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

[The Pho]

I really hope so because 2 per would be inconvenient for those families of 5 CBR accommodates so nicely. At least if it fits 4 you can split 2 and 3.

I believe they will fit 8. But fitting 8 doesn't mean they will load 8. It will likely be single groups going most of the time since it should be able to keep up with demand.

 

[cmash95]

for all the talk of how many will be moving every hour, chances are these gondolas will only be working part time especially in summer in florida. i seriously think they are going to be a big waste of money

 

[rteetz]

for all the talk of how many will be moving every hour, chances are these gondolas will only be working part time especially in summer in florida. i seriously think they are going to be a big waste of money

Why would they only be part time? It really won’t be much different than the monorail in weather situations.

 

[danikoski]

for all the talk of how many will be moving every hour, chances are these gondolas will only be working part time especially in summer in florida. i seriously think they are going to be a big waste of money

As has been stated many times on this thread, these can handle most weather conditions. They can handle a decent amount of wind and can be ridden in rain and thunderstorms safely. Whether Disney decides to run them in a lightening storm has yet to be seen, not due to it not being safe, but because of guest perception.

Other forms of Disney transport can be affected by weather, including the monorail and the boats, yet Disney still considers them worthwhile. This will be no different.

 

[Braddy007]

Why wouldn't they run them in the summer? I remember back in the day riding the Disney Skyway, which was a gondola at the Magic Kingdom, and that ran in the summer.
Sure it's not on the level of what they are putting in, but I am sure the gondolas at ski resorts see way more extreme weather than what they will see at Disney.
Between the snow, ice, and winds found on ski slopes, I think the rain won't make much of a difference.
Ski resorts also get thunder and lightning, although the times I have experienced that they shut down the mountain for everyone's safety. I guess metal poles and skis may have had something to do with that

 

[OKW Lover]

I'm sure the link is somewhere up-thread but the same issues continue to surface here. People may want to find out just what this equipment is designed to operate under. https://www.doppelmayr.com/en/

 

[skier_pete]

for all the talk of how many will be moving every hour, chances are these gondolas will only be working part time especially in summer in florida. i seriously think they are going to be a big waste of money

If by "part-time" do you mean they might shut down for 30 minutes on stormy afternoons? Perhaps. I think that lightning is the only possible culprit that shuts them down, and I am not completely convinced even then. A hurricane sure but then the parks would be closed also.

 

[rteetz]

PHOTOS: Disney Skyliner Construction Update – Boardwalk Turn, Caribbean Beach Station, and Riviera Test Building

 

[cmash95]

If by "part-time" do you mean they might shut down for 30 minutes on stormy afternoons? Perhaps. I think that lightning is the only possible culprit that shuts them down, and I am not completely convinced even then. A hurricane sure but then the parks would be closed also.

if it shuts down it will be down for alot longer than half an hour. more like several hours if back up and running at all that day. it takes hours to reboot a system like that and depending on the time of day, it could be down and that will happen every day in the summer. it's not just rain, it's lightning and it's wind. and high winds occur along with the thunder and lightning

 

[The Pho]

if it shuts down it will be down for alot longer than half an hour. more like several hours if back up and running at all that day. it takes hours to reboot a system like that and depending on the time of day, it could be down and that will happen every day in the summer. it's not just rain, it's lightning and it's wind. and high winds occur along with the thunder and lightning

Normal Gondola operations run at winds higher than an average Florida thunderstorm. Some will operate north of 70 MPH depending on resort. And it does not take hours to reboot these systems even if they were to do a full reboot. Ski resorts put lifts on wind hold frequently and quite often for under an hour, they also only start up lifts shortly before opening not half a day before.

 

[danikoski]

if it shuts down it will be down for alot longer than half an hour. more like several hours if back up and running at all that day. it takes hours to reboot a system like that and depending on the time of day, it could be down and that will happen every day in the summer. it's not just rain, it's lightning and it's wind. and high winds occur along with the thunder and lightning

You really might want to go read up on these gondolas at the link OKW Lover provided above. Where did you get the information you stated? It does not reflect really anything that I have seen or read about these gondolas, so if you have citations for the information you stated, it'd be great if you could provide a citation so others can be informed too.

Another factor to consider is that no matter what you think of Disney and how they've thought this out, the gondola designers, builders, and engineers that are part of Doppelmayr know what they are doing. They are sone of the best folks in the gondola business. This is their biggest US project, and arguably their most visible. They aren't going to let it fail or have it be a waste of time for their customer.

 

[OKW Lover]

if it shuts down it will be down for alot longer than half an hour. more like several hours if back up and running at all that day. it takes hours to reboot a system like that

I'm not understanding this at all. Why is the system needing to reboot after a simple shut-down? Why would that take hours?

 

[jarestel]

As we see happen with many new introductions at WDW, there are always some folks who get it into their heads that they are just not going to like something and then the imaginations start working overtime conjuring up all sorts of "reasons" why. Regardless, the gondolas are the system that Disney has chosen so in the end most people will adapt.

 

[Tigger's ally]

As we see happen with many new introductions at WDW, there are always some folks who get it into their heads that they are just not going to like something and then the imaginations start working overtime conjuring up all sorts of "reasons" why. Regardless, the gondolas are the system that Disney has chosen so in the end most people will adapt.

The only explanation that I can think of is perhaps the PP thinks Disney IT is responsible for "rebooting" the gondola system?

 

[jknezek]

The only explanation that I can think of is perhaps the PP thinks Disney IT is responsible for "rebooting" the gondola system?

Then he's underestimating the time it takes and the possibility of success!

 

[skier_pete]

if it shuts down it will be down for alot longer than half an hour. more like several hours if back up and running at all that day. it takes hours to reboot a system like that and depending on the time of day, it could be down and that will happen every day in the summer. it's not just rain, it's lightning and it's wind. and high winds occur along with the thunder and lightning

You are kidding right? It doesn't take hours to restart a gondola system. More like minutes. You really have no idea what you are talking about.

 

[middlechild]

The gondola system does not start / stop as a whole, but as individual legs -> bullwheel to bullwheel. Thus one leg could be stopped, while the rest of the system continues to deliver passengers.

 

[DanBoris]

As we see happen with many new introductions at WDW, there are always some folks who get it into their heads that they are just not going to like something and then the imaginations start working overtime conjuring up all sorts of "reasons" why. Regardless, the gondolas are the system that Disney has chosen so in the end most people will adapt.

Just to sum up the facts about the gondola so far...

- These won't run when there is even a chance of a storm because the cars would blow off the cable or get struck by lighting
- These won't run when the sun is out because without AC it will be to hot
- At others times they will be broken down and they will be rescuing people from the stuck cars.
- When they have to be restarted it will take at least 12 hours to get the line going again.
- Cars will routinely fall off the cable and if the guests survive the fall they will likely be attacked by alligators
- During the rare times they are operational...
- People with wheelchairs, ECV and strollers won't ride because it will be impossible to load these efficiently.
- 1000's of people who are afraid of heights won't ride.
- Others won't ride because they don't want to be in a small space with strangers for the hours it will take to get from station to station.
- Most people won't be able to afford the gondola resorts because the price will likely get hiked by %200-%300.

They will seriously impact the people who don't even use them (and based on the above only 5 or 6 people a day will use them):
- They crowds at the IG will totally destroy the efficiency of the entrance and thus no one will stay at the Epcot area resorts.
- The 200 foot tall towers will spoil the views from every location in Epcot and DHS.
- The gondola will bring the "riff-raff" into the Boardwalk area, this giving people even more reason not to stay there.

 

[jknezek]

Just to sum up the facts about the gondola so far...

- These won't run when there is even a chance of a storm because the cars would blow off the cable or get struck by lighting
- These won't run when the sun is out because without AC it will be to hot
- At others times they will be broken down and they will be rescuing people from the stuck cars.
- When they have to be restarted it will take at least 12 hours to get the line going again.
- Cars will routinely fall off the cable and if the guests survive the fall they will likely be attacked by alligators
- During the rare times they are operational...
- People with wheelchairs, ECV and strollers won't ride because it will be impossible to load these efficiently.
- 1000's of people who are afraid of heights won't ride.
- Others won't ride because they don't want to be in a small space with strangers for the hours it will take to get from station to station.
- Most people won't be able to afford the gondola resorts because the price will likely get hiked by %200-%300.

They will seriously impact the people who don't even use them (and based on the above only 5 or 6 people a day will use them):
- They crowds at the IG will totally destroy the efficiency of the entrance and thus no one will stay at the Epcot area resorts.
- The 200 foot tall towers will spoil the views from every location in Epcot and DHS.
- The gondola will bring the "riff-raff" into the Boardwalk area, this giving people even more reason not to stay there.

Can we make this the "counter sticky" for the first post? Apparently no one reads that one, so it would be amusing to see if we could get people to read this one on the front page instead.

 

[STLstone]

Just to sum up the facts about the gondola so far...

- These won't run when there is even a chance of a storm because the cars would blow off the cable or get struck by lighting
- These won't run when the sun is out because without AC it will be to hot
- At others times they will be broken down and they will be rescuing people from the stuck cars.
- When they have to be restarted it will take at least 12 hours to get the line going again.
- Cars will routinely fall off the cable and if the guests survive the fall they will likely be attacked by alligators
- During the rare times they are operational...
- People with wheelchairs, ECV and strollers won't ride because it will be impossible to load these efficiently.
- 1000's of people who are afraid of heights won't ride.
- Others won't ride because they don't want to be in a small space with strangers for the hours it will take to get from station to station.
- Most people won't be able to afford the gondola resorts because the price will likely get hiked by %200-%300.

They will seriously impact the people who don't even use them (and based on the above only 5 or 6 people a day will use them):
- They crowds at the IG will totally destroy the efficiency of the entrance and thus no one will stay at the Epcot area resorts.
- The 200 foot tall towers will spoil the views from every location in Epcot and DHS.
- The gondola will bring the "riff-raff" into the Boardwalk area, this giving people even more reason not to stay there.

This has been my favorite thread in all the time I've been on this site. I will truly miss this when these are finally built and all worries and rumors are put to bed.