News New Gondola Transportation - Disney Skyliner -

[Lensman]

It looks like the windows do indeed open outward, but what's seen in my screenshot is a deflector mounted inside the window to direct airflow downward. If the windows were open, the view thru the screen would be clearer, as it is thru the rear windows.

You're right. Here's a screenshot of the outside of that cabin from the video. You can see that the windows on this front side are closed. I guess they wanted to close the windows for the video to make the wrap look as good as possible. BTW, you had a good observation from the start. I didn't even notice the airflow directors when I watched the video.

Boy, Disney is certainly taking their airflow seriously - or I guess Doppelmayr is.

I am shocked and appalled to find out that the cabins lack on-board restrooms.

I thought that's what the slat openings toward the bottom of the cabin were for?

I guess the occupants will just have to designate a pee corner.

 

[Heppenheimer]

I doubt there will be many e-stops. They will be rare.

If you compare the system to ski gondolas, these make temporary stops all the time for a variety of reasons. In 30+ years of skiing, I would estimate that about 50% of my rides in gondolas have involved at least one short stoppage on the way up the mountain.

Now, consider the fact that your average Disney guest is likely unfamiliar with the loading concept and ... um... considerably less physically mobile and agile, to put it diplomatically, than the average skier, and you can almost guarantee that brief stoppages will occur constantly.

 

[MisterPenguin]

If you compare the system to ski gondolas, these make temporary stops all the time for a variety of reasons. In 30+ years of skiing, I would estimate that about 50% of my rides in gondolas have involved at least one short stoppage on the way up the mountain.

Now, consider the fact that your average Disney guest is likely unfamiliar with the loading concept and ... um... considerably less physically mobile and agile, to put it diplomatically, than the average skier, and you can almost guarantee that brief stoppages will occur constantly.

Difference is that WDW line has an extra loading route to pull out gondolas for people needing extra time at all their stations except one. While that extra pullout is taking their time, the rest of the gondolas move through as normal.

There will be very very few stops, and if there are, almost all of them will be on the CBR <> IG line which has the station with no extra pull-out.

 

[Bender123]

If you compare the system to ski gondolas, these make temporary stops all the time for a variety of reasons. In 30+ years of skiing, I would estimate that about 50% of my rides in gondolas have involved at least one short stoppage on the way up the mountain.

Now, consider the fact that your average Disney guest is likely unfamiliar with the loading concept and ... um... considerably less physically mobile and agile, to put it diplomatically, than the average skier, and you can almost guarantee that brief stoppages will occur constantly.

Not a comment on your post, but you must be a Vettel fan?

 

[ABQ]

However, there is one thing that's really irking me - the graphic doesn't appear to be perforated (note that it is nearly impossible to see the trees behind the Pluto graphic - were it perforated, the trees would be easier to see, like at the top of the center window; and you would also see the moire effect you see in the mesh on the right-hand side). Why on earth would they use solid graphics and hinder guests from seeing out? I'm also wondering how they handled the graphic on the mesh covering the window openings...

I think a little bit of that issue is due to the camera angle and that the camera will focus on the window vs the trees beyond it, the hum eye will focus differently and see what's beyond the window much clearer.

 

[ImperfectPixie]

I think a little bit of that issue is due to the camera angle and that the camera will focus on the window vs the trees beyond it, the hum eye will focus differently and see what's beyond the window much clearer.

Could be...it just reeks of unprofessional-ism to me though. I used to wrap cars as part of my job and the standard is to use solid graphics on the body and perforated on the glass. The vinyl doesn't even look like vinyl typically used to wrap vehicles...to me it looks like just a giant version of any sticker you could get at a dollar store.

 

[Heppenheimer]

Difference is that WDW line has an extra loading route to pull out gondolas for people needing extra time at all their stations except one. While that extra pullout is taking their time, the rest of the gondolas move through as normal.

There will be very very few stops, and if there are, almost all of them will be on the CBR <> IG line which has the station with no extra pull-out.

I've been to at least two ski resorts that had a similar system (they were built to accommodate para-skiers), but this doesn't prevent frequent stoppages. The biggest reason for stoppages isn't the extra time to load people with disabilities, it's because people tend to hesitate, not move fast enough, drop something or fall down in the loading or unloading area. Unless Disney can engineer more perfectly functioning guests, these reasons for stoppages are unavoidable.

 

[Heppenheimer]

Not a comment on your post, but you must be a Vettel fan?

I don't follow racing, so I needed to look up the name. No, I picked the name because I lived very close to Heppenheim for several years and absolutely loved every minute of it. The Marktplatz is one of the picture-perfect German town centers that you would think only Disney could design.

 

[Epcot_Imagineer]

There will be very very few stops, and if there are, almost all of them will be on the CBR <> IG line which has the station with no extra pull-out.

Any reason a station without an extra pullout would be included? Seems odd. I apologize if it's already been asked but the search function scares me.

 

[Bender123]

I don't follow racing, so I needed to look up the name. No, I picked the name because I lived very close to Heppenheim for several years and absolutely loved every minute of it. The Marktplatz is one of the picture-perfect German town centers that you would think only Disney could design.

I was an exchange student from Heppenheim's American sister city...I try to get back whenever I can.

 

[MisterPenguin]

Any reason a station without an extra pullout would be included? Seems odd. I apologize if it's already been asked but the search function scares me.

Because it's the Riviera station which is also a turn station. So, no room for a gondola to go past where the other gondolas turn at the end of the line for their own slow loading turn.

 

[larryz]

Pedantry Trigger Alert.
View attachment 365736

Meet Dean everyone, you're Disney Architect of Truth!

I guess the Disney Grammar Police were on break during the creation of the graphical overlays.

Seriously though, how does no one catch such a dumb mistake.

Maybe he drafted the guidelines...?

 

[Heppenheimer]

I was an exchange student from Heppenheim's American sister city...I try to get back whenever I can.

Knowing Heppenheim (and the entire Odenwald-Bergstrasse area), I can completely understand the desire.

 

[Missing20K]

Maybe he drafted the guidelines...?

Architects are notorious for their ego.

 

[Phil12]

Then what's this?
View attachment 365753
Answering my own question - looks like a deflector to direct incoming air downward. I've seen those sold for residential heating registers.

Exactly! The air coming in those windows will be exceedingly hot, and since hot air rises, the deflectors are there to route the airflow downwards. It's all part of the convection airflow.

 

[flynnibus]

My main concern is simply deja vu. They tried the passive ventilation in the Cali monorails and that went horribly wrong that still results in closures when the temp gets too high. The preemptive strike of forced air in the stations looks like an attempt to fight back... but I’m still really concerned.

 

[Kman101]

I don't understand being "really concerned" ... gondolas without AC have existed and from personal accounts, aren't a big deal. There's plenty of ventilation.

And according to the article on WDWMagic here, busses will still be offered (what happened to those insisting busses would no longer be offered?) so no one is being forced to use the Gondola system

 

[danlb_2000]

My main concern is simply deja vu. They tried the passive ventilation in the Cali monorails and that went horribly wrong that still results in closures when the temp gets too high. The preemptive strike of forced air in the stations looks like an attempt to fight back... but I’m still really concerned.

I think the difference with the monorails, and the "car with open windows" example a lot of people bring up, is that the gondola vents face the direction of travel allowing a lot more air flow.

 

[HauntedPirate]

I don't understand being "really concerned" ... gondolas without AC have existed and from personal accounts, aren't a big deal. There's plenty of ventilation.

And according to the article on WDWMagic here, busses will still be offered (what happened to those insisting busses would no longer be offered?) so no one is being forced to use the Gondola system

Still makes no sense to offer buses at resorts connected to the gondola to DHS and Epcot when their goal is to have fewer buses on the roads. But they could run one bus an hour and call it "buses are still offered".

 

[Heppenheimer]

I think the difference with the monorails, and the "car with open windows" example a lot of people bring up, is that the gondola vents face the direction of travel allowing a lot more air flow.

I'm going to use the ski-gondola example here again. I have, on occasion, felt uncomfortably warm in ski gondolas, even on cold winter days, and while riding models with tinted windows with the window slats open. On sunny days, there's simply too much greenhouse effect.

But now the caveats: The main front and rear facing windows on ski gondolas usually don't open, expect for a small area on top, so you experience only a minor amount of airflow in the direction of travel. Also, the occupants of a ski gondola, if they have just completed a run down the mountain, usually give off quite a bit of body heat. Presumably, Disney guests won't be in such a hypermetabolic state during their ride.

I'm hopeful these things don't turn into flying sweatboxes, but not completely convinced it won't happen either.