It’s been three weeks since the Disney Skyliner accident took place at Walt Disney World. As you probably are aware, multiple gondolas were seen crashed into each other and numerous guests were stranded in the air for over two hours, stuck inside of the gondolas. The fledgling transportation system has seen adjusted hours and a fair amount of downtime since it returned to service just a few days ago. Today, the line that runs from the Caribbean Beach Resort to Disney’s Art of Animation and Pop Century Resorts encountered an issue.
From what we could see, a gondola appeared to be stuck transferring from the stationary, ADA load platform (used for wheelchairs, ECVs and other guests that may need more time to board) to the main line. Once they did get that once-stuck gondola in motion, it visibly had a hard time transferring to the main line as cast members, security, and those tasked with maintaining the Skyliner looked on. Guests in line to ride the Skyliner to Art of Animation and Pop Century remained there through all of this.
The line eventually re-opened to guests, but the ADA load platform remained off-limits. As we headed to the Hollywood Studios line this evening to return to our car, we could see that the platform was blocked off with a cone and a barricade, being watched by a Disney security cast member. We assume that the maintenance team and engineers will be looking at the issue overnight once all guests are clear of the area.
Some guests understandably remain apprehensive about the now-controversial form of Disney transportation, and recent issues with the Skyliner system don’t offer much reassurance. That being said, we were able to ride the Disney Skyliner today with little-to-no issue.
We’ll continue to monitor the status of Skyliner’s operation across the resort for any future updates.
Should have done the right thing and extended the monorail a bit.
I don’t have a ton of experience with the monorail but when I rode it for the first time in April it was really slow. We had a wait a long time for it to show up at the stations, it was slow to get moving, and didn’t travel very quickly. I think a constantly moving transport makes more sense, as long as it’s constantly moving!
The positive is that Disney is attempting to work out the “real life” kinks. It has been tested. It is safe. There are just guest inconvenience issues that come along with any new operation. I think a, “keep calm, carry on” attitude” should be offered to engineers diligently working on the issues. Have a Disney day! ❤
skyliner is best transpotation mode in disneyworld
I starting to feel like the skyliner is going to be a flop.
It already is a flop.
Maybe this is why Walt liked People Movers and Monorails so much, they maybe more expensive, but they work. A cheap transportation system that never works, is nothing but a complete waste of money
This same system is used on even larger scales around the world. I highly doubt Disney would have gone with it if it weren’t proven. I’m sure these are just kinks in the system or failures on the operators’ side.
It seems like they spent a lot of time testing the system before opening it to the public. Did they not run into these issues before it became operational to everyone?
Probably not, a lot of rides have issues once opened to the public – the public create infinite variables in operation
Just wondering, what does ADA stand for?
Americans with Disabilities Act
Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA)
Americans with Disabilities Act
We rode the Skyliner two days ago and it went perfectly. No wait, no issues, it was great
If you put this against the danger when a rollercoaster goes bad…I think the gondolas will do just fine…they are great fun..
I heard that the accident the other week was linked to the ADA access also. Might be the part they have to eliminate to ensure the system runs the right way. Ski resorts don’t have an ADA system in place and rarely have issues. It just might not be feasible if people can’t board it fast enough. Don’t mean to sound cold, but its just a system that doesn’t normally cater to that audience.
The width between the seats is an issue, too, with strollers and ECVs. It’s really tight between the two benches, so that makes loading quickly difficult, too. Skiers just hop on and go. They aren’t holding infants, trying to manage a stroller, helping Gramma and Grampa on all at the same time.
Not an option they need to be ADA accessible.
It wasn’t. The incident was at the Riviera the only station without an ADA station.
The Riviera station is not open yet to board or disembark and I believe that it is ADA compliant. Please cite a source if you know otherwise.
Riviera is open
Disney needs to start working with Siemen’s as well as the various operators of such cars around the world. Just look at the public transit in Japan, and you’ll see what I mean.
We rode Columbus Day weekend and had zero problems!! Disney is like every one else and is going to have an occasional hiccup. Not a big deal. People need to relax
I would rather Disney spent their money on an expansion of the monorail and the construction of a steam train to take guests to Animal Kingdom so as to keep the Safari style theme.
I was also at the skyliner station last night. My wife and I took the skyliner from Hollywood Studios to Caribbean Beach for dinner at Sebastian’s Bistro (A fantastic dinner, by the way). It was certainly not as dramatic as this report made it seem. Yes, one of the three lines was temporarily offline…but those that were left waiting in line did so out of choice. Cast members were on hand to notify anyone arriving that Pop Century the line would be delayed. And Disney provided buses specifically designated ‘Skyliner’ to shuttle AA/PC guests back to their hotel. Has the new skyliner has some bugs? Sure, but so has every other ride or transportation method in Disney and most likely every single park anywhere. I’ve personally been stopped or stuck on dozens of rides in my 30+ years as a passholder. But I’ve now ridden the new skyway several times in several times of day, and I’m very impressed. the ride is swift, smooth, and quiet. the lines (when there’s a line) move very quickly. And I’ll take the small groups and guaranteed seats of the Skyliner over the cramped standing-room-only monorail with it’s long lines any day. I truly hope they expand the lines to more resorts and especially to Animal Kingdom!
My wife and I rode the Skyliner this weekend and had zero issues. The ride was smooth, the breeze was nice. People were on and off quickly and quietly, the queues moved very efficiently.
People need to relax and realize that kinks need to be worked out, if you don’t like it that’s fine. Take a bus, take cab, jump in your car, there will be hiccups but it will get better.
The T-line had a problem today. We should just scrap the entire Boston transportation system! It breaks down all of the time! :-)