UPDATE: Rumor mill no more - gondolas are coming to Walt Disney World

UPDATED April 18

In early March,  WDWMagic.com broke a story that suggested Disney possibly was considering creating some sort of gondola network connecting the southern portion of Epcot (near the International Gateway) to the Caribbean Beach/Pop Century/Art of Animation and then to Disney Hollywood Studios.

In late April, the Orlando Sentinel confirmed that Disney is indeed creating a gondola network to connect Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Caribbean Beach and Pop Century/Art of Animation.

While Disney has yet to officially comment, this report has the online WDW community buzzing.  For years, there has been a call for Disney to expand the current monorail system to include DHS, AK and southern area resorts.  While this is just about an impossibility these days (the costs are more than astronomical), the thought of a goldola network is a very different animal.  

Here's where we leave the world of RUMOR and enter SPECULATION.  This is your fair warning.  Nothing that I discuss from here on is based on any fact.  I am carrying the rumor forward.

Ok, caveat statement done.  Let's have some fun.

Let's take the idea of a gondola network even further.  Why stop with this small, limited system?  Why not create an entire network that services the entire southern portion of the property?

Click here for a larger view.

So let's give this some serious consideration.  Above, you will see a wide-view map of a gondola network that serves many of the key areas in the southern portion of the Walt Disney World Property. Each red square is a station.  The yellow lines between each station represent a two-way line with gondolas traveling in each direction.

Thus, if a guest wanted to travel from, say, Epcot to Disney Springs, he or she would first take the gondola from Epcot's International Gateway to a main terminal area located in between Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort and Disney's Pop Century Resort.  This is something like the Ticket and Transportation Center (just without the large parking lot) and would be a hub for multiple gondola lines.  From the Hub (for lack of a better term), the guest would then switch lines and take the gondola to Typhoon Lagoon.  Again the guest would switch lines (or perhaps stay on the gondola) and proceed to Disney Springs.

You can quickly see how this sort of network has all sorts of possibilities.  Having such a network would remove some of the strain on the already overtaxed bus lines, especially during peak hours.  Also, the gondolas would bring an additional entertainment and another unique feature to Walt Disney World - guests will be riding the gondolas, just to ride them - much like the monorail.

And then there are the environmental benefits - gondolas are much cleaner to operate than any sort of expansion to the current bus network.

Sure, there are some mitigating factors - high wind and thunderstorms being chief among them.  However, gondolas are used in some of the more mountainous areas of the world, and these places also are known for thunderstorms and wind, so I suspect there's been some developments to address these concerns.

What I don't know is the cost - are gondolas cost-effective?  I do know that several communities are looking to gondolas as a possible solution, especially for mountainous areas.

What do you think?  Could this new project be the initial phase of Walt Disney World's newest transportation network?  Where there is nothing to indicate anymore more than what's been confirmed to this point, it's fun to consider the possibilities.  After all, isn't that what Walt Disney had intended for his original EPCOT?

Tip Tuesday: Saving time while park hopping

Greetings again!

As many of you know from reading this blog, I'm a fan of what's called "park hopping," meaning I like to visit more than one park in a day.  That's that the "Park Hopper" pass is for - it is an add-on to the base ticket that allows guests to visit as many parks as they want in a single day.

That being said, park hopping can be time-intensive.  Sometimes it may seem like there's no easy way to get from park to park using Disney transportation.  With a bit of planning and a little luck, you'll be able to do some quick park hopping without burning a lot of time.

So let's go from park to park with some of my tips for how to get to other parks as quickly as you can.

Magic Kingdom to Epcot
Without a doubt the fastest way to get from the Magic Kingdom to Epcot is the monorail.  Here's the hitch, though; the monorail isn't always running, especially later in the evenings and occasionally during the day.  So what do you do when the entire monorail system is offline?  There are a couple of options.  Disney will offer a direct bus to Epcot, but that bus can get overwhelmed quickly.  So here's what you do.  As you approach the bus terminals, look at the line for the Epcot bus.  If it looks like it's pretty long (like there are people completely filling the queue area), you may want to think about an alternate bus, say to the Boardwalk or Yacht/Beach Club, especially if a bus is already there and waiting.  It's possible you can catch a bus to either of these resorts and walk into Epcot through the International Gateway faster than waiting for an Epcot bus that will take you to the front of the park.


Magic Kingdom to Hollywood Studios
If the monorail is running, you've got a few more options aside from the direct bus at the MK bus station.  You could take the ferry or monorail to the TTC and catch a DHS bus from there, or take a bus to any of the Epcot area resorts noted above and then walk or take a Friendship boat to DHS.  I'd say the TTC-based option is the one I'd least recommend, but it is an option.

Magic Kingdom to Animal Kingdom
Here you're pretty much stuck.  There's simply no other means to get to AK from any park aside from a direct bus.  If those buses are supremely packed, you could consider waking to the Contemporary and getting a bus to AK from there, but keep in mind that it's a 10-minute walk to get to the Contemporary and you're totally at the mercy of the bus schedule there.  Of course you can take the "scenic route" by taking the ferry to the TTC or a boat launch from the MK to the Polynesian and then walking over to the TTC to catch a bus to AK, but that also will probably take much longer than just waiting it out back at the MK bus station.

Epcot to Magic Kingdom
Again, by far the fastest way to get from Epcot to the MK is by monorail.  But if the monorail is down for some reason, you're facing a similar situation as I described above, only in reverse.  You can take the dedicated Magic Kingdom bus or a bus to the Contemporary (where you can then walk over to the MK entrance).   It just depends on what the lines for each bus option look like.  Whichever bus you think will arrive next might be your best option.  I wouldn't recommend a bus to the Poly or Grand Floridian if the monorail is down because you'll then have to take a boat launch to the MK entrance.

Epcot to Hollywood Studios
Hoof it!  That right.  Walk.  There's a walkway connecting Hollywood Studios to the Epcot resorts area from which you can then enter Epcot through the International Gateway.  This is the easiest way to get in between both parks.  Yes it's a good sized walk -- upwards of 20 minutes depending on your walking speed -- but you are completely in control of when you arrive.  Otherwise, you can wait for a Friendship boat, but those lines can get tremendously long, especially toward park closing and those boats don't run as often as I'd prefer.  I can't count the times I've "outwalked" the boat from Epcot (especially since the boat stops at the Boardwalk, Yacht/Beach and Swan/Dolphon before going to DHS).  If you're not in a hurry, it's a nice boat ride, especially if you can sit in the very back in the open air.  But if you're trying to save some time, you'd best give those walking shoes a workout.

Epcot to Animal Kingdom
Take the AK bus.  As Princess Leia says, it's your only hope.

Hollywood Studios to Magic Kingdom
Here's where bus line monitoring can really pay off.  Yes, you can take the dedicated Magic Kingdom bus, if the lines aren't too bad.  Or, you can take a bus to any of the Magic Kingdom area resorts (Contemporary, Grand Floridian or Polynesian) or a bus to the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC).  From any of these destinations, you can then hop on a monorail (or walk in the case of the Contemporary) to get to the MK main entrance.  It really just depends on which bus you can catch the soonest.  First bus to arrive wins!  If everything is nuts, you can walk to Epcot, then through the park and catch a monorail to the MK.  That's a really scenic route (and will take a long time), but it is an option.  Of course, if you know the monorail is down, then forget about buses to the TTC, Poly or GF.

Hollywood Studios to Epcot
Same story as Epcot to Hollywood Studios.  Hoof it or wait for a boat.  I'd say start walking.

Hollywood Studios to Animal Kingdom
Same sad story.  Bus is your only option.

Animal Kingdom to Magic Kingdom
My advice is similar as Hollywood Studios to Magic Kingdom -- look for the first bus that can get you to the general Magic Kingdom area and then take a monorail or walk depending on where you end up at.

Animal Kingdom to Epcot or Hollywood Studios
Much like AK to MK, there's always the direct bus to either park, but you also can get a bus to any of the Epcot area resorts (Boardwalk or Yacht/Beach preferred) and enter Epcot through the International Gateway (for Epcot) or take a boat to DHS, or just walk to DHS from the Epcot area resorts.

So there you go -- a complete set of marching orders to help you hop from point A to point B.  What do you think -- do you have some different alternate routes?  Post a comment! 

Good luck and hop along now!!

Tip Tuesday: Making your way around the World

Welcome to another Tip Tuesday.

One of the best things about visiting Walt Disney World is the fact that there's so much to do in many different places. A challenge created by this plethora of activities is how to get to where you want to go. Disney has a great, free transportation system for on-property guests. This system is made up of buses, boats and even the monorail.

There is a bit of an art to finding the best and fastest way to go from here to there and which option you choose may depend on where you currently are, where you're going and how quickly you have to get there.

Like so many other things at Walt Disney World, getting around in the World takes a little bit of planning to avoid potential problems.

Let's look at one possible scenario. It is 7 a.m. and you're staying at one of the Epcot area deluxe resorts. You have an 8:30 a.m. ADR at Chef Mickey's (located at the Contemporary Resort). You don't have a car and have to rely on Disney transportation - what do you do? Epcot opens has early Magic Hours, so it opens at 8 a.m., but the Magic Kingdom opens at 9 a.m.

You have a couple of options. First, you can wait for a bus to the Magic Kingdom and then either walk to the Contemporary or take the resort monorail. Second, you can walk through Epcot and then take the Epcot monorail and transfer to the resort monorail loop.

You have 90 minutes and the clock is ticking.

Let's look at each option.

1. Bus to the Magic Kingdom and then get to the Contemporary:

This option has some potential pitfalls. First, standard bus service to the Magic Kingdom doesn't begin until one hour before park opening (8 a.m., in this scenario) and usually arrive about every 20 minutes. This means you would only have 30 minutes to get from your resort to the Magic Kingdom and then hustle to the Contemporary. That's pretty tight and depends greatly on a bus arriving in a timely manner.

All is not lost, however. Disney does run "character breakfast" buses to the Magic Kingdom starting at 7 a.m. that run every 15 minutes. You will want to verify with the driver that the bus is going to the Magic Kingdom or the Contemporary (these buses can take you directly to another resort). You can catch this bus with plenty of time to spare to make your ADR. You will have to get to the bus stop no later than 7:30 a.m. to make sure you have enough time to get to Chef Mickey's.

2. Go through Epcot to the monorail station and take the resort loop:

This option is good if you're unsure about the bus service. The downside to this option is that you will have to be at Epcot's International Gateway by 7:45 a.m. to get into the park as soon as possible. Once you make it through the bag check and turnstiles, you'll have to hustle through half of World Showcase, through Future World and to the monorail station.

Once you catch the Epcot monorail (which probably will be pretty empty), you will still have to

transfer to the resort monorail loop with stops at the Polynesian, Grand Floridian and Magic Kingdom before your stop at the Contemporary. It's probably a little tight to do all that in 30 minutes. I've pulled this off before, but I had to hustle.

All in all, I'd suggest option 1. You have to make sure you're at the bus stop with plenty of time to spare.

This gets to the heart of this week's tip: Lead time.

No matter where you're trying to go, you have to allow plenty of time to get there. Doing so means you have enough time should a bus run late, or be delayed loading/unloading several handicapped guests or whatever. A good rule of thumb is one hour. If you have to be somewhere, you should allow one hour to get there.

This being said, you do have some other, more "creative" options to get around the World.

A few did you knows:

• Did you know you can walk between Epcot and the Studios? Walking briskly, you can get from one park to another in about 15-20 minutes (I've done it).
  
  
• Did you know you can walk from the Contemporary to the Magic Kingdom? After that great breakfast at Chef Mickey's, it's far faster to simply walk to the Magic Kingdom entrance than take the monorail all the way around the Seven Seas Lagoon to reach the Magic Kingdom. It takes 5-10 minutes at the most.
  
  
• Did you know that it can be faster to take a launch to the Grand Floridian than to take the resort monorail (after standing in line)? If you time it right, you can catch a launch and get to the Grand Floridian by the time the monorail is at the TTC.
  
  
• Did you know that the Friendship boats have three stops between Epcot and the Studios? From Epcot to the Studios, these boats stop at (in order): The Boardwalk, The Yacht/Beach Club and the Swan/Dolphin. Depending on where you're going, you might be better to get off at an earlier stop and walk the rest of the way.
  
  
• Did you know that no WDW transportation goes directly to the two miniature golf courses? This doesn't mean you're out of luck. If you want to go to Fantasia Gardens, simply take a bus to the Swan/Dolphin. If you want to go to Winter Summerland, take a bus to Blizzard Beach.

The next time you head to Walt Disney World, take a moment to make sure you know how you're going to get where you want to go. If all else fails, you can always rent a taxi. You'll pay for it, but sometimes it's the best option.