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

[Minnesota!]

Just because they can operate in poor weather, whatever that will be ...doesn't mean that guests , especially small children, or people with fear of heights..will want to get on them when it's windy. That's why I have always thought the buses will run a regular schedule. They might double up for POP/AOA.
It would be asking a lot for guests that finish their day in Epcot towards the front to then have to hike all the way back to IGW..not a problem for DHS since that will be the closest ride at exit.
Remember, one of the perks to staying on property is convenient free transportation..it's not convenient to force guests to ride in something they are not comfortable with for their family or having to wait an hour or so for a bus.

But a lot of families finish at the back (watching Illuminations) and have to hike to the front for the busses. So, either way, people have to hike...

Because of the short distances between the Skyliner resorts and DHS/Epcot there are probably only 2 or 3 buses for each resort to each park, depending on the time of day. They said the buses will continue as an option , of course they didn't say at what time interval yet....so how much would they really save compared to making guests who will not use the gondola's wait for a long time ? The normal wait is about 20-30 minutes, which depending on the time of day is about how long it takes to drive there.

I know I've rode the bus in the middle of the day when there couldn't have been more than 2 on the route...maybe only 1 on some days.
I also know that if I eat breakfast at the food court I don't want to hike across the resort in the rain or heat to get on the gondola...and that's just me. I can't imagine if I still had to do that with my kids again when they were much younger. Right now you can get to the bus in about a minute or so from the food court....so for that reason alone, I think the buses will remain the same ..at least in the morning.
At night I would ride a gondola back to resort in a hurricane rather than standing on a overcrowded bus.

I don't think this is any different than eating then having to wait in the bus lines out front (at Pop) in the sun or rain. There is no cover over your head in either situation.

I am really looking forward to these things - I hope they are open in August, but if not, we will be there in November, too.

 

[OSUZorba]

On second thought...if these were on a boat, even a big one they would be top heavy
I bet they end up on a large barge like they used for the construction.

Remember the towers over the lake are pretty short. It'll be interesting to see what the rescue host looks like, I'm thinking more of a barge than a personal boat too. But it could be a wide pontoon.

 

[KYMickey]

Evacuation testing/training

http://blogmickey.com/2019/04/photo...rocedure-testing-begins-at-walt-disney-world/

Does anybody know who was doing the actual rescue training if the fire department was standing by? I've always assumed that the fire department would be the lead 1st responder group for any emergencies involving the gondolas including rescues. In most areas they certainly are anyway.

 

[rteetz]

Does anybody know who was doing the actual rescue training if the fire department was standing by? I've always assumed that the fire department would be the lead 1st responder group for any emergencies involving the gondolas including rescues. In most areas they certainly are anyway.

I’m guessing this was a dual training/effort. RCFD was on the scene so I’m sure they were part of it and in an actual emergency they would lead efforts. With this new system I’m sure Dopplemayr had their own staff on hand too.

 

[BabybetterDisney]

This looks so much better than what I imagined would happen during an evacuation! Stepping on a platform is so much more appealing than being lowered by a rope like I imagined would happen!

Doesn't look good to me. This looks super slow. Not that I know of a faster way. But lowered by a rope? That's funny.

 

[BabybetterDisney]

Please open soon, please, please.

Same here. I can't wait to see how the gondola works out:
What time will it open/close? That is, will it run all day or only during park opening/closing?
How long does it take to get from Point A to point B?
How many people (what percentage) will accept it or reject it?
How hot does it get inside when packed with people and 95 out?
How long is the wait, if any?
How many people will they try to fit into a cabin during rush hours?
How exactly will it load scooters? I know people have said that they can take a cabin off to the side and let the scooter load, but I would like to see that because that sounds very neat. But maybe the scooters will just load with the general public. That shouldn't be hard to do either.
How often does it have to shut down due to lightning/weather/mechanical difficulty? How will people respond to the shut downs? Will they reject it due to lack of reliability? The pools seem to shut down once a day due to weather.
If the gondola shuts down during park opening/closing, how will they be able to divert enough buses to serve large resorts such as Pop without seriously impacting the bus availability of other hotels?
How will people like traveling from the front of Epcot to the back to get on the gondola, only to be told that it is down and now they must walk all the way back to the front to take the bus? Perhaps they drive the people to the front with a tram?
Can they put the gondola status on the phone app?
How many people will move to the gondola resorts to enjoy the gondola, and how many will move away to avoid it? What would the net gain/loss be?

I myself am only riding the gondola at night when the sun's gone. I hate being stuck for a long time in a small enclosed space that's hot, and I only go to WDW in the summer. I don't mind being hot as long as I'm in the open, like walking in the hot sun with my hat on. I am going to Epcot and DHS from Pop by Minnievan (if there's no bus or the bus becomes too inconvenient). But I find the gondola very interesting and can't wait to try it at night. Even if I were to lose the buses and I have to pay extra for getting to and from Epcot and DHS, it would be worth it.

 

[BabybetterDisney]

Will this affect the Epcot International Gateway back entrance? We’re staying at the beach club and we’re hoping to walk to Epcot at night

Yes, it will be flooded, not the quiet secluded special treatment private entrance it used to be. In fact, the entire boardwalk area will be flooded with visitors from Pop.

 

[BabybetterDisney]

That’s why I said it wouldn’t be convenient. They will be encouraging everyone to take the gondola by making the alternative less appealing. They could possibly make everyone at CBR that wants to take the bus get in line at just one of the CBR stops for pickup, similar to how they have the internal bus routes at FW that take you to one stop to get on a bus for the park. We will just have to wait and see.

That won't work on me. If the bus isn't convenient I won't be forced onto the gondola. If I don't like the gondola I won't take it no matter the alternative. I mean, I can just move to All Stars where there are convenient buses.

 

[BabybetterDisney]

I've looked at post 1 but as I am unfamiliar with CBR, I can't put it all together.

What areas are closest to the skyliner at CBR? We are staying there in November.

If you are close to the gondola you will be far from the food court, Old Port Royale. You will also be under the gondola line and there might be noise.

 

[writerguyfl]

Doesn't look good to me. This looks super slow. Not that I know of a faster way. But lowered by a rope? That's funny.

Evacuations should be exceedingly rare. Each line will have a backup generator. So, the only reason an evacuation will occur is if the main power goes out and the backup generator also fails.

Remember, many gondola lines transverse inaccessible areas like steep mountains or huge bodies of water. Any evacuation at Disney World will be child's play when compared to other gondola lines. For example, here's a gondola in Hong Kong:

Image Courtesy Gray Line: https://www.grayline.com.hk/ticket/1/ticketfulllist/65

 

[vacationer1954]

That won't work on me.

This is the crux of the issue, and of many issues. Disney is mostly concerned about how most guests behave; they are much less concerned about how a few guests behave. If doing something loses 100 families, solidifies the choices of another 100 families, and gains 150 families, then it is a win, and Disney does it without a second thought. There's no intention for everything to be perfect in everyone's eyes.

 

[OSUZorba]

If you are close to the gondola you will be far from the food court, Old Port Royale. You will also be under the gondola line and there might be noise.

The towers make very little noise. Even standing outside right next to them it is hard to hear.

 

[OKW Lover]

Doesn't look good to me. This looks super slow. Not that I know of a faster way. But lowered by a rope? That's funny.

First, speed is not the goal, Safety is. Second, they are just learning how to do this so I don't think its necessarily representative of a finished product.

 

[ELLH]

This is slightly OT but I figure it’s a good place to get some feedback...

We were planning a trip in the fall for something between value/moderate. My family is excited about the gondolas, though we don’t know if they’ll be open by the time we go.

We tend to stay at AoA for value so that’s what I was leaning toward since it has the best of both worlds. However, with the gondolas’ main hub being at CBR we thought we might change things up and stay at CBR which would also take advantage of the minor time savings between AoA and CBR gondola ride.

So those of you who have stayed at AoA and CBR, did you prefer one over the other?

 

[Isabelle12345]

I am sorry if this has been asked before, but what are the predictions as to how much the rates will increase at AOA after the gondola?
Is it worth it to book the rack rates now for 2020 to fix the price or should we wait for discounts (this would be assuming the rates don’t increase more than 15-20% since this is pretty much the best discount we get there)?
We will be traveling the last week of February 2020

 

[rteetz]

I am sorry if this has been asked before, but what are the predictions as to how much the rates will increase at AOA after the gondola?
Is it worth it to book the rack rates now for 2020 to fix the price or should we wait for discounts (this would be assuming the rates don’t increase more than 15-20% since this is pretty much the best discount we get there)?
We will be traveling the last week of February 2020

That’s assuming there would be a discount during the time you are traveling. I don’t think we will see a huge jump right away but at least a slight increase.

 

[fla4fun]

I am sorry if this has been asked before, but what are the predictions as to how much the rates will increase at AOA after the gondola?
Is it worth it to book the rack rates now for 2020 to fix the price or should we wait for discounts (this would be assuming the rates don’t increase more than 15-20% since this is pretty much the best discount we get there)?
We will be traveling the last week of February 2020

Have they released the 2020 rack rates yet? Usually that happens in the summer. If you book now, your reservation shows the peak 2019 rate and then the rate is adjusted when the 2020 rates are released. I don’t think it’s possible to lock in a rate until those rates are released. I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong.

 

[rteetz]

Have they released the 2020 rack rates yet? Usually that happens in the summer. If you book now, your reservation shows the peak 2019 rate and then the rate is adjusted when the 2020 rates are released. I don’t think it’s possible to lock in a rate until those rates are released. I am sure someone will correct me if I am wrong.

No, you can book a room only by phone into 2020 like you said but packages haven’t been released yet and probably won’t be until June.

 

[scrappinginontario]

This is slightly OT but I figure it’s a good place to get some feedback...

We were planning a trip in the fall for something between value/moderate. My family is excited about the gondolas, though we don’t know if they’ll be open by the time we go.

We tend to stay at AoA for value so that’s what I was leaning toward since it has the best of both worlds. However, with the gondolas’ main hub being at CBR we thought we might change things up and stay at CBR which would also take advantage of the minor time savings between AoA and CBR gondola ride.

So those of you who have stayed at AoA and CBR, did you prefer one over the other?

I don't have an answer about the 2 resorts as I have not stayed at CBR (and we're a Pop family through and through) but another thing to take into consideration is the walk to the Skyliner from your room at AoA vs CBR which is a much larger resort. The ride from Pop/AoA is thought to be a fairly short one.

 

[Lumpy1106]

This is slightly OT but I figure it’s a good place to get some feedback...

We were planning a trip in the fall for something between value/moderate. My family is excited about the gondolas, though we don’t know if they’ll be open by the time we go.

We tend to stay at AoA for value so that’s what I was leaning toward since it has the best of both worlds. However, with the gondolas’ main hub being at CBR we thought we might change things up and stay at CBR which would also take advantage of the minor time savings between AoA and CBR gondola ride.

So those of you who have stayed at AoA and CBR, did you prefer one over the other?

We tried to stay at CBR in August and moved to AoA. Yes, this was during construction, but it was the lame buses that drove us away. The resort is HUGE and you practically need to take an internal bus to get anywhere. Pool, food court, you name it, you are on a bus, and it takes time - a lot longer than you might think. We moved to a 1br @ AoA (we are a family of 5) and LOVED IT! The food court, atmosphere, shops, everything was better at AoA. Busses far exceeded our expectations - we rarely waited more than 15 minutes going to or coming from the parks. One negative, the pool is very popular and doesn't have a slide. I'd give the nod to CBR pool, but that's it. Personally, we will NEVER go back to CBR, but AoA is at the top of our list now.