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

[MommaBerd]

This is definitely a tangent - so forgive me - but as I have watched this "commercial" a couple of times, I found it interesting that the background shots include most main line forms of transportation - ferry boat, train, and plane (though no cars/buses?). I wonder if that was intentional in its marketing, especially as it seems these gondola systems are being considered more and more for public transportation options...

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

I've been saying for years now that a gondola system would be great for transportation from AKL to AK. I'm intrigued by this new concept. I'm very interested in whether it is going to let you off just inside the parks, similar to the Disneyland monorail, or if it will let you off outside. I can see perks to both.

 

[rteetz]

A bit more on this.

1. It will stop at DHS, CBR, Pop/AoA, and Epcot.

2. The gondolas themselves will be generic themed but each station will be themed to their area.

3. Set to be complete by the time SWL opens.

4. About 3.5 minutes from Epcot to CBR, 2.5 minutes from CBR to DHS.

 

[rteetz]

This is the system they are supposedly going for.

https://www.doppelmayr.com/en/products/3s-gondola-lift/

 

[Tardisblue]

A bit more on this.

1. It will stop at DHS, CBR, Pop/AoA, and Epcot.

2. The gondolas themselves will be generic themed but each station will be themed to their area.

3. Set to be complete by the time SWL opens.

So 2019 opening? Not too bad - but it's certainly not as labor intensive as building a monorail. Pop up some towers, string the cables, attach the cars.

Where do you get your info, btw?

 

[rteetz]

So 2019 opening? Not too bad - but it's certainly not as labor intensive as building a monorail. Pop up some towers, string the cables, attach the cars.

Where do you get your info, btw?

Yep.

Wdwmagic where the news broke.

 

[mikepizzo]

A bit more on this.

1. It will stop at DHS, CBR, Pop/AoA, and Epcot.

2. The gondolas themselves will be generic themed but each station will be themed to their area.

3. Set to be complete by the time SWL opens.

4. About 3.5 minutes from Epcot to CBR, 2.5 minutes from CBR to DHS.

You're talking about this as if it's been confirmed, but this is still speculation, correct?

 

[tjkraz]

I could see backlash if they made aoa and pop century cost more money a night bc of added transport option (and they so would) and next thing you know a room at pop costs the same or more than a room at a moderate.

Is there backlash because POFQ has boats that run to Disney Springs while CBR and CSR do not?

IMO, you're overthinking this. Operating costs won't be a monorail-sized expense. In fact, one of the primary reasons for extending service to Pop/AOA may be to cost-justify the entire thing. According to the proposed diagrams, that POP/AOA spur is very small. Building the entire system just for (approx) 2000 rooms at CBR is probably a non-starter. But when you can spend just a little more and service another 2000 hotel rooms and 1000 suites, the entire system is moving a LOT more guests...and eliminating a lot more buses.

We know monorails are very expensive. That's a non-starter in this day and age. But these gondolas may prove to be more cost effective than buses.

Supply and demand for POP/AOA will take care of itself. Perhaps Disney tries to juice rates due to the unique transport system. People will either pay it...or they won't.

I would suspect that Disney might be considering to limit access to the Gondola system to only guests at CBR/AOA/POP, or to just on-site guests. Whether or not that happens is yet to be seen, but there are Pros and Cons to selective availability. I personally would go with the on-site guests only. But I'm biased as I always stay on-site.

Maybe temporarily. 15 years ago Disney thought crowds would swamp Animal Kingdom Lodge to view the savanna and they restricted access. But that didn't last long.

If the gondola system gets people from Epcot/DHS over to CBR or POP to browse and maybe spend a few dollars, Disney will be quite content with that. Nobody is skipping theme parks to ride the gondolas all day, and it costs Disney about the same to operate the system regardless of passenger count.

 

[jknezek]

I'm not seeing the problem with ECV/wheelchairs/strollers in gondolas. Frankly there is no reason to have more than a few token seats in them and most of the room for standing. That's what you see at Stone Mountain in GA or Uber Gatlinberg in TN. Granted those are larger, 2 car, single line systems, but the fact is you don't really need seats.

Loading an ECV or wheelchair simply requires a door big enough to do so and a space for them to maneuver directly into. Frankly if you have doors on both sides for enter exit, and limit it to one wheelchair or ECV per cab, it's quite simple. Make the doors essentially 1/3rd as big as the cab, which would be more than twice as wide as an ECV, and have them open wide on both sides as the platform. Then make the cab twice as wide as an ECV is long and simply let the ECV roll on as people stream out the other side. Have them roll straight across until it faces the exit door on the other side. Then have everyone else stream in around, preferably from a series of pre-prepared lines with just the right number of people, like any number of rides at WDW. Put small bench seats only at the front and back of the car, and most people stand to look out the windows anyway.

Provided there is no malfunction with the ECV, and the rider is prepared to go when the doors are opened, there is no way it takes longer than 20 or 30 seconds to load a 10-15 person cab with a single ECV/wheelchair. A little paint on the floor telling people where to park their ECV/wheelchair, part of the recorded message reminds them to set the brake, another to remind them to prepare to exit on the other end, and... wala... fast loading and unloading. One Cast Member is there to put people in the correct size line, one to move the ECV/wheelchairs to the correct line and help them if required, one on the unload side to help clear people and ECV/wheelchairs out, and one to monitor the whole thing for emergencies and man the big red OH $H!T button. 3 or 4 CM per station.

Even if you ran it one car every minute for safety, with 15 people per car, that's 900 people per hour. Assuming buses fit about 75 when squished, you are talking 12 buses an hour to match this capacity. A bus every 5 minutes. I've had buses arrive within 5 minutes of each other at WDW, but I wouldn't say it is anywhere near the rule and it can take more than 5 minutes to load a bus, especially if you are putting on two ECVs.

 

[sachilles]

I think the build timeline on the other website is a bit long. It can be built in 12 months or less. It would likely want to be online for Summer 2019, so that gives them 30 months as of now. Account for the disney rate of construction, 50% added on. They are still ahead of the game if they are starting with CBR. The land moving, and water retention stuff will take the most time. The stations, and turn stations will take a good amount time. The towers are very quick, as they come in assembled. In a ski resort scenario, it takes 2 or 3 days to put the towers up. Yes the concrete bases are installed prior. Usually they bring a helicopter to put the towers in, and that costs alot, so it's coordinated to be done quickly. In this environment a crane should be an easier and more cost effective solution, but slower to move. Still you could expect a tower or two a day.
Installing the haul rope takes a while. You then have to splice it's ends together. There are not a lot of people in the world that can do that, so scheduling that in can be a challenge.
Overall it's completely feasible to be done well before Star Wars opens, and could be partial done in time for Toy Story. By partial, I mean if there is more than one line, one line goes in operation before the other.

Edit: to be clear, it takes 2 to 3 days to put up all towers at a ski resort using the helicopter setup.

 

[Roxyfire]

This is definitely pretty cool. It solves the direct access at CBR problem at a fair low cost. Plus the only waiting is on the others who reached the station before you. I could see it taking a little while to get wheelchairs and ECVs onboard but that's not any different than buses. I'm really looking forward to seeing how this shakes out.

 

[rteetz]

You're talking about this as if it's been confirmed, but this is still speculation, correct?

Well I'd say we are pretty close to confirmed with permits filed.

 

[mikepizzo]

Well I'd say we are pretty close to confirmed with permits filed.

But the permits don't list anything about gondola's right?

 

[rteetz]

But the permits don't list anything about gondola's right?

Correct but they don't really need to. We see buildings that will service the gondolas in the permits. I know TOTs but there really aren't many permits that don't get built.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

A bit more on this.

1. It will stop at DHS, CBR, Pop/AoA, and Epcot.

2. The gondolas themselves will be generic themed but each station will be themed to their area.

3. Set to be complete by the time SWL opens.

4. About 3.5 minutes from Epcot to CBR, 2.5 minutes from CBR to DHS.

I am still intrigued about it going to Pop/AoA - seems like that would deminish the selling point of buying DVC at CBR if a value resort also has this for regular guests

I assuming would be on the AoA side and this a pretty long walk from Pop and then they could raise rates at AoA which is already like a Value+

Heck, build a separate new DVC at AoA - a tower themed to Repunzel or something

 

[rteetz]

I am still intrigued about it going to Pop/AoA - seems like that would deminish the selling point of buying DVC at CBR if a value resort also has this for regular guests

I assuming would be on the AoA side and this a pretty long walk from Pop and then they could raise rates at AoA which is already like a Value+

Heck, build a separate new DVC at AoA - a tower themed to Repunzel or something

CBR will have a dual station. AoA/Pop will have one station to service both resorts. Of course we will likely see a price increase. There is a rumor that Disney wants to get rid of the value, moderate, and deluxe terms to go for a pay based on location model. That would put these two resorts in a different category than say the All-stars which you could consider what you called a value+.

Don't give them any ideas Phil!

 

[mikepizzo]

Correct but they don't really need to. We see buildings that will service the gondolas in the permits. I know TOTs but there really aren't many permits that don't get built.

I'm not trying to be difficult, I just don't know how to read permits.

Where can I find where it says gondola service building, or whatever?

 

[rteetz]

I'm not trying to be difficult, I just don't know how to read permits.

Where can I find where it says gondola service building, or whatever?

It doesn't explicitly say gondola service building but from info we have and research on the topic it's been determined that's what they are. I don't know if we will see any permits that say gondola on them.

 

[tjkraz]

I've been saying for years now that a gondola system would be great for transportation from AKL to AK. I'm intrigued by this new concept. I'm very interested in whether it is going to let you off just inside the parks, similar to the Disneyland monorail, or if it will let you off outside. I can see perks to both.

The beauty of this system is that the two parks and three resorts are in such close proximity. Looks like it will provide access for 5000 hotel rooms + suites + villas to two theme parks.

A DAK/AKL line would only give 2000 hotel rooms + suites access to one park. Coronado Springs is in the vicinity, but on the opposite side of DAK. Blizzard Beach probably too far and too lightly utilized to consider tying-in.

Depending upon the cost-effectiveness, it would probably be tempting to add the All Stars to this Epcot/DHS setup in the future. That's another 6000 hotel rooms. Saratoga Springs, Old Key West and Port Orleans are a reasonable distance to the east, but the spread nature of those resorts don't necessarily lend themselves to this type of mass transit...making people walk to the gondola terminal. (Of course, the same could be said about CBR so curious to see how that's addressed.)

 

[DBDiz]

I assuming would be on the AoA side and this a pretty long walk from Pop and then they could raise rates at AoA which is already like a Value+

It's not a short walk by any means, but it's under 10 minutes to go between the two resort lobbies. It's not uncommon for guests to hop buses to the opposite resort because of shorter lines or bus availability. Guests at both resorts are used to some amount of walking.