Walt Disney World Skyliner Gondola cabin video, photos, info.

[mamabunny]

...As for bus routes being dropped, I don't really see how they can, there are ECVs that would fit the buses and within the park rules that will not fit on the Gondolas by all accounts. Additionally, you have people who are afraid of heights that will not use these no matter what and that would be problematic for Disney. I could see it reducing the frequency of buses on those routes, but I don't see them dropping them entirely.

I agree. Poly, CR, and GF all still have (limited) bus service, even though they are served by both the Monorail and boats. I think it might be reasonable to assume that we could see some of the Gondola hotels have a consolidated bus service that runs to more than one hotel, but I will be genuinely surprised if bus service is discontinued entirely to those hotels, especially at park closing time.

 

[lanejudy]

I agree. Poly, CR, and GF all still have (limited) bus service, even though they are served by both the Monorail and boats.

The bus service provided from those resorts only runs to DHS and AK. Those resorts don't offer bus service as an option to get to MK or Epcot. Monorail or boat are the options to MK from those resorts, and monorail is the only option to get to Epcot. Only if the monorail is down do they run buses as an alternate form of transportation from those resorts to MK or Epcot. Similarly, Epcot-area resorts do not have a bus option to Epcot or DHS, only the boats.

What happens with bus service from the Skyliner resorts remains to be seen. I doubt it would remain as-is. Maybe less frequent. They may phase out the bus service over time, offering both bus or gondola initially but gradually reducing the bus frequency in subsequent months. But it's also possible bus services to DHS and Epcot will be discontinued from these resorts.

 

[DisneyOma]

I keep looking for official Disney info about their gondola and accessibility statements, but I haven't found any written verifiable info from Google.

Here is a similar gondola video with a manual wheelchair user rolling into another gondola with both gondola seats folded up.

It shows him entering the gondola and turning around 180 degrees to face the gondola door.

So no one can sit in that gondola? it's just a person in a wheelchair, and then what - the rest of the guests stand? That doesn't seem safe, especially with the angle that occurs when the gondolas enter and exit the stations. Or do they put the seats down after? That would make sense.

I've watched a lot of videos of the Doppelmayr gondolas, and they don't really swing at departure. Here's a link that has videos of gondolas very similar to the ones Disney has.
https://www.doppelmayr.com/en/products/detachable-gondola-lift/

The videos I've seen have the gondola entering and exiting the load area at an angle, with a swing back down as it leaves.

 

[RaySharpton]

So no one can sit in that gondola?

I don't know.

it's just a person in a wheelchair, and then what - the rest of the guests stand?

I don't know.

That doesn't seem safe, especially with the angle that occurs when the gondolas enter and exit the stations. Or do they put the seats down after? That would make sense.

I don't know.

https://media.giphy.com/media/hGbBZ6697Esx2/giphy.gif

I was just showing a video showing what the Disney Skyliner gondola might look like with a manual wheelchair entering the gondola and turning around to give us an idea of what it would look like for a mobility scooter or a stroller to enter the gondola.

I don't know if the seats would be raised or lowered.

I don't know if this is the same gondola, but it just looks similar and it gives a different view from what I have seen so far of someone in a wheelchair rolling themselves in and actually turning around.

The Disney Skyliner gondola may be wider.

I think that you are right that it would be possible to fold down the seat or seats afterward.

And it looks like there might be extra space for seating since the wheelchair doesn't take up the whole length of the interior space of the gondola.

Just a thought.

I wish someone could take a closer view of the gondola with a wheelchair or mobility scooter or stroller.

I wish someone could take a closer view of the gondola on the second row where they might possible load them.





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[RaySharpton]

I found the video from the gif was made of the wheelchair entering a similar gondola.

https://media.giphy.com/media/hGbBZ6697Esx2/giphy.gif

But this gondola doesn't seem to be made by the same company that is making the Disney Skyliner gondolas.

The video is over nine minutes long and talks about a ski gondola. I notice that the station does not have a second loading area like the Disney Skyliner gondola will have, but it shows a manual wheelchair and a stroller entering the gondolas with a lady sitting on the two folded down benches with her stroller while it was moving instead of stopping. But I don't know if Disney's Skyliner gondola's second row will stop either or just go very slowly.

If you want to skip the video to the part about the wheelchair and stroller, go to 4-minute and 52-seconds.

But I liked watching all the other parts of the gondola stuff, too.

Like watching one person moving a gondola offline by himself to a different area. It looked pretty easy for one person to move it around.

And the mechanics of above and below the moving parts, backup diesel generators if there is a loss of power, etc.

They say this one can carry over 2800 guests over an hour, but I don't know, because I didn't see them always completely filled in the video.

I know this is not the Disney Skyliner gondola, but it is so hard to find photos of any gondola similar using showing a wheelchair entering and turning around or a stroller entering with a guest sitting down next to it.








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[danikoski]

The videos I've seen have the gondola entering and exiting the load area at an angle, with a swing back down as it leaves

Are they the Doppelmayr gondolas? Even the videos showing the Disney ones coming into the DHS station don't show a lot of swing. These gondolas are designed for mass commuting, and although they come in at an angle, the bar is hinged to keep them level. The only jar really would most likely be when detaching and reattaching the gondola on the cable because of slow down and speed up. The small amount of swing that might be associated with that isn't going to be enough to drastically move wheelchairs and strollers, let alone ECVs or electric wheelchairs.

 

[danikoski]

I found the video from the gif was made of the wheelchair entering a similar gondola.

https://media.giphy.com/media/hGbBZ6697Esx2/giphy.gif

But this gondola doesn't seem to be made by the same company that is making the Disney Skyliner gondolas.

The video is over nine minutes long and talks about a ski gondola. I notice that the station does not have a second loading area like the Disney Skyliner gondola will have, but it shows a manual wheelchair and a stroller entering the gondolas with a lady sitting on the two folded down benches with her stroller while it was moving instead of stopping. But I don't know if Disney's Skyliner gondola's second row will stop either or just go very slowly.

If you want to skip the video to the part about the wheelchair and stroller, go to 4-minute and 52-seconds.

But I liked watching all the other parts of the gondola stuff, too.

Like watching one person moving a gondola offline by himself to a different area. It looked pretty easy for one person to move it around.

And the mechanics of above and below the moving parts, backup diesel generators if there is a loss of power, etc.

They say this one can carry over 2800 guests over an hour, but I don't know, because I didn't see them always completely filled in the video.

I know this is not the Disney Skyliner gondola, but it is so hard to find photos of any gondola similar using showing a wheelchair entering and turning around or a stroller entering with a guest sitting down next to it.








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Here's a good article about a power wheelchair user on the London cable car. The gondolas for the London Emirates cable car line are pretty similar to the Disney ones and also made by Doppelmayr.

https://wheelchairtravel.org/london-cable-car-emirates-aviation-experience/

ETA: it's a short article, and no video, but gives the perspective of a wheelchair user actually using the gondola.

 

[RaySharpton]

Here is a video today, 04/12/2019 by Jeff Lange showing video of the Disney Skyliner gondolas and station at Disney's Art of Animation Resort and Disney's Pop Century Resort.

They have a white wall blocking the back part of the station where there would be an area where gondolas could be pulled off to the second loading site.

I never noticed that from the photos from DHS, but maybe there were walls there, too.

I'll be at Pop in three weeks so maybe I can get more info about the wheelchair, mobility scooter, and stroller loading and unloading.

.

 

[gap2368]

Here is a video today, 04/12/2019 by Jeff Lange showing video of the Disney Skyliner gondolas and station at Disney's Art of Animation Resort and Disney's Pop Century Resort.

They have a white wall blocking the back part of the station where there would be an area where gondolas could be pulled off to the second loading site.

I never noticed that from the photos from DHS, but maybe there were walls there, too.

I'll be at Pop in three weeks so maybe I can get more info about the wheelchair, mobility scooter, and stroller loading and unloading.

.

What days are you going to be at pop I think I might be there the same time

 

[RaySharpton]

I arrive on Tuesday, April 30th, how about you?

What days are you going to be at pop I think I might be there the same time

 

[SueM in MN]

These are the dimensions from the Doppelmayr website video of the model cabin that Disney is using. The video shows the measurements in light grey and I screenshotted to get pictures showing the measurements
There is a clear door opening of 32.25 inches (ADA is 32
The inside fits a standard pallet, which is 800 mm wide with the seats down - the picture shows space on each side of the pallet graphic - so the space is larger. I think they were just using a pallet as a size people could picture/relate to.

The width of the cabin is 6.33 feet and then it says +50 mm. It’s not clear exactly how wide the floor area is. 5 feet is considered turning space for a wheelchair. Most can turn in a shorter space; within their length, so my daughter’s can turn around in a space about 4 feet long. With the benches folded up temporarily, many wheelchairs and ECVs should be able to turn around.
Some ECVs will be too wide to fit (can be up to 36 inches wide and the doorway is just a tad larger than 32 inches.
Largest length is 52 inches, which would leave about 4 feet on each for seating when the seats are folded back down and the mobility device is all the way to the back wall.

 

[gap2368]

I arrive on Tuesday, April 30th, how about you?

April 27. I will be at pop until the May the 4

 

[RaySharpton]

View attachment 394103 View attachment 394104 View attachment 394105 View attachment 394106 These are the dimensions from the Doppelmayr website video of the model cabin that Disney is using. The video shows the measurements in light grey and I screenshotted to get pictures showing the measurements
There is a clear door opening of 32.25 inches (ADA is 32
The inside fits a standard pallet, which is 800 mm wide with the seats down - the picture shows space on each side of the pallet graphic - so the space is larger. I think they were just using a pallet as a size people could picture/relate to.

The width of the cabin is 6.33 feet and then it says +50 mm. It’s not clear exactly how wide the floor area is. 5 feet is considered turning space for a wheelchair. Most can turn in a shorter space; within their length, so my daughter’s can turn around in a space about 4 feet long. With the benches folded up temporarily, many wheelchairs and ECVs should be able to turn around.
Some ECVs will be too wide to fit (can be up to 36 inches wide and the doorway is just a tad larger than 32 inches.
Largest length is 52 inches, which would leave about 4 feet on each for seating when the seats are folded back down and the mobility device is all the way to the back wall.


View attachment 394114

Thank you, Sue. I didn't realize they won't allow 3-wheel mobility scooters. I'm glad that I don't have to bring my old 3-wheel Pride REVO mobility scooter anymore. I keep it at home as a backup.

I wonder if the three wheels apply to three wheel strollers, too.

I wonder if the "walking pace" comment means that the gondola will still be moving when boarding the gondola.

The video with the wheelchair turning uses a different manufacturer than Disney, but it was interesting to see it turn around in the gondola even though I don't know the dimensions of that particular gondola.

April 27. I will be at pop until the May the 4

We'll have to meet up.

 

[lanejudy]

Thank you, Sue. I didn't realize they won't allow 3-wheel mobility scooters. I'm glad that I don't have to bring my old 3-wheel Pride REVO mobility scooter anymore. I keep it at home as a backup.

I wonder if the three wheels apply to three wheel strollers, too.

3-wheeled devices are fine. The rules prohibit devices with less than 3 wheels (i.e. Segways or other).

The question will be how easily any ECV can turn, or if it can. ECVs typically take a larger footprint turning radius than a wheelchair.

And aren't the bus rules for wheelchairs/ECVs tighter than the park rules? I'm thinking of the white box painted on the ground, and dimensions weren't as wide as 36" but maybe I'm mistaken.

 

[RaySharpton]

3-wheeled devices are fine. The rules prohibit devices with less than 3 wheels (i.e. Segways or other).

The question will be how easily any ECV can turn, or if it can. ECVs typically take a larger footprint turning radius than a wheelchair.

And aren't the bus rules for wheelchairs/ECVs tighter than the park rules? I'm thinking of the white box painted on the ground, and dimensions weren't as wide as 36" but maybe I'm mistaken.

Thank you lanejudy. I missed reading the words "less than".

And 36-inches doesn't sound right to me either. I can't remember.

 

[lanejudy]

I found several threads info about ECV/wheelchair size limits for buses -- all reference 30" x 48" and many indicate this is ADA standard for for transportation. So I wouldn't be surprised if the gondolas use the same reference, which provides for 2.25" clearance through the door opening using Sue's measurements above.

36" x 52" is the size allowed in the parks, but that will not necessarily fit on transportation. At least one vendor used to rent something larger than the bus boxes, though the vast majority of rentals are ok.

 

[RaySharpton]

I found several threads info about ECV/wheelchair size limits for buses -- all reference 30" x 48" and many indicate this is ADA standard for for transportation. So I wouldn't be surprised if the gondolas use the same reference, which provides for 2.25" clearance through the door opening using Sue's measurements above.

36" x 52" is the size allowed in the parks, but that will not necessarily fit on transportation. At least one vendor used to rent something larger than the bus boxes, though the vast majority of rentals are ok.

Thank you, lanejudy.

 

[gap2368]

We'll have to meet up.

I PMed you are I hope I PMed you

 

[Firsttimer15]

The way they work here in Europe is that they keep moving slowly for boarding and unboarding. Otherwise you will get long lines and never get to the promised capacity. It works fine but with a stroller it always made nervous not making it fast enough. Although they can stop of course.
With an Ecv I think it won’t work while moving. Given that the people operating them are usually old and unexperienced

 

[Weedy]

Here is some more good video.
It’s from Rob at Passport to the parks.
He’s at the Caribbean Beach. At the beginning of the video you can see the Gondolas going in two different directions. It’s a long video. At 38:23 there is a great shot of the Station at Riviera Resort.