Disney Skyliner (Gondola) Construction Updates

[NotUrsula]

For the wheelchair or ECV, I can see the possibility of using a shunt system (think of the loading process for the Toy Story ride), where the track shunts these cars off to a side line stationary loading area. They load, then the CM throws a switch that shunts the gondola back onto the main line. Doing it this way would allow disabled passengers to load without feeling hurried, but would not slow down the load rate for those who can easily step into the slow-moving gondolas.

I'm pretty sure that the ride system for this is going to be the newest D-line design, and that one uses loading platforms that are level with the height of the gondola floor; no stepping up is required.

As to climate control, I stand by my opinion that most Americans will consider the gondolas uncomfortably hot in summertime unless they are equipped with some sort of active cooling system. As far as I've been able to determine, use of systems like these for public transport has so far not happened in hot-climate/low-altitude places where the populace is used to air conditioning, so I'm not sure there actually is a working example in a similar climate with a similar population of users. Yes, the gondolas are moving and creating a bit of a breeze, and yes, they are fairly high in the air for most of the trip, but when the terrain is flat and barely above sea level, 75 ft or so of elevation really doesn't give you a noticeable temperature drop. Sub-tropical sun + high humidity + 8 humans inside an enclosed glass bubble pretty much always equals hot. (Anyone who remembers driving 75 mph through Florida in the 1960's with the windows down and the car packed with kids can attest to that. Your hair was blowing all over, but you were still sweating like mad.)

 

[joelkfla]

Yes, the videos I've seen of recent Dopplemayr gondolas have floors level with the platform. I saw a couple of Doppelmayr videos that showed cabins with fold-up seats to accommodate wheelchairs, rather than a dedicated cabin. Wheelchairs and strollers were loaded with the cabin online & moving at normal loading speed.

Using a shunt track for wheelchair loading is a possibility, but I think they would need to keep a cabin sitting in that loading area all the time, so that one comes off and the waiting one takes it's place. Otherwise, taking a cabin off and inserting it somewhere else on the cable would mess up cabin spacing.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Concept art has been released for the Pop Century/Art of Animation Disney Skyliner gondola station: http://wdwnt.com/blog/2018/01/photo...t-pop-century-art-animation-resorts-revealed/

 

[NotUrsula]

It's been confirmed that the system Disney ordered is a D-line.

This is the type of equipment that will be installed (though in this film [of the stations in Soelden, Austria] shows a station that has two levels because they have a setup to store the gondolas inside on the second level if they need to. Disney's stations don't appear to have that feature.) It's a time-lapse video of what it's like to ride:

 

[Minnesota!]

Concept art has been released for the Pop Century/Art of Animation Disney Skyliner gondola station: http://wdwnt.com/blog/2018/01/photo...t-pop-century-art-animation-resorts-revealed/

I love the look of that!

It's been confirmed that the system Disney ordered is a D-line.

This is the type of equipment that will be installed (though in this film [of the stations in Soelden, Austria] shows a station that has two levels because they have a setup to store the gondolas inside on the second level if they need to. Disney's stations don't appear to have that feature.) It's a time-lapse video of what it's like to ride:

And, I love the look of that!

I cannot wait to try these out!

 

[scrappinginontario]

New update found on BlogMickey.com: http://blogmickey.com/2018/01/photo...y-skyliner-station-disneys-hollywood-studios/

 

[scrappinginontario]

First support beam has been installed outside Pop Century!

More updates here: https://wdwnt.com/2018/02/photos-fi...ew-skyliner-gondola-system-walt-disney-world/

 

[mara512]

https://wdwnt.com/2018/02/photo-fir...earing-completion-disneys-pop-century-resort/

Some more updates to the Skyliner

 

[joelkfla]

Pole for the tower closest to the DHS station is up:


The topper appears to be sitting next to it. Here's a closeup:

 

[scrappinginontario]

Construction is moving right along and the towers are now going in at a pretty regular pace. Here's some pics of the towers at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

http://blogmickey.com/2018/04/photo...s-installed-in-hollywood-studios-parking-lot/

Is it just me or are other's surprised at the height....or lack thereof of the towers? In my imagination the gondolas were going to travel higher in the air than these pics show but it could be my thoughts were just off.

 

[Haley R]

Construction is moving right along and the towers are now going in at a pretty regular pace. Here's some pics of the towers at Disney's Hollywood Studios.

http://blogmickey.com/2018/04/photo...s-installed-in-hollywood-studios-parking-lot/

Is it just me or are other's surprised at the height....or lack thereof of the towers? In my imagination the gondolas were going to travel higher in the air than these pics show but it could be my thoughts were just off.

Thanks for posting this. We have gondolas at our state fair and they are about the same height as the towers in those pictures. I do think it's weird how close the towers are to cars, though. I didn't expect that.

 

[lovethattink]

The parking lot of DHS

 

[trekker93]

When we were down at Pop in January, they were pounding in the columns to support the gondolas. It was very noisy, but by now I'm hoping they've got them all in. It would be great if they were available late this year but I doubt it!

 

[scrappinginontario]

Disney Skyliner is scheduled to open mid 2019 I believe.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Bullwheel has arrived at DHS: http://blogmickey.com/2018/04/photos-disney-skyliner-bullwheel-arrives-at-disneys-hollywood-studios/

 

[Bullseye]

I'm a little naive on how they work as I've never rode one except at MK. If I'm going from Epcot to HS do the doors open on every car as they pass through the stations at the resorts in between? You either get off or you don't?

 

[joelkfla]

I'm a little naive on how they work as I've never rode one except at MK. If I'm going from Epcot to HS do the doors open on every car as they pass through the stations at the resorts in between? You either get off or you don't?

The exact configuration is unknown, but most people with an opinion think you'll have to get off at CBR and transfer to a different cabin, although there's no technical reason why cabins arriving at CBR from Epcot couldn't continue on to Pop or DHS. We may know pretty soon, as they appear to be installing the tracks at the CBR station.

I believe the doors are opened mechanically by a cam along the track, so they will probably open at Riviera whether anyone's getting off or not, unless Disney and Doppelmayr come up with some fancy new intelligent design.

 

[NotUrsula]

Is it just me or are other's surprised at the height....or lack thereof of the towers? In my imagination the gondolas were going to travel higher in the air than these pics show but it could be my thoughts were just off.

It's not just you. They are VERY low near the parks and resorts, though it appears that they rise a bit higher further away from the stations. My understanding is that the lower height is designed to reduce sway in rain and wind. We stayed in Aruba at CBR last week, and there is a tower near the section's quiet pool, standing between the pool and Building 54. It's squeezed in there very close to the corner of the building, and based on the height of the tower, it appears that the floor of the gondola is going to pass at top-of-the-window-level within about 10 feet of the second-story corner room nearest the lake.

I've had reservations about the lack of a/c in these gondolas from the beginning, and now that I see how low they are riding, my doubt has grown even further. As if putting 8 people in a mostly-closed glass bubble in Florida heat wasn't miserable enough, at that height, they are going to also be getting heat radiating up from below when passing over paved surfaces. I really hope that I'm proved wrong when the first summer of service rolls around, but I'm not going to put any money on the odds.

 

[Cindyd04]

It's not just you. They are VERY low near the parks and resorts, though it appears that they rise a bit higher further away from the stations. My understanding is that the lower height is designed to reduce sway in rain and wind. We stayed in Aruba at CBR last week, and there is a tower near the section's quiet pool, standing between the pool and Building 54. It's squeezed in there very close to the corner of the building, and based on the height of the tower, it appears that the floor of the gondola is going to pass at top-of-the-window-level within about 10 feet of the second-story corner room nearest the lake.

I've had reservations about the lack of a/c in these gondolas from the beginning, and now that I see how low they are riding, my doubt has grown even further. As if putting 8 people in a mostly-closed glass bubble in Florida heat wasn't miserable enough, at that height, they are going to also be getting heat radiating up from below when passing over paved surfaces. I really hope that I'm proved wrong when the first summer of service rolls around, but I'm not going to put any money on the odds.

Are they really not installing a climate control system in the gondolas? I'm surprised by this, I thought the capsules would have this?

 

[NotUrsula]

Are they really not installing a climate control system in the gondolas? I'm surprised by this, I thought the capsules would have this?

According to all the specifications sources that I've been able to find, the answer for now is no a/c. One of the things that makes gondola systems economical is that there is no electrical wiring to the gondola cars. Any lights are battery operated and pick up a charge each time the car rotates through a station, but you can't run an a/c system on a small battery. Doppelmayr says that the gondolas will have "passive cooling", which translates into slot vents near the roof and floor; the idea is that the movement of the car creates a breeze that comes through the vents. I think that works fine at high altitudes, but Disney World is only about 50 feet above sea level. Even with the height of the towers, they will not be tall enough to rise above the ground-layer humidity.