Would you like to see Disney Skyliner expand to all 4 parks and see the newly planned Brightline Train eventually connect WDW?

[JohnD]

You'll never see a skyliner to MK. It would essentially run parallel to the monorail. If they built anything at all (which I doubt), it would be a connector from the Int'l Gateway to the front of Epcot. You would then transfer to the monorail.

The only way to get to AK by Skyliner would be to extend the HS line. However, it would have to go slightly southwest over the park in a straight line to get to a station at the front of AK. And near the HS fireworks launch site. Yikes! I don't see that happening either.

 

[GimpYancIent]

You'll never see a skyliner to MK. It would essentially run parallel to the monorail. If they built anything at all (which I doubt), it would be a connector from the Int'l Gateway to the front of Epcot. You would then transfer to the monorail.

The only way to get to AK by Skyliner would be to extend the HS line. However, it would have to go slightly southwest over the park in a straight line to get to a station at the front of AK. And near the HS fireworks launch site. Yikes! I don't see that happening either.

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So, a leg to Coronado Springs then on to AK would not be possible?

 

[JohnD]

So, a leg to Coronado Springs then on to AK would not be possible?

Actually, that resolves the issue of a direct line going very close to the HS fireworks launch site. A CSR station would need to be south of the Convention Center for direct line-of-site to both HS and AK.

 

[UNCgolf]

I'm sure they could get the Skyliner everywhere on property if they were willing to build lines all over the place with dozens of spur stations, but that's just not feasible. It would be an eyesore, but that aside, it would seriously hinder their ability to build anything new without having to tear down part of the Skyliner.

 

[doctornick]

Actually, that resolves the issue of a direct line going very close to the HS fireworks launch site. A CSR station would need to be south of the Convention Center for direct line-of-site to both HS and AK.

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If they were going to do something, I think the most logical would be DHS (heading south) - > turn station -> Blizzard Beach/Winter Summerland. Then have Blizzard Beach act as a hub (like Caribbean Beach) with one line going north to Coronado and one going west to DAK. Could even go all out and put some sort of station among the All Star resorts to go to Blizzard Beach as well.

 

[vikescaper]

Has your family never been on a subway? Even with the monorail you have to transfer to another line if traveling from MK to Epcot.

Yes, they have been on subways and different forms of mass transit before. They usually depend on me to make sure that they get off at the right station for transfers, etc. They have never had any issues with the monorail which is why it frustrates me that they can never get the stations correct for the Skyliner.

 

[Trackmaster]

Yes, they have been on subways and different forms of mass transit before. They usually depend on me to make sure that they get off at the right station for transfers, etc. They have never had any issues with the monorail which is why it frustrates me that they can never get the stations correct for the Skyliner.

Yeah, this is what people are forgetting. People come to Disney from all over (with a high percentage coming from American suburbs). Public transit with tons of options works for people who have been trained to use that kind of stuff. But let's face it, the average middle class American who would go to a theme park like Disney has a very suburban mentality, and doesn't know how to be jostled around a public transit system like they do in NYC, Europe, or Asia. And yes, to make it work efficiently and be an advantage of cars, people need to be efficient and not act like they're on vacation.

America is very much a driving country. People feel more comfortable in cars. The Magic Busses and the school bus might be their main exposure to public transportation. Add in the fact that many of the non-Americans are from South American tour groups and don't speak English. Does anyone really think that convoluted systems are going to work?

The best, most cost effective investment Disney could make to help with transit is to invest in the Magic Busses and improve parking logistics. Its kind of at the point that even if you stay on site, you'll have a better time if you just drive to all of the parks.

 

[buckeyegator]

How about feeding the poor people or homeless in exchange for them becoming rickshaw drivers for Disney to transfer guests from park to park. Who wouldn't enjoy such a unique experience of a person peddling their little legs off in the Florida heat whilst you sit there enjoying the luxury of life?

nah, they would make you use genie for that.

 

[buckeyegator]

only backlog problem, to me, seems to be when everyone wants to get there for rope drop. leave 30 minutes later little wait time at cbr, plus, now it's not just 2 or 3 to a cabin, much quicker.

 

[JohnD]

If they were going to do something, I think the most logical would be DHS (heading south) - > turn station -> Blizzard Beach/Winter Summerland. Then have Blizzard Beach act as a hub (like Caribbean Beach) with one line going north to Coronado and one going west to DAK. Could even go all out and put some sort of station among the All Star resorts to go to Blizzard Beach as well.

@GimpYancIent talked me into a route with a CSR station in-between would be the most likely either as one line with CSR in the center (think Riviera) or two separate lines -- a resort with a convention center is a no-brainer. Your proposal would require an additional line (HS to BB. BB to CSR. BB to AK). Besides, your route would require extra maneuvering to get around the HS fireworks launch site. As to any of these actually happening, I would put it at less than 1%.

 

[JohnD]

Yeah, this is what people are forgetting. People come to Disney from all over (with a high percentage coming from American suburbs). Public transit with tons of options works for people who have been trained to use that kind of stuff. But let's face it, the average middle class American who would go to a theme park like Disney has a very suburban mentality, and doesn't know how to be jostled around a public transit system like they do in NYC, Europe, or Asia. And yes, to make it work efficiently and be an advantage of cars, people need to be efficient and not act like they're on vacation.

America is very much a driving country. People feel more comfortable in cars. The Magic Busses and the school bus might be their main exposure to public transportation. Add in the fact that many of the non-Americans are from South American tour groups and don't speak English. Does anyone really think that convoluted systems are going to work?

The best, most cost effective investment Disney could make to help with transit is to invest in the Magic Busses and improve parking logistics. Its kind of at the point that even if you stay on site, you'll have a better time if you just drive to all of the parks.

Wow. Way to stereotype middle class Americans. Anyway, WDW is a worldwide travel destination as opposed to DL which relies mostly on annual passholders. People from around the world, especially Europeans and Japanese know how to navigate transportation systems. I really don't think its that hard to figure out a transportation map anyway. By your logic most middle class Americans wouldn't be able to figure out the bus system either which utilizes the parks as hubs and thus requiring transfer. Doesn't mean that people won't ask questions. We see those questions here on the forum all the time. But saying that the majority of people can't figure out a transportation system is hardly a reason for saying it can't be built.

 

[Trackmaster]

Wow. Way to stereotype middle class Americans. Anyway, WDW is a worldwide travel destination as opposed to DL which relies mostly on annual passholders. People from around the world, especially Europeans and Japanese know how to navigate transportation systems. I really don't think its that hard to figure out a transportation map anyway. By your logic most middle class Americans wouldn't be able to figure out the bus system either which utilizes the parks as hubs and thus requiring transfer. Doesn't mean that people won't ask questions. We see those questions here on the forum all the time. But saying that the majority of people can't figure out a transportation system is hardly a reason for saying it can't be built.

I mean, 5-10% of guests being from overseas doesn't mean that they just somehow teach the remaining guests how to properly use public transit.

 

[Goofy213]

I was there last week for New Years Eve, and it seems to me that the best solution is to have dedicated bus transport lanes and more busses. The longest wait we experienced staying at Century was for the closing of Disney Springs after the Cirque show. That took about an hour but they were training a new driver that night.

 

[Surferboy567]

I would love for them to expand the Skyliner. I personally used the system on multiple occasions on my recent trip. Would love to see a connect to Magic and Animal Kingdom. Though Animal Kingdom needs it much more since it is such a tough park to be able to get to connecting the parks in my opinion from a single system would be beneficial. It’s also just a really enjoyable ride, and great for park hopping.

 

[HauntedPirate]

Not feasible. End of story.

Think about this one example of why it's not happening - What would they do with Skyliners spanning the entire resort during the summer months and the inevitable daily thunderstorms?

 

[UNCgolf]

Not feasible. End of story.

Think about this one example of why it's not happening - What would they do with Skyliners spanning the entire resort during the summer months and the inevitable daily thunderstorms?

In addition to this and the other points I made above, the Skyliner doesn't move very quickly.

Trying to take it from somewhere like Animal Kingdom Lodge to Magic Kingdom could easily end up being an hour+ long trip because of all the separate lines and turns it would have to make connecting to resorts/parks along the way. If they could do direct lines to everywhere it wouldn't be an issue, but that's completely impossible.

 

[BrianLo]

If you'd like me to... IMO, the Skyliner mars every vista it enters. It reminds me of ubiquitous high-power lines, boardwalk skyways or ski mountain gondolas... ugly but necessary stuff we experience regularly in normal life. Imagine each of the below views if the Skyliner didn't exist. They would be better. Not saying it isn't a fun ride or a great convenience for certain hotels. For me, neither of those is nearly as valuable a tradeoff for losing how unique & amazing WDW looked and felt - in the macro - before all the visionless, I-4 style, max-RoI development of Iger/Chapek era (Bay Lake Tower being the opening salvo and Skyliner being a more recent one).
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Conversely, the monorail trains make every vista they enter more unique and awesome. Its beams are smooth & monolithic (and now a little dirty, yes), and become part of landscape (though I wouldn't mind if they let vines grow on them). While the Skyliner wires & pylons are noticeably chaotic & jarring (to my eye & brain):
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I’m going to call you out on posting five pictures of perfectly timed Monorail shots and 2 photos of empty sky liner cables. The monorails photograph well, the sky liner is constantly in motion.

Maybe it’s the skier in me, but I vehemently disagree that this cheapens the property. I legitimately think it’s the best transportation system on property, merely because Disney can’t slash its capacity In the middle of the day.

Some of the sight lines are more Disney’s implementation fault than the actual system.

 

[marymarypoppins]

I personally love love love the Skyliner. It has always been so much faster for us than the bus. I would love to see an expansion.

 

[Djsfantasi]

You'll never see a skyliner to MK. It would essentially run parallel to the monorail. If they built anything at all (which I doubt), it would be a connector from the Int'l Gateway to the front of Epcot. You would then transfer to the monorail.

View attachment 612055

The only way to get to AK by Skyliner would be to extend the HS line. However, it would have to go slightly southwest over the park in a straight line to get to a station at the front of AK. And near the HS fireworks launch site. Yikes! I don't see that happening either.

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You’re making assumptions.

From HS, head to Coronado Springs and create a station there. Then, head down to the Blizzard Beach parking lot before turning to end at AK. The Skyliner appearance at BB is thematically consistentvb

The Epcot line can swing behind the WS to the Monorail line and turn along the existing monorail right of way to Magic Kingdom. With a stop at the front entrance.

Now we can get to all parks via Skyliner. We can abandon the Epcot monorail line and save maintenance and operating costs. The monorail is still used for the MK resorts and as an attraction.

IMHO, the Skyliner is a much better means of transportation. It is quick, efficient and enjoyable. Added stations do not slow down your travel, as it is loaded while moving. I find the Monorail cloying. Too stuffy for me. And I bet it’s less efficient than the Skyliner.

 

[UNCgolf]

You’re making assumptions.

From HS, head to Coronado Springs and create a station there. Then, head down to the Blizzard Beach parking lot before turning to end at AK. The Skyliner appearance at BB is thematically consistentvb

The Epcot line can swing behind the WS to the Monorail line and turn along the existing monorail right of way to Magic Kingdom. With a stop at the front entrance.

Now we can get to all parks via Skyliner. We can abandon the Epcot monorail line and save maintenance and operating costs. The monorail is still used for the MK resorts and as an attraction.

IMHO, the Skyliner is a much better means of transportation. It is quick, efficient and enjoyable. Added stations do not slow down your travel, as it is loaded while moving. I find the Monorail cloying. Too stuffy for me. And I bet it’s less efficient than the Skyliner.

You make it sound simple, but it's far more complicated than you're laying out. First of all, anywhere they put the Skyliner means they can't develop that land in the future without shutting down and rerouting it. That's already a huge hindrance to expanding the system (and why I think it's unlikely they will). I did a rough measurement of the route you suggested (which they likely wouldn't do because it would block future development) and it comes out to nearly 7 miles from the Animal Kingdom to the Magic Kingdom, and that's if it was only taking you to the TTC. If it went all the way to the front gate, you're getting close to 7.5 miles. That would be at least a 40 minute ride, and probably longer since the system has to slow down for every turn station. There are not very many guests who are going to want to ride in a Skyliner vehicle for that long.

It's an ineffective means of transportation if you can't build many direct routes.