I think this biggest problem is that to get to the front of the park would require the gondola to either go over the park, or over a lot of backstage areas, although going over Future World wouldn't be to big a problem thematically.
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News New Gondola Transportation - Disney Skyliner -
- Thread starter danlb_2000
- Start date
I think this biggest problem is that to get to the front of the park would require the gondola to either go over the park, or over a lot of backstage areas, although going over Future World wouldn't be to big a problem thematically.
prfctlyximprct
Well-Known Member
freediverdude
Well-Known Member
I think going over the park and getting to wave at the monorail traveling next to you would be pretty awesome actually.
Lift Blog
Well-Known Member
Unless there is some sort of custom solution, the manual provided to Disney by the manufacturer will state that operations are to be suspended under threat of lightning. The towers and terminals are always grounded with copper wire but the haul rope and cabins are not. Remember everything the cable contacts is rubber to provide a smooth ride. As I said before, once a lift is stopped in advance of a storm, metal clamps are attached to the rope to ground it. If the line was struck without the grounding clamps on, the current would find its way to the ground, likely through the towers rather than the cabins. However no manufacturer would recommend an operator put people out on line in a thunderstorm. Lightning strikes can damage electrical components on the towers that might take some time to replace. Better not to have people hanging on line while that is done.
Also the cabins are not plastic. They are mostly aluminum and steel.
Also the cabins are not plastic. They are mostly aluminum and steel.
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splash327
New Member
Actually them being all steel would make it a faraday cage and make it the safest place in a Thunderstorm.
https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Faraday_cage
Well, this one doesn't have to be air conditioned since it has all of that natural ventilation...
lazyboy97o
Well-Known Member
$10 upcharge for Skyliner Permier.
I'm thinking that might fuse some bearings in the towers...
chiefs11
Well-Known Member
It would also give people staying in the Monorail resorts access to the Boardwalk area via Monorail->Gondola.
NormC
Well-Known Member
They will not.
Lift Blog
Well-Known Member
Lift towers get struck by lightning all the time and I've never heard of that happening. Relays and switches fried, yes.
Tower being struck = direct ground.
I was thinking that if the lightning hit the cable (ungrounded) and jumped to the tower, anything in the path (bearings) would get welded together... I guess that's why they would require the cable to be grounded.
$23 per person upcharge for witnessing a lightning show.
Brad Bishop
Well-Known Member
One thing that this is leaning toward is an incohesive transportation system. Gearing it so that its purpose is to have “gondola resorts” (effectively an upcharge) and not towards being part of a larger, cohesive system is goin to lead people to wonder, “wait... how do I get there? Where do I switch? I need to walk through the park or I can just get on a bus???”
The buses work really well. You get on the right bus, which is conveniently labeled, and then just go. You may have to switch once for dinner reservations and the it starts getting confusing.. it may make sense for you to take the bus to Animal Kingdom and then switch to get to the AK Lodge. Then you’re wondering what happens if AK closes before your dining experience is done. It feels odd to switch at a theme park which isn’t your destination.
I just think that they ought to be working toward making it easier to get around in their community and, if they just do that, they money will come.
The problem is that a cohesive transportation system doesn’t show up well on a spreadsheet.
The buses work really well. You get on the right bus, which is conveniently labeled, and then just go. You may have to switch once for dinner reservations and the it starts getting confusing.. it may make sense for you to take the bus to Animal Kingdom and then switch to get to the AK Lodge. Then you’re wondering what happens if AK closes before your dining experience is done. It feels odd to switch at a theme park which isn’t your destination.
I just think that they ought to be working toward making it easier to get around in their community and, if they just do that, they money will come.
The problem is that a cohesive transportation system doesn’t show up well on a spreadsheet.
freediverdude
Well-Known Member
That's exactly what I am thinking, is that the gondola is being paid for from these specific resorts and is expected to bring x extra profit to those specific resorts, like a profit center, when they need to be thinking of the big picture of WDW as a whole when it comes to transportation.
If someone in charge of that resort area got this pushed through, then I congratulate him/her on accomplishing something to try and help, but anything transportation should really be going through someone or a group overseeing WDW as a whole and making sure the transportation is all connected and seamless.
I say, if they really are against building any more monorail, then go ahead and get rid of the existing monorail and build something covering all of WDW that is cheaper or easier or whatever, light rail, units on demand, etc.
No more of this "well you take a boat here, then a bus here, then a monorail, then a gondola to get there." You literally could end up doing that with this system. Like say a guest was at the Poly, and they want to get to Riviera resort. They could actually end up taking boat to MK, then finding out the express and resort monorails are down with huge lines for the buses, so they take the bus waiting to take them to TTC, then get on the Epcot monorail, walk through Epcot and get on the gondola to Riviera, lol. A lot of people would say screw it and use a cab halfway through, but yes it will happen, lol.
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rreading
Well-Known Member
Personally, I really, really like the idea of the gondola from the International Gateway to the Epcot monorail platform fabulous.
Sure, for some, it would expedite their travel from the MK resorts to their meal in France: Monorail to Epcot, then Gondola to IG without touching the ground.
But for me, my only stay at the Beach Club was nice to catch Illuminations at a whim (so nice!) but I didn't enjoy my time at Epcot nearly as much as I usually did - on getting home, I realized that a significant aspect of my pleasure in Epcot is its presentation (same as entering MK). I love going in through/under SE and then progressing from there. When entering through the IG, it felt akin to showing up in MK at Frontierland - sure, it would be great to hit Splash Mountain and BTMRR easily, but then you don't experience the castle entry and it throws off the experience. It's a large portion of why I've not returned to an Epcot resort.
So for me, I'd take the gondola from any of the Epcot resorts to the main Epcot entrance to preserve its presentation.
Sure, for some, it would expedite their travel from the MK resorts to their meal in France: Monorail to Epcot, then Gondola to IG without touching the ground.
But for me, my only stay at the Beach Club was nice to catch Illuminations at a whim (so nice!) but I didn't enjoy my time at Epcot nearly as much as I usually did - on getting home, I realized that a significant aspect of my pleasure in Epcot is its presentation (same as entering MK). I love going in through/under SE and then progressing from there. When entering through the IG, it felt akin to showing up in MK at Frontierland - sure, it would be great to hit Splash Mountain and BTMRR easily, but then you don't experience the castle entry and it throws off the experience. It's a large portion of why I've not returned to an Epcot resort.
So for me, I'd take the gondola from any of the Epcot resorts to the main Epcot entrance to preserve its presentation.
Rob562
Well-Known Member
...except your route has it going over the entire Morocco pavilion, the Rose & Crown pub, the entirety of the Canada pavilion including the hotel building, the taller of the two Imagination pyramids and the tallest part of the Seas pavilion.
Nope, won't be visually obtrusive at all...
-Rob
NobodyElse
Well-Known Member
GoofGoof
Premium Member
Agreed, that route doesn't really work, but if they wanted to they could have run the gondola between BC and EPCOT loosely following the canal that runs there. They would just need another turn station to make a 90 degree turn in the front of EPCOT to get to the monorail station. It would make the gondola ride quite a bit longer between Riviera and EPCOT and the sites from the gondola would be pretty bland but it would not be visually intrusive from the ground.