That didn't take long...Skyliner Accident

[DisneyRobin]

Does anyone want to speculate how long it could be before they are up and running again?

That’s what I’m wondering!

 

[suemom2kay]

We were at WDW a few weeks ago and leaving Magic Kingdom after the MK After Hours event. 9/19 I think. The wait for a bus was really long and finally a CM came by to tell us that the buses were delayed due to a monorail malfunction on a bridge close to Epcot that had traffic closed so buses and other transportation couldn’t get through. Once a bus finally got there to pick us up, we passed the monorail that was at the root of the problem. There were several fire trucks, rescue vehicles, police cars and buses as they were using the buckets on the fire trucks to get passengers off the monorail. A couple days later a driver of a Minnie Van said it took 3 hours to get everyone off the malfunctioning monorail.

Correct. So it took 3 hours to rescue an entire train vs 3 hours to rescue 6 gondola vehicles. Assuming 8-10 per vehicle, that’s 48-60 people. Not the same scenario.

 

[UmmGooD]

Correct. So it took 3 hours to rescue an entire train vs 3 hours to rescue 6 gondola vehicles. Assuming 8-10 per vehicle, that’s 48-60 people. Not the same scenario.

Yeah I don't think people understand the issue with the evacuations. I really want this to work but right now I am not confident that Disney can get everyone off of the gondolas before there is severe medical issues. The great thing about this event is that they were able to get the line moving again AND that is the reason they were able to get everyone off. If the line doesn't move how do they get the people off? Given the amount of time it took just to get 6 cars unloaded this seems like the biggest issue. I don't have any clue how many cars are on the line in the air at a time but when I was there 2 weeks a go it was overwhelming how many cars are up in the air. I couldn't imagine 27 fire fighters working around the clock could get everyone off in a reasonable amount of time.

Now from what I can tell they seem to have reports of a monorail evac every year or so. Could you imagine if that is the frequency of the skyliner evacs?

What they need is a gondola cube on top of a scissor lift.

They can't get the scissor lift under all the cars. If they are over a slope or on soggy soil it would be impossible to get it safely up to the gondola. Not to mention if the gondola is over water or next to a pole or over a tree or planter. That is why they were using a ladder truck. They can have the truck on stable ground and have the ladder at an angle up to the gondola.

 

[chris4disney]

We booked the Caribbean Beach just last week for our January trip, specifically to use the Skyliner. Yesterday after seeing the news about the accident I quickly changed our reservation to Coronado. If the skyliner is still not up and running by January... or at least been up and running relatively smoothly prior to our trip, I have no desire then to stay at Caribbean. I wonder how many other people have changed their resort or are considering changing like us?

 

[luvsJack]

l
Okay?

A problem. With the highest point being 60 feet. not everyone was stuck that high. And it was after dark.

"Just"? Seriously? That one or more staffers even thought of emergency packs is impressive.

It's too bad this happened, but now people prone to panic attacks or with medical issues, are or should be aware of the potential, and can make informe transportation choices.

Well, if it's a once thing, great! It's over and done! If it's a once or twice thing, still great. It's half over.

Entirely different routes, so no lf you mean eventuallt, possibly. But i always makes absolute sense to ask specific questions. It's how to get the best answers.

No, imo not "A" problem. It is the biggest problem. No one was hurt in the accident. So everyone wants to harp on that its no big deal because no one was hurt. Being stuck in the air with a swaying gondola and no way out or down IS a problem. Whether its 60 ft or 30 ft is totally irrelevant. If its not "open the door and let me get out" height, it can be a problem.

Yes just. Sorry not impressed.

Oh, so they have built this "wonderful transportation alternative" but a good 2/3 or more of their guests shouldn't use it. Yes, great use of the millions they spent.

I am failing to understand your last sentence but I was responding to another poster who made a statement as though the Skyliner was a wonderful alternative to the monorail.

The fact that you are twisting this incident around into good thing blows my mind. LOL maybe you should apply for a PR job with Disney.

 

[DisneyDar]

Gondolas moving through Rivera move slow enough to allow guests in ECV to load and unload without the need to stop the skyliner. CMs were reportedly stopping the Skyliner every time a guest in an ECV entered and left a gondola at Riviera. I wonder if the system, as designed, can handle E-Stops every few minutes without subjecting some components to extra stress.

A friend who rode this past week, with a baby and stroller said there was extremely difficult getting off with the stroller and her family in the time allotted when the car slowed down coming into the station, and she is on the young side.

 

[TavieP]

I grew up on Roosevelt Island, in Manhattan, and I remember this happening back in 2006 - it's many years between major tram mid-trip breakdowns and those things carry tens of thousands of passengers a day, back and forth over the East River. Actually, my experience on the RI tram in the summertime was enough to make me want to avoid the Skyliner (I know, I know, the breeze makes it cooler- but not when it's stopped in the air for 3 hours at a time!)

Really glad everyone got out safe, but I'm appalled at how Disney's handled the situation. Not announcing to the stuck passengers what was happening? Not okay. Making them sign releases (presumably waiving their right to sue) and then handing them $200 gift cards and likely useless-for-most-people park tickets? Not okay. Making them wander around looking for buses instead of having Minnievans ready to take each party back to their respective resorts? Not okay. Lying about the nature in the incident repeatedly? COME ON, GUYS.

 

[ScubaCat]

There are always kinks to be worked out. Unit and system testing is fine, but nothing will test like running in a full production system.

Exactly, same goes for anything technical. And nothing brings out the hatorade, trolls, and whiners like Disney doing something wrong.

I get that many people are afraid of heights. It's fine, no problem. I just don't know why so many need to remind me of their personal issues with heights (as if I cared the first time) every time something off the ground has an issue. If you don't want to ride the skyliner, no problem. One less person in line I have to contend with.

It's a new thing, it sucked what happened, could have been handled better, probably will next time, nobody died, we move on. They'll work out the kinks soon enough and we'll be on to the next outrage.

 

[Lewisc]

Making them sign releases (presumably waiving their right to sue) and then handing them $200 gift cards and likely useless-for-most-people park tickets? Not okay. Making them wander around looking for buses instead of having Minnievans ready to take each party back to their respective resorts? Not okay. Lying about the nature in the incident repeatedly? COME ON, GUYS.

I read the gift card was $100 per person. I read guests were just handed the gift card and ticket. No mention of a release.

Do you have a link?

 

[TavieP]

I read the gift card was $100 per person. I read guests were just handed the gift card and ticket. No mention of a release.

Do you have a link?

Twitter thread here (read replies as well): https://twitter.com/RecoTheFolf/status/1180694343881052161?s=20

 

[hyperballad]

No idea what they did over water. Can’t find any reports of those rescued over water. Reedy Creek said they complained about not enough manpower for rescues and concerns about water rescues. And here we are with the first crash on day 6.

They have a specially adapted boat with the crane on.

 

[kaytieeldr]

No, imo not "A" problem. It is the biggest problem. No one was hurt in the accident. So everyone wants to harp on that its no big deal because no one was hurt.

When there is a "biggest" anything, there have to be multiples of that thing. That's how comparative words work. So yes, a problem. Where it ranks among the problems is 100% subjective.

Being stuck in the air with a swaying gondola and no way out or down IS a problem.

.
No immediate way down, sure. Again, A problem. But it's not the devastating tragedy some are wanting about.

Whether its 60 ft or 30 ft is totally irrelevant.

It is relevant when it is presented as the only possibility.

Yes just. Sorry not impressed.

Okay? Wasn't trying to impress. Anyone who doesn't trust the Skyliner shouldn't ride it.

Oh, so they have built this "wonderful transportation alternative" but a good 2/3 or more of their guests shouldn't use it. Yes, great use of the millions they spent.

Two thirds? Sources, please.

The fact that you are twisting this incident around into good thing blows my mind.

The fact that you are reading my reasonable statements as "twisting this incident..." blows my mind. Or would, if my mind literally exploded. But it won't . I'm not 17, and this isn't the 60s.

 

[Heather07438]

What if SkyLiner continues to be offline indefinitely for months? SkyLiner resort guests would have decent grounds to gripe, especially Riviera DVC buyers with December bookings. Nothing at WDW's guaranteed but there's reasonable expectation to use SkyLiner transportation after paying resort prices specifically increased for that ability.

News this weekend regarding safety/reliability is enough to reconsider paying extra for those resorts. Guests already booked can try to change resorts but before the new year not much is available, leading some to cancel or push out their date.
Big headache for Disney! Worsened with negative perception of GE still lingering.

 

[kaytieeldr]

What if SkyLiner continues to be offline indefinitely for months?

What if my grandmother had wheels? She'd be a trolley car.

Maybe not worry so much about "if" until more information is available?

 

[Heather07438]

What if my grandmother had wheels? She'd be a trolley car.

Maybe not worry so much about "if" until more information is available?

That's easy to say if you don't have a reservation.

 

[ScubaCat]

A friend who rode this past week, with a baby and stroller said there was extremely difficult getting off with the stroller and her family in the time allotted when the car slowed down coming into the station, and she is on the young side.

It does seem like they could have made the loading platforms a little longer. That's just my perception from what I've seen, but another car length or two would make a huge difference. If you pack in 10 people and not everyone is quick, there could be an issue. That's likely why they have to stop it so often.

What if SkyLiner continues to be offline indefinitely for months?

I seriously doubt it'll be that long. They obviously know about where the failure is (somewhere along the track in the riviera station) and should be able to identify and correct the issue plus complete whatever test protocol is necessary in pretty short time. I'd guess a couple of weeks, not months. Every day that goes by without it operational will look worse and worse.

 

[luvsJack]

When there is a "biggest" anything, there have to be multiples of that thing. That's how comparative words work. So yes, a problem. Where it ranks among the problems is 100% subjective.
.
No immediate way down, sure. Again, A problem. But it's not the devastating tragedy some are wanting about.

It is relevant when it is presented as the only possibility.

Okay? Wasn't trying to impress. Anyone who doesn't trust the Skyliner shouldn't ride it.

Two thirds? Sources, please.

The fact that you are reading my reasonable statements as "twisting this incident..." blows my mind. Or would, if my mind literally exploded. But it won't . I'm not 17, and this isn't the 60s.

Not that kind of comparing. People being stranded in the air and it taking 3 hours to evacuate the few they did, that is a bigger problem than the accident overall in the incident. They could have had multiply medical emergencies in that time.

3 hours isn't immediate. Its not a devastating tragedy, no. But it IS something they need to fix.

Ok, "up to 60 ft in the air" still irrelevant.

I didn't mean you don't impress. The staff being so ingenious as to think of emergency packs does not impress.

You well know there is not "source" for how many people in a given time at WDW are disabled, elderly, MAY have a medical emergency (How would that even be counted?) or a panic attack (again, how do you count that unless they actually have one?).

Reasonable? That sentence isn't even reasonable.

 

[sam_gordon]

Being stuck in the air with a swaying gondola and no way out or down IS a problem. Whether its 60 ft or 30 ft is totally irrelevant. If its not "open the door and let me get out" height, it can be a problem.

Why does the swaying matter? If someone is bothered by potential swaying, they shouldn't be on the gondolas to begin with IMO. If someone is bothered because they can't immediately open the door and get out, then they shouldn't ride the monorail either.

 

[luvsJack]

What if my grandmother had wheels? She'd be a trolley car.

Maybe not worry so much about "if" until more information is available?

The poster asked a legitimate question that may have bearing on their own reservation. Really no reason to be snarky. I mean considering that the resort prices just went up with the opening of Skyliner and now if its down for months people will be paying more without the benefit.

 

[luvsJack]

Why does the swaying matter? If someone is bothered by potential swaying, they shouldn't be on the gondolas to begin with IMO. If someone is bothered because they can't immediately open the door and get out, then they shouldn't ride the monorail either.

It could matter very much to someone having a panic attack. So that's Disney's defense? You shouldn't have been on it anyway? Seriously? Here we have this brand new transportation that is being heavily advertised and the CM's are pushing but if someone has a panic attack in a situation like this, you seriously think their defense should be "well you shouldn't have been on it anyway"?