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Fun Facts About the Walt Disney World Skyliner

Posted by: Rebekah Tyndall Burkett

The Walt Disney World Skyliner gondola system was announced years before Guests would be able to ride for the first time. As construction began on the parks’ newest transportation system, Guests excitedly and eagerly awaited the completion of the project and the opening of its doors to parkgoers. On September 29, 2019, Guests finally boarded the colorful gondolas and set off on the system’s maiden voyage (even if that voyage was really a circuit with multiple stations and stops. It’s an amazing system: just take a look at these interesting things about the Skyliner.

 

8. There are more than just a couple of gondolas.

From the ground below, it’s hard to tell just how many gondolas there are as a part of the Disney Skyliner system.  How many would you guess? How about 50? 100? 200 gondolas? You might be surprised to learn that there are more than 300 individual gondolas gliding through the air along the Skyliner routes!

7. It’s not the first Disney gondola system.

Long before Disney World ever built the Skyliner system, there were other gondola systems at Disneyland and at Walt Disney World. In 1955, shortly after Disneyland opened to the public, the park debuted a system similar to the Skyliner project. Disneyland’s Skyway also featured gondolas and connected Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. The same type of system was also built when Magic Kingdom opened in Florida’s Walt Disney World in 1971, and another system was built at Tokyo Disneyland and debuted in 1983 when that Disney park opened.

4. The Skyliner suffered a huge blow only days after opening.

On October 5, 2019, there was a collision on the Epcot line between 2 of the system’s gondolas at the station at Disney’s Riviera Resort. Not only did the collision shut down the system, but passengers aboard the gondolas along the line were stranded for more than 3 hours, and some Guests doubted the safety of the system. The system was forced to close because of the incident but reopened on October 14.

5. The gondolas aren’t tiny.

Though they may look small from the ground, but the Disney Skyliner gondolas are anything but tiny. In fact, each one can accommodate up to 10 Guests at a time, and in gondolas that accommodate wheelchairs or strollers, up to Guests can be seated in the gondola.

4. There are four Walt Disney World Resort hotels with Skyliner access.

You don’t have to be staying in a Disney World resort hotel in order to enjoy the Skyliner, but there are four different resorts that offer Skyliner access on their properties. Those resorts are Disney’s Pop Century Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort and Disney’s Riviera Resort.

3. Pick your favorite Disney characters!

One of the coolest things about the Skyliner at Walt Disney World is that the many gondolas feature beloved Disney characters from classic Disney films, as well as from many of Disney’s and Pixar’s latest films. If you like, you can soar across the sky aboard gondolas that feature characters such as Nemo, Woody and Buzz, Cinderella, Snow White, the Seven Dwarfs, Pocahontas, Mike and Sulley, Dory, The Incredibles, Moana, Maui and many, many more. How many different characters have you soared with so far?

2. It’s free!

Transportation aboard Disney’s Skyliner gondola system is free to use. There is no fee to board the Skyliner, and there is no limit to the number of times Guests may board or disembark the gondolas. Like complimentary celebratory buttons at the parks, ice water, park maps, Kidcot souvenirs and other items at Walt Disney World, rides aboard the Skyliner gondolas are free of charge.

1. Transportation aboard the Skyliner system is open to everyone on Disney property.

Because there are stations at four different Walt Disney World Resorts, as well as a boarding station just outside the entrance to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and just outside the International Gateway entrance to Epcot, you don’t necessarily need to have a park ticket to ride the Skyliner. As is true with Disney World’s monorail system, it is possible to enjoy the Skyliner gondolas (and the breeze and scenic views) without a park ticket.

About Rebekah Tyndall Burkett

Rebekah grew up in Forney, Texas and lives just outside of Dallas. She’s been a Disney superfan since childhood, experiencing the magic at Walt Disney World for the first time at the age of 11. Journeys to Neverland are at least a yearly occurrence for her, her husband and her four children (the Fab Four). When they go to the parks, they stay in Florida for three weeks at a time. Rebekah loves exploring the history of the parks, the genius behind the Magic in the person of Walt Disney, and she is intrigued by all things Disney World and Disney Imagineering. When in the parks, Rebekah and her husband Scott make the most of their time by enjoying every minute with their Fab Four, by delving deeper into Walt’s vision for the parks and into the history behind the Walt Disney World Resort, and by photographing the many different types of architecture at Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and on the World Showcase at EPCOT. When she’s not in the parks, Rebekah is excitedly setting travel dates and planning her family’s next adventure to their happy place deep within the Sunshine State. On breaks from planning her next trip, Rebekah is a writer, journalist and children’s author, penning children’s books about kids with special needs that she affectionately calls “believement-achievement” stories. Her hobbies include creative writing, paper crafting and interviewing Imagineers. She is also an advocate for Autism Awareness and for children with developmental disabilities of all kinds.