First Look Inside Disney Skyliner

Cinderelley;2522124 wrote: If the cable for the gondola breaks, I'm just going to free fall with not much around me to break my fall. Yes, I'm afraid of heights.

The odds of THAT kind of failure are almost non-existent. So if that is a concern..... not an issue.

best,

..............john

I was in a gondola in the spring in Colorado once. There were really high winds. They probably shouldn’t have been operating. Our gondola was blowing back and forth to an almost ninety degree angle and once you’re on there’s nothing to really do except continue forward. That’s what I picture when I think of these things. I don’t know if I’d be using them.

Cinderelley;2522124 wrote: If the cable for the gondola breaks, I'm just going to free fall with not much around me to break my fall. Yes, I'm afraid of heights.

And when the nearly 50 year old concrete cracks and breaks you won’t have much to break your fall either. Point is neither scenario is very likely.

I’m probably in the minority here, but how is the “natural” ventilation different than any of the outdoor attraction at Parks. And for that matter how are wooden benches worse than the hard plastic seats on the buses?

Actually come to think of it most of current attractions at DHS have outdoor queues and it has three outdoor shows (with hard metal benches). You folks are complaining about a 5 to 15 minute ride in the gondola, how many times have you waited longer than that for Fantasmic, Beauty and the Beast or Indiana Jones stunt spectacular. Or up till a few years ago Lights, Motor, Action. All are/were outside with hard metal benches.

Speedy1998;2522145 wrote: I’m probably in the minority here, but how is the “natural” ventilation different than any of the outdoor attraction at Parks. And for that matter how are wooden benches worse than the hard plastic seats on the buses?

Actually come to think of it most of current attractions at DHS have outdoor queues and it has three outdoor shows (with hard metal benches). You folks are complaining about a 5 to 15 minute ride in the gondola, how many times have you waited longer than that for Fantasmic, Beauty and the Beast or Indiana Jones stunt spectacular. Or up till a few years ago Lights, Motor, Action. All are/were outside with hard metal benches.

Yes, but all of the scenarios you mention are actually pretty uncomfortable in hot and humid weather (and I've lived in Florida and now Houston-like you-for 30 years, so I know hot and humid weather). Skepticism aside, I will definitely try the Gondolas the next I get to WDW. I always like experiencing new things.

Speedy1998;2522145 wrote: You folks are complaining about a 5 to 15 minute ride in the gondola, how many times have you waited longer than that for Fantasmic, Beauty and the Beast or Indiana Jones stunt spectacular.

When running as expected, it'll be fine. That 11 mph (1000 fpm) breeze will be pretty good at cooling. The potential issues revolve around a stoppage. And they DO happen. No matter how well maintained. Detach lifts are complicated. There are multiple computers in that main drive station that control a lot of complex timing movements and are reading LOTS of sensors all along the towers. They "talk" to each other. When something is not as expected... it stops.

If it is a simple thing to check..... it starts again pretty quickly. A matter of minutes.

If it is a major fault, it takes some serious "look see" by lift maint. personnel to make sure it is safe to re-start the lift. A short one of these can be 15-20 minutes.

If the fault is such that the haul rope cannot be moved ........ a lift evac is necessary. Plan on the possibility of 2 to 4 hours until the last person is out of the cabins.

This is reality. Do some research on the situations that have happened with these types of lifts.

It's all good until it isn't. The real concern is HEAT and its effect on the human body. Evac procedures work. They are well tested. They'll get you physically down out of the air. But it is really how hot the day is and how that impacts the evac. A long time, particularly for the elderly and the young... and there will likely be heat related problems.

best,

.............john

WiltonJohn;2522125 wrote: The odds of THAT kind of failure are almost non-existent. So if that is a concern..... not an issue.

best,

..............john

Except, lightning strike capital of the country.

Regardless, being up in the air, in a glass box w/ other sweaty folks. Too hot, too musty, too not me.

We get serious lightning up in the mountains at times also. Hasn't proven to be a problem. Stopped lifts in the extreme cold.... THAT has been a problem at times.

best,

........................john

WiltonJohn;2522125 wrote: The odds of THAT kind of failure are almost non-existent. So if that is a concern..... not an issue.

best,

..............john

Thank you for letting me know. My mom has this grand idea of all of us riding the tram in Palm Springs this July. All I could imagine was the cable breaking and all of us plunging to our deaths. Now perhaps I can relax a little.

Speedy1998;2522144 wrote: And when the nearly 50 year old concrete cracks and breaks you won’t have much to break your fall either. Point is neither scenario is very likely.

Oh great. Now I'm just gonna be even more nervous riding the monorail. :P I don't do it very often, thankfully.

I never really worried about the concrete breaking. I was worried that it would topple over sideways. I still feel like there is more protection in a monorail car than in the gondola. Idk, the gondolas just seem flimsier.

Speedy1998;2522145 wrote: I’m probably in the minority here, but how is the “natural” ventilation different than any of the outdoor attraction at Parks. And for that matter how are wooden benches worse than the hard plastic seats on the buses?

Actually come to think of it most of current attractions at DHS have outdoor queues and it has three outdoor shows (with hard metal benches). You folks are complaining about a 5 to 15 minute ride in the gondola, how many times have you waited longer than that for Fantasmic, Beauty and the Beast or Indiana Jones stunt spectacular. Or up till a few years ago Lights, Motor, Action. All are/were outside with hard metal benches.

On our first trip, we waited for Fantasmic and Lights, Motor, Action. Never again.

I have a friend who does technical rescue for one of the fire departments here. I think I'm just going to take him with me when I try the gondolas. I'll make myself go on it, just because I'm scared of it. Then it is one and done for me.

This is great. A ride I don’t have to book a ten day vacation to have a chance of getting a FastPass for. Heck it will probably turn out to be the most popular ride at Disneyworld. :).

WiltonJohn;2522125 wrote: The odds of THAT kind of failure are almost non-existent. So if that is a concern..... not an issue.

best,

..............john

We went on our Palm Springs tram ride that my mother has wanted for so long. I can't tell you how many times I replayed this whole safety conversation in my head during the ride up and the ride down. Thank you from the bottom of my heart for this.