A late-night trip back to a Disney Resort turned into an unexpectedly long journey for some Walt Disney World guests this week.
The Disney Skyliner experienced significant delays Tuesday night, affecting guests trying to leave the parks and return to their hotels. While the gondola system is usually one of the easier ways to travel around certain parts of Walt Disney World, a reported problem with its loading operation created a much different experience.
According to Kenny the Pirate, long lines developed Tuesday night before Disney eventually brought in buses to help transport guests. Some visitors reported taking more than two hours to finally reach their resorts.
A Reddit Thread Explained What Reportedly Happened
The exact problem wasn’t simply a matter of the Skyliner shutting down completely.
Kenny the Pirate pointed to a Reddit thread in which a user reported that a mechanism used to transfer gondolas into the mobility loading section had broken.
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That separate area allows guests who may need additional time to board and exit their gondola without going through the regular continuously moving loading process.
According to the Reddit account, the issue meant Disney had to rely on its backup option and load and unload guests from the main line instead.
That reportedly slowed down operations and led to much longer lines.
For guests trying to leave after a long park day, even a relatively short transportation delay can become frustrating. When that delay stretches into hours, it can completely change the end of the night.
Eventually, Disney began using buses to get guests where they needed to go.
Some Guests Reported Trips Taking More Than Two Hours
The Skyliner connects EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios with several Disney Resort hotels, making it an important transportation option for many vacationers.
In fact, transportation can play a major role in which resort guests choose. Some specifically book hotels with Skyliner access because of the convenience it provides when traveling to the two connected parks.
That makes a major delay particularly disruptive.
According to Kenny the Pirate, some guests caught in Tuesday night’s problems said it took more than two hours to reach their resorts. Disney buses eventually helped transport guests while the Skyliner experienced its issues.
Fortunately, the problems did not continue into Wednesday morning.
Disney Skyliner Returned to Normal Operations
By August 19, things looked much better.
Kenny the Pirate reported that the Skyliner was operating Wednesday morning and lines were moving. All routes were operational when the site checked on the system.
Still, this wasn’t the only recent case of guests encountering a lengthy Skyliner delay.
The site reported that one of its team members experienced another major delay last month. Disney also used buses during that incident to help guests reach their destinations.
That doesn’t mean guests should expect trouble every time they board.
Kenny the Pirate notes that incidents like these appear to remain rare, with most guests using the Skyliner without major problems. The system can also stop operating during inclement weather, giving visitors another reason to keep alternative transportation in mind.
For the guests caught in Tuesday night’s disruption, though, a normally convenient ride back to their resort became a much longer ordeal.
With all routes back in operation Wednesday morning, the problem appears to have been temporary. Still, anyone relying on Disney transportation to reach a reservation or another time-sensitive destination may want to leave themselves some extra travel time.
