Renovations to Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort will apparently not include water launch transportation to a Walt Disney World theme park, but may include something far more unique.
London's Emrates Air Line
Website WDWMagic.com has uncovered plans to construct a gondola system linking Caribbean Beach and Disney's Pop Century Resort to Epcot and Disney's Hollywood Studios.
The system is similar in function to the old Magic Kingdom Skyway, using large cabins danging from overhead cables to transport groups of guests. The layout illustrated at WDWMagic features load stations at Epcot's International Gateway and near the main entrance to Disney's Hollywood Studios, along with central hubs at both Caribbean Beach and Pop Century. Gondola traffic would pass over the parking lot for Disney's BoardWalk Inn & Villas but not actually service at the resort itself.
Planned construction at Caribbean Beach involves the demolitition of numerous existing guest room buidlings, reportedly to make way for construction of new Disney Vacation Club villas. Disney has not yet confirmed any plans to add DVC villas to Caribbean Beach.
The addition of this gondola system would add a unique transportation alternative to Caribbean Beach, a feature normally associated with Disney Deluxe and DVC resorts. With the exception of Disney's Animal Kingdom Villas, all current DVC properties at Walt Disney World feature monorail or boat transportation to at least one theme park or the Disney Springs shopping district.
Construction of a local gondola system would help alleviate some of the traffic congestion already prevalent in the Epcot resorts area.
The city of London already has a similar gondola system installed, dubbed the Emirates Air Line, which is illustrated in the embedded YouTube video. The Air Line uses cabins that hold up to 10 passengers with 15 second intervals between departures, making for an operating capacity of 2400 passengers per hour in each direction.
The London system is designed to operate in most weather conditions, with short disruptions possible in the event of thunder or lightning in the immediate area. Extremely strong winds may also necessitate brief closures.
