Pop reducing bus service to 1/hour

[kelpricer]

Buses. Should be provided to board downstairs a short distance from the monorail platform. If the Epcot monorail is also down then the bus for Epcot should continue all the way to Epcot.

At least at Pop Century you can see the gondolas operating or not (or can you?) from the food court area.

You cannot see them from the food court

 

[siren0119]

At least at Pop Century you can see the gondolas operating or not (or can you?) from the food court area.

Nope, you can't see the skyliner from the food courts at either Pop or AOA - the skyliner station is in the middle of the lake between the two resorts, which sits BEHIND the preferred rooms and main pools of each.

 

[MakiraMarlena]

All in all, the Skyliner has proven to be more efficient and reliable than buses. If they have to shut it down for weather, or if it breaks down, there will be more buses provided. This is already done when monorail or boat transport has to be stopped for mechanical issues or weather.

 

[FastPasser.]

What's the backup transportation for the monorail resorts that is able to handle the passenger load in the event of a monorail outage? OK, those at CR can walk to MK. But to Epcot? What about Poly & GF?

On more than one occasion while driving out of the MK hub when both the monorail and all boats were down due to severe weather, I and several other buses were redirected to do the MK, TTC, Poly, GF and back to the MK route. I picked up and dropped off at all the stops. Did it for only about an hour. This was a few years ago so I don't know what they do now.

 

[sam_gordon]

Buses. Should be provided to board downstairs a short distance from the monorail platform.

On more than one occasion while driving out of the MK hub when both the monorail and all boats were down due to severe weather, I and several other buses were redirected to do the MK, TTC, Poly, GF and back to the MK route. I picked up and dropped off at all the stops. Did it for only about an hour. This was a few years ago so I don't know what they do now.

How many buses does it take to make up the load of the monorail?

 

[FastPasser.]

How many buses does it take to make up the load of the monorail?

Five, if it's maxed out buses and monorail. When I did those runs it was in the afternoon so they had 3 or 4 buses making the runs.

 

[rj9555]

Then that needs to be made crystal clear to resort guests, with reliable and updated opening times, and some way for Guests to easily know before leaving their room whether current transportation is via Skyliner or bus. And some overlap, so Guests who head to the bus stop before Skyliner has opened or when it's down unexpectedly don't end up ping-ponging between the bus stop and the Skyliner station.

And, btw, I hope that when the Skyliner is unavailable, the screens in the bus stops don't continue to flash, "Use Skyliner".

They also need to make it crystal clear what time (top of the hour? bottom of the hour? 15 minutes after the hour?) the hourly bus will come to that stop. Otherwise, the once-an-hour bus becomes almost totallu useless.

 

[gatour]

I have lived in Florida for my entire life except for a 9 year stretch in my mid 20s

People keeping on mentioning about weather issues. My favorite was that storms could cause the skyliner to close for a week at a time. The next favorite was "pop-up" storms.

First off a week long storm doesn't occur. You may have an all day rain event like we did on Saturday (I was in Daytona and WDW on Saturday). On Sunday it was crystal clear. The Saturday rain was predicted a few days in advance, so Disney would have had a chance to schedule bus drivers to be available.

In regards to "pop-up" storms. Yes these happen during the summer time, they normally occur mid to late afternoon. The duration is around 30 minutes perhaps an hour.

For those trying to make ADR, even Disney say allow an hour just for transportation purposes. This doesn't take into account "traffic holds" on the monorail lines. Or in regards to buses, where the rule of thumb is 20 minutes between buses. There have been many reports of people just missing a bus and the next bus doesn't arrive until 30 or 40 minutes later (sometimes even more)

As to rope drop. The start time for the Skyliner has been in flux from day one. A few weeks ago, I saw signs that the skyliner started operations that day at 7:30am. While other people state a week or two earlier they actually started operations at 6:45. My opinion this still in flux.

So my opinion is if reaching rope drop at a guaranteed time, consider uber/lyft/taxi/town car. This is what I have done for restaurant ADRs. Once things settle down, you can revisit the transportation plans

 

[ZJ5/9D47]

In regards to "pop-up" storms. Yes these happen during the summer time, they normally occur mid to late afternoon. The duration is around 30 minutes perhaps an hour.

WDW shuts down activities based on lightening within a certain distance from any edge of the entire property, so while a shower might last only 30-minutes over one particular spot that weather system could shut down everything across property for 3-8 hours...which was my experience last Aug/Sep during many days of my trip. At least this was the explanation provided to me by a lifeguard, boat caption, and FoP CM responsible for operating the test-out seat (which goes down due to lightening because there is no umbrella for a CM to stand under and be protected from electrocution). After the last lightening strike is detected, there is a waiting period before operations can resume that is not short.

 

[NWOhiogal]

This did happen to us at POP last month. Ate breakfast, walked back to the skyliner and was then directed to the buses because they were down. There needs to be a way to check that on our own before you head towards one direction or the other. we were told one of the managers in the store had direct knowledge and that we could just find and ask her to check before we headed out. there has to be a better system for this

I stayed at Pop in May and I'll tell ya (as I'm sure you already know): it is a LONG WALK from the Generation Gap bridge to where the bus stop is. I can't imagine walking all the way from the dining hall to the bridge and then having to turn around and walk all the way BACK to catch the bus, after wasting all that time and energy. I would be furious.

Disney definitely needs to have some kind of notification system, through MDE or whatever it takes, so you can check and make sure the Skyliner is running before you walk all the way back to the bridge. If the store managers know the Skyliner is down, d###it, have one of them WRITE IT ON A CHALKBOARD OR SOMETHING! Get a whiteboard and a Sharpie! It's not rocket science!!!

 

[thegales]

I think the Skyliner has become a victim of its own success.

For all of my one transportation methods (such as a bus from my resort to the park, the boat from MK to one of the resorts, TTC to Epcot), I allow 30-60 minutes to get somewhere. I may have just missed the bus/boat/monorail and have to wait 10, 20, 30 minutes for the next one to arrive. If there is someone in an ECV, it takes longer for that person to load, so there is additional wait time (please note, this is not a complaint, I appreciate Disney taking the extra time to load properly and safely). Then you have the actual transportation time to get from one location to the other. So if it takes up to an hour to get somewhere, that is within my accepted time. And this does not take into account issues with the transportation.

Except for end of night, I have not seen people indicating they have had major wait times for the Skyliner. And I am not sure how bad those end of night times are currently. So normally, I can get on the Skyliner within 5 minutes of my arrival, and get to where I want to go within about 20 minutes. This is still shorter than my shortest expected time for other modes of transportation. So if the Skyliner stops for 5 or 10 minutes, it is still quicker than all other modes of transportation. Yet we hear that the Skyliner is a failure because of that stoppage.

Heck, even if the stoppage is for 30 minutes, it still is potentially quicker than waiting at a bus stop.

 

[NoTime42]

Nope, you can't see the skyliner from the food courts at either Pop or AOA - the skyliner station is in the middle of the lake between the two resorts, which sits BEHIND the preferred rooms and main pools of each.

Seeing doesn’t matter. I almost missed the DHS opening because the Epcot line was moving at 6:10am. That extra minute checking a station (with no CM’s) just caused me to miss a 6:10am bus.
There needs to be clear transportation availability on MDE.

 

[seashoreCM]

... be furious ...

(copied from another forum)
Would it be fair and just if someone who walked out to the Generation Gap bridge to take the Skyliner and found a delay of so many minutes before service would be available should receive an extra Fastpass?

A better idea: Have a live video of the Skyliner station running continuously with monitors conveniently located throughout the resort.

 

[NWOhiogal]

A better idea: Have a live video of the Skyliner station running continuously with monitors conveniently located throughout the resort.

I think that might be a security concern; but certainly the monitors/resort TV channels they have could keep guests updated. Or even just a card in peoples' rooms advising them to call or check such-and-such website for Skyliner availability. If the store managers in the gift shop know whether the Skyliner is running or not, for sure the guests are entitled to the same information - they shouldn't have to ask for it!

 

[Disneylover99]

A better idea: Have a live video of the Skyliner station running continuously with monitors conveniently located throughout the resort.

That won’t necessarily be an indication the skyliner is open though. People often report the gondolas are moving but the skyliner is closed and to be honest, I don’t want to see skyliner monitors all over the resort. You should simply be able to check the app to see if the skyliner is currently open or down at the moment. I hope they consider adding this.

 

[Disneylover99]

I think that might be a security concern; but certainly the monitors/resort TV channels they have could keep guests updated. Or even just a card in peoples' rooms advising them to call or check such-and-such website for Skyliner availability. If the store managers in the gift shop know whether the Skyliner is running or not, for sure the guests are entitled to the same information - they shouldn't have to ask for it!

And the way I see it, if guests are asking CM’s in the gift shops or the front desk about the skyliner, they’re probably going to get wrong information every time.

 

[kaytieeldr]

Buses. Should be provided to board downstairs a short distance from the monorail platform

While true of GF and Poly, four floors and half a lobby is probably not what many people consider a short distance.

WDW shuts down activities based on lightening within a certain distance from any edge of the entire property, so while a shower might last only 30-minutes over one particular spot that weather system could shut down everything across property for 3-8 hours

With the speed of the summer, it's surprising That there would be lightning within even 20 miles after eight hours.

If the store managers know the Skyliner is down, d###it, have one of them WRITE IT ON A CHALKBOARD OR SOMETHING! Get a whiteboard and a Sharpie! It's not rocket science!!

In what proximity to the station would such a board need to be placed to prevent guests from being furious? How is that reasonable to people who don't pass by your choice of signage locations?

 

[cranbiz]

There are a lot of naysayers, mis information and doom and gloom in this thread. I get it, you pay a LOT of money to Disney, time is money, vacation time is limited and no one wants to stand in lines and Disney does push the fact that they offer complimentary transportation to the parks but some of you should be in a Broadway production, you are really that good at drama.

However, there is a lot of overexageration here. The Skyliner is not unreliable. Yes, it has had some hiccups. No more hiccups than any other form of mass transportation. Those of you expecting 100% uptime or completely uninterrupted trips all the time are being unrealistic and overly harsh on a transportation system. Attractions are not up 100%, buses are not up 100%, boats are not up 100%, the monorail is not up 100% and if you are being honest, you own car has never been up 100%. Like any form of Disney transportation, you do have the option of not riding it. Many of you say you won't ride due to some fear, that's fine and certainly understandable, don't choose it. Many of you also have some complaints about the bus system. So, don't use the bus. You can always walk (from some resorts, I know it's not an option for most of them) drive yourself, hire a cab, book an Uber or Lyft or pay for a Minne Van. If your fears coupled with the limited daytime bus schedule knocks these resorts out of your plans, there are still many others to choose from, values and moderates. The only ones that are really getting screwed are the Rivera owners because there may not be adequate rooms available for the points they are using. Remember that the MK resorts have no bus service to MK and Epcot and what many would say is the worst bus service to Studios and DAK. Do those with a fear of heights also not get on the monorail? That travels a decent height above ground and has a long evacuation time depending on where it is on the rail.

The reduction in bus schedule from the Skyliner resorts was expected by anyone who knows how businesses work. The Skyliner has been running long enough to determine it's reliable enough to make this move. The fact that bus service is still going to run hourly is a plus. I do agree that there needs to be more communication between Disney transport and the guests on how mornings and park closes will work, when the bus service goes from a normal schedule to a limited schedule, Skyliner openings, closings, and unexpected closures. I wouldn't want to walk to Hourglass lake to find out I had to walk back to the bus stop. Unfortunately, this has been an area where Disney has been and still is lacking. You would think after 50 years they could get this part right. I expected the Skyliner to operate like the monorail does and with a few exceptions, I was right. Wheres my Mickey Bar?

I'm sure it's true that Reedy Creek could use more staffing, what emergency services organization doesn't. However, the public airing of the "woeful lack of staff" is strictly a union ploy. The announcement on staffing was by the union rep, not Reedy Creek. Its the same ploy that all professional firefighter unions use all across the country at contract negotiation time. (this is not a reflection on the firefighters themselves, they all are caring, hardworking and highly trained professionals). The current staffing level adequately covers day to day operations but would be strained during a long term emergency or multiple serious incidents. Like any municipal Fire Rescue, there will be plenty of help available if needed. Reedy Creek has mutual aid agreements with the surrounding communities and the resources will be available if needed.

Ok, on the weather. In my 5 years as a CM, I have never seen the monorail/boats down for 8 or more hours due to the daily, summer afternoon thunderstorm (yes, for other operational issues or due to an extended storm). Summer storms move very quickly in Florida. At this point, how Disney will handle the Skyliner during a T Storm is a big question. If it will be shut down, management will have to plan on additional drivers during the season or if they don't, that would be gross mismanagement. It's too early to tell though. When I was a driver, there was no such thing as standby drivers. There might be now, I don't know. Other route will suffer if buses have to be redirected and there is no standby pool of buses/drivers.

You can't please everyone, no matter how hard you try. Disney is far from perfect but even if they were, not everybody would be happy with what they do.

 

[keishashadow]

Ok, we extended our December trip to include ROTR. Luckily found a room @ BWV. Took the boat over, probably should’ve walked. From time we left our room, it took over an hour to get to the park...inside a little 8 am. Got a high number, wound up not riding but with compensation tickets & FP for the next day. Yes, it was amazing but glad we had a late flight out to use said FP

Will be swinging by next week, sneaking in some time in conjunction with a football champtionship game with one of my DS. Not a Pop fan, specifically, booked AoA to be able to utilize the gondolas to MGM. Was thinking of only buying DS the special 4 day/1 park each ticket. Makes me nervous to think we might not get to MGM in time utilizing the gondola. Will have rental car but thinking we should just uber over at this point. However, we are in LM section. That is quite a long haul over to where the shared rides/taxis lurk near lobby. Groan.

I guess it's a cost-cutting move, but what's going to happen when the Skyliner unexpectedly goes down and suddenly hundreds of people have no way to get to the parks?

They re-route other buses already in service is my guess. File it under ‘the needs of the few outweigh the needs of the many’

If they’d just run the skyliner earlier I wouldn’t mind this so much.

Would be nice but wonder if it’s a matter of both staffing and checking the line for testing pre guests

I'm sure the Lyft/Uber drivers are thrilled at this development, and raising their prices accordingly

Haven’t seen anything posted re surge pricing for this? Did I miss a thread?

 

[Friendly Frog]

Sounds like a real mess waiting to happen. They're going to be funneling all the traffic for two parks from two resorts to one Skyliner station and everyone from both resorts will be jamming their bus stops for the ONE bus that will be coming along per hour. And if you can't fit on that bus, you'll have to wait an entire hour for the next one. Ugh.

Yes and that is going to be especially difficult for those in a wheelchair, since space is limited and if people are getting on when you arrive, they will not let you on, even if the bus still has empty seats.