Disney Skyliner Gondola Construction Update
During our recent stay at Art of Animation, we took some construction photos of the Disney Skyliner gondola station that will connect AoA and Pop Century to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. In this post, we’ll offer a progress report on Walt Disney World’s upcoming gondola network.
This is a project we’re anxiously awaiting, as it’s Walt Disney World’s first new unique form of transportation in decades. We love the monorail system, enjoy taking the FriendShips around Crescent Lake, and also enjoy the boat transportation elsewhere. From our perspective, the bus system is a necessary evil, whereas other forms of transportation are attractions unto themselves. We anticipate feeling the same way about the Skyliner.
If you’re interested in background about what other gondola systems (including our experiences with those in Hong Kong and Switzerland) can offer, skip down about one-third of the way through our original Disney Skyliner Rumor post. For details as to what’s known so far about the Skyliner project, check out our Skyliner Announced for Walt Disney World post from the D23 Expo.
This isn’t actually an exciting update, as it focuses exclusively on the Skyliner station progress at Art of Animation/Pop Century occurring on Hourglass Lake, and there’s not much to see. At the other stations, there’s even less to see, as construction walls completely conceal the progress thus far. On the plus side, we do have the attraction poster for the International Gateway (Epcot) gondolas, too.
Let’s start with that attraction poster, which was briefly visible in the art gallery at the Epcot International Festival of the Arts:
This was removed after the first day of the event, but not before like 897 Disney fan blogs posted articles about it. I’m not sure whether the poster has been returned; either way, the cat’s out of the bag.
Now let’s turn to the construction for the stations taking place between Art of Animation and Pop Century along Generation Gap bridge:
Generation Gap bridge remains open, with about half of its width engulfed by construction walls.
It’s tough to get a good photo of the walls from the bridge itself, so here’s a side view. Rest assured, you can still get over to Pop Century for a tie dyed cheesecake. (To be honest, I think it’s a bit overrated.)
On the construction wall, you can see the above map of the Skyliner route.
In case you’re wondering or worried, the spur between Disney’s Riviera Resort and Epcot should position the route so that the gondolas are not visible from World Showcase (except potentially from France, but the new Ratatouille show building should take care of that).
Coffer dams establish a perimeter for the project on both sides of the bridge.
Not exactly the most exciting construction update, but I’m working with what I’ve got here…
Here’s a photo from the walkway off to the side of Generation Gap bridge.
I think I commented on this in another post, but I noticed very little progress between this visit and when I checked out construction last fall when we were at Pop Century. I didn’t take photos then for the sake of comparison, but it doesn’t seem like this is progressing with any sense of urgency.
After a couple minutes taking these photos, a security guard who was nearby came over and requested that I stop taking photos of the construction. He was nice about it, so “no harm, no foul” I suppose. Out of curiosity, I wanted to ask why, but I’ve found in the past that questioning security in any way whatsoever is not a good idea. Instead, I just started heading back to our room.
Also based upon past experience, my guess is that he would’ve cited either vague security concerns or show-quality. Given that the construction is in plain sight and easily seen or photographed by any guest staying at the resort, either of these “concerns” seem a bit silly. (In my estimation, the real reason always has more to do with power.)
In any case, I politely acquiesced, stopped taking photos, and moved along. My unquestioning compliance was “rewarded” by the security guard slowly trailing me on his bike as I walked back to our room. In turn, I decided to take the slowest, most meandering route possible, stopping to take photos of random stuff I had zero intention of using. I probably wasted my own time more than I wasted his, but it felt satisfying at the time. Sometimes the “battles” security picks boggle my mind–I’m sure zero other guests have taken photos of this construction occurring in plain view–but whatever.
Hopefully that “thrilling” anecdote spiced up what I realize is otherwise a pretty boring construction update. To our knowledge, the goal is still to have the Disney Skyliner gondolas up and running by mid-2019. Given the slow pace of construction, that seems like an ambitious timeframe, especially considering the pillars that’ll need to be added around Walt Disney World along the Skyliner route. Nevertheless, we fully expect this to open in advance of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, so perhaps the pace will pick up or progress will be more readily apparent in the next few months. Either way, we’re really excited for the Skyliner.
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Your Thoughts
What are your thoughts on the Disney Skyliner gondolas? When do you expect them to open? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing feedback about your experiences is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Just a theory, but I think they’ll open around October ’19. As of October ’18, it seems that most of the posts have been planted, and the stations at both Riveria and Carribean Beach are nearing completion. As I’ve passed the station at Carribean Beach, there seem to be some gondolas already installed, just waiting for the cable.
My question is do you think this will replace the monorail. The aging system is expensive and difficult to maintain. New parts for the trains are no longer available, and expansion seems to be inconceivable. The trains can shuttle more people per hour than the gondolas could, but this type of transportation is well-received internationally. The Skyliner could be the solution to a less-and-less viable means to transportation.
Lastly, I take exception to the bus system being described as “… a necessary evil …” For most guests, this will be the only time they need to rely on a bus transit system to move them between abode and activity. The Disney buses are more reliable than many city systems and although it ain’t fun being crammed into a metal box at the park closing, you have to admit the wait for a Disney bus seems longer than it actually is.
Was there ever a gondola in the magic kingdom from 1972 to 1992?
The gondola system is going to be a huge downgrade for our family who normally stay at Pop, for the following reasons:
1. The gondolas are without AC and cooking hot, as we only go during the summer.
2. We lose our buses to Epcot and HS, and we love the buses with their cold blasts of air conditioning.
3. The gondola will take longer than the buses. I estimate that going from Pop to HS will take 15 minutes (not counting initial wait time) because of the required transfer at Caribbean Beach. The trip to Epcot will take 25 minutes, due to the transfer, the stop at Rivera, and the slowing down at the turning corner. In comparison, the buses take 10 minutes to both locations. It won’t take as long for Caribbean Beach guests because they don’t have to transfer.
To be fair, there will also be benefits to our family:
1. Taking the gondola at night From HS back to the hotel will be cool and nice, and not take too long.
2. We will have a fast direct connection with Caribbean beach, where we can use their food court and other dining services. The gondola will still be hot but only for about 5 minutes, so one can easily grit his teeth through it. (Unless, of course, it stops in mid air, as gondolas and chairlifts often do.)
Our family is considering moving to All Stars, and we are not happy about it. We love Pop. Our other option is the Minnievan, which will cost us an extra $500 per trip. But money aside, we love the buses and hate losing them.
Where was it posted they were going to lose the buses to EP and HS? I understood this to be in addition to the existing transportation. Can you provide a link to that please?
There is no official statement that the buses will be lost, but merely my long term concern. I have confirmation from a Disney insider that the buses will not be immediately lost. Disney will run both buses and gondolas at first and see how things go. But my worry is that Disney will eventually take away the buses once people learn to accept the gondolas. I am most intrigued by how the gondolas will work out in Florida summer and cannot wait for next year to come.
i can’t see that they will remove the buses, i think there would be a huge pushback,
also, they can’t take away an option for people who are unable for whatever reason to use the gondolas. people with a fear of heights or for some other reason who can’t ride them, they can’t take away a bus option. the MK resorts all offer monorail or boat to MK, buses to others.
You really think Disney will not air condition their Skyliner system? That’s laughable…
This has been confirmed, no A/C in the gondolas.
Disney answered an email of mine with the official response that The Gondolas will be “one more transportation option for our guests, we would never make a guest take transportation that would make them uncomfortable”.
They will have A/C it was stated on the news here in Orlando.
They are NOT having AC in the gondola system… confirmed with Disney.
Some people are afraid of heights, they would never get rid of the buses.
I am terrified of heights! Buses for me, gondolas for hubby and kids.
You may not lose bus service to Epcot and HS. I specifically inquired about it and was told they are unsure because they have a real potential issue with people that are scared of heights…. but if they do away with buses then I will never stay at a Skyliner resort for sure…. it’s going to be slow going…
I don’t see me getting in a gondola on my ECV (scooter) so I believe there will still be busses.
When the gondolas are functional, they will be an attraction for the masses. How are they going to regulate who gets on and off? If I am headed to my hotel, I surly do not want to wait hours in line to get back to my room.
Hi Tom,
That would suck if Pop raises prices due to the gondola. I love Pop and I hate gondolas. As it is, I’m planning on saving an extra $500 for Minnievan rides for when the gondola removes the buses to Epcot and HS. I might just move to All Stars.
We have a family trip scheduled for November of this year. Staying at Pop Century and requested preferred rooms. Do you know if all the rooms have been refurbished? I only saw one site that showed the “new” rooms. So hoping they all are because the old carpet and darker colors were depressing looking! Hope you can shed some light about the status of the rooms there. Thanks!
All of Pop Century’s rooms should be done before your trip! 80’s and 90’s areas are completely finished now, and I am fairly confident 70’s is or is close. The original date it was to be finished by was May, but it may be pushing that. Tom estimated that it should very likely be done by August.
Has there ever been an explanation why the gondola travel path doesn’t connect EPCOT and WDHS directly? The transfer seems unnecessarily complex.
Has there ever been an explanation why the gondola travel path doesn’t connect EPCOT and WDHS directly. The transfer seems unnecessarily complex.
If this system is anything like gondolas on ski hills, it won’t be a transfer, but rather a swing around. The gondola won’t actually ever stop (unless emergency) but you load similar to Kali river rapids. My guess there isn’t a direct EP to HS line is because it would have to be a new line. Still would be nice for park hopping.
Probably because of the boat transportation between EPCOT and HS. There is already something in place.
Concerning your questioning Disney Security Guards…You did the right thing not to question him. However, FYI- These guys and gals are bored out of their minds, so they are looking for a reason to get in one’s face. They enjoy confrontations! I’ve had MANY encounters with them through the years. And I’m not one to back down from a friendly conversation with them! They are a necessary evil that photographers have to deal with on a daily basis at Disney. My motto is shoot first and deal with the consequences later. Even when I had Disney photo credentials, I used to get into confrontations with Disney Security Guards as well as overly protective Cast Members. They can be a royal pain in the you know where!
We had an unfortunate similar run in with security on our last trip while making a video of walking into Epcot. They demanded we stop filming and grabbed at and covered our camera. My husband did not take to this well and after a few phone calls Keith from higher up in Disney security took care of it. He said guests are absolutely allowed to make videos and take pictures of anything including the cast members, including security cast members. He wanted a copy of our video which showed the whole mess and said he would be using it in security training. They sure can have a power trip. But then some of them are so nice and friendly. Sorry you had a bad experience with them too. I love your blog and tips!!
Hi – not sure if anyone knows, but thought I’d ask. Does Disney plan to run these gondolas in the almost daily afternoon thunder & lightning storms in the summer? They are not going to be much help in moving people around if they go down every day due to weather conditions. I hope they plan on keeping the bus routes as back up options.
Tom, do the gondolas you’ve been on in Europe run in adverse weather conditions?
Do you think that an unspoken motive for the Skyliner might be to take some pressure off the Monorail in order to facilitate a refurb of it? We have seen a lot of speculation about the refurb of the Monorail and the need for it. But no one seems to see the realtionship between this project and the transportation system as a whole. While the Skyliner goes to a different section of the resort, it would still provide an extra outlet to move crowds and perhaps provide some relief to the overcrowded transportation system by shifting the focus to an adjacent area allowing Disney to upgrade the Monorail system which would currently be a very major undertaking from a crowd management perspective. In other words I think Disney realizes they need to upgrade and refurb the Monorail but they don’t want to see park attendance suffer. The Skyliner may be a cheap, quick and easy way to upgrade the transportation system as a whole, keep crowd levels steady and finally increase them by providing better crowd management.
I suppose it’s possible, but I think the more likely explanation for Disney’s trepidation to do anything with the monorail is occupancy rates and guest satisfaction rates at the monorail resorts. I can only imagine the refunds Disney would end up forking over (due to guest complaints) at those resorts during the upgrade process, and that coupled with the cost of the monorail upgrade is probably something that makes it a tough project to greenlight.
There’s also the burden that it would put on the transportation infrastructure, but I think they’d be better positioned to make upgrades now, one monorail track at a time, than doing it all at once following an accident. It’s a tough decision…but one that someone at Disney really needs to make.
They do not even go to the same locations, look at the map for the Skyliner.
Thanks for the photos – we were in building 8 at Pop in January and never ventured within sight of the bridge. I was not aware that was the location for the gondolas, but it makes sense since both resorts can access it easily.
I’m both excited and apprehensive about the gondolas. I’m excited as a form of transportation, but like Tyler I’m a bit scared about the prospective cost hikes at Pop. That is the first resort we stayed at as a family and teh one we’ve been to most often, so it feels like “home”.
I’m excited about the gondolas. We stay mostly at Pop Century during our trips so it sounds great to have another mode of transportation to DHS and EPCOT. The only thing I’m not looking forward to is the price increase that is sure to come. 🙁
What’s the expected throughput of these? Compared to monorail? Are we talking large 40-standing gondolas or 6 person seaters?
It’s hard to compare the hourly capacities because operationally, the monorail is unreliable and not continuously loading. With that said, an empty monorail can fit 250-350 people. By contrast, gondolas by the same manufacturer responsible for Disney’s hit around 4,500 guests per hour. Whether Disney’s can through-put that many guests remains to be seen, but even a more conservative number like 2,500 would probably more than serve Disney’s needs for this line.
Best response to security ever. Love it! I don’t mind being asked to stop taking photos for a legitimate reason (security etc.) but being asked purely on someone’s whim is rather aggravating. I had a similar experience in a museum in Italy where they had no policy (I checked). I took a lot of pictures and so ended up being trailed by a guard. I was so irritated that I went and hid in an alcove until they went past. I then continued taking pictures.
Tom’s story about the security guard got me salty. Unless you wander onto the construction site, I fail to see the harm. I would have let him follow me all the way to the front desk and/or the security office.
Thanks for the update Tom. If I didn’t know better, I would swear you are my son! Being passive aggressive to a security guard is right up my alley.
Yeah, I really showed him…by wasting my own time while he is being paid by the hour either way! 😉 (Nevertheless, it felt like a win, ha.)
We’re staying at AoA in April in a Cars suite. I was planning on requesting a lakeview room. Would you still recommend this?
I wouldn’t not recommend it.
Is this because of the noise or the view? We’re traveling as a big family – half of us in a suite at AoA and the other half in 2 room at Pop Century. We’ve requested central buildings at both resorts and plan to use the bridge to get back and forth. We’re worried about daytime noise for those of us that still need naps.
Hi Tom, thanks for the update (and the humor about the security guard). How long do you think it will take from CB to Hollywood Studios or to EPCOT? Curious if it is a big time savings. And any confirmation if this is free to guests only staying at the property or can anyone use? thanks!
As with all Disney transportation, I’m sure these will be available for all to use and not restricted to those staying on property.
Interesting. What is Disney’s Riviera Resort?
From what I’ve heard, the Riviera will be a DVC resort erected on the site where the Caribbean Beach tore down 9 buildings to make space for it.