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

[joelkfla]

I don't see any point in restricting it. They don't restrict buses, nor for that matter do they restrict things like Uber. The only likely time it will hit capacity and see any wait times is at park closing. Otherwise, it doesn't matter if people get on the skyliner to "joyride" as you say. The one downside I see is people choosing to park at CBR and take the skyliner over to a park but we all know that security isn't the best at stopping that.

This isn't to take pressure off the bus system, by the way, that's a nice perk. But let's not forget, they need something unique and good transportation for the Riviera DVC property. If they don't have something, it's not going to sell at the current price per point no matter how beautiful.

Actually, the main reason is to take pressure off the buses.

 

[rteetz]

Actually, the main reason is to take pressure off the buses.

And due to the large influx of people going to DHS starting in 2019.

 

[RescueRanger]

It depends on if it’s one big loop and you just stay in the same cabin until you’re ready to exit or if you have to take a series of gondolas to get to your destination.

I dunno. All I know is, if the intent is to take pressure off the bus system, the only way to do that is for this to be as good as or better than the bus (because people are going to take the path of least resistance for their daily commute to the parks). That’s not going to happen if this thing takes 3 hours (between the lines and the actual ride) to get from Epcot to Pop because of everyone joyriding.

But, we’ll see.

As it has been stated before, the intent is not to take pressure off the busses. The gondolas will replace the busses for those resorts.

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

As it has been stated before, the intent is not to take pressure off the busses. The gondolas will replace the busses for those resorts.

I don't believe this at all. There are people that will not get on a gondola or sky bucket of any kind. Disney wouldn't tell these guests to get over their fear of heights.

 

[rteetz]

I don't believe this at all. There are people that will not get on a gondola or sky bucket of any kind. Disney wouldn't tell these guests to get over their fear of heights.

Well Disney could...

People have fears of boats yet Epcot resorts only offer boat and walking as transportation to Epcot and DHS. Obviously you won't be able to walk to DHS from CBR but the same sort of logic applies. The emphasis will certainly be on getting people to use the skyliner instead of buses.

 

[mrcase77]

Well Disney could...

People have fears of boats yet Epcot resorts only offer boat and walking as transportation to Epcot and DHS. Obviously you won't be able to walk to DHS from CBR but the same sort of logic applies. The emphasis will certainly be on getting people to use the skyliner instead of buses.

If the intent is to get people to quit using the busses, then I renew my earlier theory. At the very least, would need to prioritize the people needing to use it as transportation to get to their hotels over people wanting to ride them recreationally if capacity is an issue. Maybe treat it like FP+ or something.

I do kinda think they’d always have to have some busses because of potential weather and break down issues. It seems like that would go over like a lead balloon if they had guests stranded in the park because of a thunder storm or high winds.

 

[rteetz]

If the intent is to get people to quit using the busses, then I renew my earlier theory. At the very least, would need to prioritize the people needing to use it as transportation to get to their hotels over people wanting to ride them recreationally if capacity is an issue. Maybe treat it like FP+ or something.

I do kinda think they’d always have to have some busses because of potential weather and break down issues. It seems like that would go over like a lead balloon if they had guests stranded in the park because of a thunder storm or high winds.

Buses of course will always be a back up.

These have a higher capacity than a monorail and monorail resorts don't limit usage. Anyone can use the monorails when they want. These should be the same.

 

[joelkfla]

As it has been stated before, the intent is not to take pressure off the busses. The gondolas will replace the busses for those resorts.

Huh?

If the Skyliner replaces buses, then more buses are available for other purposes, fewer buses are crowding into the theme park bus loops at closing time, and hence pressure is relieved from the buses!

Senior Transportation management recognized years ago that the bus system was approaching it's saturation point and alternative modes had to be found. Apparently, the Skyliner is one of those alternatives that they're giving a try.

 

[RescueRanger]

I don't believe this at all. There are people that will not get on a gondola or sky bucket of any kind. Disney wouldn't tell these guests to get over their fear of heights.

Believe what you want if it makes you feel better. But the bus routes to these resorts will be gone. Will they run them if the gondolas go down, sure. However, they will not run busses regularly. If someone is afraid of the gondolas, there are plenty of non gondola resorts to choose from, or they can take a minnie van.

 

[RescueRanger]

Huh?

If the Skyliner replaces buses, then more buses are available for other purposes, fewer buses are crowding into the theme park bus loops at closing time, and hence pressure is relieved from the buses!

Senior Transportation management recognized years ago that the bus system was approaching it's saturation point and alternative modes had to be found. Apparently, the Skyliner is one of those alternatives that they're giving a try.

We aren’t talking about the busses resortwide. We were talking about the gondola resorts. Therer will be some relief to the non gondola resorts because of it.

 

[joelkfla]

We aren’t talking about the busses resortwide. We were talking about the gondola resorts. Therer will be some relief to the non gondola resorts because of it.

No, you're saying the intent of the Skyliner was not to relieve pressure on the buses. Maybe you didn't know that buses are not assigned to a resort, but are assigned to a park (or DS). A bus assigned to DHS, for example, will usually go to a different resort on each trip. And from Disney's overall perspective, the number of buses assigned to each of the parks changes day to day, and even throughout the day. So when you talk about relieving pressure on the buses, it has to be looked at across the entire resort, or at least on a park-by-park basis.

Pop, AoA, and CBR are among the largest resorts, and taking them out of the mix at Epcot & DHS will have a huge positive impact on congestion in those parks' bus loops at closing time. With SWGE opening, DHS will be staying open later, and it's closing time may be conflicting with MK's closing more often, so buses that would have been needed for those resorts (plus Riviera) will now be available for MK.

 

[Lee Matthews]

They'll certainly try and get rid of the buses to the gondola resorts. At best they will do one bus and hour. People who don't want to go on the gondola have plenty of other resorts to stay at

 

[skier_pete]

I don't believe this at all. There are people that will not get on a gondola or sky bucket of any kind. Disney wouldn't tell these guests to get over their fear of heights.

Let's face the facts - Disney is building this gondola system for one reason and one reason only - to increase their profits. How they are doing this is likely to be three-fold.

1) Allowing them to build a DVC resort in a location that they otherwise couldn't sell a DVC resort. At $200 a point and 5 million points - that's one BILLION in revenue in 2019-2021.

2) Increase of prices for resorts servicing directly to DHS and Epcot. WIth 3000 rooms at Pop Century, another 1000-1500 (I see different numbers out there) and another 1500 at CBR - even a $10 raise in room rates is $22 million a year increased profits.

3) REDUCED TRANSPORTATION COSTS: The gondola will cost significantly less than the number of buses it's replacing. While "reducing stress on the bus system" may be a benefit, the truth is the true cost of the bus system is the buses themselves. From an employee standpoint, the gondolas will likely staff about the same number of employees as the buses, but if you consider there has to be 2-3 buses occupying the loop from each of these resorts to Epcot and DHS at any one time, that's dropping up to 18 buses from regular service, as well as not adding MORE buses for Riviera. Each bus costs at least $300,000, not to mention maintenance costs.

So in the end, if they are still running buses, they are defeating part of the purpose here. Admittedly, the savings on the buses is the smallest of the three benefits, but they will NOT want to add a new transportation service and still continue to pay for the old one.

I do agree that if a guest comes to the front guest and says "I am terrified of riding the gondola." they won't respond "Well, you shouldn't be staying here then, should you?" They will provide some sort of alternative transportation. BUT - that alternative transportation will unlikely be fast or convenient. Could they run one bus that loops all 4 resorts and the parks so it comes by once an hour? Maybe they will do that. Or maybe they will instruct people to take a bus to DAK and then hop the Epcot/DHS bus. I don't know what the answer is.

The other thing I am nearly 100% certain is that they will allow anyone to ride the gondola. Disney has never restricted their public transportation system to resort guests only, and they aren't about to start now. I'm sure if the Epcot resorts were being built today - their would be talk about how the Friendship boats when they open will be restricted to resort guests - but those aren't either. One thing people keep neglecting in this conversation - the gondolas will have much larger capacities than any of these.

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.

This is very cool that you do this! I am not sure I totally agree with your "double for a busier night" I always think that busier nights is more about off-site visitors. The on-site resorts average capacities around 90% occupancy at all times. A 90% occupied Pop Century is going to have a similar number of occupants and busy and slow times. But even so let's go with your numbers.

If the capacity of the gondolas is ~3000 per hour, that 1716 people will be transported is just over 30 minutes - unlike the bus system that took 52 minutes. And as others have pointed out - the line will be constantly moving. So those people that showed up for the bus at 9:10 are already long gone by the time people showing up at 9:20 are arriving and seeing 200 people in line for a bus. You are probably looking at maximum waits for the gondola of maybe 15 minutes even on the worst nights - and again remembering you are back at your resort in 5-10 minutes once you get on the gondola. (The only other possible problem is the guests from both DHS and Epcot going to Pop/AOA both showing up at the Pop gondola branch at the same time...hopefully Disney will have the good sense to stagger closings of these two parks.

 

[Lee Matthews]

They'll probably force people to use minivans to those resorts if you don't want to use the gondola

 

[TheMaxRebo]

They'll probably force people to use minivans to those resorts if you don't want to use the gondola

Yup - they will offer that as an alternative

To get to EPCOT from the Poly the one way is the monorail, and those get as high or higher than the gondolas will. If you don’t like heights then take a MinnieVan or don’t stay at a Gondola resort (or a monorail resort)

 

[jade1]

Yup - they will offer that as an alternative

To get to EPCOT from the Poly the one way is the monorail, and those get as high or higher than the gondolas will. If you don’t like heights then take a MinnieVan or don’t stay at a Gondola resort (or a monorail resort)

Also any "drivers" to parks will be the same as usual, (plus parking unless dvc), only less bus traffic to go around.

 

[DavidHobart]

This is very cool that you do this! I am not sure I totally agree with your "double for a busier night" I always think that busier nights is more about off-site visitors. The on-site resorts average capacities around 90% occupancy at all times. A 90% occupied Pop Century is going to have a similar number of occupants and busy and slow times.

That's a fair point!

 

[Lee Matthews]

Do they run busses from the monorail resorts to Magic Kingdom. If they do then surely those buses could get the chop too?

 

[RescueRanger]

No, you're saying the intent of the Skyliner was not to relieve pressure on the buses. Maybe you didn't know that buses are not assigned to a resort, but are assigned to a park (or DS). A bus assigned to DHS, for example, will usually go to a different resort on each trip. And from Disney's overall perspective, the number of buses assigned to each of the parks changes day to day, and even throughout the day. So when you talk about relieving pressure on the buses, it has to be looked at across the entire resort, or at least on a park-by-park basis.

Pop, AoA, and CBR are among the largest resorts, and taking them out of the mix at Epcot & DHS will have a huge positive impact on congestion in those parks' bus loops at closing time. With SWGE opening, DHS will be staying open later, and it's closing time may be conflicting with MK's closing more often, so buses that would have been needed for those resorts (plus Riviera) will now be available for MK.

There is this thing, it is called context. Ask my wife who is an English teacher, she will explain it to you. I was responding to a poster who obviously thinks there will still be busses running to the gondola resorts. He thought that the gondolas would be in addition to the busses and therefore reduce the stress on “those” resorts. We were not discussing resort wide. But, hey thanks for telling me what I meant, you know me better than myself.

 

[rteetz]

Do they run busses from the monorail resorts to Magic Kingdom. If they do then surely those buses could get the chop too?

No they do not. You either take boat or monorail. And from Contemporary you can walk.