News New Gondola Transportation - Disney Skyliner -

[Goofyernmost]

You're right. But as a fan, I prefer when Disney takes the opportunity to make transportation (even outside the parks) MORE than just utilities. Because sure, the purpose is to "get you to the show," but in reality, it's also part of the show.

To your point, when people see a regular bus (even with the character wrap or Disney logo) pull to the curb of the resort to carry them to the parks, they probably aren't disappointed. But they aren't wowed, either. It's a missed opportunity for Disney to begin the experience (and set expectations!) before guests even enter the parks. If that bus was customized/modified to be special, I think it would improve the experience.

The Monorail is "to get you to the show," but when guests first see it, they begin to experience what Disney is about and what they might experience in the parks. But the Monorail isn't just a typical form of transportation for most people. And even though there aren't a lot of Monorail systems in the world, Disney even modified theirs so that it would look unique. Same with Minnie Vans, and Parking tractors/trams. This really helps make the utility feel fun, interesting, and different.

I understand what you are saying, but, wowed, but, a public transit bus... sorry can't see the need or the purpose. Save the wowing for inside the parks. The buses are not part of the show and have no real reason to be part of it any more then putting giant Mickey stickers on the hood of your car when you drive in. You didn't ride in your car to enhance your thrill of the parks, you used them strictly to get there. We can carry this theming thing just a tad overboard in my opinion. That said, the Gondola's will be much more of a wow even the way they are. You ride in an elevated vehicle that lets you see the surrounding area from above, even might get a chance to see the "forbidden" backstage in spots. But, instead you are going to look to see what the towers that hold you off the ground are themed as. I don't really think anyone really thinks that is what is going to happen.

So, why waste the money? As a group this bunch is already in a hyper state concerning the fact that Disney cuts budgets, but, now they want to give them a reason to cut a few more CM's so that the towers look like what? A tree? Or perhaps use mirrors so it appears that the Gondola's are just floating above the land? I'll tell you what I want. If I look at them at all, what I want to see are strong looking, sturdy looking, and safe looking support towers. Just like I want one of the buses I am riding in to look like it is in good mechanical condition with all it's tires and seats not tipping over. Then I will happily get to the parks and just go crazy being enchanted by the theming within them.

 

[Goofyernmost]

That should be CDO ....

I think you are thinking about dyslexia there, but, KO.

 

[Goofyernmost]

@Goofyernmost Not sure why you quoted me on that. I was speaking on the technical reasons why galvanizing was the right choice and gave no real opinion on how I thought they look.

Just a starting off point and a form of agreeing with you. Not meant as a counterpoint. Sorry for the confusion.

 

[marni1971]

There are pictures above in this thread that show where the outdoor storage bay will be. And a picture of an outdoors storage bay for a gondola lift at a ski resort. Probably one of the reasons that there are three lines all ending at one transfer station is so that all the gondolas can be taken on and off as needed in one place.

CBR south will have two storage yards.

 

[marni1971]

They could have not galvanized the towers and painted them instead. That would add a good deal of extra cost and more ongoing maintenance than having them galvanized, so easy choice by WDW to not paint.

They could, but it was deemed too expensive.

 

[marni1971]

They are definitely higher then that, but are lower then some people expected. They appear to be making them only as high as need to provide clearance for whatever is underneath.

Pretty much this. They will run surprisingly low along a lot of the route.

 

[Skibum1970]

Pretty much this. They will run surprisingly low along a lot of the route.

Which to me makes sense. WDW doesn't have enough elevation changes or the trees will only get so tall. So, why go any higher than you need to? Plus, for those who are freaking out about sight lines, lower is better, right?

I guess that I'm a little different on this. If I see the towers, the magic isn't ruined for me. To be honest, I'll be overjoyed if they can get a mass transit system working that is more dependable. The buses work fine but I think that people get frustrated by the fact that the buses don't have set time schedules. Plus, coming into EPCOT, it might be neat to see the behind the scenes or show buildings. Or boring. Hard to say.

 

[Skyman1971]

Which to me makes sense. WDW doesn't have enough elevation changes or the trees will only get so tall. So, why go any higher than you need to? Plus, for those who are freaking out about sight lines, lower is better, right?

I guess that I'm a little different on this. If I see the towers, the magic isn't ruined for me. To be honest, I'll be overjoyed if they can get a mass transit system working that is more dependable. The buses work fine but I think that people get frustrated by the fact that the buses don't have set time schedules. Plus, coming into EPCOT, it might be neat to see the behind the scenes or show buildings. Or boring. Hard to say.

They would want to keep it as low as they could for all those reasons, plus it better protects the line from wind and weather, and in the extremely rare event they would have to evacuate the cabins, having them lower makes it that much easier to clear them. Heck I'll bet most of the lines could be done with a cherry picker for most locations (non water crossings).

 

[lazyboy97o]

If they made them look like miniatures of this I think everyone would be applauding
View attachment 277279

Slapping decoration onto everything is not a good design solution. It’s visual clutter that lacks purpose besides trying to hide the nature of transportation.

 

[_caleb]

Slapping decoration onto everything is not a good design solution. It’s visual clutter that lacks purpose besides trying to hide the nature of transportation.

I'm not sure what "hide the nature of transportation" means, but I do think that towers like these:

or these:
or this:

(even in galvanized finish) would help make the gondolas feel more like a unique experience and add a lot to the overall look and feel of WDW than off the shelf (though perfectly fine!) gondola towers. For all the money they're spending, it seems like a missed opportunity to make something special.

 

[Cesar R M]

Yep, that is some butt ugly infrastructure. Don't know what they could have done about it but......

Now I'm wondering, will these get lights, leds, painting, adornments or anything that can improve that industrial look ?

Perhaps something like Tokyo Disney?

 

[Goofyernmost]

I'm not sure what "hide the nature of transportation" means, but I do think that towers like these:

or these:
or this:

(even in galvanized finish) would help make the gondolas feel more like a unique experience and add a lot to the overall look and feel of WDW than off the shelf (though perfectly fine!) gondola towers. For all the money they're spending, it seems like a missed opportunity to make something special.

I would think that the fact that Disney had Gondola's in the mid-50's kind of cancels out any belief that it is a unique experience. Add in all those that have been to ski areas and the uniqueness gets even less startling.

 

[Nubs70]

For cathodic protection to work, you need the structure being protected to be in an electrolyte, such as the soil or sea water. It doesn’t work for above ground structures. Sacrificial coatings, like galvanization, or some other coating like paint would be used. It would work for the part that is below the ground, but that’s it.

Research shows you are correct.

 

[larryz]

Research shows you are correct.

Where's Bill Nye the Science Guy when you need him...?

 

[cosmicgirl]

I understand what you are saying, but, wowed, but, a public transit bus... sorry can't see the need or the purpose. Save the wowing for inside the parks. The buses are not part of the show and have no real reason to be part of it any more then putting giant Mickey stickers on the hood of your car when you drive in. You didn't ride in your car to enhance your thrill of the parks, you used them strictly to get there. We can carry this theming thing just a tad overboard in my opinion. That said, the Gondola's will be much more of a wow even the way they are. You ride in an elevated vehicle that lets you see the surrounding area from above, even might get a chance to see the "forbidden" backstage in spots. But, instead you are going to look to see what the towers that hold you off the ground are themed as. I don't really think anyone really thinks that is what is going to happen.

So, why waste the money? As a group this bunch is already in a hyper state concerning the fact that Disney cuts budgets, but, now they want to give them a reason to cut a few more CM's so that the towers look like what? A tree? Or perhaps use mirrors so it appears that the Gondola's are just floating above the land? I'll tell you what I want. If I look at them at all, what I want to see are strong looking, sturdy looking, and safe looking support towers. Just like I want one of the buses I am riding in to look like it is in good mechanical condition with all it's tires and seats not tipping over. Then I will happily get to the parks and just go crazy being enchanted by the theming within them.

While I agree with you that not everything needs to be overthemed and I'm perfectly content with the gondola towers as they are, sometimes a bus is not just a bus, but at the very least part of the preshow.

 

[_caleb]

I would think that the fact that Disney had Gondola's in the mid-50's kind of cancels out any belief that it is a unique experience. Add in all those that have been to ski areas and the uniqueness gets even less startling.

I'm not sure what you mean. I know people have been on ski lifts, buses, and gondolas before. This is why I think Disney should customize these things- to really put their mark on them and make them different.

Maybe put it this way: If I ride to the parks in a normal city bus, the experience doesn't start until get off the bus and see/hear/smell Disney. But if the bus is customized (not just decorated!) to be different than just a normal city bus (maybe it's a double-decker or has a Great Dome or a robot driver!), my Disney experience begins when I get on the bus.

I would prefer it if, as much as possible, the Disney experience begin with the gondola ride rather than after it. It sounds like you're fine with a normal bus and gondola and then having a Disney experience once you get into the parks. That's great, too.

 

[jhastings74]

I'm not sure what you mean. I know people have been on ski lifts, buses, and gondolas before. This is why I think Disney should customize these things- to really put their mark on them and make them different.

Maybe put it this way: If I ride to the parks in a normal city bus, the experience doesn't start until get off the bus and see/hear/smell Disney. But if the bus is customized (not just decorated!) to be different than just a normal city bus (maybe it's a double-decker or has a Great Dome or a robot driver!), my Disney experience begins when I get on the bus.

I would prefer it if, as much as possible, the Disney experience begin with the gondola ride rather than after it. It sounds like you're fine with a normal bus and gondola and then having a Disney experience once you get into the parks. That's great, too.

This is what they do with their Magical Express...so that the experience begins once you step out of the airport instead of when you get to the resort. I can tell you that I think this was a great idea (for a number of reasons, but 'setting the mood' is definitely one of the top ones), but I'm also fine with the 'regular' Disney buses being 'themed' the way they are, with small advertisements around the top on the inside and not much else. Going from Resort to Park or from one Park to another is a transition period between themes and if every on-property bus was hyper-themed, it would be a bit noticeable when we disembarked. It is different, however, when the theme of your destination matches the theme of the transport (like the Hogwarts Express). Since the gondolas go between 'themes' across property, I can see the need to keep them as mildly-themed as the buses.

 

[MisterPenguin]

If they made them look like miniatures of this I think everyone would be applauding
View attachment 277279

This is a great example of what Disney used to do to make the ordinary seem extraordinary: as little as possible. I say that because this is the only power line tower shaped like that. The rest are just ordinary towers.

The light posts in the parking lots are ordinary light posts.

The roads are not yellow-bricked... they're dark grey asphalt/tar/whatever.

I'm not saying there can't be little touches. The buses and garbage cans get nice paint jobs. That's fine.

So, where is the little touch for the gondolas? In the wrap that each and every gondola will have. Not the towers. I'm withholding judgement until its done. If you want to project what oneself might think of the whole project, one needs to think of the finished project. Not by solely looking at bare towers.

 

[briangaw]

This is a great example of what Disney used to do to make the ordinary seem extraordinary: as little as possible. I say that because this is the only power line tower shaped like that. The rest are just ordinary towers.

The light posts in the parking lots are ordinary light posts.

The roads are not yellow-bricked... they're dark grey asphalt/tar/whatever.

I'm not saying there can't be little touches. The buses and garbage cans get nice paint jobs. That's fine.

So, where is the little touch for the gondolas? In the wrap that each and every gondola will have. Not the towers. I'm withholding judgement until its done. If you want to project what oneself might think of the whole project, one needs to think of the finished project. Not by solely looking at bare towers.

Agreed! I think once there are interesting and wrapped gondolas zooming by and the rope that the towers will fade to the background. Right now they do look very stark and out of place.

 

[Jambo Joe]

This is a great example of what Disney used to do to make the ordinary seem extraordinary: as little as possible. I say that because this is the only power line tower shaped like that. The rest are just ordinary towers.

The light posts in the parking lots are ordinary light posts.

The roads are not yellow-bricked... they're dark grey asphalt/tar/whatever.

I'm not saying there can't be little touches. The buses and garbage cans get nice paint jobs. That's fine.

So, where is the little touch for the gondolas? In the wrap that each and every gondola will have. Not the towers. I'm withholding judgement until its done. If you want to project what oneself might think of the whole project, one needs to think of the finished project. Not by solely looking at bare towers.

Well said. There is always going to be a need to balance costs against custom theming. I imagine some of the same critics here populate the forum with comments that Disney is too expensive.

The Disney powerline is not much of an argument - there is exactly one of these in a prominent spot. It’s great Disney Magic tao be sure but was limited to one tower.

Overall - the Skyliner looks to be a major enhancement at WDW. Easily the weak link in the Disney experience is the bus system - reminding people of their work commute more than anything else. I am sure everyone on the board has experienced the pleasure of being jammed on a bus after a long park day and having to stand for the ride on top of that.

The Skyliner can be an important step to improving the transport experience, and can be expanded to other routes in the resort. Coupled with the monorail, the boats, the Minnie vans and eventually autonomous vehicles- we can look forward to removing most of the buses (and hopefully a chunk of the private cars) from the property.

One final comment - we all love the monorail - but the concrete post and beams are as utilitarian as the gondola towers - they are just concrete - they are in many spots not even one color grey - they are mottled. They also have very visible tire rub marks from the drive system. None of that has stopped it from being magical.