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

[Alessa Dufresne]

hey everyone - i was going to make a video on the skyliner - basically what we know up until now, just curious as to how you guys are estimating how many gondolas will run (is the 300's just from the photo with it labelled?) Also I read one would leave every 15 seconds - anyone hear anything else different? Alsoooo - anyone have time estimates? i have a few but just curious what else is out there

 

[hakepb]

hey everyone - i was going to make a video on the skyliner - basically what we know up until now, just curious as to how you guys are estimating how many gondolas will run (is the 300's just from the photo with it labelled?) Also I read one would leave every 15 seconds - anyone hear anything else different? Alsoooo - anyone have time estimates? i have a few but just curious what else is out there

A gondola/ski enthusiast lift blog has helped with a lot with background information, plus there have been insiders providing information.
There’s some comments on this article that discuss possible timing and spacing.
https://liftblog.com/2017/12/08/disney-chooses-doppelmayr-d-line/

 

[jhoannam]

https://liftblog.com/2017/12/08/disney-chooses-doppelmayr-d-line/

Very cool blog... I'm loving the Oakland concept art. https://liftblog.com/2019/01/26/oakland-athletics-unveil-3s-gondola-concept/

 

[hakepb]

Very cool blog... I'm loving the Oakland concept art. https://liftblog.com/2019/01/26/oakland-athletics-unveil-3s-gondola-concept/

Oh, wow! A 3S (tri-cable) gondola with 35 passenger cabins and a 6000 person/hour capacity.
(One of the early reasons Disney chose monocable was the higher ~5000 person capacity)

 

[Q-man]

hey everyone - i was going to make a video on the skyliner - basically what we know up until now, just curious as to how you guys are estimating how many gondolas will run (is the 300's just from the photo with it labelled?) Also I read one would leave every 15 seconds - anyone hear anything else different? Alsoooo - anyone have time estimates? i have a few but just curious what else is out there

Probably under 10 seconds between. I believe they unload on side of the station and load on the other side.

 

[OSUZorba]

hey everyone - i was going to make a video on the skyliner - basically what we know up until now, just curious as to how you guys are estimating how many gondolas will run (is the 300's just from the photo with it labelled?) Also I read one would leave every 15 seconds - anyone hear anything else different? Alsoooo - anyone have time estimates? i have a few but just curious what else is out there

I showed calculations to get to just under 300 awhile back in the thread. But the math is fairly simple. The rumor is 4500 pph, with 10 person cabins, that would be 450 cabins an hour. There are 3600 seconds per hour so you'd need to release a cabin every 8 seconds.

Assuming a line speed of 16 mph, you'd have a cabin spacing of 187.7 feet. Further assuming 6 miles exactly of cable, that would require 168 gondolas on cable.

There will be 8 full loading/unloading stations. If you give 90 seconds to load/unloaded you would need 11 gondolas per station, for 88 more. There will be a turn station that will probably have at least another 8 in it at a time. Then the handicap loops, of which there will be 6 will likely have ~3 or 4 at a time, so let's call that 21 more.

So we are at 168+88+8+22=285. There will likely be at least a few parked deducted to maintenance or as spares, so bump that up to right around 300.

Disclaimer, all numbers from memory. Obviously if the line speed is slower there will be more gondolas, if the line is a little longer there will be more to.

 

[Alessa Dufresne]

I showed calculations to get to just under 300 awhile back in the thread. But the math is fairly simple. The rumor is 4500 pph, with 10 person cabins, that would be 450 cabins an hour. There are 3600 seconds per hour so you'd need to release a cabin every 8 seconds.

Assuming a line speed of 16 mph, you'd have a cabin spacing of 187.7 feet. Further assuming 6 miles exactly of cable, that would require 168 gondolas on cable.

There will be 8 full loading/unloading stations. If you give 90 seconds to load/unloaded you would need 11 gondolas per station, for 88 more. There will be a turn station that will probably have at least another 8 in it at a time. Then the handicap loops, of which there will be 6 will likely have ~3 or 4 at a time, so let's call that 21 more.

So we are at 168+88+8+22=285. There will likely be at least a few parked deducted to maintenance or as spares, so bump that up to right around 300.

Disclaimer, all numbers from memory. Obviously if the line speed is slower there will be more gondolas, if the line is a little longer there will be more to.

Do

I showed calculations to get to just under 300 awhile back in the thread. But the math is fairly simple. The rumor is 4500 pph, with 10 person cabins, that would be 450 cabins an hour. There are 3600 seconds per hour so you'd need to release a cabin every 8 seconds.

Assuming a line speed of 16 mph, you'd have a cabin spacing of 187.7 feet. Further assuming 6 miles exactly of cable, that would require 168 gondolas on cable.

There will be 8 full loading/unloading stations. If you give 90 seconds to load/unloaded you would need 11 gondolas per station, for 88 more. There will be a turn station that will probably have at least another 8 in it at a time. Then the handicap loops, of which there will be 6 will likely have ~3 or 4 at a time, so let's call that 21 more.

So we are at 168+88+8+22=285. There will likely be at least a few parked deducted to maintenance or as spares, so bump that up to right around 300.

Disclaimer, all numbers from memory. Obviously if the line speed is slower there will be more gondolas, if the line is a little longer there will be more to.

Thanks!! Do you also know if the station is being built before or after security at the parks ?

 

[Alessa Dufresne]

Hey Everyone - another question - do you know if the station is being built before or after security at the parks ?

 

[sachilles]

Hey Everyone - another question - do you know if the station is being built before or after security at the parks ?

It's not known at this time. Several suspect that it will be outside security based upon some other infrastructure build out going on now, but it is speculation.

 

[rteetz]

More testing going on

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2019/02/01/news-disney-world-skyliner-testing-photos-and-video/

 

[ksromack]

More testing going on

http://www.disneyfoodblog.com/2019/02/01/news-disney-world-skyliner-testing-photos-and-video/

This is February 1st. I wonder how many test gondolas they will run before human subjects get to ride? Doesn't it seem possible that there will be some riders before the end of spring? I mean, we're at CBR for a few days in May. I would volunteer!

 

[rteetz]

This is February 1st. I wonder how many test gondolas they will run before human subjects get to ride? Doesn't it seem possible that there will be some riders before the end of spring? I mean, we're at CBR for a few days in May. I would volunteer!

Well those in the link aren’t actual guest gondolas they are maintenance vehicles so we still have a bit to go.

 

[Weedy]

Many years ago when Big Thunder Mountain was in the test and adjust faze the employees could ride. We would go after work and ride for hours.

 

[jade1]

I wonder once opening is announced, if somebody will do a live stream from one or more stations to show crowd levels, speed etc.

Wouldn't doubt it, lots of interest.

 

[gap2368]

I wonder once opening is announced, if somebody will do a live stream from one or more stations to show crowd levels, speed etc.

Wouldn't doubt it, lots of interest.

I would think there would be quite a few bloggers opening day

 

[vacationer1954]

It's not known at this time. Several suspect that it will be outside security based upon some other infrastructure build out going on now, but it is speculation.

As I am learning more about recent changes, I'm now looking at what we know as best described as, "It will be outside where security is today." Anything more definitive than that I'm reading as assuming facts not in evidence.

 

[vacationer1954]

Just out of curiosity, has anyone (perhaps in some other thread) floated the idea that the opening of the gondola will spell the end of the resort friendship boats or the end of the boats going all the way to the theme parks? That would open up other possibilities for explaining the security situation.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

I wonder once opening is announced, if somebody will do a live stream from one or more stations to show crowd levels, speed etc.

Wouldn't doubt it, lots of interest.

I would be more surprised if they didn’t based on number of videos I am seeing of people staked out at stations now filming construction and the occasional gondola testing

Especially if it does come to fruition that bus service is resduved people will want to compare if this is a net positive or negative in total people transported per hour

 

[umichigan10]

Just out of curiosity, has anyone (perhaps in some other thread) floated the idea that the opening of the gondola will spell the end of the resort friendship boats or the end of the boats going all the way to the theme parks? That would open up other possibilities for explaining the security situation.

They’ll keep the boats as they gondolas will not service any of the same resorts that the boats currently do

 

[vacationer1954]

They’ll keep the boats as they gondolas will not service any of the same resorts that the boats currently do

I'm not sure I would rely on that implication that strongly. Disney has made many changes over the years that people found mystifying.