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

[rteetz]

Isn't SWGE opening in 2019?

Personally, I still think they could open this year, if they wanted to. I don't think there's more than 6 mos. work to complete the system. But that's just my opinion.

SWGE opens in late 2019.

The Skyliner should be operational by next summer.

 

[danikoski]

SWGE opens in late 2019.

The Skyliner should be operational by next summer.

So we will probably be going next summer, and I'm more excited to ride this then I am about TSL. I'm looking forward to TSL, but I am really excited to see what they do with this. And I will be one of the people to take from Epcot to DHS, even if it's just to catch a bus back to the resort. It will probably be a nicer experience than hiking all the way back to the front of Epcot and the bus stops there.

 

[OKW Lover]

I voted yes even though there is virtually no chance I'll actually stay at the resorts they service. Since I live so close to WDW property we just go to a park for a few hours, driving directly from our house.

However, I can see us (well, me anyway) wanting to just try it out some time just to see what the ride is like. So, not having AC isn't going to stop me.

 

[AnnaKat]

I was surprised to be told by 2 CMs now that Gondola usage will be limited to guests @ CBR, Pop, AoA. The rest of us onsite guests will not be allowed to try The Gondolas!
Why did I assume that it was open to all guests like the bus & monorail transportation?!?!

 

[sachilles]

I was surprised to be told by 2 CMs now that Gondola usage will be limited to guests @ CBR, Pop, AoA. The rest of us onsite guests will not be allowed to try The Gondolas!
Why did I assume that it was open to all guests like the bus & monorail transportation?!?!

I'm not convinced those CM's you spoke with are fully informed enough to give you that answer.
In order to limit to guests of those served, they'd have to have tap styles at each skyliner station, I find it unlikely they would do that.

 

[DavidHobart]

Is there ONE person on the board that believes there are EIGHT busloads of people heading back to CBR at the end of each night? Of course not - it's maybe 3 or 4. Same for the other resorts. So the ACTUAL numbers will likely be half that number so now we are talking 1000 people leaving Epcot for the gondola. That's 20 minutes of full load.

I counted and timed the departures of buses at the Pop and AofA Epcot stops on Monday night. It took eleven full buses (four AofA, seven Pop)* to clear the waiting lines to these resorts to below one bus, departing between 9.20p and 10.12p, or 52 minutes. At 60 people per bus, that's 660 people for these two resorts, or 12.7 people per minute.

Now Monday was a slow night at Epcot ("3" according to Touring Plans), so double for a busier night, and add 30% more for CB (its occupancy-adjusted proportion of these three) and you'd get 1,716 people on a busier night with CB included.

*The Pop line was very heavy, but no one in it seemed to think of riding the AofA bus instead. The CB bus stop was right next door, but I did not trust my ability to track three separate stops, so did not track it.

 

[AnnaKat]

So we will probably be going next summer, and I'm more excited to ride this then I am about TSL. I'm looking forward to TSL, but I am really excited to see what they do with this. And I will be one of the people to take from Epcot to DHS, even if it's just to catch a bus back to the resort. It will probably be a nicer experience than hiking all the way back to the front of Epcot and the bus stops there.

A CM just told me that mos guests won't be able to take the Gondolas from IG @ Epcot to HS(for example if you are staying @ BC/YC.
ONLY CBR guests & the guests @ Pop, etc.
will be permitted usage of the Gondolas.
It's a very limited perk for only a few resorts!!!!!

 

[DBDiz]

*The Pop line was very heavy, but no one in it seemed to think of riding the AofA bus instead. The CB bus stop was right next door, but I did not trust my ability to track three separate stops, so did not track it.

This is perhaps one of my favorite lesser known perks for staying at Pop. We've seen lines to Pop be three or four buses deep. We've walked 3 queue lines over and hopped the bus to AoA. It's a bit of a walk from the AoA front door, over the bridge, and to your room, but totally worth not wasting upwards of 45 minutes waiting with exhausted children at the end of the night.

 

[dina444444]

A CM just told me that mos guests won't be able to take the Gondolas from IG @ Epcot to HS(for example if you are staying @ BC/YC.
ONLY CBR guests & the guests @ Pop, etc.
will be permitted usage of the Gondolas.
It's a very limited perk for only a few resorts!!!!!

I wouldn’t believe what the CM told you.

 

[AnnaKat]

I'm not convinced those CM's you spoke with are fully informed enough to give you that answer.
In order to limit to guests of those served, they'd have to have tap styles at each skyliner station, I find it unlikely they would do that.

One was a DVC CM.
I did not ask! She volunteered the information as something she knows that was not being put out there to the general public.
It would be very sad if they check magic bands like you said !

I'm not convinced those CM's you spoke with are fully informed enough to give you that answer.
In order to limit to guests of those served, they'd have to have tap styles at each skyliner station, I find it unlikely they would do that.

 

[DBDiz]

A CM just told me that mos guests won't be able to take the Gondolas from IG @ Epcot to HS(for example if you are staying @ BC/YC.
ONLY CBR guests & the guests @ Pop, etc.
will be permitted usage of the Gondolas.
It's a very limited perk for only a few resorts!!!!!

I wouldn’t believe what the CM told you.

There is absolutely no way Disney would restrict riders. "Oh, I'm sorry, you're staying at All Stars? No monorail for you". Does not compute.

 

[AnnaKat]

I wouldn’t believe what the CM told you.

Thanks! They should not be saying that like it is for sure as Disney has NOT said so in any of their press releases!!!!

 

[sachilles]

While it certainly sounds logical, it would be a complete nightmare to implement operationally.
You would need tap styles to verify accommodations on you magic band linked account. Then I'm sure if you have a dinner reservation at the Riviera you'd be allowed to go, and they'd need yet another way to verify that.
I could maybe see them discouraging you from trying to ride from the IG to the DHS entrance.

 

[beer dave]

One was a DVC CM.
I did not ask! She volunteered the information as something she knows that was not being put out there to the general public.
It would be very sad if they check magic bands like you said !

This makes sense-- they need it to seem limited so they have a special perk to add to the sales spiel...

 

[rstevens333]

And the best part of taking the bus to AOA to go to POP is, hey, you're right near the AOA food court...

 

[skier_pete]

I was surprised to be told by 2 CMs now that Gondola usage will be limited to guests @ CBR, Pop, AoA. The rest of us onsite guests will not be allowed to try The Gondolas!
Why did I assume that it was open to all guests like the bus & monorail transportation?!?!

I do not believe this is true. Don't trust CM for information.

 

[skier_pete]

One was a DVC CM.
I did not ask! She volunteered the information as something she knows that was not being put out there to the general public.
It would be very sad if they check magic bands like you said !

Was it one of the ones at the kiosks? I had a conversation with one and she was wrong on at least 3 different things...and these were regarding DVC. (She claimed that you couldn't buy sold out DVC properties from Disney, for one.) Especially on a subject such as this, i am sure Disney hasnt even made any announcements to CM about it, so it's all rumor to them too. There's just no way disney is going to do this.

 

[umichigan10]

Per bioconstruct. I had faith they’d mask the gondolas from inside the park and not ruin this forced perspective but now I’m not so sure

 

[mrcase77]

While it certainly sounds logical, it would be a complete nightmare to implement operationally.
You would need tap styles to verify accommodations on you magic band linked account. Then I'm sure if you have a dinner reservation at the Riviera you'd be allowed to go, and they'd need yet another way to verify that.
I could maybe see them discouraging you from trying to ride from the IG to the DHS entrance.

They already do that with the pools. You have to tap your band to enter the AoA pool and must be an AoA guest for instance.

Plus, if the intent is for it to be transportation And to take pressure off their busses, it makes sense to do. It won’t be a practical source of transportation for those resort guests if it’s overwhelmed with everyone else wanting to treat it as just another attraction.

 

[Turn the Page]

They already do that with the pools. You have to tap your band to enter the AoA pool and must be an AoA guest for instance.

Plus, if the intent is for it to be transportation And to take pressure off their busses, it makes sense to do. It won’t be a partactical source of transportation for those resort guests if it’s overwhelmed with everyone else wanting to treat it as just another attraction.

Eh, I don't know. The gondolas aren't any different than the monorail in that regard. You don't have to be staying on the monorail loop to use those.