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

[StacyStrong]

If they aren't running you will probably be okay to take a bus. When I was there I had a similar situation and also thought I'd wait a long time for a bus but buses arrived frequently to drop guests off at the park so it was easy to find one heading back to Pop even earlier in the day. In my experience it was easier to find a bus at 10am than at 2pm.

I’m sure that would work out just fjne, but I’ve had pretty bad luck with busses specifically when I have a tight schedule haha. I know my paranoia would lead to an Uber! Regardless it’s a minor issue and I’m just hoping to use the skyliner! Seems perfect.

 

[Mikey15]

I’m hoping it’ll be running the 20th because I have a droid build, then want to rush back to POP to change and go to typhoon lagoon.

It reopened Monday but there is planned downtime today through the 18th.

https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/blog/2019/10/an-update-on-disney-skyliner/

Beginning today, guests may travel aboard Disney Skyliner from 8 a.m. to 10:30 p.m. However, system updates later this week will result in the following modified operating hours for Oct. 16-18:

• Oct. 16: The Disney Hollywood Studios line will be closed while the other two lines will be available from 1 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.
• Oct. 17-18: All lines will be open from 1 p.m. – 10:30 p.m.

Implication is 19th onward will be normal hours.

 

[Jennasis]

New information is welcome but you have mentioned numerous times that you take your own car and that you will not ride the skyliner. We appreciate that but do not repeatedly need to be told the same piece of information over and over and I believe that was what was being mentioned.

Possibly you could start a thread for those who don't want to ride the Skyliner. I know there would be a number of people who share your views and would probably appreciate having others of like mind to chat with.

The repeats were to counter the suggestions repeatedly offered that the skyliner was the same as riding Mission Space (with barf bags), busses or public transport etc.

 

[SPLzero]

The cabins are still leaving the station at the same 10-11 Second interval the used before the accident. I don't see how that matches with the idea that they removed cabins. That would mean you would have to speed them up inside the station resulting in less load time.

If there are more gondola's in storage that it has to mean less gondola's on the line.

 

[billlaurie]

Same here. No use in rehashing the same tired arguments that bog down the thread. The Skyliner is open now and the design and procedures are what they are. I want to know if it stays open and how it is operating in preparation for my trip in December.

Not a personal affront, just strange when people are trying to get info on what’s current state of the skyliner to just keep reading that people will not be riding. That’s cool, I’m good with it. But, what’s going on with the skyliner?
I’m more interested in learning if it will be open with regular hours when my trip starts.

 

[sachilles]

Less cabins on the line, means great spacing. It doesn't change the speed on the line or in the station. It just means a little greater gap between cabins in and out of station.
In the case of cabins bunching up in station, it is a potential fix, however, I think it's just a by product of having a few cabin damaged in the incident. I suspect it's merely to quarantine those cars until they can be inspected and put back in to use. After all, one of them "might/could" be the cause of the fault. It would be foolish to rush them back in.
What we don't know is if they deploy 100% of the cabins that are stored at CBR station. One would think they'd have a few on stand by in case of a biocleaning incident or something else needs to put one out of temporary service.

 

[SPLzero]

I didn't remember seeing any extra gondola's in storage when riding them when they first opened. Going back and looking at POV's I did not see any in storage. When I rode them last Monday there were at least 1 1/2 rows of parked gondolas.

You would think they would have extras to swap out. maybe they would use the handicap gondola stations to clean any dirty gondolas.

 

[rteetz]

https://www.wdwmagic.com/transporta...isney-skyliner-maintenance-closure-update.htm

 

[joelkfla]

Less cabins on the line, means great spacing. It doesn't change the speed on the line or in the station. It just means a little greater gap between cabins in and out of station.

But it would change the dispatch interval. Maybe not by a measurable amount, unless someone timed a large number of cabins passing a fixed point and calculated the average.

What we don't know is if they deploy 100% of the cabins that are stored at CBR station. One would think they'd have a few on stand by in case of a biocleaning incident or something else needs to put one out of temporary service.

There have always been some cabins in the storage area, every time I've ridden between DHS & CBR. I'd estimate 10-15, with half in the CBR area and the rest split evenly between the other 2 lines. You wouldn't see them on YouTube videos, because vloggers tend to either shoot straight ahead or focus on themselves.

I haven't been down there since the incident to see whether the number in the yard has increased.

 

[SgtTibbs]

If there are more gondola's in storage that it has to mean less gondola's on the line.

Or more were delivered or brought out of some other storage....

 

[ultimatefans]

I will be traveling with a party of 10 adult-sized people, lots of teenagers - not large people but tall. Will we all be able to ride together or should we plan on splitting up? It's easier to know that before getting in line so we can decide how to split... TIA!

 

[sachilles]

But it would change the dispatch interval. Maybe not by a measurable amount, unless someone timed a large number of cabins passing a fixed point and calculated the average.

There have always been some cabins in the storage area, every time I've ridden between DHS & CBR. I'd estimate 10-15, with half in the CBR area and the rest split evenly between the other 2 lines. You wouldn't see them on YouTube videos, because vloggers tend to either shoot straight ahead or focus on themselves.

I haven't been down there since the incident to see whether the number in the yard has increased.

No it shouldn't change the dispatch interval. That is dictated by the speed of the haul rope.

 

[NotUrsula]

Not Disney, but the Hogwarts Express seats multiple groups. I consider it a ride/transportation. The trip is shorter and not sure if they have cameras but there is no view into the train from the outside. At least some of the Gondolas have a clear view from the outside. While most people would probably prefer their own gondola, it doesn't seem practical, especially during busy times and for small parties, if the primary role of this is efficient transportation.

Like any theme park "dark" ride, there are cameras throughout on the HE. (Which, BTW, is also manufactured and maintained by Doppelmayr. Technically, it's a funicular.)

It's the best analogy, true, but the difference there is the load setup. You do a very long queue and the pre-grouping thing when you ride, so you have a rather long time to decide who will sit where, and you could let someone go ahead of you if you wished to switch to a different cabin. Also, Universal employees ride along out in the corridor.

Incidentally, there was a power failure on the HE on an afternoon in Aug 2017 that required the Orlando Fire Dept. to evacuate it. The A/C failed with the power, and there were guests treated by paramedics for heat-related illness after being stuck in the cabins for a little under an hour. (Those cabins are not vented like the Skyliner, of course.)

In general, I think that the issue with the "riding with strangers" uneasiness that some people have on the Skyliner is a combination of factors: 1) They are airborne, 2) there is no "official" operator in the cabin to serve as a buffer/witness if any malfeasance happened, nor surveillance cameras, 3) the benches are facing, so you have to find somewhere to look if you are sensitive to the possibility of staring issues, and 4) they are small, forcing fairly close proximity. (Also, as a 5th factor, you can see out, which means you can also clearly see the distance to the ground.)

With most theme park rides, or with buses or trains, the fact that the vehicle is on or close to the ground lets riders believe that they *could* get off whenever they want to, and that if there were a breakdown they could just climb off. (Yes, jumping ship while the ride is in motion would cause an e-stop and might not be precisely safe to do so, but I think that knowing that it is physically possible makes the situation feel less claustrophobic. James Bond films aside, there is really nowhere to go to get out of a moving airborne ropeway gondola until it reaches a station. All this is also true of the monorail, of course, but in that case I think that the sheer size helps as well; just as those who fear boats tend to trust a cruise ship more than a rowboat.)

PS: for the poster who asked if 10 adults will fit in one cabin, the answer is technically, yes. That is the maximum capacity they were designed for. With 10 riders, the space on the bench for each is 18 inches; no one may stand while the cabin is in motion.

 

[scrappinginontario]

I will be traveling with a party of 10 adult-sized people, lots of teenagers - not large people but tall. Will we all be able to ride together or should we plan on splitting up? It's easier to know that before getting in line so we can decide how to split... TIA!

I would plan on splitting up. I have yet to hear of them putting 10 in one cabin, especially 10 adults.

 

[seashoreCM]

A party of ten should not have any problem riding together. Hence no need to brainstorm, yourselves, in advance on how to split up.

But the CMs doing the boarding should not endeavor to put ten in a cabin when multiple parties (strangers) are involved. Final say to be the last party's upon seeing that the cabin looks too crowded or getting too close to the end of the platform before they can step aboard.

Cabin movement through the station should be timed to match the arrival rate and departure rate although the only critical parameter is not having cabins arrive too quickly for the station movements so as to clog the station.

If cabins don't dispatch properly then the system needs to shut down before the station gets full. After the next cabin to exit is positioned, the moment the cable is restarted to take it away, the next cabin to enter the other end of the station will resume approaching.

 

[joelkfla]

No it shouldn't change the dispatch interval. That is dictated by the speed of the haul rope.

Practical example:

• Assume 20' of cable, moving at 1 foot per second.
• If there are 5 cabins on the cable, they would be spaced 4' apart, and dispatch interval would be 4 seconds.
• If there are 4 cabins on the cable, they would be spaced 5' apart, and dispatch interval would be 5 seconds.

 

[sachilles]

Practical example:

• Assume 20' of cable, moving at 1 foot per second.
• If there are 5 cabins on the cable, they would be spaced 4' apart, and dispatch interval would be 4 seconds.
• If there are 4 cabins on the cable, they would be spaced 5' apart, and dispatch interval would be 5 seconds.

You are making some assumptions. As the cabins need not be evenly spaced apart on the haul rope.
When they disengage from the haul rope, they go on the track. The timing on the track dictates the dispatch interval on to the haul rope. It should be the same ratio.

 

[Maistre Gracey]

Not necessarily, you can maintain the same speed, but by removing one cabin from the line you increase the gap so the crowding is less. A better question would be "How many gondolas leave within a minute", and then compare it to what the rate was before.

I don’t think I’m understanding your post. Either that, or you are not understanding @SgtTibbs post.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

In general, I think that the issue with the "riding with strangers" uneasiness that some people have on the Skyliner is a combination of factors: 1) They are airborne, 2) there is no "official" operator in the cabin to serve as a buffer/witness if any malfeasance happened, nor surveillance cameras, 3) the benches are facing, so you have to find somewhere to look if you are sensitive to the possibility of staring issues, and 4) they are small, forcing fairly close proximity. (Also, as a 5th factor, you can see out, which means you can also clearly see the distance to the ground.)

Many folks have posted a similar fear about dining with strangers (Biergarten). Certainly, folks at Biergarten could easily leave if they want, but they still avoid dining there.

It might be a matter simply of who just happened to post.

Over the years, folks have posted many fears about WDW: some won't walk by the Bwk's clown pool, some fear the IaSW dolls, and there's a wide assortment of hotel room phobias. Just to name a few of the phobias I've read about on these boards.

Oh, and change! It is the most common DISboards phobia of all!

The gondolas are new.

 

[seashoreCM]

Assume 20' of cable, moving at 1 foot per second.

One enhancement to the overhead track system in the station, possibly expensive, I alluded to a week ago would have each gondola follow its own program of varying speeds selected so one cabin could sit still for up to a minute in the middle and other cabins would still be arriving at, say, 10 second intervals and cabins will still be departing at 10 second intervals. In addition the cabins need to pass the alighting and boarding areas at a predictable constant slow speed, possibly stopping behind others.

If per chance the 10 or so seconds elapses and the next cabin is not there and ready to exit then the next gap on the cable will be longer.