The Disney Skyliner debuted this year to a rough start in terms of unexpected downtime, issues with ADA loading, and even a gondola crash, which led guests to be suspended on the EPCOT line for over three hours. Just yesterday, guests aboard the EPCOT line had to be evacuated at the Disney’s Riviera Resort station due to system malfunctions. However, over the course of several weeks, reporters have noted another issue with the transportation system, as numerous doors have been seen marked out of order or malfunctioning on the line.
The most obvious indication is that of the cabin being roped off, as it’s seen here with a red cord and flag hung across the entrance, preventing guests from stepping in.
Other gondolas, while not roped off, are purposely skipped by Cast Members during the guest loading process due to issues with opening and closure mechanisms. Gondola doors are having problems opening and closing, and remaining closed, with many stuck in the open or closed position.
The door on this and some of the other gondolas do not completely close.
The area of this photo circled in red shows that the doors of the blue gondola also do not completely close:
If you’re having a sense of Disney Transport deja vu, it’s because door issues have also plagued the resort’s monorail system, with a door falling off late last year after a motorized scooter hit it.
The Doppelmayr/Garaventa group is the manufacturer behind the Disney Skyliner system. After the accident that occurred in October, Disney said they worked with Doppelmayr and “made adjustments to our processes and training, and we are improving how we communicate with guests during their flight with Disney Skyliner.” These discussions are what may have led to the recent posting of an emergency number in all gondolas.
If we receive any updates or Disney makes a statement regarding the malfunctioning doors, we will update this article with new information.
That information is not true at all!!!
Care to elaborate?
the Red flags are 9/10 times for lights or audio issues and 0/10 for door issues. If there is a door issue they would stop the entire line, not just close one cabin as one mechanism closes all doors. Doors viewed open like this were closed by cast members before the mechanism secured it and is not for any technical issue. They usually have cast members in them. All you have to do is ask a cast member why things are happening to get accurate information like I did
Unless cast members are red stanchions with warning flags on them, it’s not.
Agree that the information it is not accurate, and it is a misrepresentation. The doors will not lock shut until the cabin departs the station. The cast member can manually close and open the cabin doors while in the station. So those images depicting gaps in the doors while in the station do not necessarily show an issue. Once the cabin leaves the station the actuating mechanism will open the door and then fully close it again, locking it. There may be a maintenance or other issue with the cabin interior on why the doors are being manually closed in the station, but the doors partially locking is not the issue. Any door that is left open, even partially, would trip a door fault and stop the system.
They didn’t lock, that’s the story. I’m aware of how the system operates.
The monorails have door problems since they needed to be replaced over 10 years ago. The Skyliner is brand new and as all the supporters have stated, they operate all over the world with no problems. So why are the doors failing? Because all over the world they don’t have millions of people visiting and riding this type of transportation. I am hoping they can work this out, but it seems there will always be an ongoing issue with this type of transportation. If they replaced the monorails like they were supposed to and extended it to access all the parks this wouldn’t be an issue. They went for cheap and they are paying for it.
I have seen these same gondolas operate with fewer problems at different US ski resorts (e.g. Steamboat Springs). Granted, the crowds may be smaller in the ski areas, but the systems operate in pretty harsh, sometimes sub-zero, winter conditions. Plus, the systems are used to carry supplies well into the nights after the slopes are closed. Not sure why there have been these problems in WDW.
Sadly it appears Quality Control is severely lacking at House of Mouse! These gondolas should be working nearly flawlessly. Instead it’s been plagued with problems since Day One. Coupled with the bed collapse issues at Riviera, it appears that Disney Magic is in dire straits.
Where do you get your information from? These cabins dont have any problems at all, it’s how they ensure transport for guests at the Riviera. I’m not trying to discourage anything from you guys to post any information here but I would love to see accurate information be posted for all to know
Some of those pics are the Hollywood Studios line…
We visited dec 20 – 25 and experienced no issues with the skyliner (other than a couple minor stops) during our stay at Caribbean Beach. Rode it four or five times. Only disappointment was it didn’t open early for the HS opening time.
I watched it not lock when it left.