gondola question

disneyworldsk

DIS Veteran
Joined
Jul 10, 2014
booked a gondola resort and i am concerned my husband may be motion sick and not be able to ride. anyone have motion sick and how can i know beforehand if he will be? hard to predict but maybe people can advise....
 
If you're worried he may be motion sick, I recommend your first ride be from CBR on the Epcot line, to the Riviera. This is an extremely short ride, so a good way to trial it, but be able to get off quickly if it doesn't go well. I've heard the line from Pop/AOA to CBR is also pretty short.

I recommend riding at a slow time off day (any time between 10a and 5p) and requesting a gondola alone, and one that isn't wrapped. The private gondola will assure you don't have someone trying to sway it (though they aren't easily swayed) and the non-wrapped ones are easier to see out of to keep your sense of orientation. Sit forward facing in the direction it's going.

All told, I'm not someone who gets motion sick easily, but when it's off the track, I find it smoother than a car ride. I would think it would be harder for someone afraid of heights.
 
I am in an FB group for Pop Century and one member posted they she has motion sickness and the Skyliner did not bother her at all, said the ride was so smooth.
 
I have motion sickness and rode the gondola twice, once from HS and once from Epcot, to Pop both times and didn't feel the least bit sick.
 


if we are alone per request can we all sit forward facing (which is a great idea) or does the gondola weight have to be evenly distributed?
 
and...if i am at the riviera, and want a short ride to test it out, what would that be: where am i actually going first and can i get off there and is it far?
 
if we are alone per request can we all sit forward facing (which is a great idea) or does the gondola weight have to be evenly distributed?
Yes, you can all sit forward facing - the only restriction would be if your party is larger than the 4-5 adults the benches hold.
and...if i am at the riviera, and want a short ride to test it out, what would that be: where am i actually going first and can i get off there and is it far?
If you're at the Riviera and want a test ride, you want to go to the Caribbean Beach Resort. It's a very short ride - probably less than five minutes. You will have to get off there as it's the end of the line. Then you can decide whether to get back on the same line and go back to Riviera (or continue on to Epcot) or to get on another line, going either to Pop/AoA or to DHS. If you don't want to ride the Skyliner anymore, you'll have to ask a CM how to get back to Riviera or wherever you want to go from there.
 


when it's off the track, I find it smoother than a car ride.

When it's off the track? What track? Are you referring to the guides/bumpers, etc, when it comes off the cable at the station? Or when it is actually on the cable?
 
When it's off the track? What track? Are you referring to the guides/bumpers, etc, when it comes off the cable at the station? Or when it is actually on the cable?

The overhead guides, bumps. It's mildly bumpy going on and off the guides at the stations, and there are some bumps when going over the wheels are the posts, but when just soaring along on the wire, super smooth.
 
When it's off the track? What track? Are you referring to the guides/bumpers, etc, when it comes off the cable at the station? Or when it is actually on the cable?
While in the stations, the cabins do roll along an overhead track, propelled by tires or chain-like conveyors.
 
I think you are probably worrying about a non-event. I find riding a disney bus much more disorienting than the Skyliner. If you can ride the bus, or a backseat in an Uber then you should be able to ride the Skyliner with even less disturbance. Ask to be seated facing forward and you will be fine. I think it would take someone that is extremely sensitive to motion sickness to experience issues. Now if your husband freaks out because of heights that is a different issue.
 
I think you are probably worrying about a non-event. I find riding a disney bus much more disorienting than the Skyliner. If you can ride the bus, or a backseat in an Uber then you should be able to ride the Skyliner with even less disturbance. Ask to be seated facing forward and you will be fine. I think it would take someone that is extremely sensitive to motion sickness to experience issues. Now if your husband freaks out because of heights that is a different issue.
no he's good on heights....good point though
 
We just returned yesterday & rode the skyliner for the first time. I get motion sick very easily & am terrified of heights. I had no problems with the skyliner at all & actually enjoyed it. We stayed at YC & rode back & forth to Disney Studios twice. We did not ride at park opening or closing & had the the cabin to ourselves. I found them to be pretty breezy so that helps with motion sickness too. One ride I was actually kind of cold, lol!

As far as time saving... I’m not convinced the actual trip saves time. As we approached the Epcot station one morning, the teal colored friendship boat had just pulled out of the Epcot dock. As we got off the skyliner at the Studios, that boat was just getting ready to dock. The time saving will come in not having to wait for a boat or bus. But the actual trip seems the same as a friendship boat as far as I can tell.
 
Don't know if this would apply to your husband, but we rode last week and stepping on and off, it took me maybe 5 seconds and 3 or 4 steps to feel ok again. I wasn't prepared for feeling so unsteady. It was only getting on and off this occurred, riding was just fine.
 
As far as time saving... I’m not convinced the actual trip saves time. As we approached the Epcot station one morning, the teal colored friendship boat had just pulled out of the Epcot dock. As we got off the skyliner at the Studios, that boat was just getting ready to dock. The time saving will come in not having to wait for a boat or bus. But the actual trip seems the same as a friendship boat as far as I can tell.
If your flights encounter no delays, and if there is no wait to transfer at CBR, then the Skyliner will take about 5 minutes less than the boats do terminal to terminal. But that advantage can easily be lost if there are stops or "creeps" on the flights, or a 5 minute wait to transfer at CBR.

I rode tonight, and there was a stop of about a minute and several creeps on the Epcot line. I suspect Riviera now being open has increased the frequency of them. I noticed a couple of ecv's waiting to board there.
 
My take on the Gondola for people with motion sickness. If you can handle the people mover ride in MK you should be able to handle the gondola.
 
We just returned yesterday & rode the skyliner for the first time. I get motion sick very easily & am terrified of heights. I had no problems with the skyliner at all & actually enjoyed it. We stayed at YC & rode back & forth to Disney Studios twice. We did not ride at park opening or closing & had the the cabin to ourselves. I found them to be pretty breezy so that helps with motion sickness too. One ride I was actually kind of cold, lol!

As far as time saving... I’m not convinced the actual trip saves time. As we approached the Epcot station one morning, the teal colored friendship boat had just pulled out of the Epcot dock. As we got off the skyliner at the Studios, that boat was just getting ready to dock. The time saving will come in not having to wait for a boat or bus. But the actual trip seems the same as a friendship boat as far as I can tell.

Is there an express friendship boat between Epcot and HS? I tried riding the boat one night when Epcot closed an hour before HS, before the Skyliner was open. We stopped at YC/BC, BW, and I think even Swan and Dolphin. Every stop took awhile and it was an hour and 15 minutes before we got to HS. I know closing isn't a fair time to assess transportation, but I imagine all of that docking and undocking would still take time.
 
Is there an express friendship boat between Epcot and HS? I tried riding the boat one night when Epcot closed an hour before HS, before the Skyliner was open. We stopped at YC/BC, BW, and I think even Swan and Dolphin. Every stop took awhile and it was an hour and 15 minutes before we got to HS. I know closing isn't a fair time to assess transportation, but I imagine all of that docking and undocking would still take time.
No, no express boat! Usually takes around 35 minutes Epcot to DHS.
 
Is there an express friendship boat between Epcot and HS? I tried riding the boat one night when Epcot closed an hour before HS, before the Skyliner was open. We stopped at YC/BC, BW, and I think even Swan and Dolphin. Every stop took awhile and it was an hour and 15 minutes before we got to HS. I know closing isn't a fair time to assess transportation, but I imagine all of that docking and undocking would still take time.
No, no express boat! Usually takes around 35 minutes Epcot to DHS.
I've timed it at 25 minutes in the afternoon. I think that's fairly typical.

It would take longer when there are more people getting off and on at each stop, but 75 minutes doesn't sound right.

Arr.Dep.Between StopsFrom Epcot
Epcot
0.16​
Boardwalk
0.21​
0.23​
5​
5​
Yacht
0.26​
0.28​
3​
10​
Swan
0.32​
0.33​
4​
16​
Studios
0.41​
8​
25​
 
The only way it took 75 minutes from Epcot to Studios was if there was lightening in the area causing the boats to be held at the dock. Otherwise the boats have a designated time frames to get in & out of the docks. They are monitored for time & I have heard the captains on the radio explaining why they aren’t away from the dock. The boats can only take 2 ECVs, just like the buses. Loading & unloading the boats don’t take very long either.
 

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