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The Disney Skyliner is Up and Running! (Again)

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You may be reading this headline and thinking “Up and running again? It just opened!” and you would be right. The Disney Skyliner at Walt Disney World made its official opening debut on September 29, 2019 with early access for cast members some days beforehand. The Skyliner is fantastic because it connects Epcot to Hollywood Studios and all of the hotels in between including the new Rivera Resort (opening Dec. 16), Caribbean Beach, Disney’s Pop Century Resort, and Art of Animation. The only way to travel between these places before was by your own personal vehicle, a Minnie Van, or by taking the Disney Bus.

Unfortunately, due to a recent accident that occurred on October 5th, 2019 the transportation system needed to be shut down so that they could reset the system and recheck everything for safety. 

What Happened?!

On October 5th we were actually at Epcot and contemplating checking out the Skyliner before heading back to Yacht and Beach Club to say farewell to a visiting friend. Steve didn’t get a chance to get on yet but with the massive lines, we decided that we didn’t have enough time to get on. Little did we know, we actually saved ourselves from being caught in a 3 hour delay on the Skyliner, in mid-air! Driving to the Yacht and Beach Club, we passed by crews of firemen with electric ladders raising up to each of the gondolas and bringing folks back down. Twitter was blowing up with people reporting that they were stranded on the cars and had to open the emergency kits provided.

Shortly after, photos started to emerge with people reporting on the incident. One of the gondola cars had bumped into the other while pulling into the Rivera Resort Station and stalled the line of cars on the entire line from Epcot to Rivera Resort. The accident seemed minor, with shattered plexiglass on the floor due to the heavy weight of the collision. No one was injured in the accident and thankfully there was no one in the “crashed” vehicles. One person was hospitalized afterwards for reasons undisclosed. Disney released a statement saying the following:

“We have a team diligently looking into the cause of the malfunction on the Epcot line of the Disney Skyliner.  We have been in contact with the guests, many of whom were on the Skyliner for more than three hours until we were able to restart the system. We express our sincere apologies for the inconvenience and continue to work with each guest individually.” 

The next day, the Disney Skyliner was closed and many people had criticism for Disney for their investment into the gondola technology instead of investing into purchasing new monorails. I do beg to differ though as I thoroughly enjoyed my ride on the Skyliner and would still ride it again despite the hiccup. I just don’t see that they would allow this kind of mistake to happen again knowing that they have their reputation, guest experience, and most of all, money on the line. This little girl who was stuck on a gondola agrees with me!

It’s Back in Action!

With that being said, today Walt Disney World opened up the Skyliner and it is back in operation again with some modified hours on October 16-18 as stated by the Disney Parks Blog.

  • Oct. 16: The Disney Hollywood Studios line will be closed while the other two lines will be available from 1 to 10:30 p.m.

  • Oct. 17–18: All lines will be open from 1 to 10:30 p.m.

I would definitely consider taking the Skyliner despite the malfunctions and slowdowns because it really was the most relaxing way to get from one side of the resort to another. Plus, it is also convenient for people staying in value resorts like Art of Animation and Pop Century. There are still many delays while you’re on the Skyliner though which was one of my initial criticisms about the ride in the first place. However, this still doesn’t make the journey any less enjoyable!

Would you take a ride on the Disney Skyliner after all of this or would you rather take your chances on foot?

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