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

[TheMaxRebo]

Just curious what the weight limit is per car. Pack a bunch of ECV's into a lot of cars and you have a real weight issue on the lines. I can see at best one, maybe two ECV's per car. Either way, I'm getting excited with all the new changes coming to WDW.

Not sure of weight but to be honest it might be limited to only on ECV per car - but more for room than weight

 

[DanBoris]

Is it known that that is the goal or are you assuming? It seems reasonable for that to be the eventual goal but I haven't heard anything from disney confirming it...

Reliable sources have said that the plan is no buses on these routes. Whether they stick to that plan is another matter.

 

[DanBoris]

Not sure of weight but to be honest it might be limited to only on ECV per car - but more for room than weight

Yeah, I agree, there is probably only space for one and maybe one or two more people standing.

 

[danikoski]

Below is a link to the cable car system in London reviewed by a gentleman who uses a power wheelchair. The London system was built by Dopplemayr. It is completely wheelchair accessible. The cabin looks pretty similar to what Disney has proposed in the drawings.

https://wheelchairtravel.org/london-cable-car-emirates-aviation-experience/

Also, there is information on the Emirates Air Line website (note:that's what the cable car line is called) that give dimensions and stats of what the gondola can hold.

http://www.emiratesairline.co.uk/faqs/

 

[danikoski]

And for those who like to geek out over the science of it, here's an interesting read on the engineering of the towers and stations for the London system.

http://www.lusas.com/case/civil/emirates_air_line.html

 

[charmed59]

The cars will have flip up seats to allow space for wheel chairs and scooters. At 4:50 in this video you can see how easy it is to load a wheel chair. The gondola cars will be big enough for 8-10 people.

This video shows them loading a person in a racing wheelchair, and I assume he’s a wheel chair racer. I’d guess he’s much better at maneuvering than people who are just learning to drive an ECV. They also hold the car steady until he gets in. If they were to hold the car steady for a less agile person they would have to stop the gondola.

When loading the stroller they did not stop the car at all, but again, it was a jogging stroller, not the double strollers you see at Disney World.

If they intend for the gondolas to carry ECVs and strollers that are not folded up then this is probably not the kind of system they will be using.

 

[danikoski]

This video shows them loading a person in a racing wheelchair, and I assume he’s a wheel chair racer. I’d guess he’s much better at maneuvering than people who are just learning to drive an ECV. They also hold the car steady until he gets in. If they were to hold the car steady for a less agile person they would have to stop the gondola.

When loading the stroller they did not stop the car at all, but again, it was a jogging stroller, not the double strollers you see at Disney World.

If they intend for the gondolas to carry ECVs and strollers that are not folded up then this is probably not the kind of system they will be using.

Check out my post above where a gentleman in a power wheelchair used the Emirates system.

Also, the Emirates Air Line webpage has FAQs that indicate the size and weight of chairs the gondola can hold. The gondolas for that line appear to be very similar to the ones Disney is proposing...makes sense since the Emirates Air Line is a Dopplemayr cable car system as well.

Edit: Weight on Emirates is 300 kg with size 700 mm by 1300 mm, aka 661 lbs at 27.5 in by 51 in

 

[jknezek]

Just curious what the weight limit is per car. Pack a bunch of ECV's into a lot of cars and you have a real weight issue on the lines. I can see at best one, maybe two ECV's per car. Either way, I'm getting excited with all the new changes coming to WDW.

I just don't see this at all being a problem. If the lines are built for ECVs, and I completely expect that one will fit in a car, there is no way the cables aren't strong enough to hold an ECV and fully packed car, every car, that can fit. Things just aren't engineered otherwise and Disney isn't going to want CMs to have to count how many ECVs are on a given line at a given time because the liability of getting that wrong simply isn't worth it. The weight constraint won't be by line, but each car will have a maximum weight limit, and that will be higher than the limit for however many ECVs and total occupancy they are allowed. The sum total of the cars at a maximum weight will be less than the carrying capacity of the cable.

The only other constraint will probably be along the lines of Disney having a separate loading line for ECVs and wheelchairs and only loading one group from that line every other car or less, simply to keep the lines moving.

 

[DanBoris]

This video shows them loading a person in a racing wheelchair, and I assume he’s a wheel chair racer. I’d guess he’s much better at maneuvering than people who are just learning to drive an ECV. They also hold the car steady until he gets in. If they were to hold the car steady for a less agile person they would have to stop the gondola.

When loading the stroller they did not stop the car at all, but again, it was a jogging stroller, not the double strollers you see at Disney World.

If they intend for the gondolas to carry ECVs and strollers that are not folded up then this is probably not the kind of system they will be using.

Yes, I will admit this is a best case, but since he loads with zero effort, it can be assumed that even under worst case it will still be doable.

 

[Flyerjab]

Check out my post above where a gentleman in a power wheelchair used the Emirates system.

Also, the Emirates Air Line webpage has FAQs that indicate the size and weight of chairs the gondola can hold. The gondolas for that line appear to be very similar to the ones Disney is proposing...makes sense since the Emirates Air Line is a Dopplemayr cable car system as well.

Edit: Weight on Emirates is 300 kg with size 700 mm by 1300 mm, aka 661 lbs at 27.5 in by 51 in

When news of the gondola system was officially announced, an individual that works on cable car systems joined the wdwmagic forums. He has provided a lot of useful (and factual) information regarding the specific system that WDW purchased. He has never given an indication that there would be issues regarding ECVs.

 

[BoPeepDH]

Reliable sources have said that the plan is no buses on these routes. Whether they stick to that plan is another matter.

If true, I expect drops in occupancy rates in these properties. Googling statistics on acrophobia shows 7.5% of the population might be turned off by this idea.

 

[umichigan10]

If true, I expect drops in occupancy rates in these properties. Googling statistics on acrophobia shows 7.5% of the population might be turned off by this idea.

I think it would be made up by people who find the idea of easy transportation to two parks (one of which will have the hottest expansion in property history) appealing

 

[STLstone]

Below is a link to the cable car system in London reviewed by a gentleman who uses a power wheelchair. The London system was built by Dopplemayr. It is completely wheelchair accessible. The cabin looks pretty similar to what Disney has proposed in the drawings.

https://wheelchairtravel.org/london-cable-car-emirates-aviation-experience/

Also, there is information on the Emirates Air Line website (note:that's what the cable car line is called) that give dimensions and stats of what the gondola can hold.

http://www.emiratesairline.co.uk/faqs/

Based on this quote (below) from the review, it's probably a safe bet that these gondolas will handle ECVs, wheelchairs and strollers.

"Boarding the gondolas is easy, even in a large power wheelchair. Station staff will fold-up one or both of the seats inside the car to make room for you, and they can slow (or stop) the gondola's movement to ensure a safe boarding process."

 

[sachilles]

Some ski area, where mtn biking is done, do not load bikes on every chair. ECV's are not bikes, but in concept, every 3rd or 4th vehicle might be able to accommodate different riders. Perhaps the ecv can be loaded by trained staff, or even as far as having different style cabins on some sort of interval.
Create an ECV line in terminal, once you get five or so, stop the conveyance, load them all simultaneously, then start it up again. While a bit annoying, it could be done regularly. Many ski areas find themselves doing this in their beginner area, even with detachable lifts.
Bottom line is that this issue is not something that can not be overcome.

 

[skier_pete]

I was the one wondering if the gondola station design would give sufficient time. The wheelchairs are one thing, but my big thought was ECV issues.

I wonder if Disney will just INSIST the ECV person has to allow the CM to load and unload it. Perhaps the ECV even gets it's own car. In theory, if you have an ECV, it means you are still able to walk some amount, unlike a wheelchair.

I admit that I can't imagine them not designing it to be ADA compliant.

 

[danikoski]

I was the one wondering if the gondola station design would give sufficient time. The wheelchairs are one thing, but my big thought was ECV issues.

I wonder if Disney will just INSIST the ECV person has to allow the CM to load and unload it. Perhaps the ECV even gets it's own car. In theory, if you have an ECV, it means you are still able to walk some amount, unlike a wheelchair.

I admit that I can't imagine them not designing it to be ADA compliant.

If you go to the link below and scroll down towards the end of the article, there are schematics of the two stations for the Emirates Air Line. They aren't super huge.

Some other interesting information in the article indicates the build on the London system only took 15 months to design and build it.

Also, one of the stations in London is 2 stories. I'm still of the opinion if they wanted a quick way to add a ride to the UK pavilion, do a two story station and use the lower level for a ride. Probably not happening since the concept art looks like it will be single story.

http://www.lusas.com/case/civil/emirates_air_line.html

 

[LaRaine]

We are staying at Pop on January 30 and received an email about the construction of the gondola system. Can't wait to see what they have started- at first I thought the email was about the renovation of the rooms.

 

[HopperFan]

We are staying at Pop on January 30 and received an email about the construction of the gondola system. Can't wait to see what they have started- at first I thought the email was about the renovation of the rooms.

You may be disappointed, not much to see. This was about week and half ago.

bioreconstruct‏ @bioreconstruct
Current work on the Disney Skyliner station for Pop Century and Art of Animation.

 

[jbcheerchick93]

We rode in the Breckconnect gondolas just over Christmas this year. You can comfortably sit 8 people in a gondola there, and the skinny sides are used for loading as to allow more room for seating. They do have quite a bit o sway to them (they also go much higher than the WDW one would) and I felt quite nauseous at first. As with all ski lifts, operators are able to both slow and completely stop the loading areas and the entire cables, depending on the situation.

One ECV every 8 or so gondolas makes the most sense based on the spacing of the towers that we have seen so far. Otherwise there would be a lot of bouncing along the cables. Also, for anyone interested, evacuation is done by belaying down in a harness from the gondola. We were in with 4 mountain guides and my dad is Ski Patrol at another mountain.

 

[dina444444]

New Concept Art

PHOTOS: New Disney Skyliner Concept Art for Pop Century & Art of Animation Resorts Revealed