Gondolas...I just can’t figure this out

mickey0624

LET'S GO RANGERS!!!!!
Joined
Aug 2, 2006
so in regards to the gondolas being built. How are people boarding these? Will they stop every 2 minutes to load and unload passengers? Will it be like a ski lift where it never comes to a full stop? I just can’t figure this out. They’re continually moving right? So how do people get on and off?
 
But aren’t they supposed to hold like 15 people each? How in the world will they do that. It also closes. A ski lift is open. I can’t picture it.
 


Most gondola systems operate similarly to a ski lift with a few key differences.

The cable moves continuously to transport cars between stations. Once a car is in a station, a mechanism allows the car to be lifted off the moving cable and into a loading platform. Once passengers have disembarked and boarded, the car is placed back onto the main moving cable and leaves the station.

Under some circumstances, the main cable will stop. If too many cars accumulate on the loading platform and a station is unable to accept any more, that is called a "station backup." Then, the main cable must be stopped before the next car arrives, and cannot be restarted until the next car is dispatched.
 
The last I read, each car will hold 8 people. I'm sure the CMs will be pushing to load each car as quickly as possible.
From a purely personal point of view, I am not happy with making the IG at EPCOT busier. I like having a quiet, almost private entrance.
 


The last I read, each car will hold 8 people. I'm sure the CMs will be pushing to load each car as quickly as possible.
From a purely personal point of view, I am not happy with making the IG at EPCOT busier. I like having a quiet, almost private entrance.

I like it as a quick private entrance too. If it's going to become a major entry hub, they'll probably need to use some of the extra land they have there to build more ticket booths, security screening tables, and touch points.
 
From a purely personal point of view, I am not happy with making the IG at EPCOT busier. I like having a quiet, almost private entrance.

Same. I love the IG, and almost always stay around Epcot. I will miss the quietness of the IG. Even if they do add more ticket booths (which I think they will need to do), the quaintness of it will be lost.
 
At any loading point the car will come off the main cable and move very slowly along a secondary track (think loading at Haunted Mansion) and then reattach to the main cable.
 
After staying at BW last week, I'm more concerned about the walkway to DHS. The way the station is being built, there isn't an obvious area for the walkway. The station goes out to the lake area, and way into the old parking area. So, it would look as if we will have a much longer walk. But, hopefully, I'm wrong.
The IG is going to be impacted, yes. There is plenty of room to add more bag check and touch points. I'm hoping that they have dedicated lines for Epcot resort guests. Perhaps they'll change where we go through bag check, kind of like at the CR or other MK resorts.
 
A slower People Mover.....I have to check it all out first......how high, how fast, etc. etc. I am not happy about the changes at the IG entrance.......but time will tell
 
After staying at BW last week, I'm more concerned about the walkway to DHS. The way the station is being built, there isn't an obvious area for the walkway. The station goes out to the lake area, and way into the old parking area. So, it would look as if we will have a much longer walk. But, hopefully, I'm wrong.
The IG is going to be impacted, yes. There is plenty of room to add more bag check and touch points. I'm hoping that they have dedicated lines for Epcot resort guests. Perhaps they'll change where we go through bag check, kind of like at the CR or other MK resorts.

The Disney Dish Podcast discussed this issue and they wondered how they are going to handle the much larger number people at the IG. Just consider how many hotels will now use this as their EPCOT entrance. Big bottleneck.
 
I have to chime in that I am not found of how it will impact IG. We stayed at YC last week. It was so lovely to walk up and be through security in about 2 minutes. There was rarely anyone coming in and out when we entered.

I know Disney has their reasons for everything that they do but the Gondolas at IG does take away from the quiet and quaintness of the entry.
 
I’m excited that the additional people will make the Boardwalk area more vibrant.

This.. IG and Epcot Resorts Area is one of the of the best kept secrets of WDW so I can see why long-time loyal guests to these resorts may be disappointed, with that said, if anything the increased volume of guests entering via IG will again put BWI and Y&B back in the spotlight as premiere resorts, perhaps even the street performers at BW will be brought back and the area will finally again feel more vibrant as this area once did when the resorts first opened.

As far as IG being an "exclusive" entrance to Epcot, IG has always been open to all guests including non-resort guests so that really hasn't changed. If you stay at BWI or Y&B you will still be able to walk over to IG and enjoy the convenience of being at the doorstep of Epcot, that hasn't changed regardless of more people entering through that area or any expansions that may happen.
 
After staying at BW last week, I'm more concerned about the walkway to DHS. The way the station is being built, there isn't an obvious area for the walkway. The station goes out to the lake area, and way into the old parking area. So, it would look as if we will have a much longer walk. But, hopefully, I'm wrong.
The IG is going to be impacted, yes. There is plenty of room to add more bag check and touch points. I'm hoping that they have dedicated lines for Epcot resort guests. Perhaps they'll change where we go through bag check, kind of like at the CR or other MK resorts.
I'm going to make a W.A.G. and say that they'll want the Gondola system just as secure as they want the monorail so they'll do a bag check before guests load it. Since it's being built with this in mind, it shouldn't suffer the same design flaw the security check departing the monorail at Epcot suffers, seeing how that was built after security checks were set up.
So I feel pretty certain they will have a security check for all guests who board the Gondola at their Resorts, similar to how it's done for the monorail
Then those guests will dump out inside the secure zone at Epcot.
The guests walking over to IG will be checked outside that area, much like those arriving via Bus are checked at the MK.
That leaves the boat ramp and the way it's set up it can easily be opened at a different end than it is now so guests are directed differently.
It wouldn't really be hard to configure at all, not if it's done at the onset.
That won't fix the turnstiles themselves but I still think there's bound to be something in the works there too. Especially if you consider the bag check portion should be removed.
 

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