Disney Skyliner (Gondola Transportation System) Read Post 1 Now Open!

[TheMaxRebo]

It’s still early. Once they have an opening date announced they may announced reduced bus services and raise prices.

Plus you can only book out 499 days now, right? So that puts it before when Galaxy’s Edge is likely open which is when I think the big price hike will come

 

[j2thomason]

They pretty much close everything outside for lightning, so I expect the Gondola system to be treated no different than the boats, even if they aren't required to.

I'm sure as extensive as the gondola system is going to be, and covering so much property, some people will be stuck mid-trip if Disney stops it because of lightning. Possibly they would not load new guests and try to get guests currently riding the gondolas off as soon as they get to a gondola station. It will be interesting to see how Disney manages this.

 

[umichigan10]

They pretty much close everything outside for lightning, so I expect the Gondola system to be treated no different than the boats, even if they aren't required to.

Although the bigger boats do run during lightning (the large shuttle boats from fort wilderness/the lodge and possibly the MK ferries?). Be interesting to see if the gondolas run or not

 

[rteetz]

I sort of doubt that it will be short notice like they did with the parking..suppose you are booking a large family vacation with family members that range from grandparents to grand kids between now and then..maybe about 10 all together and needing a few rooms at AOA or POP. And you have some family members on scooters, strollers or afraid of heights..etc, and you don't watch these boards so you have no idea that these are coming. You book a package for October which is a busy month thinking you will have the bus service offered when you book..then they announce in spring the decrease of bus service, now multiply that by thousands of bookings with similar circumstances...The complaints will be overwhelming and there aren't enough open rooms on property during October to re book them all...could be a problem.

Never say never...

 

[joelkfla]

I'm sure as extensive as the gondola system is going to be, and covering so much property, some people will be stuck mid-trip if Disney stops it because of lightning. Possibly they would not load new guests and try to get guests currently riding the gondolas off as soon as they get to a gondola station. It will be interesting to see how Disney manages this.

No one will be more than 5-6 minutes from the next station. (Longest distance is about a mile between Epcot & Riviera.) If Disney does elect to shut down for lightning, that should give them enough time to get everyone off once a storm is detected approaching or forming over the area.

 

[hertamaniac]

Disney knows they have a problem with traffic congestion. I don't think they want to push Guests away from mass transit back to individual vehicles, whether private or Disney operated.

I think the Minnie Vans were specifically in response to more Guests using Lyft & Uber. Those Guests were already using individual vehicles, so Disney just wanted to grab a piece of the pie.

So this goes to my point, of expanding the MinnieVans to capitalize opportunity. If they can optimize the system and make it cost effective, I would think they would not only embrace it, but expand it.

Obviously, mass transit is the transportation of almost, if not, all guest's experiences.

 

[DanBoris]

No one will be more than 5-6 minutes from the next station. (Longest distance is about a mile between Epcot & Riviera.) If Disney does elect to shut down for lightning, that should give them enough time to get everyone off once a storm is detected approaching or forming over the area.

Yes, they would have time to get everyone off, but will they have enough time to get them to their destination?

 

[DanBoris]

I live here too and even though my window tint on our vehicles help, it is nowhere near enough to make it comfortable in the middle of the day, full/partial sun and with only a window cracked (even at elevated speeds which will far exceed the gondolas).

Where is a quote from an interview with a gondola manufacturer addressing this issue...

"Since the air conditioning topic just won't seem to go away, I recently came across the below as part of an interview with the CEO of a Doppelmayr competitor (translated from French.)

> What is the Sigma solution for combating heat in the booths of urban appliances in a hot environment? Is the dream of an air-conditioned cabin feasible?
-Currently the simplest solution is ventilation. We are lucky to have a vehicle that moves, so we find easy ventilation by creating a flow of air in the cabin. We have done extensive studies on the airflow in our cabins to maintain an equivalent temperature inside and out. We also tested in climatic chambers and we found that with our ventilation system we never had more than 1.5 degrees of elevation inside the cabin compared to the outside, despite the people on board and despite the solar radiation.
Then, we are looking for other solutions. The difficulty is not to cool a cabin as such. We know how to do it, in the context of ferris wheels, as soon as we have energy. With electric power, cabin air conditioning is easy to perform. Our difficulty is to bring energy to the moving vehicle. We work on different research and solutions. "

 

[rteetz]

New aerials in the aerial thread!

 

[ArwenMarie]

Disney will market it as an exclusive fireworks show

Perhaps a Gondola Cupcake Party is in order!

 

[OSUZorba]

I will add that I don’t thinkbthe *have* to have bus service as they could point you to a MinnieVan as an alternative

As for lightening, again I don’t hinknwe know for sure but some talk of them each being faraday cages so it would be safe - again my guess would be that they would not have any more restrictions than other forms of transportation (monorail, etc)

I know Breck closes their Gondola for Lightning. I think Disney will too, even though it isn't really required.

I'm sure as extensive as the gondola system is going to be, and covering so much property, some people will be stuck mid-trip if Disney stops it because of lightning. Possibly they would not load new guests and try to get guests currently riding the gondolas off as soon as they get to a gondola station. It will be interesting to see how Disney manages this.

They would always clear the line in the event of a closure. The whole point of shutting it down would be so people weren't on it during the storm. There is zero chance they would stop the line with people on it for lightning.

 

[joelkfla]

Yes, they would have time to get everyone off, but will they have enough time to get them to their destination?

I would expect everyone to be put off at the nearest station. Then they'll have to wait for the replacement buses to show up.

 

[danikoski]

Agree.

Additionally, while hourly capacities are unknown--along with exact demand--it's not a stretch to think that many gondola journeys will be shorter than the amount of time guests currently stand waiting in the summer heat just for a bus to arrive.

Exactly, and if these are shaded amd tinted with air circulation, and because they continuously move, you probably won't be any more uncomfortable for a span of time then waiting for the bus, especially for those dang busses for the park to resort. Most of those bus stops get uncomfortable waiting.

 

[skier_pete]

Where is a quote from an interview with a gondola manufacturer addressing this issue...

"Since the air conditioning topic just won't seem to go away, I recently came across the below as part of an interview with the CEO of a Doppelmayr competitor (translated from French.)

> What is the Sigma solution for combating heat in the booths of urban appliances in a hot environment? Is the dream of an air-conditioned cabin feasible?
-Currently the simplest solution is ventilation. We are lucky to have a vehicle that moves, so we find easy ventilation by creating a flow of air in the cabin. We have done extensive studies on the airflow in our cabins to maintain an equivalent temperature inside and out. We also tested in climatic chambers and we found that with our ventilation system we never had more than 1.5 degrees of elevation inside the cabin compared to the outside, despite the people on board and despite the solar radiation.
Then, we are looking for other solutions. The difficulty is not to cool a cabin as such. We know how to do it, in the context of ferris wheels, as soon as we have energy. With electric power, cabin air conditioning is easy to perform. Our difficulty is to bring energy to the moving vehicle. We work on different research and solutions. "

SO only 95 degrees and humid in the cabins? Crammed with 8 to 10 people? I just am curious to see how this is going to come off.

 

[joelkfla]

SO only 95 degrees and humid in the cabins? Crammed with 8 to 10 people? I just am curious to see how this is going to come off.

Hopefully, in the afternoons and early evenings, when temperatures are highest, they won't be crammed with 8-10 people. At peak travel times, outside temps should be a bit lower.

 

[OSUZorba]

Where is a quote from an interview with a gondola manufacturer addressing this issue...

"Since the air conditioning topic just won't seem to go away, I recently came across the below as part of an interview with the CEO of a Doppelmayr competitor (translated from French.)

> What is the Sigma solution for combating heat in the booths of urban appliances in a hot environment? Is the dream of an air-conditioned cabin feasible?
-Currently the simplest solution is ventilation. We are lucky to have a vehicle that moves, so we find easy ventilation by creating a flow of air in the cabin. We have done extensive studies on the airflow in our cabins to maintain an equivalent temperature inside and out. We also tested in climatic chambers and we found that with our ventilation system we never had more than 1.5 degrees of elevation inside the cabin compared to the outside, despite the people on board and despite the solar radiation.
Then, we are looking for other solutions. The difficulty is not to cool a cabin as such. We know how to do it, in the context of ferris wheels, as soon as we have energy. With electric power, cabin air conditioning is easy to perform. Our difficulty is to bring energy to the moving vehicle. We work on different research and solutions. "

I assume the 1.5 degrees is in C, so that would about 3°F. That is the best you'll ever get with a purely passive system and it really good considering the amount of windows.

The real question is, what is the difference in the wet bulb globe temperature because that is a much more telling perimeter of human comfort. My guess is that'll be a little higher than just straight temperature on any day there is wind on the ground. However, if you compared the globe temperature of these vs being out in the sun, I am sure these will be lower since you have the shade.

 

[DBDiz]

I sort of doubt that it will be short notice like they did with the parking..suppose you are booking a large family vacation with family members that range from grandparents to grand kids between now and then..maybe about 10 all together and needing a few rooms at AOA or POP. And you have some family members on scooters, strollers or afraid of heights..etc, and you don't watch these boards so you have no idea that these are coming. You book a package for October which is a busy month thinking you will have the bus service offered when you book..then they announce in spring the decrease of bus service, now multiply that by thousands of bookings with similar circumstances...The complaints will be overwhelming and there aren't enough open rooms on property during October to re book them all...could be a problem.

Anyone who books a reservation at one of the hotels adding Skyliner service is already receiving notice that Skyliner transportation is coming, even if it won't be done during their stay. Our info packet for this fall already includes it. Disney is already marketing it to guests, so to expect guests to not to know about it coming seems inaccurate. I could easily see Disney making an announcement about the system's opening date and how it will affect bus transportation at the 90 or even 60 day window.

 

[skier_pete]

Anyone who books a reservation at one of the hotels adding Skyliner service is already receiving notice that Skyliner transportation is coming, even if it won't be done during their stay. Our info packet for this fall already includes it. Disney is already marketing it to guests, so to expect guests to not to know about it coming seems inaccurate. I could easily see Disney making an announcement about the system's opening date and how it will affect bus transportation at the 90 or even 60 day window.

It's a pretty long way from ready yet - but I could see in 9 months or a little less it could be up and running.

 

[Iowamomof4]

It's a pretty long way from ready yet - but I could see in 9 months or a little less it could be up and running.

I so hope you're right! We're booked at CBR 4/29-5/8/19 and it would be amazing if the skyliner was up and running by then. I'm not expecting it at all, but will be thrilled if we get lucky that way!

 

[xuxa777]

I so hope you're right! We're booked at CBR 4/29-5/8/19 and it would be amazing if the skyliner was up and running by then. I'm not expecting it at all, but will be thrilled if we get lucky that way!

I bet they will be open by then, once the tower and stations are up in doesn't take too long after that.