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

[rstevens333]

But how do you educate *every* guest at these resorts that two major destinations don't have buses, even though there's a bus stop? People still think fastpasses cost money.

 

[jknezek]

Here's a fun question to ponder... which will make more circles in its first year? This thread, or the actual gondolas?

 

[CarolynFH]

Here's a fun question to ponder... which will make more circles in its first year? This thread, or the actual gondolas?

 

[sachilles]

But how do you educate *every* guest at these resorts that two major destinations don't have buses, even though there's a bus stop? People still think fastpasses cost money.

Why is there a need to educate every guest?

The issue will be to re-educate a frequent visitor of a resort that had bus service removed after it once had it. Those will be the grumpy ones. That being said, it's only issue if they remove the bus service, and that has not been confirmed, there is only massive speculation.

 

[Iowamomof4]

So, if a person was considering a trip in 2019 and had a desire to stay at Pop Century when these might be open, what is the soonest said person should consider going? We were looking at about a year from next week, but based on what @rteetz said a couple pages ago, I get the idea that they don't plan to have them in full operation by then.

 

[rteetz]

So, if a person were considering a trip in 2019 and had a desire to stay at Pop Century when these might be open, what is the soonest said person should consider going? We were looking at about a year from next week, but based on what @rteetz said a couple pages ago, I get the idea that they don't plan to have them in full operation by then.

I’d say summer so June-July is a safe bet.

They’ll be operating before Star Wars obviously which would be fall.

 

[TheMaxRebo]

But can you really expect every single person who stays at one of these resorts to know if they could *only* use the gondola? Because buses will still exist for other destinations.

If I was at the Poly and had a fear of boats (or had motion sickness), I could still ride the monorail to the MK.

Probably the same way you tell people staying at the Poly that if they want to get to EPCOT they have to take the monorail, don't go to the bus stand

 

[skier_pete]

So, if a person was considering a trip in 2019 and had a desire to stay at Pop Century when these might be open, what is the soonest said person should consider going?

I’d say summer so June-July is a safe bet

I would argue there is no "Safe bet" for 2019. They are very likely to be up and running by the time Star Wars opens, but Disney has not announced a time frame. The only true safe bet is 2020 right now. That said, I would expect by the end of this year you will have a season it will be opening "Spring 2019", "Summer 2019".

Understood. But we're also talking about a mode of transportation which has the potential to tap into very real fears (heights, claustrophobia) of many guests.

If Disney tries to mandate Skyliner use at those resorts, they will have some very angry guests. If Disney runs modest bus service which proves inadequate to meet demand, they will have angry guests.

I completely understand what Disney WANTS to do and their motivation for doing it. And I know they are accustomed to taking heat over unpopular policy changes. I'm just not convinced that they will be able to easily overcome the guest outcry over THIS particular issue. Telling an acrophobic that they should have chosen a different resort or have to wait an hour for a bus or should pay $25 each way for Minnie van are not things I would put on the same level as tiered ticket prices or stricter security measures.

Again, fascinating to see how it will play out.

But can you really expect Disney to continue to run the same level of bus service for the say 1 % of guests that are afraid of using the gondolas. Because let's face it, when you tell MOST guests "Hey we have these gondolas that will reduce your travel time to Epcot and DHS from 20-40 minutes down to 5-10 minutes." the vast majority of guests will jump right in line. There's simply no way that Disney will continue to run buses every 20 minutes to keep those "angry guests" at bay.

Though I do agree with the argument that there is no way to 100% communicate with guests that "gondolas are your only option". So many people are such dunces - it won't get out to everyone. And I agree that telling guests "Take a $25 Minnie Van" won't go over well at all. These are generally people staying on the cheap - or at least relatively cheap for on-site. Disney's going to have to provide an option for people that won't ride it - even if they don't realize it yet.

 

[umichigan10]

Understood. But we're also talking about a mode of transportation which has the potential to tap into very real fears (heights, claustrophobia) of many guests.

If Disney tries to mandate Skyliner use at those resorts, they will have some very angry guests. If Disney runs modest bus service which proves inadequate to meet demand, they will have angry guests.

I completely understand what Disney WANTS to do and their motivation for doing it. And I know they are accustomed to taking heat over unpopular policy changes. I'm just not convinced that they will be able to easily overcome the guest outcry over THIS particular issue. Telling an acrophobic that they should have chosen a different resort or have to wait an hour for a bus or should pay $25 each way for Minnie van are not things I would put on the same level as tiered ticket prices or stricter security measures.

Again, fascinating to see how it will play out.

I mean if someone didn’t like heights or the gondola you don’t stay at that resort. The Epcot area use boats as their primary transport. If you’re afraid of boats/drowning, and you’re uncomfortable using that transport, you don’t stay at those hotels

 

[umichigan10]

But how do you educate *every* guest at these resorts that two major destinations don't have buses, even though there's a bus stop? People still think fastpasses cost money.

Why would you spend hundreds of dollars on a hotel and not be aware of the transportation situation?

If I travel to New York, I’m aware of the hotel location to the subway, how the lines work, hours of operation, etc. same principle here.

Honestly if someone’s dense enough to drop thousands on their vacation and not do that research then I don’t know what to tell them

 

[skier_pete]

Why would you spend hundreds of dollars on a hotel and not be aware of the transportation situation?

If I travel to New York, I’m aware of the hotel location to the subway, how the lines work, hours of operation, etc. same principle here.

Honestly if someone’s dense enough to drop thousands on their vacation and not do that research then I don’t know what to tell them

So you thin that should be Disney's response to the guest that didn't know better? "Well if you are so dense as to book here, then just pay for a minnie-van." It's easy to say it on a message board but it doesnt keep people from being dense. (Theyll likely be people that book there that will be expecting canals with gondolass in them.)

 

[TheMaxRebo]

Why would you spend hundreds of dollars on a hotel and not be aware of the transportation situation?

If I travel to New York, I’m aware of the hotel location to the subway, how the lines work, hours of operation, etc. same principle here.

Honestly if someone’s dense enough to drop thousands on their vacation and not do that research then I don’t know what to tell them

People travel to WDW and don’t know until they get there that there is more than just the Magic Kingdom or don’t realize Harry Potter isn’t in WDW

Don’t underestimate how uninformed guests can be

 

[jknezek]

This is just a non issue folks. I'm in the camp there will be a bus an hour kind of thing, or a shared bus. They are going to tell them where the bus stop is and send them on their way. Disney knows how to handle bus complaints, they get them dozens of times a day. If you don't want to take a gondola, no problem, there is a bus. When they later complain the bus stinks, they'll get a sympathetic ear, maybe an extra fastpass, and get sent on their way. No big deal and no different from the myriad of other bus complaints. It doesn't stop people from coming back now, it won't then.

 

[tjkraz]

But can you really expect Disney to continue to run the same level of bus service for the say 1 % of guests that are afraid of using the gondolas. Because let's face it, when you tell MOST guests "Hey we have these gondolas that will reduce your travel time to Epcot and DHS from 20-40 minutes down to 5-10 minutes." the vast majority of guests will jump right in line. There's simply no way that Disney will continue to run buses every 20 minutes to keep those "angry guests" at bay.

If they keep bus service, I think they'll need to run every 20-30 minutes. There still needs to be some minimum quality standard.

However, for all the reasons you list, there will be far fewer riders than currently. POP, AOA and CBR represent over 6000 rooms. Disney isn't sending 3 buses per hour to each resort now...at least not during peak hours. They are coming more frequently than that to meet demand. From 9-10am POP, AOA and CBR may EACH get 6-8 Epcot buses to handle all of the guests headed to that park.

With the Skyliner operational, perhaps they drop to just 2-3 buses per hour with those buses making the rounds to multiple resorts before heading to the park.

 

[joelkfla]

I say again: Disney will just upgrade Guest's who complain enough. It's easy Guest Recovery: the Guest is happy, and it costs Disney nothing if the inventory is available.

 

[umichigan10]

So you thin that should be Disney's response to the guest that didn't know better? "Well if you are so dense as to book here, then just pay for a minnie-van." It's easy to say it on a message board but it doesnt keep people from being dense. (Theyll likely be people that book there that will be expecting canals with gondolass in them.)

People travel to WDW and don’t know until they get there that there is more than just the Magic Kingdom or don’t realize Harry Potter isn’t in WDW

Don’t underestimate how uninformed guests can be

Probably could’ve been worded more diplomatically on my end, but honestly do they run into this issue with people at the Epcot resorts and the boat? People are deathly afraid of riding in boats and water but there doesn’t seem to be an issue with people complaining about having to boat to the studios or walk 20 minutes in the blazing Florida heat.

It’s all a fruitless point anyways, there’ll probably be an infrequent bus that’ll probably be a pain to use with consolidation or a transfer point.

 

[CaptainKat]

Something I haven’t seen asked on here: What’s the current rope drop set up at the IG? Was just thinking about how that could advantage/disadvantage guests on the new system adding to this gate. Do they let you in early to stroll down to a rope by future world? Or are you waiting to book it across the park at 9 from the turnstiles? Maybe there’s a potential for a couple places along that path to open early for the added foot traffic? (I’m just dreaming of an early morning pastry from Les Halles lol)

 

[rstevens333]

Les Halles opens at 9am for breakfast, right? (it did at one point.)

That's a really good question, though. Do they have to do two openings now? Who will be the international gateway's version of the Jammitors?

 

[Keels]

But how do you educate *every* guest at these resorts that two major destinations don't have buses, even though there's a bus stop? People still think fastpasses cost money.

Eventually, you have to accept that people making these decisions on where/how to spend their money are adults and their cognitive reasoning (or lack thereof) isn't your problem. If they choose not to do research on resorts, or are uncomfortable with the options presented for them at the resort they choose, then that's on them. They can use the transportation options presented for them as provided under the covenant of their lodging agreement, or they can financially subsidize an alternative that fits their needs. It REALLY is that easy.

Don't want to take the gondola? Don't stay at a gondola resort OR be willing to take longer on a bus involving a transfer OR spend the $8 on an Uber/Lyft to get where you want to go. When you book a room, Disney is ONLY responsible for providing you with a clean, safe room to stay and free transportation - not transportation of YOUR choosing, but the transportation on offer. If you don't like what's free, then you pay for what you're willing to use or you stay elsewhere.

This "we have to educate every guest" argument is such a beating. People are spending THOUSANDS OF DOLLARS on these vacations. If they don't do research on their own, that's on them. Frankly, people not willing to do research would be better off just using a TA - but that's an argument for another time.

 

[Ponderer]

I know this is just a silly hope right now, but if this is successful, what do you all think the chances are they’d Bri g back the Skyway in the parks in some form? There was something absolutely magical about that to me and I miss it a lot.