New Gondola ride and ECVs?

[Simba's Mom]

I wonder how/if the new gondola transportation to Epcot from Caribbean Beach and a few other resorts might accommodate ECVs. It would seem it would be similar to the gondola ride in MK, and I don't remember that ride having any ECV-friendly cars/buckets. Come to think of it, maybe it didn't and that was one reason they took the attraction out. Does anyone know any details of ECV accessibility? I'd hate to think that those of us who use ECVs may not be able to use the gondolas.

 

[lanejudy]

There have been some sketches released, and some photos of "similar" gondola cars. My understanding is that the gondola cars will hold ~8-10 people -- which makes it much larger than the old Skyway in MK. And it has definitely been mentioned as being accessible. There's a thread on the Rumors and News forum discussing it; though much is still speculation at this point.

 

[Hoodie]

From what I've read, the gondolas are made to be walk on/ride on with room for strollers and "small" ecvs. I wouldn't anticipate more than one ecv per car though. Also it's meant to be continuous, but slow, load, so it may not be the best for anyone needing additional assistance than just driving on.

They want this in place "months" before Star Wars opens, so I would guess we'd get firm details within the next few months.

 

[Simba's Mom]

From what I've read, the gondolas are made to be walk on/ride on with room for strollers and "small" ecvs. I wouldn't anticipate more than one ecv per car though. Also it's meant to be continuous, but slow, load, so it may not be the best for anyone needing additional assistance than just driving on.

They want this in place "months" before Star Wars opens, so I would guess we'd get firm details within the next few months.

I'd forgotten entirely about strollers. Come to think of it, I don't remember strollers on the MK gondola ride. Were there? I wonder the CM there will have the ability to stop the ride temporary if someone needs special assistance? I know that a couple times when I've been getting on continuous-loading rides, the CM voluntarily slowed the ride for me.

 

[BillSears]

I know that on the old gondola they were able to pull a gondola off to the side in the station for loading people who needed extra time. Since this gondola is much larger that might not be feasible but they must have some way to disconnect a gondola for maintenance/emergencies.

 

[DisneyOma]

There's been lots of speculation and lots of info in the transportation board. I suggest going there to find some great posts with links, etc.

 

[SueM in MN]

There's been lots of speculation and lots of info in the transportation board. I suggest going there to find some great posts with links, etc.

I’ll post more later, but the ADA would require that accessibility for guests using wheelchairs be included.

These are un-official blog posts that does mention accessibility for wheelchairs, strollers and small ECVs.
http://thedisneyblog.com/2017/07/24/wdw-gondola-project-now-official-meet-disney-skyliner/
http://wdwnt.com/blog/2017/04/depth-speculation-disney-world-gondola-project-will-take-shape/

This is from the website of one of the companies that is rumored to be in the running for providing the system. They talk about barrier free loading for guests with wheelchairs and strollers.
https://www.doppelmayr.com/en/applications/urban/

I also have been assured that it will be accessible by someone in a position to know that information.

 

[Simba's Mom]

Wow! Thanks for all the info. Now I'm super-excited. I had thought that the gondola system would be just like the old skyway at MK, so I figured "Not for me". But now that I see that my ECV can be accommodated, I can't wait to try it.

 

[Weedy]

Last summer we went to Telluride Co. They have a Gondola system that works both in the summer and during the ski season.
I think the Disney system will work something like this.
Here is a link to a video (not mine)from YouTube.

 

[tobikaye]

I know that in Gatlinburg they recently opened a place called Anakeesta that has gondolas or chair lifts to get there. I checked and there gondolas are HC accessible and look similar to what Weedy posted. This is what I think WDW's might be like as well. I think there will be size restrictions similar to the what WDW publish for buses and lines for EVCs and strollers.

I had checked on the ones at Anakeesta in case my sister and parents wanted to visit next week when there. My sister will have her EVC and my mom a rollator. I will ask them to take some pictures if they do decide to go to Anakeesta with the EVC and rollator in the gondola but I think they have decided to wait until I might be able to get there with them.

 

[DisneyOma]

I’ll post more later, but the ADA would require that accessibility for guests using wheelchairs be included.

These are un-official blog posts that does mention accessibility for wheelchairs, strollers and small ECVs.
http://thedisneyblog.com/2017/07/24/wdw-gondola-project-now-official-meet-disney-skyliner/
http://wdwnt.com/blog/2017/04/depth-speculation-disney-world-gondola-project-will-take-shape/

This is from the website of one of the companies that is rumored to be in the running for providing the system. They talk about barrier free loading for guests with wheelchairs and strollers.
https://www.doppelmayr.com/en/applications/urban/

I also have been assured that it will be accessible by someone in a position to know that information.

You're an enabler! How will people ever find info on their own if you keep doing the work for them?

On the serious side - I would think they'd already have a company picked - they are building infrastructure already. Wouldn't it have to be specific to a certain blueprint, etc?

 

[lanejudy]

On the serious side - I would think they'd already have a company picked - they are building infrastructure already. Wouldn't it have to be specific to a certain blueprint, etc?

I'm sure they do... it just hasn't been announced publicly.

 

[Weedy]

Here is a video of a accessible Gondola car.

 

[DisneyOma]

Oh, I hope they don't have to stop the entire run for ECVs, strollers, etc. It would take years to gets from place to place if it stopped like the above video. To be honest, I wouldn't be able to even ride on it if it stopped a lot. And I think it would be bad for the whole mechanism to be stopped dozens of times a day.

 

[cmwade77]

You're an enabler! How will people ever find info on their own if you keep doing the work for them?

On the serious side - I would think they'd already have a company picked - they are building infrastructure already. Wouldn't it have to be specific to a certain blueprint, etc?

Not really, the basics of a Gondola system are all pretty much the same: It is a Gondala being pulled by a cable. Granted the size of cable and spacing of Pylons would have to account for the maximum weight capacity of the vehicles (with a margin for error built in as well), but as long as the Gondola fits within the weight requirements, it shouldn't matter what Gondola (or mix of them) are attached to the cable.

 

[DisneyOma]

Not really, the basics of a Gondola system are all pretty much the same: It is a Gondala being pulled by a cable. Granted the size of cable and spacing of Pylons would have to account for the maximum weight capacity of the vehicles (with a margin for error built in as well), but as long as the Gondola fits within the weight requirements, it shouldn't matter what Gondola (or mix of them) are attached to the cable.

Do you really think Disney would start building and then decide who they want for the gondola manufacturing?

OP, since it has to fit ADA standards, of course it will have to accommodate mobility devices. I'd expect a weight limit for each vehicle, so perhaps 3 ECVs can't ride together, but they could go one at a time.

I'm wondering if people will get weighed before they get on? Or are the CMs going to have to make a judgement call, or be told a head count, assuming the vehicle could take a lot more weight than the head count? There's a difference between a family with 3 little kids and two average weight parents and a family with 2 people with ECVs and some larger sized members as well, right? Are they just going to go on the high side for people, or are the CMs really going to have to decide how many people can go on based on individual size/weight?

 

[Weedy]

Do you really think Disney would start building and then decide who they want for the gondola manufacturing?

OP, since it has to fit ADA standards, of course it will have to accommodate mobility devices. I'd expect a weight limit for each vehicle, so perhaps 3 ECVs can't ride together, but they could go one at a time.

I'm wondering if people will get weighed before they get on? Or are the CMs going to have to make a judgement call, or be told a head count, assuming the vehicle could take a lot more weight than the head count? There's a difference between a family with 3 little kids and two average weight parents and a family with 2 people with ECVs and some larger sized members as well, right? Are they just going to go on the high side for people, or are the CMs really going to have to decide how many people can go on based on individual size/weight?

It will be fine. Again most of these are used at a a ski resorts. Think of extra weight of all the ski gear, extra clothing.
If there is a large party with an EVC they may have to ride in two different cabins. Really no different than some rides in the park. Think Haunted Mansion.

 

[DisneyOma]

It will be fine. Again most of these are used at a a ski resorts. Think of extra weight of all the ski gear, extra clothing.
If there is a large party with an EVC they may have to ride in two different cabins. Really no different than some rides in the park. Think Haunted Mansion.

But when do you see a skier with 170 lbs of equipment? And I see much larger people at WDW than I do on the ski slopes. I just wonder how they are going to coordinate the weights of ECVs, etc, with the limit on each gondola. And who is going to make the call on the size of the group that gets on each gondola.

 

[mamabunny]

But when do you see a skier with 170 lbs of equipment? And I see much larger people at WDW than I do on the ski slopes. I just wonder how they are going to coordinate the weights of ECVs, etc, with the limit on each gondola. And who is going to make the call on the size of the group that gets on each gondola.

It's like the weight limits for elevators - both "public" and "service" elevators have a stated capacity - and that capacity is often what appears to be a ridiculously high number, because otherwise we would all be doing math every time a loaded elevator needs to go up or down.

The weight limits on the gondolas/gondola system as a whole will surely be *well* above the "worst case" scenario; the Imagineers are well aware of what that number needs to be - from a low average to a high average, to a worst case scenario, the weight limit will surely be in excess of anything that is ordinary reached.

 

[Simba's Mom]

But when do you see a skier with 170 lbs of equipment? And I see much larger people at WDW than I do on the ski slopes. I just wonder how they are going to coordinate the weights of ECVs, etc, with the limit on each gondola. And who is going to make the call on the size of the group that gets on each gondola.

I think most elevators have alarms that go off when the weight/capacity has been exceeded. I suspect the gondolas will have the same thing.