Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom You guys must be visiting some other park. Either that or you have limo service to/ from your resort room to each parks gates. I have yet to come home from a trip to WDW and say "golly, you know this trip I really don't think I actually walked around enough". I have gotten blisters and shin splints. And thats just me, not my party members! Of course we always get Park Hopper Passes and typically are hopping parks all day long. Oh lets eat in Italy for lunch. How about Boma for dinner. Lets catch the fireworks and parade at the MK for 9 pm. OK, now lets head over to DTD and get a late night sundae at Ghirrideli. Or how about the; OK I have 30 minutes to run over to France get some postcards I promised some friends I would get and then run over to when my Fast Pass time becomes available on Test Track.
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom Or how about the party member who just "has" to ride Spaceship Earth one more time", If we plan this right we can catch the show at American Adventure jump on the boats and head back to SE. Then run over to TT. Grab a quick drink at World of Coke and then meet up with the rest of our party in Mexico for lunch. LOL.... then again, maybe you folks have more layed back less frantic visits LOL
Originally Posted By mrkthompsn Build Skytran.... <a href="http://www.unimodal.com/" target="_blank">http://www.unimodal.com/</a>
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom Or a small monorail that behaves like the blueline. <a href="http://www.zoodegranby.com/en/visite_attractions.htm" target="_blank">http://www.zoodegranby.com/en/ visite_attractions.htm</a>
Originally Posted By brotherdave An updated WEDWay Peoplemover would be perfect for EPCOT. After all, innovative technology is supposed to be what Future World is about, isn't it? The track could ride low enough to not necessarily detract from the skyline, plus, like Tomorrowland, it could actually give glimpses inside each pavilion, including some in the World Showcase. Offer about 6 stations, evenly spaced out around the park's perimeter, possibly even inside some of the pavilions. Theme the World Showcase stations to that country, and blend in the stations in Future World to match the nearest pavilion.
Originally Posted By CMM1 K-Tom: Don't bring up the idea of Boma for lunch or dinner - we were staying at All-Star Sports and without a car, getting to Boma was going to be almost 2 hours of bus rides (All-Star to DTD or one of the parks, then to AKL; then back same way) As far as Epcot, though, I'm with you - something like the Orlando Airport Terminal to Terminal Shuttle would work very well behind the scenes with maybe a stop or two actually in a World Showcase pavilion (how cool would it be to have a stop in England that looked just like the London Underground?)
Originally Posted By ssWEDguy Walt's overall plan used the monorail as a high-speed, high-volume central corridor mover. It would be supported by a much larger network of PeopleMover devices that would move folks everywhere at a slower pace. Alas, neither has happened at the level that Walt might have made happen.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <K-Tom: Don't bring up the idea of Boma for lunch or dinner - we were staying at All-Star Sports and without a car, getting to Boma was going to be almost 2 hours of bus rides (All-Star to DTD or one of the parks, then to AKL; then back same way) if it was lunch couldn't you leave from one of the parks - take the bus directly there and then return to the park for the evening ?
Originally Posted By mrkthompsn Large wooden catapults to sling you over the lake. Imagineering could style them to the old military versions used by each country. I bet China's would be the neatest.
Originally Posted By CMM1 vb: We figured that transportation scheme out on the last day and couldn't fit it in to our schedule.
Originally Posted By CMM1 >>You guys must be visiting some other park. Either that or you have limo service to/ from your resort room to each parks gates. I have yet to come home from a trip to WDW and say "golly, you know this trip I really don't think I actually walked around enough"<< Isn't that why the CM's refer to EPCOT as "Every Person Comes Out Tired"?
Originally Posted By danyoung >Walt's overall plan used the monorail as a high-speed, high-volume central corridor mover. It would be supported by a much larger network of PeopleMover devices that would move folks everywhere at a slower pace.< It's not really fair to compare what Walt wanted to what Epcot is. Walt wanted a real city with real people living and working there, supported by an underground distribution system and a high tech combination of monorails and peoplemovers. This all has nothing to do with the amusement park that we eventually got. I love Epcot, but it ain't nothing like Walt planned.
Originally Posted By ssWEDguy >> Walt wanted a real city with real people living and working there, supported by an underground distribution system and a high tech combination of monorails and peoplemovers. This all has nothing to do with the amusement park that we eventually got. I love Epcot, but it ain't nothing like Walt planned. << I understand, and you're right. I was mostly going for what Walt had in mind back when. And who knows if he'd have been able to pull it all off? At least the monorails are represented in the current WDW at SOME level of what Walt would have had in mind. And even though we have this collection of parks and resorts instead of a real city, I would still suggest that some form of continuous and lower speed PeopleMover would still be possible and sensible in some locations. For instance, a PeopleMover that would at least circulate throughout World Showcase. And another one backstage at Epcot instead of that stupid diesel bus that circulates back there every day, all day, moving CM's back and forth. That should be a more automatic system.
Originally Posted By mickey_ring It ain't likely, but a skyride across World Showcase Lagoon would be great for sightseeing. Too bad it would take up a lot of room and interfere with Illuminations.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <It ain't likely, but a skyride across World Showcase Lagoon would be great for sightseeing., I'd hate to be the insurance underwriter to try and price that liability
Originally Posted By CMM1 I think the skyride concept just doesn't seem to fit in an area of the park that is trying to evoke a particular countries ambience - the size of the lagoon lends itself (being so large) to not really impact the view outward from each "country". To have a skyride over the lagoon would put something in that pristine view and kind of mess things up. I believe they did away with the skyrides in DLR and WDW MK perhaps more for asthetic reasons than anything else - the skyway doesn't really have any theming other than "amusement park ride" and seemed really out of place in the Fantasyland areas of both parks. As far as a transportation system for EPCOT, you see great examples of shuttle systems at Orlando Airport (terminal to terminal) and DFW Airport (circuit track between terminals). Perhaps Walt himself would have been pleased with how those unattended "peoplemover" systems were now a part of everyday life ....
Originally Posted By danyoung >I believe they did away with the skyrides in DLR and WDW MK perhaps more for asthetic reasons than anything else - the skyway doesn't really have any theming other than "amusement park ride" and seemed really out of place in the Fantasyland areas of both parks.< I understand your sentiment, but I have to disagree. I thought the skyway did a lot to improve the ambiance of both Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, if in to other way than to give a sense of movement to both areas. The reasons it was closed down were aging, cost of operation, and safety regulations that would have required massive upgrades. It just wasn't worth the expense, according to Disney. I still miss it.
Originally Posted By CMM1 Disney had refurbished the skyways at various times during their existence and had even changed the skyway cars themselves at least once - if they really were intent on keeping the skyway as a "signature" attraction they would have overcome maintenance issues. Look at the Matterhorn in DL - I am sure it is a maintenance nightmare but they still keep it going (even with it being closed some 3 months every year for rehab).
