- Jun 30, 2014
- 72
- 26
(Okay, so that was long and I wanted to add some more, so separate post! Lucky you!)
It seems to me that Disney is dooming this right from the start. It doesn't feel like they got all the information they needed before planning this all out. They know this gondola system was really the only decent way Universal was going to connect its current resort with its future resort and it seems like they were just trying to do it first so Universal would have to go a different route or look like a copycat. I mean, they are really selling this, making it all way more of a deal than it really should be. Especially since other options would've been easier. Why bother tearing down part of Caribbean Beach to build this Riviera? There's a huge plot of land right between CB and the Epcot resorts. They could have extended the Epcot waterways out into this new resort and on into Caribbean Beach and the Value Resorts. Yes, the current boat system is a pain, but that doesn't mean they couldn't have direct voyages from the resorts to each park, like they do over at Universal. Building a boardwalk from Caribbean Beach through the Riviera and over to the Epcot waterway would require less than a mile of walking. It's half a mile from the Animation parking lots to the DHS bus station! Heaven forbid they allow people a decent pathway to walk!
Anyhow, they're going with the Skyliners. While I think a lot of the reason they are doing this is to hurt Universal (Because we all know how Universal HAAAATES copying Disney, right? The second they announced those Minnie Vans Universal immediately started talking about a Minion version), I do believe this is also a test run to see its viability for the rest of the resort. Buses are expensive and their system is screwed up beyond repair. An extension of the Monorail will never happen. They even missed their window for light rail, as the cost for that has skyrocketed. And a waterway system is unrealistic for such a vast area with so many people. So this is it, but I think Disney has screwed it up so royally that it will seem like a failure and they will never expand the system.
First, and most important, the upcoming system is laid out poorly. If Caribbean Beach is meant to be the hub, it should be an actual hub. Meaning this crap of going over to Riviera before moving on to Epcot IS STUPID. Especially considering a line to Epcot directly from CB would have been less expensive due to the turning station. Without that unnecessary excursion, the line could've probably gone to Epcot with poles doing the turning. But that turn from the Riviera is so severe that a big station will be necessary (which Disney weirdly brags about in its press release). Heaven forbid Disney force its DVC people to take a line to the Caribbean Beach Station, or to get on a boat to get there, or - GASP - walk half a mile! 300 rooms and these options weren't better than screwing up an entire transit system? Idiots.
The absolute stupidest thing about that Riviera Station - where apparently people coming from the CB Station will have to exit and get in another line - is that people coming from the CB Station will apparently have to exit and get in another line. Disney doesn't say anything about this being a turn station, which would be a huge eyesore at the edge of the precious DVC building, and it's not at all realistic for that to be true as it would require Riviera guests to have to wait for empty gondolas heading to Epcot, which will never happen because EVERY gondola from CB to here will be going to Epcot. If this is the case, that means the Caribbean Beach guests going to Epcot will have to wait in two separate lines, and Art of Animation and Pop Century guests going to Epcot will have to wait in three separate lines. Now, the Riviera is going to be much smaller than all three of these resorts, so it'll be a minimal wait, but still. The best transit systems get you where you are going with only one transfer.
It's not as if that was the only option either. They could've had a hub in that empty area between all the resorts. They could've had direct lines from all three resort areas and two heading out from here to the two parks. Yes, it would've been a huge building, but who cares? It would be so much less confusing - the resort lines would all begin/end on the east side of the building with the theme park lines on the west side. Even the stupidest Disney guests could've figured out how to make their way to their desired park. Not only that, it could've also allowed for massive expansion. A single line out of the south of the building could've traveled to an Animal Kingdom hub, where people could head to that park, Blizzard Beach or one of the other resorts. This would've put all of WDW's biggest hotels on some sort of non-bus transit system.
Best case scenario, they end up only annoying the people staying in the Value Resorts. If it somehow moves people quickly in the busiest of times (see previous post), then the Caribbean Beach people probably won't be too annoyed at the CB-to-Riviera/Riviera-to-Epcot nonsense. But even in busy times, two transfers is a bit much to ask of people. Especially when THERE IS A DIRECT BUS RIGHT OUT IN THE PARKING LOT. That's Disney's biggest fear, I bet. If they displease these people, then they'll just go back to using the buses. Meaning they'll have built an expensive system that guests are refusing to use. And there's no way to fight this. If they limit the number of buses, then they'll get mad at that. If they don't limit the number of buses, then it hurts the viability of future Skyliners.
The dumbest thing Disney did in all this is they put the importance of the DVC people way WAY above those of the Value Resort people. Yeah, they aren't paying as much for their vacation, but there are about 14 times as many of them as there are DVC people using these lines. And they're the ones who will make or break the system.
It seems to me that Disney is dooming this right from the start. It doesn't feel like they got all the information they needed before planning this all out. They know this gondola system was really the only decent way Universal was going to connect its current resort with its future resort and it seems like they were just trying to do it first so Universal would have to go a different route or look like a copycat. I mean, they are really selling this, making it all way more of a deal than it really should be. Especially since other options would've been easier. Why bother tearing down part of Caribbean Beach to build this Riviera? There's a huge plot of land right between CB and the Epcot resorts. They could have extended the Epcot waterways out into this new resort and on into Caribbean Beach and the Value Resorts. Yes, the current boat system is a pain, but that doesn't mean they couldn't have direct voyages from the resorts to each park, like they do over at Universal. Building a boardwalk from Caribbean Beach through the Riviera and over to the Epcot waterway would require less than a mile of walking. It's half a mile from the Animation parking lots to the DHS bus station! Heaven forbid they allow people a decent pathway to walk!
Anyhow, they're going with the Skyliners. While I think a lot of the reason they are doing this is to hurt Universal (Because we all know how Universal HAAAATES copying Disney, right? The second they announced those Minnie Vans Universal immediately started talking about a Minion version), I do believe this is also a test run to see its viability for the rest of the resort. Buses are expensive and their system is screwed up beyond repair. An extension of the Monorail will never happen. They even missed their window for light rail, as the cost for that has skyrocketed. And a waterway system is unrealistic for such a vast area with so many people. So this is it, but I think Disney has screwed it up so royally that it will seem like a failure and they will never expand the system.
First, and most important, the upcoming system is laid out poorly. If Caribbean Beach is meant to be the hub, it should be an actual hub. Meaning this crap of going over to Riviera before moving on to Epcot IS STUPID. Especially considering a line to Epcot directly from CB would have been less expensive due to the turning station. Without that unnecessary excursion, the line could've probably gone to Epcot with poles doing the turning. But that turn from the Riviera is so severe that a big station will be necessary (which Disney weirdly brags about in its press release). Heaven forbid Disney force its DVC people to take a line to the Caribbean Beach Station, or to get on a boat to get there, or - GASP - walk half a mile! 300 rooms and these options weren't better than screwing up an entire transit system? Idiots.
The absolute stupidest thing about that Riviera Station - where apparently people coming from the CB Station will have to exit and get in another line - is that people coming from the CB Station will apparently have to exit and get in another line. Disney doesn't say anything about this being a turn station, which would be a huge eyesore at the edge of the precious DVC building, and it's not at all realistic for that to be true as it would require Riviera guests to have to wait for empty gondolas heading to Epcot, which will never happen because EVERY gondola from CB to here will be going to Epcot. If this is the case, that means the Caribbean Beach guests going to Epcot will have to wait in two separate lines, and Art of Animation and Pop Century guests going to Epcot will have to wait in three separate lines. Now, the Riviera is going to be much smaller than all three of these resorts, so it'll be a minimal wait, but still. The best transit systems get you where you are going with only one transfer.
It's not as if that was the only option either. They could've had a hub in that empty area between all the resorts. They could've had direct lines from all three resort areas and two heading out from here to the two parks. Yes, it would've been a huge building, but who cares? It would be so much less confusing - the resort lines would all begin/end on the east side of the building with the theme park lines on the west side. Even the stupidest Disney guests could've figured out how to make their way to their desired park. Not only that, it could've also allowed for massive expansion. A single line out of the south of the building could've traveled to an Animal Kingdom hub, where people could head to that park, Blizzard Beach or one of the other resorts. This would've put all of WDW's biggest hotels on some sort of non-bus transit system.
Best case scenario, they end up only annoying the people staying in the Value Resorts. If it somehow moves people quickly in the busiest of times (see previous post), then the Caribbean Beach people probably won't be too annoyed at the CB-to-Riviera/Riviera-to-Epcot nonsense. But even in busy times, two transfers is a bit much to ask of people. Especially when THERE IS A DIRECT BUS RIGHT OUT IN THE PARKING LOT. That's Disney's biggest fear, I bet. If they displease these people, then they'll just go back to using the buses. Meaning they'll have built an expensive system that guests are refusing to use. And there's no way to fight this. If they limit the number of buses, then they'll get mad at that. If they don't limit the number of buses, then it hurts the viability of future Skyliners.
The dumbest thing Disney did in all this is they put the importance of the DVC people way WAY above those of the Value Resort people. Yeah, they aren't paying as much for their vacation, but there are about 14 times as many of them as there are DVC people using these lines. And they're the ones who will make or break the system.