Texas84
Well-Known Member
We did dive over Louisiana. Lucky I guess.
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News New Gondola Transportation - Disney Skyliner -
- Thread starter danlb_2000
- Start date
Bender123
Well-Known Member
So the gondolas will be as reliable as the now defunct express bus transportation because of lightning??
Is this what other locations around the world do with their systems when there’s the infamous-and-incredibly-frequent-in-the-summer “lightning in the area”??
The good thing about the gondolas is that the periods when there are frequent storms tend to be during times of very low ridership for transport. Not a lot of traffic to and from parks in the mid afternoon...If it were during a closing or opening, then there may be issues, but in those situations, not nearly as many people go to the park and stay for an evening show in the rain.
That exists now... for those who don't want to walk in the rain/lightning/high-winds to any of the Crescent Lake Resorts when the boats are down.
So, walk when the boats are down. I knew there aren't any busses back there today. But, I couldn't remember if there was anything else they might drag out. Honestly, just walking is fine.
Which isn't really a choice. I'm surprised they ever run a bus from the front to a Crescent Lake Resort even in lightning when the boats are down. Even my poor Google map skills say the walk from "Friendship Launch - Epcot International Gateway, International Gateway" to "Boat Launch Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel" is .6 miles vs from "Friendship Launch - Epcot International Gateway, International Gateway" to "Epcot Bus Station" is .8 and the other resorts are all closer. After seeing the boat is closed, walking to the front to catch a bus back to any Crescent Lake Resort would be a poor decision. You would have to walk through more rain/lightning/high-winds to get to the bus than just walking directly to the resort.
The math is different trying to get to a skyliner resort. Having the backup weather bus leave from the Boardwalk or Beach club only when the Skyliner is shutdown would only be .4 miles from the Friendship launch. Which feels like a pain, but isn't too bad. And, you're outside the park the entire time.
We always get the park hoppers, but do all park tickets include reentry to the same park on the same day? What about at park close, once you leave IG would they let you back in to traverse to the front of the park? (The rare lightning storm at park close.)
I'm picturing not learning that the Skyliner is closed until after you're already outside the park. A temporary closure, that occurs during the day. If it's closed for the entire day, that's different, you would go both ways by bus. The operations team is going to need to deal with this. I'm sure they'll have a placard up at the closed entrance announcing the closure and telling you where to go instead. Which, if it's back into the park, then park operations and guest services is going to need to deal with the disgruntled guest that needs to walk almost a mile to the bus (especially irate, since 50% of them probably came from future world walking the wrong way).
Indy_UK
Well-Known Member
I don't trust anything Jim Hill says as turn but they did talk recently how the Skyliner is likely to get expanded over time across resort when you look at where the current turns are on the line.
Do we think that's the case? Surely running it to Disney springs is a given?
Do we think that's the case? Surely running it to Disney springs is a given?
MickeyMinnieMom
Well-Known Member
What I really want to know is this — hope someone here has a sense, because I have no idea:
Do other similar gondola systems around the world SHUT DOWN every times there is Disney’s definition of “LIGHTNING IN THE AREA”??
I ask because the express transportation was utterly USELESS in the summer — was shut down every time we tried to use it. At least here, I won’t have paid ahead for the service!!
It just strikes me as nearly impossible that other places are as twitchy as Disney is with this.
For summer trips, where we frequently park hop and ARE traveling during those non-peak “lightning in the area” times, I would never bother with the gondolas if they’re going to go out of service with that low a threshold.
Good grief.
Do other similar gondola systems around the world SHUT DOWN every times there is Disney’s definition of “LIGHTNING IN THE AREA”??
I ask because the express transportation was utterly USELESS in the summer — was shut down every time we tried to use it. At least here, I won’t have paid ahead for the service!!
It just strikes me as nearly impossible that other places are as twitchy as Disney is with this.
For summer trips, where we frequently park hop and ARE traveling during those non-peak “lightning in the area” times, I would never bother with the gondolas if they’re going to go out of service with that low a threshold.
Good grief.
flynnibus
Premium Member
Yeah, but this is a far bigger impacted audience. And really the only people really hit hard by the existing situation is the swan/dolphin guests that come via boat. YC/BW/BC people can still walk to their resort faster than probably walking to the front of the park.
No, it is not the case. @marni1971 has said multiple times that WDW is not interested in more gondola lines, but an alternate mass transport system (of course, WDW can always change its mind, but, its mind right now is "no more gondolas.").
Also, Jim Hill is surmising the turn station at the BWI parking lot can be turned into a loading station so that it can be a new hub. But it can't. The turning station is not equipped at all to be a loading station. It'd have to be replaced with a hub like that at CBR.
There is a discussion bioreconstruct's twitter about Jim Hill's extension, and they are proposing the idea that the turn station could be converted into a normal station where people could transfer to a second line. I highly doubt this will happen, if for no other reason it would require an extended shutdown of the Epcot line. With that said, I can't think of a reason why this modification would not be possible.
P_Radden
Well-Known Member
They're on to something. We discussed this long ago actually, October 2017. Not another gondola line... But the new connection would tie in Coronado Springs Resort, Blizzard Beach and Animal Kingdom (AKL?) to the gondola system.
Another note, there's room in the canal/Swan parking lot area for a Friendship Boat dock. Could be Express to IG or DHS. Not a necessary addition, but an optional supplement to the gondola system if it's down.
This turn station is very interesting as it sits in the core of the entire resort's transportation system. Could eventually be considered a mini transportation center.
P_Radden
Well-Known Member
Quickly drawn, but you get the idea:
Granted, Fantasia Gardens would have to be sacrificed in this scenario. Replacement Swan parking could be added on that side of the street along the road. A re-worked pond and tennis courts could remain.
The existing turn station would have to be heavily modified or rebuilt for this addition.
Granted, Fantasia Gardens would have to be sacrificed in this scenario. Replacement Swan parking could be added on that side of the street along the road. A re-worked pond and tennis courts could remain.
The existing turn station would have to be heavily modified or rebuilt for this addition.
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EPCOTCenterLover
Well-Known Member
"Amused to Death said:
With family members who have worked in the parks, and experienced these things first hand, I can tell you that couples have gone at it just about everywhere you can imagine. CMs have had to do everything from make PA announcements on Pirates of the Caribbean ("You know we can see you?!") to remove used condoms from the Swiss Family Treehouse (listening to bands wasn't the only things kids were doing on Grad Nights/Nights of Joy)!"
During the first few months of DCA, you could probably have had sex in the open street at the back of Hollywood Pictures Backlot! The whole park was a ghost town!
With family members who have worked in the parks, and experienced these things first hand, I can tell you that couples have gone at it just about everywhere you can imagine. CMs have had to do everything from make PA announcements on Pirates of the Caribbean ("You know we can see you?!") to remove used condoms from the Swiss Family Treehouse (listening to bands wasn't the only things kids were doing on Grad Nights/Nights of Joy)!"
During the first few months of DCA, you could probably have had sex in the open street at the back of Hollywood Pictures Backlot! The whole park was a ghost town!
Disneydad75
Member
That probably wouldn't work as it'd run right thru the parking for the Swan\Dolphin addition...
Creathir
Premium Member
The only thing that gives this any credence in my mind (once again, our extremely reliable insider has stated there are zero plans for expansion at this time) is the height of the station.
If the turn station was indeed to ever be converted, it being raised as high as it is would allow for safely passing under the station without a tunnel.
I believe the most likely scenario would be if it were ever used, it would be for an interface with whatever the rumored East/West transport method is. (Lightrail etc)
Magic Feather
Well-Known Member
The turning station was made with the possibility of becoming a load and unload point in the future. Not to connect with a new gondola. Maybe not even to connect with a new transportation system. But, that still would not happen in the near future.
SirWillow
Well-Known Member
Twitchy? The vast majority of parks have rules that outside attractions that could attract a lightning strike shut down when there is lightning within 10 miles. That's not twitchy, that's safety- because lightning has, can, and will strike at times like that. At Silver Dollar City, the other park I've worked at, we had a couple of guys in park that were struck by lightning when the closest "storm" was over 8 miles away and couldn't be seen in the park.
And yes, other systems in other parts of the world do shut down for similar reasons. When you're in a metal framed cabin hanging off of a metal carbiner and wheel system attached to a metal cable which runs through metal towers, the lightning can strike anywhere in that line and run the risk of causing injury. Are there preventatives and insulations in place to help make sure that doesn't happen? Sure. But I don't want to be the guinea pig that finds out there's a failure missed, and Disney sure doesn't want to have one either.
flynnibus
Premium Member
Electricity takes the path of least resistance to ground.. The cabin isn't the path to ground when out on the line. It's possible (but unlikely) that a bolt would hit the cabin itself or very near causing immediate burn or material failure issues.. but getting electrocuted isn't the real concern. It's more about a holistic approach to safety. No one in cabins means no risk of stranding if power fails... no risk of cabins+guests out on the line if a strike damaged something or fouled the line itself.. no concerns about where cabins are relative to other paths to ground, etc. Basically a cleared system doesn't risk guests being out on a system that could be harmed/fouled before the system has passed its checks again.