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

We take the boat there often. "Inundate" is an exaggeration. It took about 2 minutes to get through the entrance. Normally there's 4 touch pads open, meaning 25 per gate.

I am certain they will increase the size of the entrance gate once the gondola go up. Everyone seems pretty certain the security check points will move back to the gondola on boards and before the gondola station at IG, so it should smooth it all out.
When I stayed at BWV it was security that was terrible at IG. I hope they move security to before the gondola, but if not they'll have to make some major improvements.
 
Right - I think security will actually become easier. Much like at Universal, they are likely moving the security back to the resorts. So for folks on the boats you will go through security as you are queuing up for the boat, gondola folks will also go through security.

They already do this on the monorail resorts, and I've seen mention of them doing it for the gondolas. Is there any rumor for the boats as well? Would make sense given the dock location at both DHS and epcot, but that was the first time I've heard that mentioned.
 
They already do this on the monorail resorts, and I've seen mention of them doing it for the gondolas. Is there any rumor for the boats as well? Would make sense given the dock location at both DHS and epcot, but that was the first time I've heard that mentioned.

I haven't heard a rumor, but it sounds like the next logical step. But I would guess they'll wait until the new bus bay at DHS is finished so that the security bubble can just be reconfigured there once. This would also mean you could park hop from DHS to Epcot without leaving the security bubble like last year's "express buses" did. Is this already the case going between MK and Epcot via monorail? I haven't made that hop in a while so haven't seen it yet myself. I guess that would also mean you could go from DHS to MK without leaving security (via boat and monorail) once all is said and done.
 
I haven't heard a rumor, but it sounds like the next logical step. But I would guess they'll wait until the new bus bay at DHS is finished so that the security bubble can just be reconfigured there once. This would also mean you could park hop from DHS to Epcot without leaving the security bubble like last year's "express buses" did. Is this already the case going between MK and Epcot via monorail? I haven't made that hop in a while so haven't seen it yet myself. I guess that would also mean you could go from DHS to MK without leaving security (via boat and monorail) once all is said and done.
Currently, if you are staying in the monorail resorts you can enter mk(pass security at resort). When you transfer at the ticket center, the epcot monorail arrives outside the security bubble at epcot, and you must pass screening again. This was the case last Thanksgiving. I don't know if they had plans to move it.
 


When I stayed at BWV it was security that was terrible at IG. I hope they move security to before the gondola, but if not they'll have to make some major improvements.
FWIW, security at IG was moved from after the tapstyles to before, so last week I thought there was a much better flow than a few years ago (when security was a bottleneck after the tapstyles)

But, if the gondola is secure, then I hope that security gets moved back farther to just scan walkers and boaters.
(That really annoys me at the main Epcot entrance, I was screened at MK, so I was fully cleared by Disney as I left the monorail at Epcot, but since I had to walk ~75’ in the unsecured zone, a security guard (before the metal detectors) gets to question what’s in my pockets, again.
 
I haven't heard a rumor, but it sounds like the next logical step. But I would guess they'll wait until the new bus bay at DHS is finished so that the security bubble can just be reconfigured there once. This would also mean you could park hop from DHS to Epcot without leaving the security bubble like last year's "express buses" did. Is this already the case going between MK and Epcot via monorail? I haven't made that hop in a while so haven't seen it yet myself. I guess that would also mean you could go from DHS to MK without leaving security (via boat and monorail) once all is said and done.
You can take a monorail at a monorail Resort (going through monorail stop screening) and transfer monorails in the TTC secure zone. But when you exit the Monorail at Epcot, you exit into the “unsecured” zone and have to pass through security, again to get into Epcot.

If you take a boat from a monorail resort to MK, you are screened at the MK dock.
Until there is a greater boating threat, I imagine they will keep security at the park instead of staffing more stops at resorts.
 
They already do this on the monorail resorts, and I've seen mention of them doing it for the gondolas. Is there any rumor for the boats as well? Would make sense given the dock location at both DHS and epcot, but that was the first time I've heard that mentioned.
I can’t see this happening with the boats. I would think that it would screw up their scjhedule too much.
 


FWIW, security at IG was moved from after the tapstyles to before, so last week I thought there was a much better flow than a few years ago (when security was a bottleneck after the tapstyles)
I don't recall security at IG ever being after the tap styles.
 
I don't recall security at IG ever being after the tap styles.
Hmmm
Is spacing now better with the permanent covers over both security and the tapstyles?
I don’t recall any bottlenecks during my BWV stay last week.
 
Right - I think security will actually become easier. Much like at Universal, they are likely moving the security back to the resorts. So for folks on the boats you will go through security as you are queuing up for the boat, gondola folks will also go through security. So the only people seeing the security site at the IG will be people walking up to the gate. While this isn't a zero number, it (a) is not a huge number as it is really only BC/YC and some BW people (I don't think many S/D people would walk to Epcot) and (b) won't be affected by the gondola at all. So they'll expand the number of tap stations for entering the park, but might actually lower the size of the security station there. By pulling security back to the resorts, I think you'll find that the park entry will be much quicker - with the only real potential issue being right when the park opens.
I don't see this happening and here is why: There are still plenty of people that drive to the parks, which means that if you take a bus, security at most parks would still be required as there would be people that would have to pass through security, but to do so they would have use common walkways with those be dropped off by bus and other transportation, which means that you would have to go through security twice.

Personally, I think they should do more like Universal Studios Hollywood and have your bag go through an xRay machine while you go through the metal detector, for 95% of people they will just continue on, the other 5% would be the people that security needs to look at further for whatever reasons. This eliminates a lot of having security go through every pocket (like some of them do at Disneyland especially, not sure about Disney World).
 
I don't see this happening and here is why: There are still plenty of people that drive to the parks, which means that if you take a bus, security at most parks would still be required as there would be people that would have to pass through security, but to do so they would have use common walkways with those be dropped off by bus and other transportation, which means that you would have to go through security twice.

Personally, I think they should do more like Universal Studios Hollywood and have your bag go through an xRay machine while you go through the metal detector, for 95% of people they will just continue on, the other 5% would be the people that security needs to look at further for whatever reasons. This eliminates a lot of having security go through every pocket (like some of them do at Disneyland especially, not sure about Disney World).
I believe the comment was specifically related to the boats and gondolas arriving at Epcot IG, not to the main gate nor to any other parks.
 
Not really, they would put security at the dock, you go through before the boat arrives.
This would require adding 3 additional check points as opposed to routing the boat traffic through park security.
 
This would require adding 3 additional check points as opposed to routing the boat traffic through park security.

I haven't been since they expanded the security bubble at MK, but isn't this what they basically did? Each monorail resort has security checks at the resort, there's a security check on the walkway between CR, one for the resort boats, one for busses, and one for TTC. I could easily see them do something similar for the IG and DHS entrance.
 
They already do this on the monorail resorts, and I've seen mention of them doing it for the gondolas. Is there any rumor for the boats as well? Would make sense given the dock location at both DHS and epcot, but that was the first time I've heard that mentioned.

Well, I don't know if there's any will word from Disney about this - so really everything is just a rumor - but I think it's a logical assumption:

1) AT international Gateway - the boat dock and the gondola station will both be at the same spot. So either (a) they need to expand security where it is or (b) they need to move security back to the boat dock / gondola station / and the walkway - OR they would need to move security to getting ON the gondola and the boats.

2) They are clearly moving the bus bay at DHS so that it will be further back - further back than the boat dock or the gondola station. Again, this only makes sense to do if you are going to move the gondola/boat within the security bubble.

3) There's a good chance they will want security before they put people on the gondola. Unlikely they want people on the gondola with a bomb or gun.

Now the problem with moving back the security bubble is now you need 6 new security stations (One at Pop/AoA station, one at CBR station, one at Riviera station. One at each of the BW,BC/YC and S/D docks.) as well as still one for walk-ups at IG and also the regular DHS one. While you can reduce the # of security at IG and even maybe slightly at DHS - but in the end it will likely require more security - BUT, it moves the security BACK further, which is a good thing!
 
AT international Gateway - the boat dock and the gondola station will both be at the same spot.
I don't think this is the case. From the pictures and diagrams up-thread it looks like to gondola station will be away from the boat dock.
 
I don't think this is the case. From the pictures and diagrams up-thread it looks like to gondola station will be away from the boat dock.

Well, I meant roughly the same distance from the entrance - so that if they are going to have the gondola inside the security bubble, the boat dock would likely have to be as well. And vice versa - if security remains after you get off the gondola, then the people would also go through it getting off the boat.
 
Well, I meant roughly the same distance from the entrance - so that if they are going to have the gondola inside the security bubble, the boat dock would likely have to be as well. And vice versa - if security remains after you get off the gondola, then the people would also go through it getting off the boat.
I think there's enough room at IG that they could divide it longitudinally down the middle, and have the Skyliner within the perimeter, while still having a bag check for the boats and walk-ins. Of course, they'd have to add a bag check for the boats at DHS, too, since the DHS boat dock is on the opposite side of the Skyliner station from the buses and parking trams.
 
...
2) They are clearly moving the bus bay at DHS so that it will be further back - further back than the boat dock or the gondola station. Again, this only makes sense to do if you are going to move the gondola/boat within the security bubble.
...
I’ve been looking at DHS’s new bus depot in the construction photos and it looks to be a really long hike to the entry to the park. Last Dec. a Disney bus dumped us off in the middle of a parking lot in that general vicinity and we had to wind our way by some construction fences to get to the path to DHS’s entry - it was quite the hike before we even got to the park.
 

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