News New Gondola Transportation - Disney Skyliner -

[Creathir]

Or like giant pillars of greyed out concrete running right through a park with a continuous crossbeam blotting out the sky?

Those giant pillars carry an amazing mass transit option, which lets be honest, most would prefer to see expanded thruought the entire resort.

 

[jaklgreen]

Like I said we went this July and my son is 2 and sure we brought the stroller because his little legs did get tired at times as expected, but he preferred to walk and have his hand held. He could see things a lot better than sitting in the stroller with the shaded thing over him because it was so hot. I preferred him to walk even though it made for my arm and shoulder to hurt by days end with all the pulling, but he did need the stroller from time to time because he got tired. I can't see him even at 5 years old wanting anything to do with a stroller.

Sorry, I was not meaning those statements against you personally. I agree a 2 year old is exactly whom a stroller is for. I agree with what you were saying.

 

[MissPixie]

Sorry, I was not meaning those statements against you personally. I agree a 2 year old is exactly whom a stroller is for. I agree with what you were saying.

Oh I know, I just feel certain parents will do as they please and if they want to have there 10 year old in the stroller for part of the day at the parks they will do so. I certainly can't stop them. it is something I certainly am not going to do, but to each there own I suppose.

 

[Monorail_Orange]

From my own experience, I can only remember back into the days of old when MK's Skyway was still in operation...waiting for you...oops, wait a minute, wrong ride. Anyway, I never found the Skyway towers, cables, stations, or cars to be visually obtrusive. I was far more impressed with the kinetics they added, and the envy of wanting to ride again, even though the lines were far too long. From what's being described, the new system, like all technology, has advanced considerably, towers will likely be further between, and the system will practically "hug the ground" at only about 50ft in height. My thinking is again, at these resorts and parks you'll simply have the really nice addition of some attractive kinetics.

 

[misterID]

Or like giant pillars of greyed out concrete running right through a park with a continuous crossbeam blotting out the sky?

The skyway never looked good. That's what this looks like. Except outside the park. (I honestly don't know any crossbeam that blocks out the sky)

 

[JoFu]

Maybe they'll just have the guests with ECVs drive to their destination. Problem solved.

New Disney rented ECVs will have hooks that just clamp onto the cable... no need to navigate doors or ramps.

 

[MiddKid]

If it's good for a mountain bike, it's good for an ECV. Drive on and go!

 

[Kamikaze]

Those giant pillars carry an amazing mass transit option, which lets be honest, most would prefer to see expanded thruought the entire resort.

If the definition of amazing has changed to 'inefficient for guest flow, costly, and non viable for expansion' then you're 100% correct.

There is no reason for monorail to be the choice of WDW in the future. Better than buses? Absolutely. But WDW's solution has to be constantly moving and constantly loading. We've of course been over this - but a monorail, while it has its uses, does not work well for how WDW (and theme park in general) guest flow operates. Large crowds at 2 times a day stress the system beyond its capacity, which results in backups and delays. A system that operates continuously is always going to handle such a crowd better, as the flow is continuous. This doesn't mean that there aren't backups, but it does mean that you're not standing there stationary waiting for vehicles to arrive. Theres always movement towards your destination. A bus is actually better in this regard, as you can add another bus to the road to increase capacity, but you can't increase monorail capacity once the loop is at its max number of trains.

I guarantee you - if Disney thought they could get away with shutting down the monorail permanently, they would do so. If there was ever an event that took out a large portion of the system, they would use that as an excuse to close it.

 

[Kamikaze]

The skyway never looked good. That's what this looks like. Except outside the park. (I honestly don't know any crossbeam that blocks out the sky)

He was referring to the monorail.

 

[Just4Pics]

I don't laugh... I find it disgraceful. It's like Wall-E.

Reminds me of a guest who parked their vehicle outside Harbor House and then easily walked inside. I won't go into hidden physical issues or guest sizes or anything... short version is she parked it right up against the outward opening exit only door. Cut to a strong male trying to open the door from inside. He gave the door a huge shove and over went the ECV, contents and all. No sympathy.

I wish I could like this post more than once.

 

[misterID]

He was referring to the monorail.

Yes, I know, I think it was an exaggeration on top of the fact the monorail is part of the atmosphere and the experience when you arrive on Disney property.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Yes, I know, I think it was an exaggeration on top of the fact the monorail is part of the atmosphere and the experience when you arrive on Disney property.

Just like the gondolas will be.

 

[xdan0920]

If you can navigate yourself into an elevator you will be able to get into the gondola.

One time, in Atlantic City...I dropped a $500 chip while getting into the elevator. It managed to slip between the elevator and the floor and go down the little crack and into the shaft.

Shockingly the janitor they sent down to look for it, "couldn't find it". That was not a good moment for Dan.

 

[TiggerDad]

I can't tell you how nervous those things make me. Also, doesn't anyone thing they're going to ruin the skyline of the resort? Like Christmas lights strung across a tiki bar.

No

 

[Lift Blog]

You're correct on how it works. That clamp is squeezed open in the station and it let's go of the cable.

In this photo, you can see 2 wheels on the left, and 1 on the far right. When entering the station, these roll in a track that supports the car. The high wheel near the center is pushed down by the track, compressing those springs, the ones that look like car suspension coil springs. That opens the clamp and releases the cable. Above the left wheels is a skid. There are tires in the station that push on this skid to move the car along the track, decelerating on the way in, slowly through the middle, then accelerating on the exit. The exit should have some downward slope so gravity helps the acceleration and lands the clamp on top of the cable. Springs are released and it's gripping the cable again.

Think of the track more like a slot that contains these parts through the station. Every detachable lift in operation, not just gondolas, uses something similar and have been around a long time. In your car, those same type of springs, probably 1 at each tire, support the entire weight of your car, a not trivial amount of weight (unless you drive a smart car).

That's a lot of force gripping the cable, it'll be fine.

The promotional videos show this.

Unless there's freezing rain. That freezing rain allows it to slip sideways in the track, in a direction it's not supposed to move in. Not a problem getting back on the wire, the ice is gone by then. But, it messes up the deceleration part of the trip when you disconnect. Snow is fine, and so is rain. Only freezing rain is the issue. A frequent problem in FL.

Pictured below is the most likely grip model for the Skyliner system, but there are three different options. This one opens and closes immediately rather than staying open the entire way through the terminal. You can see the two rollers (white) on the primary rail and the traction plate (black) that allow the tires to move the gondola through the station. There is a third 'lateral' roller outside of the picture. The big roller up top is the one that gets compressed allowing the jaw to open each time a gondola enters and leaves a station.



Here it is at slower than normal speed:

 

[larryz]

One time, in Atlantic City...I dropped a $500 chip while getting into the elevator. It managed to slip between the elevator and the floor and go down the little crack and into the shaft.

Shockingly the janitor they sent down to look for it, "couldn't find it". That was not a good moment for Dan.

Gives the phrase "getting the shaft" a whole new connotation.

 

[Goob]

My kids are 13 months apart and we stopped using a stroller when the youngest turned 5. We go yearly and they did not have any issues with walking all day. In fact, kids have more energy then adults do. By the time my girls were 8 they said that they wouldn't be caught dead in a stroller because strollers are for babies. We were more then happy to be rid of of the stroller, it is more of a pain then a benefit. Especially if your kids are well past the age of needing one. I find it fascinating how kids that age never needed to be in a stroller up until about 15 years ago. Now older kids are unable to walk for themselves? What are we doing wrong that kids are now incapable of doing things that past generations were able to do?

If your pushing your 8 year old in a stroller, you're coddling them, not doing them any favors and probably love the idea of participation trophys.

 

[misterID]

Just like the gondolas will be.

No

unless they're not...

 

[misterID]

Thats not the post I was responding to

You were saying the same thing. It definitely won't be an eyesore, no?

 

[englanddg]

I am way behind...

But, as there is a lot of "what if" being tossed about...

The real question is...

Will Guests use it?