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

[joelkfla]

Switching would be tricky since there is a limit to how many cars can be on each line, so to be able to switch cars from one line to another would probably require running the lines well below capacity so there was always room to do the switches.

Not necessarily, but a cabin wanting to transfer to a line might have to wait until an empty cabin comes along on the destination line that could take it's place on the originating line. So there would need to be some track where the cabin could wait, like we've seen a cabin coming off the secondary loading area wait just short of the return switch until an incoming cabin is switched out. There's the possibility that a sending line might have to slow down or stop if that waiting track fills up.

I'm sure this intricate dance could all be coordinated by computer, but it's probably a new, untested use of the switching technology. And it complicates the loading process, with passengers needing to be segregated by destination, and the cm needing to tell the computer where each cabin is going.

ETA: It also creates the 3-legged "wall", with CBR Guests needing to walk under, over, or around lines to get to some platforms.

 

[Mikey15]

I'm looking forward to seeing it in action but I don't expect the "OMG, I have to transfer" experience to be that bad. You're not going down and back up stairs. You're not going from one end of a bus terminal or airport terminal to another.

Get off one loop and it's a short walk to the next loop. With continuous loading too, it probably won't be too bad either for crowding up. What remains to be seen is how people-traffic will be guided inside the station. There will theoretically be X-traffic between people coming from Pop/AoA heading to DHS and people coming from DHS heading to CBR exit or Riviera/Epcot, so I don't know if CMs will be directing people or if it'll just work out that traffic heading to DHS and traffic leaving DHS won't peak at the same time.

[Edit]Found an angle where you can see in the station / how close the gondola loops are:

 

[fla4fun]

That is what I think will end up happening. It is what I see as the minimum level of service they will shoot for. Combining routes. It;ll be inconvenient but there will still be an option for people that just refuse to use the gondola.

Combining routes has always been my thought as well, especially since the three affected resorts are basically all grouped together geographically. They could combine CBR, Pop and AoA, visiting each resort once per hour and then hit both parks. They won’t want it to be as convenient as the gondolas, but having an already designated and operating bus route will help them to ramp up quickly when the gondolas have to shut down for summer storms.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Personally, I don't see them combining routes (but willing to be proven wrong.) I more so see them sending buses less frequently, especially in the morning and at park closing.

I've been at Pop when there were 5 Epcot buses that showed up back to back in about a 12 minute period. I can see them decreasing this to 1 bus in that same time period. Same for DHS.

Disney's standard is that a bus should arrive within 20 minutes. I've seen it be longer than that but it's not the norm in my experience. I'm not sure if the '20 mins' will change for the Skyliner resorts. That's still to be determined but I believe they'll decrease the frequency before they combine routes.

As I say, I could be totally wrong but this is what I'm thinking for now.

 

[NotUrsula]

One thing to remember when we talk about bus capacity; the buses currently run with quite a few standees for several hours a day. I'm sure that has been a thorn in the side of WDW's risk management folks for some time. It really isn't all that safe to run buses that way, particularly when the passengers are folks who are not accustomed to standing on a moving vehicle. (Like it or not, the perception of Disney as having Very Deep Pockets in terms of litigation is a common one; the average person is likely to think that a lawsuit against Disney will be more lucrative than one against the Chicago Transit Authority, for instance.)

What that implies is that it is beneficial to Disney from a risk-management POV to simply reduce the load factor of the buses; they don't have to eliminate them entirely to reap a benefit. The other benefit in managing a simple reduction in capacity is getting the pressure off HR to hire enough drivers, as they are in short supply in the Orlando area.

Also, as a PP pointed out, Dopplmayr benefits greatly by the US exposure this system will bring. I would say that (assuming it is as successful as is hoped) Disney does as well. Anything Disney can do right now that is seen as ground-breaking in the US is a good thing from a PR POV. (I think that SWGE's kind of less-than-awe-inspiring attendance numbers at DLR are a blow as well; much as I love SW, it's still a 50 year-old franchise -- hardly cutting edge. It's a reliable steady income-producer, but its blockbuster days are behind us, I think.)

 

[joelkfla]

Get off one loop and it's a short walk to the next loop. With continuous loading too, it probably won't be too bad either for crowding up. What remains to be seen is how people-traffic will be guided inside the station. There will theoretically be X-traffic between people coming from Pop/AoA heading to DHS and people coming from DHS heading to CBR exit or Riviera/Epcot, so I don't know if CMs will be directing people or if it'll just work out that traffic heading to DHS and traffic leaving DHS won't peak at the same time.

I think they chose the direction of the lines to minimize cross traffic in the station at park exit.

Guests traveling from DHS to Pop or Riviera load on the side nearest DHS. Guests traveling from Epcot to Pop merge with the Guests coming from DHS, but cross the path only of Guests traveling from DHS to Riviera.

In the morning, Guests traveling from Riviera to DHS will have to cross the path of Guests traveling from Pop to Epcot, but traffic will hopefully be more spread out in the morning.

 

[Spaceguy55]

Personally, I don't see them combining routes (but willing to be proven wrong.) I more so see them sending buses less frequently, especially in the morning and at park closing.

I've been at Pop when there were 5 Epcot buses that showed up back to back in about a 12 minute period. I can see them decreasing this to 1 bus in that same time period. Same for DHS.

Disney's standard is that a bus should arrive within 20 minutes. I've seen it be longer than that but it's not the norm in my experience. I'm not sure if the '20 mins' will change for the Skyliner resorts. That's still to be determined but I believe they'll decrease the frequency before they combine routes.

As I say, I could be totally wrong but this is what I'm thinking for now.

One thing to remember when we talk about bus capacity; the buses currently run with quite a few standees for several hours a day. I'm sure that has been a thorn in the side of WDW's risk management folks for some time. It really isn't all that safe to run buses that way, particularly when the passengers are folks who are not accustomed to standing on a moving vehicle. (Like it or not, the perception of Disney as having Very Deep Pockets in terms of litigation is a common one; the average person is likely to think that a lawsuit against Disney will be more lucrative than one against the Chicago Transit Authority, for instance.)

What that implies is that it is beneficial to Disney from a risk-management POV to simply reduce the load factor of the buses; they don't have to eliminate them entirely to reap a benefit. The other benefit in managing a simple reduction in capacity is getting the pressure off HR to hire enough drivers, as they are in short supply in the Orlando area.

Also, as a PP pointed out, Dopplmayr benefits greatly by the US exposure this system will bring. I would say that (assuming it is as successful as is hoped) Disney does as well. Anything Disney can do right now that is seen as ground-breaking in the US is a good thing from a PR POV. (I think that SWGE's kind of less-than-awe-inspiring attendance numbers at DLR are a blow as well; much as I love SW, it's still a 50 year-old franchise -- hardly cutting edge. It's a reliable steady income-producer, but its blockbuster days are behind us, I think.)

I made these points a couple hundred or so pages back and even bet some Mickey Bars on it.. the buses will stay the same but less crowded and safer

 

[Mikey15]

I think they chose the direction of the lines to minimize cross traffic in the station at park exit.
View attachment 422041
Guests traveling from DHS to Pop or Riviera load on the side nearest DHS. Guests traveling from Epcot to Pop merge with the Guests coming from DHS, but cross the path only of Guests traveling from DHS to Riviera.

In the morning, Guests traveling from Riviera to DHS will have to cross the path of Guests traveling from Pop to Epcot, but traffic will hopefully be more spread out in the morning.

All this time how did I never realize the Epcot line was clockwise? I just figured they were all CCW.

 

[thegales]

These are not public yet. They were posted on WDWmagic. Along with the SWGE map.

My MDE shows the gondolas (with little shadows) and SWGE. Very exciting. Per the Apple App store, MDE has not been updated recently on my phone.

 

[rteetz]

My MDE shows the gondolas (with little shadows) and SWGE. Very exciting. Per the Apple App store, MDE has not been updated recently on my phone.

They were updated today.

 

[Jorjabelle]

Thanks for heads up! It’s pretty cool seeing the Skyliner on the App. I think this will be my favorite free ride in WDW. Mood determined by the wrap.

 

[Weedy]

One step closer seeing it on the app. I’m so excited

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Tweet contains bits of video of gondolas running in the rain

https://twitter.com/x/status/1157489483945828352

 

[Sandiz08]

They are going much faster than I anticipated they’d be, especially in the rain. This will be a very efficient mode of transportation since it’s continuous.

 

[scrappinginontario]

Tweet contains bits of video of gondolas running in the rain

https://twitter.com/x/status/1157489483945828352

Great video!! Lots of angles and locations that I hadn’t seen before. Thanks for sharing!

 

[OKW Lover]

Tweet contains bits of video of gondolas running in the rain

https://twitter.com/x/status/1157489483945828352

Very interesting. I hadn't realized how many different locations in Epcot where you might catch a glimpse of the gondolas. Still not really visually intrusive.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Very interesting. I hadn't realized how many different locations in Epcot where you might catch a glimpse of the gondolas. Still not really visually intrusive.

yeah, i still feel like it will be one of those things where if you are going out of your way to try to see the skyliner form inside EPCOT you will be able to at a few spots, but if you aren't looking for them you will likely never notice

One exception may be that new courtyard being built in the back of France for the Rat ride as it looks like they go right over it or darn close to that - so might be more ore intrusive there and the IG area in general.

 

[Lewisc]

Personally, I don't see them combining routes (but willing to be proven wrong.) I more so see them sending buses less frequently, especially in the morning and at park closing.

I've been at Pop when there were 5 Epcot buses that showed up back to back in about a 12 minute period. I can see them decreasing this to 1 bus in that same time period. Same for DHS.

Disney's standard is that a bus should arrive within 20 minutes. I've seen it be longer than that but it's not the norm in my experience. I'm not sure if the '20 mins' will change for the Skyliner resorts. That's still to be determined but I believe they'll decrease the frequency before they combine routes.

As I say, I could be totally wrong but this is what I'm thinking for now.

JMO, long term bus service duplicating Skyliner is toast.

I don't see Disney going to scheduled bus service, say hourly. I don't see Disney changing frequency so guests might be expected to wait 45 minutes. Bus service is dynamic. I think Disney will combine routes, having one bus service POP and AoA is real easy, on the fly. Small number of waiting guests will suggest the bus will service both resorts. Other times only one resort.

You want predictions. First step, only one pickup point at CBR, guests will have to walk or use internal buses. That will make it easier to have one bus service CBR and Riviera. Second step, non peak times a bus will service all 4 resorts.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

NEWS/PHOTOS

https://twitter.com/x/status/1158005126814216193

We check into POP on Tuesday - still holding out hope we get at least one ride on them as soft opeening (though I know not likely)

 

[firefly_ris]

They have done a really nice job on the theming of each of the stations. They all look quite sharp. I think my favorites are DHS and International Gateway.