcing any of its guests to use the Gondola's? NO
If you want AC use the other methods of transportation disney provides.

 

[RustySpork]

You sure about that?

Yes, read the first post.

 

[flynnibus]

Prediction: people will complain about the heat in the station more than they will on the cable cars

 

[RustySpork]

How would your opinion change if you learned that there was more than one gondola system in the world with air conditioning?

Cleveland SkyLift, London Emirates Air Lift, even the SkyWheel in Poland...

 

[RustySpork]

Sorry, I didn't realize you had personal experience riding other similar gondolas. When you compared this system to the sky ride at Bush Gardens I assumed that was the extent of your personal experience. So what was your experience like on the systems you have ridden? Were they too hot and uncomfortable? Were there health issues?

None of them were in similar climate except BGT's skyride, so they don't really compare.

 

[GoofGoof]

Cleveland SkyLift, London Emirates Air Lift, even the SkyWheel in Poland...

Have you ridden on these? How did the AC work?

 

[RustySpork]

Have you ridden on these? How did the AC work?

I have not ridden them, but they are evidence of the existence of more than one air conditioned gondola system.