Originally Posted By berol If Disney had concern about employees on the crosswalk, they'd have increased their street-legal tram fleet for a lot less than $32 million+hope.
Originally Posted By leemac <<I doubt that Leemac(aka WDW74, aka Jim Hill) works at DLR.>> Wow. You got one thing right. I do not and have never worked at DLR. Congratulations.
Originally Posted By Mickeymouseclub On another message board we have a saying....just ask the WDW bus drivers cause they know all the important gospel truth future plans for Disney property. So in 10 days when I arrive and take the airport bus from LAX to DLResort I will ask the busdriver "what's up?"
Originally Posted By Yookeroo "Me too Hans, lol." Same here. But if this is the gold I'm missing: "I doubt that Leemac(aka WDW74, aka Jim Hill) works at DLR." I may have to trudge through his posts for nuggets like this.
Originally Posted By believe How about this scenario. Above ground People mover type transportation between Downtown Disney that goes across Harbor then thru Carousel inn. (Carousel Inn property would be the "roundhouse" where they store and maintain the people movers. (note, I do NOT consider the monorails quick and convenient. I don't even consider the parking trams quick and convenient) The people mover continues on and goes south on the "industrial park" property towards the Pumba lot and then to Garden Walk. (Disney would need to get the right of way thru the "industrial park. Should be possible because it's above ground and footprint would be small). Disney would buy the Garden Walk. Turn it into Downtown Disney EAST. With convenient and fun transportation between DTD and DTD East, it will be successful. Without convenient and fun transportation, DTD East will still be a dud. Then, the people mover continues on to the Toy Story parking lot. And from Toy Story, it goes back to Garden Walk, Pumba, and DTD. A circular route. If they can make getting from DTD to Garden Walk in 10 minutes or less, Garden Walk (DTD East) will be a success. It solves many problems such as parking (by unifying Pumba and Toy Story and Garden Walk lots) and it expands Disney's presence and profit (Garden Walk) in the resort.
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt "Above ground People mover type transportation between Downtown Disney that goes across Harbor then thru Carousel inn. (Carousel Inn property would be the "roundhouse" where they store and maintain the people movers. (note, I do NOT consider the monorails quick and convenient. I don't even consider the parking trams quick and convenient) The people mover continues on and goes south on the "industrial park" property towards the Pumba lot and then to Garden Walk. (Disney would need to get the right of way thru the "industrial park. Should be possible because it's above ground and footprint would be small). Disney would buy the Garden Walk. Turn it into Downtown Disney EAST. With convenient and fun transportation between DTD and DTD East, it will be successful. Without convenient and fun transportation, DTD East will still be a dud. Then, the people mover continues on to the Toy Story parking lot. And from Toy Story, it goes back to Garden Walk, Pumba, and DTD. A circular route." That all sounds so... so familiar. https://sites.google.com/site/theoriginalepcot/_/rsrc/1392541550581/the-florida-project/100112_FS_FromTheArchives_EpcotOrigins_TheWorldShowcase_2.2-750.jpg
Originally Posted By Dr Hans Reinhardt Uhhhhgggrrr... So annoying! <a target="blank" rel="nofollow" href="http://sites.google.com/site/theoriginalepcot/_/rsrc/1392541550581/the-florida-project/100112_FS_FromTheArchives_EpcotOrigins_TheWorldShowcase_2.2-750.jpg">http://sites.google.com/site/t...-750.jpg</a>
Originally Posted By FerretAfros Sounds like a great idea, but if it were going to happen, Disney would have bought GardenWalk when they had the chance a few years ago (for less than the price of the Carousel Inn, if I'm not mistaken). Now that it's semi-successful, it would be much more expensive for them to buy it. It seemed like when they turned it down they were saying "We don't currently want the property, and we can't imagine any scenario in the future where it would be beneficial to us either" And I completely agree that the Monorail at DL is not a fast and efficient means of transportation. And the way they run the parking lot trams isn't much better; you can often walk back to M&F faster than it would be on the tram. When the trams went all through the parking lot and made several stops, it seemed like they were a pretty efficient operation, but now that they only make one stop at each end it seems like they're always waiting on some sort of clearance, even after everybody is seated onboard
Originally Posted By believe >>>if it were going to happen, Disney would have bought GardenWalk when they had the chance a few years ago<<<< agreed. maybe they were gambling that the price would go even lower??
Originally Posted By leemac <<if it were going to happen, Disney would have bought GardenWalk when they had the chance a few years ago>> Like everyone else in the area we looked at GardenWalk - the numbers simply didn't stack up to either buy the mall or develop the hotels. It isn't a prime piece of real estate that could be exploited by DLR. The site has been poorly masterplanned and isn't an attractive location. Arcturus Group are better placed as a real estate fund to exploit the site. The site is still poorly let - particularly on the top floors.
Originally Posted By skinnerbox Here's a variation on what others have posted with regard to using the Carousel property as an access corridor for the Pumbaa parking lot. Connecting DL main property with the Pumbaa lot for parking lot tram access would be difficult, unless the Carousel hotel were removed for a tram tunnel underneath Harbor. Disney would only have to purchase two very small sections of the existing business center parking lots behind the Harbor hotels so the trams can travel directly between Pumbaa and the East Esplanade. The whole drop-off/pick-up area for the taxis and buses would have to be redesigned, but I feel it would be worth it. Building another parking garage on Pumbaa's lot with quick access via tram to the east side of the property seems worth the purchase to me.
Originally Posted By Yookeroo "you can often walk back to M&F faster than it would be on the tram. " I've never had to wait this long for a tram.
Originally Posted By FerretAfros >>...unless the Carousel hotel were removed for a tram tunnel underneath Harbor.<< I don't think there's enough room in the existing drop-off area for a tunnel portal for the trams. Keep in mind that there's an existing backstage tunnel under the drop-off loops, connecting DL and DCA's backstage areas. It's pretty close to the Monorail beam (there's a series of tall narrow shrubs on top of it) which leaves very little room for a proposed Harbor Blvd tunnel to come back up to grade. Due to the height required for the tunnel (tall enough for tractor-trailers) and the approach grades leading to it, it couldn't be moved further west without seriously impacting the backstage infrastructure That said, it could be possible for Disney to drive trams at-grade across Harbor. Sure, it's not as good of a solution for a variety of reasons (travel time, safety, control of corridor, etc) but it's plausible. They used to run trams from the Simba Lot (next to the Paradise Pier Hotel) across Disneyland Drive, through the Timon Lot (now Carsland) to the Harbor drop-off area, so running trams across city streets is not unprecedented. Heck, they didn't even have the doors on the trams back then! >>I've never had to wait this long for a tram.<< I've seen several occasions where I had to wait for 3-4 trams to load before I was able to get on. Given the frequency at which they arrive at the loading station (3-4 minutes), and the travel time to the parking structure (4-5 minutes), the 10-15 minute walk was faster. Plus, we weren't surrounded by crowds of exhausted people so it was a lot more pleasant (if we ignore that one time that a dad, carrying his sleeping daughter, tripped on the curb and made her faceplant on the pavement...that was not so pleasant)
Originally Posted By berol The tunnels could have an intersection, stop signs on the north/south so trams can speed through. There are other issues that that wouldn't solve, though. How about Disney buys Harbor and turns it into a tramway/pedestrian mall, then puts the wrong color of ribbon on the Harbor hotels across the street and "accidentally" ;-) ;-) demolishes them?
Originally Posted By believe It would have to be an above ground solution. It's much cheaper and easier to put a bridge across Harbor. Do something like what they have in Vegas. A people mover to be part of the bridge. And it could also parallel the monorail at certain parts.
Originally Posted By berol It'd be a lot easier to have a private tramway next to Disney Way that bridged over Harbor and took an aerial turn to the north, down into that grass/tree area behind Hyperion Theater. It could go where the northern sidewalk is, slightly inconveniencing pedestrians.
Originally Posted By monorailblue <<IMO, it is a mis-characterization to say that Disney has "complete contempt" for the parking problem.>> That is because, first, you never worked at the Park and never parked in the Donald lot and so have no idea whatever of what you are opining about. And, second, because you are a doofus. <<Beyond that there are probably a handful of management folks who would really like the option of parking at the TDA garage, OR parking closer to the esplanade/DCA, depending on what they're doing in a given day. West side managers would like it, no doubt.>> Why on earth would a Westside manager, in particular, desire a new parking lot east of the Park across Harbor and, in particular, east of the current Cast main entrance? How would it help him/her?
