Originally Posted By vbdad55 decorate the roofs......I know it would be $$ but still better spent than Pooh Playround.....I really liked the alternative way of getting around the park and expanding TTA would be nice but way too expensive and theming issues as it moved around..
Originally Posted By MrToadWildRider Skyway was never a really viable way to "get around the park" - waiting 30 minutes to ride a slow moving gondola about the distance of about 4-5 city blocks always seemed like a waste. The view wasn't even that good....wow they tops of people's heads - sweet. They weren't THAT high that you could get some sort of amazing panoramic.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 The ride over the 20K attraction was a very nice view.( of course that would be gone now) ...also it beat walking those 5 blocks - which can also take 3o minutes of Fantasyland has a stroller jam.....just IMHO....
Originally Posted By leemac ^^ Again you could clearly see the track from above (not that you couldn't from the sidewalks but it was harder). I always felt the Skyway ruined the fantasy of MK. Not so much at DL but definitely at WDW.
Originally Posted By MrToadWildRider That's a good point Lee. I really don't like seeing the tops of some of the buildings and show houses it kind of takes away from the illusion of Fantasy Land. Plus I still think I'd lose a good 25 minutes by taking that to get to TLand or viceversa I only rode it like 3 times and that was because they had 0 wait time.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN I never minded the Skyway at all... for me, it was a good way to get off your feet after waiting in what seemed like a very long and slow line. But honestly, I never rode it much. I for once was glad to see TDL's Skyway gone. Not only was it a pathetic little ride over Tomorrowland, but gave way to the super cool 'Pooh's Hunny Hunt' E-Ticket, and that's what bother me about the demise of the Skyway at WDW and DL....nothing new got put in to replace its retirement.
Originally Posted By BlazesOfFire ^^And I think that space needs to be used, and turned into something nicer at WDW
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <^^ Again you could clearly see the track from above (not that you couldn't from the sidewalks but it was harder). I always felt the Skyway ruined the fantasy of MK. Not so much at DL but definitely at WDW< yea to a point I agree....and you have to admit flying through the Matterhorn though was pretty cool at DL.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 <and that's what bother me about the demise of the Skyway at WDW and DL....nothing new got put in to replace its retirement.< replacement was a new stroller parking area...
Originally Posted By TDLFAN >>I think that space needs to be used, and turned into something nicer at WDW<< Now Blazes, stop being so negative about WDW!!! Ruth and Jim won't stand for it!! Kidding aside..I too would like to see some freshening up around the Mk's TL. The former Skyway station could be leveled and turned into something like the "UFO Landing site playground" that's supposed to go into HKDL next year when Autopia opens... (since the imagineers are now reduced to building playgrounds, it's a perfect fit)
Originally Posted By vbdad55 Why is it we are thinking playgrounds everywhere except Toon Town where one belongs ?
Originally Posted By Kennesaw Tom The reason why Walt put a "Skyway" in both parks was because he firmly believed in pedistran traffic control. He wanted to keep people ( and the crowds ) constantly moving so there would be no bottle necks. The Skyway did just that. It allowed for an alternative means of moving crowds without taking up valuable ground space. I always rode the Skyway many many times on each trip. It was my favorite way to get from Fantacyland to Tomorrowland. The view of the castle was incredible. I still have old pictures of the park taken from the Skyway. Yea the roofs didn't look that spectacular but there is no reason why the flat rooftops in Fantacyland can't be dressed up.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Good point, so if it helps me to avoid being run over by the teamsters strollers at WDW, then brink back the Skyway.
Originally Posted By MrToadWildRider >>Yea the roofs didn't look that spectacular but there is no reason why the flat rooftops in Fantacyland can't be dressed up.<< Yes there is - it's called money. Why dress up part of the park that isn't normally in sight of anyone and spend that kind of money? I do agree it eased some of the walkway traffic and also was a crowd sink in that I'd walk by and see the long line and think "Great, that's less people that I'll have to stand behind in line for Peter Pan or Snow White" and I do miss both effects it had on the park - however I've read things here and elsewhere that said it was a maintenance burden and to be honest I'd rather them save money where they can and hope they get a bit of extra cash on the budget for future attractions.
Originally Posted By vbdad55 we have to be careful with that maintenance burden thing....so was 20K supposedly and it's gone-- what do you think are the next highest maintenance rides -- Splash / Thunder etc......with the workings that were the Skyway, I can't believe it was a huge maintenance burden cost wise -- when the total cost of the attraction is put into perspective
Originally Posted By MrToadWildRider I'd imagine keeping the cables up to safety standards and monitoring them could've been the issue. Running a moving cable carrying some sybstanial weight below it I'd assume (I'm not an engineer but I've played with rubber bands) that friction and just standard wear and tear can take it's toll quite rapidly on those cables. I mean standard elevator cables have to be inspected atleast once a year and I think they see less use and abuse than those WDW cables. Replacing those cables seems like it could be a hassle. The thing with 20k and Skyway is they were high maintenance and low on attendance numbers. Not because they weren't popular but because of the load/unload and car capacity. Neither were easy to un/load - especially anyone with physical disabilities/handicaps. It was also very ineffecient - there would be long lines but the number in people in line would not be a good reflection of wait. A 30 minute wait at either 20k or Skyway would be considerably less at other attractions for the same amount of people. Splash and Thunder don't really have that problem and for years I don't think the pluses will ever come close to the cons on some Disney Suit's list for either ride.
Originally Posted By TDLFAN Personally, I wonder if the demise of the Skyway was more dictated by the company's lawyers telling Disney what a safety hazzard this ride could be...and after a few mishaps where CMs were injured or killed at the Skyway, I can see why thst would terrify the suits... Then again.. how many people have been killed or injured on Splash (due to lack of restrains) or DL's BTMRR due to bad maintenance... All is relative and we are no longer safe anywhere... The benefit of it all is that now we can recite safety spiels in spanish as well. "Mantenga pies y piernas dentro del vehiculo you dumb guest in bad shorts!"
Originally Posted By MrToadWildRider Yea that's true but the lawsuit threat may also result from people dropping items from the skyway onto people's heads below. You can't really hit anyone from Splash or Big Thunder unless you have one heck of a gun for an arm But then again you could say Test Track and TTA/WEDWay would fall under those umbrellas too. Although those would be a *little* more difficult, you'd actually have to throw an object whereas with skyway you could play darts with the tops of people's heads - or even innocently drop something as a legitimate mistake and cause some injury i.e. family camcorder.
