Skyliner breakdown and BWVs

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Ms.Minnie

DIS Veteran
Joined
Nov 29, 2004
So I saw a picture on a website that I can't source here (because it's not allowed) that showed a sign by the IG Skyliner during the incident the other night directing people to the BW for bus transportation back to their resorts. Isn't the BC bus stop a shorter walk rather then having all those guests walking all the way to the BW bus stop? It appears to me that Disney isn't as concern about the inconvenience to it's guest as they maybe at looking to increase their bottom line. I'm thinking this is a way for Disney to increase traffic on the Boardwalk which would in turn increase business ($ for Disney) for all the stores and dining spots on Boardwalk. As a BW DVC member I'm not real happy about this but I guess there isn't anything I can do about it. Disney owns the property and they can pretty much do anything they want.

I'm guessing people staying at the connecting resorts via Skyline will now be able to access the Boardwalk area much easier then in the past which in turn may increase the volume of people in that area. This will probable also impact the boat transportation in the Epcot area. This isn't something I had considered when this project was first announced. I was more concerned about my entry point to Epcot and how all the extra traffic would effect that experience. Now I see the bigger picture, this is also a way to increase traffic to the Boardwalk area. Not sure how this will all work out, I'm afraid it may not be good for us old timer BW owners. We have gotten used to a certain level of crowds now it could get much larger potentially having a negative effect to the area and our experience.

I guess you have to hand it to Disney, they saw an area that wasn't being fully utilized and they found a way to do it...good business I guess. Not so good for the DVC owners in the area I'm afraid... :sad2:

I'm interested in what others think.
 
The signage was a preprinted sign, printed before the accident which leads me to believe they had a plan in place if this ever happened. They would have been crazy not to have a plan in place, things go wrong and they would have to prepare for the worse case scenario. I don't agree that the BW bus stop is larger or easier to find but that is JMHO. It's a much longer walk for the guests unless they take a boat which case it's the first stop but will greatly impact that mode of transportation.
 


I totally believe this was their thinking. We were just at BWV (got back home on Sunday). We were there for the opening of that Skyliner as well as the crash. Once Skyliner opened that IG was a crowded jam packed mess. No more going in or out of Epcot swiftly. Those days are done. Also noticed everything on the BW was jam packed. The ample hills had lines out the door. The last night of Illuminations we were enjoying a quiet night at Belle Vue lounge when all of the sudden there were about 50 people crowded around the bar. The 2 servers were extremely stressed and could not keep up. We had trouble getting and paying our tab. In 13 years of DVC ownership and a dozen or so visits to BWV I have never seen this. I wish I had gotten a photo. I did get a photo of the IG at the end of the night and the line for the Skyliner.....







 
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I totally believe this was their thinking. We were just at BWV (got back home on Sunday). We were there for the opening of that Skyliner as well as the crash. Once Skyliner opened that IG was a crowded jam packed mess. No more going in or out of Epcot swiftly. Those days are done. Also noticed everything on the BW was jam packed. The ample hills had lines out the door. The last night of Illuminations we were enjoying a quiet night at Belle Vue lounge when all of the sudden there were about 50 people crowded around the bar. The 2 servers were extremely stressed and could not keep up. We had trouble getting and paying our tab. In 13 years of DVC ownership and a dozen or so visits to BWV I have never seen this. I wish I had gotten a photo. I did get a photo of the IG at the end of the night and the line for the Skyliner.....








Wow! I expected an impact at BW only not to that magnitude. What night was that?
 


Once things settle down, I think the additional traffic for the Boardwalk area will be a good thing.

The Boardwalk entertainment offerings haven' been all that much, - in fact, a lot of nights, it's been just plain dead. With more people, that will almost certainly change. Maybe they will reopen/expand the Atlantic Dance venue, and/or add more "buskers" and games. Staff for the restaurants & ice cream shops and EPCOT IG entrance/exit will increase. The BWI/BWV Resort activities might increase as well.

The initial crowding and Skyliner incident are not very useful as predictors of future conditions. We need to give it some time.
 
Once things settle down, I think the additional traffic for the Boardwalk area will be a good thing.

The Boardwalk entertainment offerings haven' been all that much, - in fact, a lot of nights, it's been just plain dead. With more people, that will almost certainly change. Maybe they will reopen/expand the Atlantic Dance venue, and/or add more "buskers" and games. Staff for the restaurants & ice cream shops and EPCOT IG entrance/exit will increase. The BWI/BWV Resort activities might increase as well.

The initial crowding and Skyliner incident are not very useful as predictors of future conditions. We need to give it some time.
Well then I, for one, will be waiting for it to 'settle'. Not spending my precious DVC points and big $$$ to vacay there until I know for sure it has. And I don't see them hiring the extra needed staff (more bartenders and servers). They can't hire now because they are so cheap in what they pay. And it's not because the business itself is not making money...it's raking it in.
 
The Boardwalk itself was always intended to be a draw for non-BW resort guests. Sort of a mini-version of Disney Springs with dining, nightclub and amusements. But if they really wanted the Skyliner's purpose to be boosting Boardwalk business, they'd shut it down at 7:30 every night. Disney has simply gotten busier and busier over the years. Remember, years ago, you could pretty easily find a parking spot at Downtown Disney, then a few years later it was next to impossible, and now they've had to build parking structures.
 
Well then I, for one, will be waiting for it to 'settle'. Not spending my precious DVC points and big $$$ to vacay there until I know for sure it has. And I don't see them hiring the extra needed staff (more bartenders and servers). They can't hire now because they are so cheap in what they pay. And it's not because the business itself is not making money...it's raking it in.
Name a restaurant or bar where the servers don't rely on tips for a living wage. Low wages in food service is historically the nature of the business.
 
Name a restaurant or bar where the servers don't rely on tips for a living wage. Low wages in food service is historically the nature of the business.
What about the restaurant managers? They get paid a wage (not tip based) and it's their fault when I have to sit and wait 45 mins to get a drink. Or 30 mins for the server to bring our check. If that can't be fixed then the mouse has no business increasing the influx of guests at these venues.
 
The signage was a preprinted sign, printed before the accident which leads me to believe they had a plan in place if this ever happened. They would have been crazy not to have a plan in place, things go wrong and they would have to prepare for the worse case scenario.
There were already plans in place for anticipated weather outages.
 
So the Skyliner wasn't constructed to move guests more efficiently to-and-from 5000+ hotel rooms, rather it was so they could sell a few more scoops each day at Ample Hills?

Why not both? Disney is very good at making money and this is a good place to make more $$$.
 
I totally believe this was their thinking. We were just at BWV (got back home on Sunday). We were there for the opening of that Skyliner as well as the crash. Once Skyliner opened that IG was a crowded jam packed mess. No more going in or out of Epcot swiftly. Those days are done. Also noticed everything on the BW was jam packed. The ample hills had lines out the door. The last night of Illuminations we were enjoying a quiet night at Belle Vue lounge when all of the sudden there were about 50 people crowded around the bar. The 2 servers were extremely stressed and could not keep up. We had trouble getting and paying our tab. In 13 years of DVC ownership and a dozen or so visits to BWV I have never seen this. I wish I had gotten a photo. I did get a photo of the IG at the end of the night and the line for the Skyliner.....








First thanks for the photos, very sad to see. This really upsets me, this was my biggest fear that IG would be a mess with all the new traffic. I'm hoping that in time and at the time of year we travel these crowd will level off. If not this is a real kick in the B__t to those guests staying at resorts in the Epcot area. People paying cash pay a premium to stay in this area with one of the big bennies being IG. Those of us who own DVC at the Epcot area resorts will also be negatively affected not to mention the added traffic on the BW itself. Very upsetting. I guess we will have to wait and see...
 
Once things settle down, I think the additional traffic for the Boardwalk area will be a good thing.

The Boardwalk entertainment offerings haven' been all that much, - in fact, a lot of nights, it's been just plain dead. With more people, that will almost certainly change. Maybe they will reopen/expand the Atlantic Dance venue, and/or add more "buskers" and games. Staff for the restaurants & ice cream shops and EPCOT IG entrance/exit will increase. The BWI/BWV Resort activities might increase as well.

The initial crowding and Skyliner incident are not very useful as predictors of future conditions. We need to give it some time.

I hope you're right.
 
The Boardwalk itself was always intended to be a draw for non-BW resort guests. Sort of a mini-version of Disney Springs with dining, nightclub and amusements. But if they really wanted the Skyliner's purpose to be boosting Boardwalk business, they'd shut it down at 7:30 every night. Disney has simply gotten busier and busier over the years. Remember, years ago, you could pretty easily find a parking spot at Downtown Disney, then a few years later it was next to impossible, and now they've had to build parking structures.

Not sure how this would increase business on the BW. Are you suggesting that they would always provide bus transportation from the BW to the other resorts that the Skyliner service?
 
Not sure how this would increase business on the BW. Are you suggesting that they would always provide bus transportation from the BW to the other resorts that the Skyliner service?
It would be a win-win for Disney, increasing traffic to boardwalk, and alleviating some of the crowds leaving at night via the front of the park. But it is highly unlikely that would ever happen. It was just an "If the purpose of the skyliner was to increase Boardwalk traffic" thing.
 
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