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

[Iowamomof4]

I just realized how much easier it will be to visit each of these resorts now! Stopping by AoA for pictures or a meal at Landscape of Flavors will be so convenient!

 

[Tigger's ally]

I just realized how much easier it will be to visit each of these resorts now! Stopping by AoA for pictures or a meal at Landscape of Flavors will be so convenient!

Yeah, thinking that rooftop restaurant @ the Riviera will be a hard ticket for fireworks.

 

[beer dave]

Yeah, thinking that rooftop restaurant @ the Riviera will be a hard ticket for fireworks.

or more likely a DVC exclusive for members staying at the Riviera on points........at least at first...... until they sell out.....

 

[Tigger's ally]

or more likely a DVC exclusive for members staying at the Riviera on points........at least at first...... until they sell out.....

IF it were just a bar then I would think that, but a full service deluxe restaurant similar to Cali grill as exclusive for DVC? Not sure they would want to set those limits. I could definitely be wrong though.

 

[beer dave]

IF it were just a bar then I would think that, but a full service deluxe restaurant similar to Cali grill as exclusive for DVC? Not sure they would want to set those limits. I could definitely be wrong though.

ok then maybe after 8 they stop dinners and have the viewing and drinks / apps only...... but I can't see them having a restaurant on top of a DVC resort open to the general public...... they need a reason for points to sell.

 

[skier_pete]

ok then maybe after 8 they stop dinners and have the viewing and drinks / apps only...... but I can't see them having a restaurant on top of a DVC resort open to the general public...... they need a reason for points to sell.

IDK - I tend to think if it's a true restaurant, it will be open to the general public. Most DVC resorts have restaurants that are open to everyone. What I COULD see them doing is putting a lounge level on top of / next to the restaurant that would be DVC only. Similar to how Contemporary has Cali Grille but Bay Lake Tower has the Top of the World Lounge.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

IDK - I tend to think if it's a true restaurant, it will be open to the general public. Most DVC resorts have restaurants that are open to everyone. What I COULD see them doing is putting a lounge level on top of / next to the restaurant that would be DVC only. Similar to how Contemporary has Cali Grille but Bay Lake Tower has the Top of the World Lounge.

I always though gut it was going to be like what was at the top of BLT - would it be big enough for both? A full restaurant and a private Lounge?

Or maybe it is one combined thing but one area is only for DVC people (sort of like if one of the observation decks at CA Grill was only for DVC)

 

[beer dave]

IDK - I tend to think if it's a true restaurant, it will be open to the general public. Most DVC resorts have restaurants that are open to everyone. What I COULD see them doing is putting a lounge level on top of / next to the restaurant that would be DVC only. Similar to how Contemporary has Cali Grille but Bay Lake Tower has the Top of the World Lounge.

Maybe---- or they use the restaurant open to all to solicit sales to potential members who show they can afford the new DVC rates by dinning at the expensive restaurant.......

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Maybe---- or they use the restaurant open to all to solicit sales to potential members who show they can afford the new DVC rates by dinning at the expensive restaurant.......

hahah - when you get your bill "did you know? - the cost of this meal is the same as a monthly payment on a DVC contract to this resort if you finance through Disney!"

 

[WEDWDW]

Here comes Disney Skyliner!
http://www.orlandoparksnews.com/2018/02/photos-first-gondola-support-spotted.html

 

[rteetz]

Starting to see what the poles will look like...

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

 

[jknezek]

Starting to see what the poles will look like...

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

I feel like they are moving on this faster than I thought they would. That's not a frequent occurrence for a big Disney capex project.

 

[dina444444]

I feel like they are moving on this faster than I thought they would. That's not a frequent occurrence for a big Disney capex project.

Gondolas at ski resorts usually take two off seasons to build so this only being an 18 month or less project isn’t unrealistic.

 

[DanBoris]

I feel like they are moving on this faster than I thought they would. That's not a frequent occurrence for a big Disney capex project.

The stations still have along way to go.

 

[jknezek]

The stations still have along way to go.

True, but the stations from the artwork aren't really grandiose type buildings. More utilitarian like the monorail stations. I don't really expect the gondola to open before the Riviera, but I'm still impressed at the way they've gone after this. It takes years to revamp a dark ride, looking at you FEA, but they can run an entire transportation system across multiple hotels, parks, and stations in what looks like 18-24 months.

 

[skier_pete]

Well, i think there's a good chance these are all open next spring. They don't need Star Wars up and running to have the gondolas a go.

 

[CosmicGirl]

Based on the expertise shared by someone named Lift Blog on WDWMagic we know that a system on a mountain can be built in one Summer season, but that also means that the demand for workers is much higher in those months. This is the "off" season for building ski lifts, so they may have more workers available for WDW now than they will in the Spring and Summer. The FL terrain also makes it a very different project than building on a mountain. The foundations in Hour Glass Lake have also taken up much more time than those on CBR territory.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

True, but the stations from the artwork aren't really grandiose type buildings. More utilitarian like the monorail stations. I don't really expect the gondola to open before the Riviera, but I'm still impressed at the way they've gone after this. It takes years to revamp a dark ride, looking at you FEA, but they can run an entire transportation system across multiple hotels, parks, and stations in what looks like 18-24 months.

Well, when you can immediately jack up the room rates at a number of resorts it tends to motivate things

 

[tlmadden73]

Well, when you can immediately jack up the room rates at a number of resorts it tends to motivate things

Exactly .. I already feel that the Art of Animation prices aren't even close to the "value" price range due to its popularity, I can't imagine what that and Pop Century prices will be like now that it has direct non-bus transportation access to TWO parks (one of which is going to be REALLY popular in a year's time).

I wonder though how speedy it will be to use this mode of transport (over a bus) .. Will Disney cut bus service to DHS and Epcot from these resorts because there is another viable transportation available .. I mean you can't get a bus from Epcot to the Yacht or Beach Club, right? Don't they expect you to take the boat?). I am curious to see how fast continuous (but small) gondolas get you to the parks (considering you will probably have to wait in a long line to get on a gondola in the busy morning with two large resorts feeding into it.

 

[skier_pete]

Exactly .. I already feel that the Art of Animation prices aren't even close to the "value" price range due to its popularity, I can't imagine what that and Pop Century prices will be like now that it has direct non-bus transportation access to TWO parks (one of which is going to be REALLY popular in a year's time).

I wonder though how speedy it will be to use this mode of transport (over a bus) .. Will Disney cut bus service to DHS and Epcot from these resorts because there is another viable transportation available .. I mean you can't get a bus from Epcot to the Yacht or Beach Club, right? Don't they expect you to take the boat?). I am curious to see how fast continuous (but small) gondolas get you to the parks (considering you will probably have to wait in a long line to get on a gondola in the busy morning with two large resorts feeding into it.

The service will likely be faster than a bus. And yes, I think the expectations are they will cut the bus service to these resorts. (There's been lots of arguments about that, but I can't believe they aren't factoring in that cost savings.) I've presented the calculations elsewhere, but the gondolas should give about double the capacity of buses overall to / from these 4 resorts. (Assuming Gondola capacity around 2400 / hour each way.) The advantage is where you used to have to wait anywhere from 2 to 30 minutes for your bus, now your wait time will be essentially nil except maybe at park closing. So the transition time might still be 10 minutes, but the wait time is eliminated from the equation. And especially at a resort like CBR where you have to ride the bus around to 7 different stops - now that's gone. Pop/AOA might not be as good, because you may have to get off and back on at the CBR station. (No one know exactly how they are doing this.)