News New Gondola Transportation - Disney Skyliner -

[danlb_2000]

I think of the advantages of a gondola system over the monorail is the gondola's relatively small footprint. If you were to do this route with a monorail you would either have to do one big loop, or separate lines that would need a big loop on the end to turn around. The monorail also has to deal with the problem of a break downs where the failure of one train takes out the entire line it is on.

 

[OG Runner]

I think I am going to need bathroom facilities if these are functioning in a 20 mph wind. I also ski.
It is a bit nerve racking hanging out there on a windy day.

 

[Bender123]

Yes, but it will pull people who would normally have used bus transportation, perhaps bringing a little relief, but more likely just increasing capacity given the resorts they are building. The problem with these is that they aren't going to run them in an electrical storm. Given daily thunder/lightening especially in spring/summer, they are going to be down a lot I guess.

Buses are the premiere option for transport. Not because they are comfortable or luxurious (they are not). They are just instantly scalable to get extra transportation where it is needed quickly.

Busses are flexible, but they are not scalable without significant leadup. You don't have a pool of drivers and busses just sitting in a lot waiting to be unleashed. In many situations, the scale up would come far too late to make a difference in the crush you have. There are educated guesses and statistically driven models that say how many busses and where at any given time, but all it takes is for a major park ride to be down for a day and that whole plan gets tossed.

The advantage of gondola is its always at the maximum efficiency, whether its needed or not. We already know there is a limit to how fast a bus can unload, load, dispatch and travel and repeat. Its not even a question that the gondola is more efficient, its how many magnitudes more efficient.

 

[MisterPenguin]

The walk from DHS to boardwalk or vise versa is huge

Same distance from seeing the Illuminations near Japan and then walking to your bus.

Looks like you took that image from BlogMickey.com and cropped out the watermark. Blog Mickey does point out the wreck-it ralph theming

http://blogmickey.com/2019/01/photo...bin-inatalled-at-epcot-international-gateway/

Yeah, that had already been linked in the thread here...

Blog Mickey has you covered! Today is a good day for Skyliner news!!

http://blogmickey.com/2019/01/disney-skyliner-gondola-cabins-spotted-at-walt-disney-world/

I would have though people reading the thread and following the links would have known that. Then I just added an outline to make it clear where the characters were.

Soo... wait... was there a point to your post?

 

[Flalex72]

I wish I took a video (or could find one online). They certainly fell over 10 feet, then the line was pulled taught (going higher than they were when the lift was moving) and then fell again. There is no mistake.

I read that before that Saturday (very crowded day) they we're testing weight by not loading all the chairs, so it's possible it was worse on that particular day.

Also note that the Copper chair was built by Poma while Disney's is Doppelmayr.

This seems more like it is a tensioning issue - the short quad chair I ran would automatically tension the cable about a foot over the course of a busy day. Even then, chairs would bounce a few feet when the lift stopped.

Ahh, those boxes. Looks like it is on the one they are using for testing and can't see if the wires run up to the grip. If they show up on others I would guess PA and wifi power/electronics but if not then sensors during testing

The "wire" you see is likely the door control cable. The doors open and close with a lever on the side of the hanger arm, that actuates the door with a flexible rod in a sleeve, like a bicycle cable.

 

[chiefs11]

I think of the advantages of a gondola system over the monorail is the gondola's relatively small footprint. If you were to do this route with a monorail you would either have to do one big loop, or separate lines that would need a big loop on the end to turn around. The monorail also has to deal with the problem of a break downs where the failure of one train takes out the entire line it is on.

Not disagreeing with you, as I think the gondola system is perfect for this application, but just want to point out that a monorail doesn't need a big loop to turn around.. . the Vegas monorail, which uses the same type of beam, uses switches to run the trains in a back-and-forth shuttle mode. A new/modern installation would likely be driverless and fully automated like the Vegas one, too. There's also no reason a modern system couldn't use more automated switches and different track layouts, as opposed to fixed closed loops.

 

[jt04]

Not disagreeing with you, as I think the gondola system is perfect for this application, but just want to point out that a monorail doesn't need a big loop to turn around.. . the Vegas monorail, which uses the same type of beam, uses switches to run the trains in a back-and-forth shuttle mode. A new/modern installation would likely be driverless and fully automated like the Vegas one, too. There's also no reason a modern system couldn't use more automated switches and different track layouts, as opposed to fixed closed loops.

Switching tracks would allow a T-Land spur connecting the Epcot line. Just sayin'.

 

[Bender123]

Switching tracks would allow a T-Land spur connecting the Epcot line. Just sayin'.

Based on the cost of the monorail in Las Vegas at a per mile function, a WDW monorail expansion would likely cost well over $1 Billion if not closer to $2 Billion...its not happening. The cost of the monorail, with its comparatively low passenger throughput makes it a DOA transport option.

For reference, 4.4 miles of track in 2004 were about $700 million. Disney would require more track and higher capacity. Its not gonna happen.

 

[jt04]

Based on the cost of the monorail in Las Vegas at a per mile function, a WDW monorail expansion would likely cost well over $1 Billion if not closer to $2 Billion...its not happening. The cost of the monorail, with its comparatively low passenger throughput makes it a DOA transport option.

For reference, 4.4 miles of track in 2004 were about $700 million. Disney would require more track and higher capacity. Its not gonna happen.

It wouldn't be nearly that expensive if utilizing existing track that is already in place. Switching technology makes it possible.

 

[MisterPenguin]

This thread isn't a debate about monorails. Let's get back to gondolas and their cooking settings.

 

[Kevin_W]

I think I am going to need bathroom facilities if these are functioning in a 20 mph wind. I also ski.
It is a bit nerve racking hanging out there on a windy day.

Depends.

 

[Bender123]

It wouldn't be nearly that expensive if utilizing existing track that is already in place. Switching technology makes it possible.

I get a feeling that many people that comment on this site don't really understand the size and scale of WDW...Yeah, you could use existing track, but in order to link new hotels, new parks and others to the monorail system will be a lot of miles of new track. You cant just run a shuttle system to locations that aren't in a line, and even at that, the distance between things are much larger than you think.

That's also assuming that the swamp land the track would go through gets tested and passed to be stable enough for a build. Its just not that simple.

 

[trainplane3]

This thread isn't a debate about monorails. Let's get back to gondolas and their cooking settings.

I found a recipe:
If between 150 and 175 pounds, ride gondola for 15 minutes to ensure the center gets cooked. Adjust to 20 minutes if 175-200 pounds. Season with salt and pepper for extra flavoring. If a ECV is included, remove prior to serving.

 

[HiJe]

I found a recipe:
If between 150 and 175 pounds, ride gondola for 15 minutes to ensure the center gets cooked. Adjust to 20 minutes if 175-200 pounds. Season with salt and pepper for extra flavoring. If a ECV is included, remove prior to serving.

Is it possible to throw a few pineapples in with the riders and get a sort of smokey Dole Whip flavor once the trip is complete?

 

[trainplane3]

Is it possible to throw a few pineapples in with the riders and get a sort of smokey Dole Whip flavor once the trip is complete?

Yes but you may want to add those in a little past half way when cooking. You don't want to overcook the pineapples.

Okay, I'm done crap posting in this thread!

 

[ABQ]

This thread isn't a debate about monorails. Let's get back to gondolas and their cooking settings.

I wonder if Dopplemyer had to do much to accommodate the offset for low altitude cooking, assuming most of their systems are designed for high altitude, mountainous environments, not Florida's 2 feet above sea level setting.

 

[Bender123]

I will add for those that doubt one of the reasons for the gondolas is based on finding a major source of unhappy guests isn't the bus wait at the end of the night, its the wait for a bus at 1PM, when there are only a couple of you waiting 15-20 minutes for a bus to arrive and take you back to the hotel for a rest.

What the gondola does is eliminate all of that wait time, because in times with low ridership (like any time between 10AM and 8PM) there will be zero wait...ever.

 

[OG Runner]

Depends.

With Mickey Mouse's face on them.

 

[NormC]

Yes, but if they have electronics on the car it would be charged in the stations through a contact on the grip.

Correct. IF being the key word here.

 

[Rodan75]

I will add for those that doubt one of the reasons for the gondolas is based on finding a major source of unhappy guests isn't the bus wait at the end of the night, its the wait for a bus at 1PM, when there are only a couple of you waiting 15-20 minutes for a bus to arrive and take you back to the hotel for a rest.

What the gondola does is eliminate all of that wait time, because in times with low ridership (like any time between 10AM and 8PM) there will be zero wait...ever.

Great Point! Every time I stay outside of an MK resort or go to a water park, I put negative comments on the bus system in my survey. And given the grumbling at the bus stops during the day, I imagine that is a constant negative complaint they deal with. Skyliner will help, but may give the bus line even more bad commentary after the ease of the Skyliner.