Disney Skyliner Facts You Need to Know Before You Go to Disney World
The Disney Skyliner is the newest form of transportation at Walt Disney World. Here are some things you should know about the Skyliner before you visit Walt Disney World.
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The Disney Skyliner officially opened at Walt Disney World on September 29 after several months of testing. During that time, Disney fans have speculated about whether the new transportation is the next big thing. After a couple of weeks of operation, we thought it would be a great idea to share more info about the system, with some things you should know about Disney Skyliner before you visit Walt Disney World. Here are five important Disney Skyliner facts.
There are Three Lines
The Disney Skyliner system is actually a network of three connecting lines. The central operating hub of the Disney Skyliner system is Caribbean Beach, which is conveniently located in the middle of it all, above the Art of Animation and Pop Century, and below the Riviera Resort. From Caribbean Beach to Epcot is about 15 minutes with a stop at the Riviera. From Caribbean Beach to Hollywood Studios is under 6 minutes. Finally, the trip to Caribbean Beach from the Art of Animation and Pop Century is about 6 minutes.
There are 5 Stations
The International Gateway has a Skyliner Station. The Skyliner now takes guests directly to Epcot’s “secret” entrance. there is a turn station where you don’t exit the gondola in between Epcot and the Riviera. Disney’s Hollywood Studios also has a station at it’s one and only gate. It is more or less a straight line from the Riviera to Caribbean Beach, to the Art of Animation and Pop Century.
The Gondolas are Pretty Fast
The Skyliner zips around a little bit faster than you might expect. They slow to a mile per hour in the stations, but they launch to a brisk 11 mph they are high, too. They glide above Disney World about 60 feet in the air. It only takes a few minutes to get from one station to another on over 6 miles of cable.
The Gondolas are Ventilated
Each of the 300 gondola cabins are roomy. They don’t look like it but they seat ten people. Almost half of the gondolas have a unique character wrap. The benches inside fold up to make the cabins wheelchair accessible. The only thing that’s missing is the air conditioning. Instead, there is a ventilation system that leverages the cross breeze from the moving cabins. The cabins have been designed so that AC can be installed if necessary.
It Might Leave You Stranded
Just a few weeks ago, only about a week into operations, the Disney Skyliner crashed. One Gondola collided with another, due to a faulty sensor. Thankfully nobody was hurt, but it caused the whole system to be shut down. Skyliner passengers were left stranded in the air for three hours while Disney figured out what to do.
As convenient as the transportation is, it gives one pause that they might forfeit hours of their vacation time by getting stuck on the cable. To say nothing of the risk of physical harm. There is no reason to think that a collision is going to happen again on the Disney Skyliner, but consider the risks before you board.
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