News New Gondola Transportation - Disney Skyliner -

[Patcheslee]

Yes, I have experience the gondolas in many locations. Most of what you say is not true. The idea of "athletic" individuals being those at ski resorts is quite a bit exaggerated. You do not need to be athletic to be a skier, and I have myself have traveled with many non athletic people as well as seen an abundance of them at ski resorts. They also have to wear a thing called ski boots, which frankly make most of those at Disney world look like athletic individuals. And at many ski resorts (I can't say all because I haven't been to them all, only to those in 5 US states) the time you have to get your skis off is limited (close to the entrance). Some are farther away, but some are quite close and it is funny watching what look like first time skiiers (and often are not) try to jump off skiis and rush onto a gondola with their more "athletic" friends. I have twice seen people try to enter a gondola with skiis on, many times seen skiers slip as they entered the gondola due to ice or issues with walking in the boots (heal walks). While I have seen many ski lifts slow down or stop, I have never seen it happen on a gondola.

Long lines are not common at gondolas, at least nothing compared to a ski lift. Gondola lines always move extremely quick. In all my time at ski resorts over the last 30+ years, I have never waited more than 5 minutes for a Gondola. I guess I must only ride the gondolas in the summer (not sarcasm).

As many have mentioned, you have a lot longer than 10 seconds to board. That comment makes me wonder if you have ever actually rode on a gondola. Or maybe you are one of those individuals that have trouble with heal walks. The two times of the day where the capacity could even be tested, they still won't have to fill to capacity each gondola ride to capacity to be able to handle the lines (at much better than both buses and monorails).

All the references to loading issues just makes me think of RipRideRocket, it seats 12 individuals on a moving platform, WITH restraint checks needing done, and they have no issue grouping people for those, and very little delays when fluffy people are on. It seems the gondolas will be able to address issues in a timely manner with less complexity.

 

[larryz]

1. You do realise that a dispatch of every 10 seconds doesn’t mean you’ll only have 10 seconds to load or unload?

2. There will be several gondola cabins loading at once, so this assumption just doesn’t hold up. If there really is one very slow group, others will board anyway. Only that family will be delayed.

People who will need extra time to load -- strollers, ECVs, wheelchairs -- will be directed to the slow loop.

 

[Bender123]

If you’re waiting 30 minutes for these gondolas, there will be (possibly more than) TWO THOUSAND people in line in front of you. The gondolas will constantly be chugging along all day at roughly the bus system’s capacity at its highest. I expect they will pretty popular for park hopping between Epcot and DHS in the middle of the day; there won’t be a ton of demand from the Skyliner hotel guests at that time. I really don’t see a significant number of people bussing in from Disney Springs just to ride the Skyliner on a non-park day. If they do? The gondolas can handle it.

Look at the monorail during the day...even with traffic going from MK to the hotels and Epcot, the monorail platform is fairly vacant on all but the busiest of days.

Its still amazing to me that this topic keeps coming up, as there have been real world examples that support the numbers in almost lockstep with the expected values. From opening to close, there will be almost zero wait. At closing, the continuous load will look a lot like any other continuous loading ride at WDW...there will be lines, but they will, likely, be swallowed quickly at a steady pace.

Compared to the bus, with a capacity in the range of 60 people every 10 minutes, I'm not sure why this is even a discussion of which is better.

 

[Bender123]

People who will need extra time to load -- strollers, ECVs, wheelchairs -- will be directed to the slow loop.

Based on the discussion in this thread, everybody that visits WDW is immobile and stupid...I'm amazed nobody has asked how to help people that forget to board the gondola and just walk off the end of the platform or try to grab the haul rope and are left dangling 1000ft in the air.

 

[larryz]

Based on the discussion in this thread, everybody that visits WDW is immobile and stupid...I'm amazed nobody has asked how to help people that forget to board the gondola and just walk off the end of the platform or try to grab the haul rope and are left dangling 1000ft in the air.

Well, there IS that well-documented "Disney IQ Drop" phenomena...

 

[Goofyernmost]

Based on the discussion in this thread, everybody that visits WDW is immobile and stupid...I'm amazed nobody has asked how to help people that forget to board the gondola and just walk off the end of the platform or try to grab the haul rope and are left dangling 1000ft in the air.

Sadly, based on a lot of this discussion, WDW has more then it's share of guests that fit that scenario.

 

[Bender123]

Sadly, based on a lot of this discussion, WDW has more then it's share of guests that fit that scenario.

Now I'm just thinking of all the things really stupid people could do at Disney that nobody has ever worried about and have happened...

1. Get out of boat and get struck and killed
2. Go for swim in the Jungle Cruise
3. Try Eat lunch at Be our Guest without a reservation
4. Go for swim in World Showcase Lagoon
5. Ride Mission Space
6. Steal Buzzy's clothes
7. Steal Buzzy
8. Fake a rape at CBR in order to sue Disney
9. Stitch's Super Sonic Celebration existed

These are all things that happened...strange but true. People are really dumb.

 

[Ripken10]

Now I'm just thinking of all the things really stupid people could do at Disney that nobody has ever worried about and have happened...

1. Get out of boat and get struck and killed
2. Go for swim in the Jungle Cruise
3. Try Eat lunch at Be our Guest without a reservation
4. Go for swim in World Showcase Lagoon
5. Ride Mission Space
6. Steal Buzzy's clothes
7. Steal Buzzy
8. Fake a rape at CBR in order to sue Disney
9. Stitch's Super Sonic Celebration existed

These are all things that happened...strange but true. People are really dumb.

You joke, but #3, I know of two different groups that were "first timers" that went to Disney world not knowing they needed to make dining reservations (I kid you not). Both complained about how they couldn't get in to eat anywhere, but both walked up to Be Our Guest and got a reservation (due to a no show). Yet how many times I have gone and walked up with no luck (cause I have only once gotten a reservation at the 180 day window).

 

[Grimley1968]

If it has already been posted, I apologize, but if not, then I'm finally making a contribution to this thread! The video is over an hour long because it also goes into construction at CBR and Riviera.

 

[NobodyElse]

EVERYONE will want to ride it.

Posts in this very thread indicate that you are incorrect.

 

[Doug Means]

This is the best thread ever. Even better than that other one

 

[tissandtully]

Just realized the gondolas are gonna be the biggest omnimover on property.

 

[danlb_2000]

Posts in this very thread indicate that you are incorrect.

By may calculations only 5 to 6 people will ride them per day.

- These won't run when there is even a chance of a storm because the cars would blow off the cable or get struck by lighting
- These won't run when the sun is out because without AC it will be to hot
- At others times they will be broken down and they will be rescuing people from the stuck cars.
- During the rare times they are operational...
- People with wheelchairs, ECV and strollers won't ride because it will be impossible to load these efficiently.
- 1000's of people who are afraid of heights won't ride.
- Others won't ride because they don't want to be in a small space with strangers for the hours it will take to get from station to station.
- Most people won't be able to afford the gondola resorts because the price will likely get hiked by %200-%300.

- They will seriously impact the people who don't even use them (and based on the above only 5 or 6 people a day will use them)
- They crowds at the IG will totally destroy the efficiency of the entrance and thus no one will stay at the Epcot area resorts.
- The 200 foot tall towers will spoil the views from every location in Epcot and DHS.
- The gondola will bring the "riff-raff" into the Boardwalk area, this giving people even more reason not to stay there.

 

[flynnibus]

Just realized the gondolas are gonna be the biggest omnimover on property.

Omnimovers technically have the vehicles chained together.. this does not

 

[Bender123]

By may calculations only 5 to 6 people will ride them per day.

I love the price argument, when we already know the rates...they don't look much different than before the system. Outside the main construction outlay, the cost of operating a system like this is magnitudes lower, per person, than the bus...I just wonder what people are thinking when they say stuff like this.

The other funny thing is the height issue...completely ignoring that the monorails entering the Contemporary are actually at a higher level than the gondolas ever reach...

 

[Minthorne]

Omnimovers technically have the vehicles chained together.. this does not

...but they are cabled together!

 

[flynnibus]

...but they are cabled together!

No they aren't They hold onto a common line, not to each other.

 

[tissandtully]

Omnimovers technically have the vehicles chained together.. this does not

Fair. I would say a big distinction for Omnimover would be constantly moving too. This will probably stop less than HM or LM.

 

[flynnibus]

Fair. I would say a big distinction for Omnimover would be constantly moving too. This will probably stop less than HM or LM.

The omnimover concept basically consists of
- linked 'trucks' in a continuous loop
- the 'seat' can be pivoted by the track to control line of sight and maintain its position over inclines/declines
- driven by the shared drive system
- the automated restraints
- automated loading

While we all remember and cherish the system more for the continuous loading and speed... it's main purpose/innovation was the fact it was able to control the FOV of the passengers and position from the track itself.

Obviously in the lay for Disney, we focus on the 'continuous movement' angle more than anything as that's the thing that stands out the most to casual observers

 

[tissandtully]

The omnimover concept basically consists of
- linked 'trucks' in a continuous loop
- the 'seat' can be pivoted by the track to control line of sight and maintain its position over inclines/declines
- driven by the shared drive system
- the automated restraints
- automated loading

While we all remember and cherish the system more for the continuous loading and speed... it's main purpose/innovation was the fact it was able to control the FOV of the passengers and position from the track itself.

Obviously in the lay for Disney, we focus on the 'continuous movement' angle more than anything as that's the thing that stands out the most to casual observers

Fine, I was just making a lighthearted observation, but thanks for chiming in.