Anyone else rethinking riding the Gondolas?

[KenHutch]

Well years ago the Marines convinced me to jump out of perfectly functioning aircraft so I don't have any problems. The girls however are saw some videos and are absolutely refusing to do so. We don't stay at any of the hotels involved but I am still planning on a trip on one for pictures.

 

[gorkt]

Nope. I will still ride. I was a little spooked at first, no lie, but now that I am learning more details, I am more confident. If the gondolas are running again by mid November, I will ride.

 

[holden]

I never intended to ride them. My experience on the Banff Gondola was enough to make me want to never ride in a gondola again.

 

[jennie622]

I rode them opening weekend on a particularly windy day. Very little swaying due to wind. I loved them and felt safe. I preferred this to the busses by a mile! This accident won’t deter me from getting back on. Unfortunately, accidents happen all the time (cars, busses, planes, life).

That being said, if you have ANY fears at all, don’t ride them. Even without this past weekend’s incident, they can be scary to most with a fear of heights or enclosed spaces. They’re on a cable so there’s movement (not a lot but fear can make it seem significant). The ascent and decent into the stations is swift and the turns are a wee bit bumpy. These are my honest observations given for folks who may have reservations about riding them. But for the majority out there, they’re pretty cool!

FWIW, the boats used at parks and resorts are equally as bumpy when docking and must be shut down during bad weather. The busses can be crowded, cold and unpredictable with arrival times. The monorail is still my fave with the MK ferries right behind and the Skyliner in a close third

Disney has provided us with several different complimentary transportation options. I love when I can take advantage of as many modes as possible in one day. I hear an awful lot of complaining regarding how long it takes for them to arrive, why must we wait for wheelchairs/ECV (really?!?), crowding, not listening when CM says”no further boarding”, etc. imagine what a Disney vacation would be like without them??

 

[MeridaAnn]

Even though I was one of the ones stuck on board during this incident, I personally think I will probably still ride them again in the future. Prior to when we got stuck, it was a very comfortable and pretty ride. I enjoyed the peace and quiet of it and I'd love to see what those views look like during the daytime. I'm at a much, much higher safety risk driving on the highway on the way to the parks than anything else that happens once I get there. Disney should have done better in terms of communication and some other items, but I didn't feel unsafe or scared. I also have an engineering degree and I spend a lot of time studying engineering disasters, so I know all the design and safety procedures that something like this goes through and I know that a ton of "perfect storm" problems have to combine for disasters to occur - it's never just one mistake. To me, risk is a part of life.

On the other hand, my friend who was with me who had a panic attack on board has very understandably said she will absolutely never ride them again. She was okay on the ride itself beforehand, although the slight swaying of the cab was bothering her stomach more than she expected, but the thought of evacuating onto a ladder on a boat (we were over water) was what set off her panic attack, and she will never be able to ride one again with the memory of this incident.

I would never try to convince someone who feels uncomfortable with the gondolas to ride them against their own judgement, and I absolutely don't intend my personal feelings to be used to dismiss anyone else's experiences, but I personally hope to ride again in the future, even after being stuck on board. Of course, there's also the possibility that I could walk up to the gondola in future planning to ride and suddenly feel very different emotions once I'm there in person looking at it again, so I can't say with 100% certainty that I won't change my mind ever, but my current plan is to wait to see what fixes Disney puts in place and then hopefully be able to make use of the gondolas again in the future.

 

[sullyfam]

I'm claustrophobic so the thought of getting stuck in that hot box without any way out dangling high in the air for up to 3 hours is enough for me to say heck NO! Especially if I had my kids with me. I know there is a chance they would start to freak out too and I would never put them in that situation of potentially being traumatized like that. There are other transportation options and we have no plans to stay at one of the Skyliner resorts any time soon. Now, if Disney "fixes" the issue and there are no incidents or there are incidents of stopping but it's quickly resolved, then I might consider it but not for a long time. The risks do not outweigh the benefits for me at the moment.

 

[Wood Nymph]

We rode the Skyliner just a few hours before the accident and our ride was fine. I am claustrophic but the Skyliner didn't bother me because it has windows all around it. I find a crowded elevator or a crowded monorail or a crowded bus to be more claustrophic than the Skyliner.

Once we learn the cause of the crash and how Disney plans to prevent further mishaps, then we will be back on it. It is better than buses by far.

 

[sponica]

@MeridaAnn I totally understand where your friend is coming from. I'm petrified of heights and I think I could tolerate being stalled, but the idea of evacuating between stations, NOPE.

Note to self: bring ativan for skyliner rides.

 

[gypsy_at_heart]

On a side note, did many people report motion sickness when riding?

That’s my only concern

 

[Rusty2rules]

I said when they first announced the plans I had no intention of riding a toaster oven in the sky. Who thought it was a good idea not to put A/C in these things? So this accident didn't change anything for me. I didn't plan on riding them to begin with.

 

[MeridaAnn]

On a side note, did many people report motion sickness when riding?

That’s my only concern

There were five of us in my cabin and two felt a little queasy from the motion, even before we stopped. I think it just depends on what kind of motion affects you. Personally, I tend to get pretty motion sick from start-and-stop motion (riding in a car inching forwards in traffic, rides that slow down and then re-launch, etc.), but the gondolas didn't mess with my stomach at all. To me, the motion felt pretty similar to being on a boat (like the Friendship Boats that also go between DHS and Epcot), just a very gentle sway. I got used to it right away, but if you have trouble on boats, this would probably have a similar effect.

 

[deemc99]

We have just booked the Riviera for January and the Gondolas were one of the draws for us - but - now that we are unsure if they will be running again, I may have to rethink the resort choice.

 

[Tissa]

I would ride by myself but I would not put my family in one. 3 hours in a confined space in the air NOPE. My son with autism would have had a major panic attack and we both would have ended up in the hospital. I'll keep on driving to the parks.

 

[HopperFan]

On the other hand, my friend who was with me who had a panic attack on board has very understandably said she will absolutely never ride them again. She was okay on the ride itself beforehand, although the slight swaying of the cab was bothering her stomach more than she expected, but the thought of evacuating onto a ladder on a boat (we were over water) was what set off her panic attack, and she will never be able to ride one again with the memory of this incident.

I thought only the length to Epcot was stuck?

 

[MemphisVanessa]

I thought only the length to Epcot was stuck?

The Epcot line does cross over water:

 

[MeridaAnn]

I thought only the length to Epcot was stuck?

We were the one car over the Friendship Boat canal right before the Epcot station.

This was our view from the cabin:


And this was a picture from the next morning to show where we had been:


From what I've read since then, the spot where we were would likely actually use a zipline to evacuate if it couldn't be moved, but we didn't know that (and I doubt that would have been a better thought for my friend).

 

[HopperFan]

We were the one car over the Friendship Boat canal right before the Epcot station.

This was our view from the cabin:
View attachment 442558

And this was a picture from the next morning to show where we had been:
View attachment 442561

From what I've read since then, the spot where we were would likely actually use a zipline to evacuate if it couldn't be moved, but we didn't know that (and I doubt that would have been a better thought for my friend).

That is why I asked, since I didn’t think there was any option for a boat rescue on Epcot line, just ropes over water.

And I’m with your friend, they would have to come up with a better idea than ropes to get me to step out.

 

[tguz]

We were there this Summer and wished they were open. We are looking forward to riding it when we return in 2021.

 

[BabiesDaddy]

Some of these comments about the crushed car remind me of the movie Shallow Hal, I'm paraphrasing here,

Girl's chair collapsed....
Shallow Hal to the waiter, "What kind of cheap chairs are you putting in here? What are they made of?"
Waiter "Steel"

 

[Rusty2rules]

From what I've read since then, the spot where we were would likely actually use a zipline to evacuate if it couldn't be moved, but we didn't know that (and I doubt that would have been a better thought for my friend).

A zipline?! Noooooope. Of course, I'm not crazy about the idea of climbing down a 40 foot fire truck ladder, either. Heck, I don't like climbing down the ladder off my roof! Nope, no thank you, I'll pass. I'll drive myself or take the bus, thank you very much.