What happened to the Skyliner at Disney?

Disney Skyliner at Walt Disney World will be closing for a brief annual refurbishment in early 2024. The gondola transportation system will be closed January 16 through January 21 2024.



The Disney Skyliner, a gondola lift system that opened at Walt Disney World in September 2019, has experienced a few notable incidents that made headlines. The most significant occurred just days after its grand opening in October 2019, when a "collision" of several gondolas at the Riviera Resort station caused the entire system to stall for over three hours. Dozens of guests were stranded in mid-air, and emergency crews had to perform a few high-altitude evacuations using fire truck ladders. Following this, the system was closed for about a week for a full safety inspection and software updates. Since then, there have been a handful of minor "stalls" and a small bump at the Hollywood Studios station in 2021, but no serious injuries were reported. Despite these early hiccups, the Skyliner is now considered a highly efficient and popular transportation method, moving thousands of guests daily between Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and four resort hotels. Disney has implemented enhanced weather monitoring and communication systems to ensure that the gondolas are cleared quickly during Central Florida's frequent thunderstorms.

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This probably seems obvious, but the weather can and does affect the Skyliner and how it operates. When it's raining hard or storming, it can close down completely. This is especially true if there is lightning!

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While the Skyliner is generally a very reliable system, there are a few times it will be closed. First, weather may impact operations of the gondola system. High winds and rain will temporarily suspend travel. And, of course, there have been a few “crashes” of gondola cars at the stations.

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“We were stuck on the disney skyliner for 40 minutes in a tiny unairconditoned, overly heated box high in the sky with no water!

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The Disney Skyliner transportation system opened in fall 2019 at Walt Disney World Resort and has since been taking guests on the most magical flight on earth! It joins the many wonderful, free transportation options (buses, ferryboats and monorails) that take guests around the parks, hotels and entertainment areas.

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All-Star Resorts don't have a Skyliner station. They aren't near the monorail and have no boat access, either. Buses do come by frequently, sometimes stopping at the other All-Star resorts, depending on crowd levels and demand.

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Based on 2019 statistics, Walt Disney World reportedly experienced “a rate of 45.12 incidents per 1,000 people” However, Quebec City experienced a significantly lower rate of incidents.

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The Disney Skyliner station at EPCOT is located at the International Gateway entrance, which is located at the back of the theme park in World Showcase. Unfortunately, there's no way to walk between these two stations without walking through EPCOT.

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One of Disney's more clever secrets is hiding in plain sight; in the park bathrooms, you will rarely see mirrors above the sinks. Though this may seem like an inconvenience at first, it's actually a way for Disney World and Disneyland to keep foot traffic flowing.

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Disneyland Park Ride closures: Splash Mountain is closed and is being re-themed. Tarzan's Treehouse is closed until further notice. Wonderous Journeys ends on August 31, 2023. The French Market restaurant and the Mint Julep bar are closed and will reopen on September 7, 2023 as Tiana's Place.

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The catchily-named hues Go Away Green (sometimes called no-see-um-green”) and Blending Blue (also known as “bye-bye blue”) are proprietary colors that Disney developed to make less attractive elements of the parks “go away” or “blend” into the background—in the case of Disney that might be a construction fence, a ...

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