Skyliner Update: Summer 2018
Over the course of our Walt Disney World trip, we took Skyliner gondola station construction photos at Hollywood Studios and Epcot that will connect the parks to four different resort hotels. In this post, we’ll offer a lot of my commentary on the gondola’s impact on sightlines and whether we should care, plus a brief progress report on Walt Disney World’s upcoming gondola network.
As noted before, the Disney Skyliner project is one we’re anxiously awaiting. We love the monorail system, enjoy taking the FriendShips around Crescent Lake, and also enjoy the boat transportation elsewhere–basically, anything that isn’t the bus. This is more relatively novel transportation that isn’t the bus, and we think the Skyliner be an attraction unto itself.
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.
With that said, I want to start with the issue of sightlines, as this has been a controversial component of the Skyliner since the first support pillar went up behind the France pavilion a couple months ago.
I went on record years ago with my take on the old Fantasyland Skyway:
I only vaguely remember riding, but the Skyway is one “fan-favorite” I’m glad is gone. Would be great for photos, but also an eyesore.
– Tom Bricker (@Tom_Bricker) December 6, 2013
That’s one of my several negative tweets about the old Skyway (I’m sure I covered it here somewhere, but the search feature of this site sucks), and it was always a contentious position. I mention this now because the Skyliner has caught the ire of fans, despite being far less egregious than the Skyway from any ‘show’ perspective.
Generally speaking, the Skyway is beloved by Walt Disney World fans, many of whom miss it–even though many of them probably also don’t remember it or were too young to remember it. Of course, everything is always more beloved (and flawless!) once it’s gone.
For what it’s worth, I think the Skyliner is very different than the Skyway, most notably to the extent that this new transportation system is not traveling directly over Fantasyland. My concerns with the Skyway were that offered views of the Fantasyland rooftops and buildings that would be considered ‘poor show’ while also being an eyesore for guests below.
It seems to me that the Skyliner instead raises issues with sightlines, primarily in World Showcase and at a couple of Moderate Resorts. With regard to World Showcase, that ship sailed with the construction of Swan & Dolphin decades ago. Those pyramids that are plainly obvious from around Epcot look like Vegas-style monstrosities and could easily bother you…if you let them.
Even setting that aside, I can’t say I’m especially concerned. The Skyliner is only visible from a distance, and from that vantage, you can also see multiple countries at once. From within France, where actual suspension of disbelief occurs, you can’t see the Skyliner. I would advise those who are outraged to never visit the real Eiffel Tower, as what you’ll see around there is a far cry from Epcot’s romanticized version.
I don’t like being in a position of preemptively defending Walt Disney World here, but I think fans need to pick their battles. “Poor sightlines” seems like a hill an increasing number of fans are eager to die on, but Disney has always been hit or miss with sightlines, even while emphasizing their importance. There are, quite literally, dozens of examples of poor sightlines that date back over two decades, and plenty that date to the so-called golden age of Imagineering.
For me, personally, there is no hard and fast rule concerning sightlines. Sometimes they matter, sometimes they don’t. It’s more of a smell test thing. Generally speaking, the more whimsical or novel two disparate items, the more comfortable I am seeing them together. For example, Sleeping Beauty Castle, the Matterhorn, and Main Street viewed together all work for me. Each is just so unique and fantastical that the collective result congeals and creates something that is ‘distinctly Disneyland.’
A view of huge show buildings juxtaposed against quaint Fantasyland facades, or support beams and those facades, does not work for me. One item is decidedly utilitarian and the other is whimsical, with the end result snapping you back to reality. That’s my position on the old Fantasyland Skyway. (I do think support pillars mere feet from the laid back Caribbean Beach buildings is jarring, and wish more effort went into locating those supports.)
Gondolas and the Eiffel Tower, or gondolas and whatever you might see in World Showcase, lies somewhere between those two extreme examples. Gondolas are a fairly novel form of transportation, and although World Showcase is replicating real world places, it’s doing so in a somewhat whimsical way. The Skyliner may not enhance the view, but I don’t think it necessarily detracts from it. It seems to me like a neutral thing.
Moving right along to progress, here are some photos from the Skyliner Station at Disney’s Hollywood Studios:
This station is pretty far along, to the point that it could realistically be finished by later this year. The anticipated opening is mid-2019, so don’t get your hopes up on that. Even when all of the stations are finished, other work will remain, along with test and adjust.
I couldn’t get decent photos of the Epcot station as its construction walls are high and trees block the best views from the bridge between Beach Club and Boardwalk. However, what I could see did not look nearly as far along as the station at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
We’ve already shared some photos from the two stations at Caribbean Beach and Riviera Resorts, but here those are again:
That’s it for this update on the Walt Disney World Skyliner gondola network. I realize this is mostly commentary with not a ton of insight into the current progress of construction, but it’s really difficult to ascertain just how far along this project is based upon progress. Work has been moving at a fairly rapid pace, but that does not mean we’ll see the Skyliner open by Memorial Day 2019. My guess (and this is totally a guess) is that it won’t open until later in the year, with the goal having it up and running in advance for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. Debuting the Skyliner a few months before that would make sense–possibly in mid-September. That’s a total shot in the dark on my part, and could be totally wrong.
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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!
We love the easy access of IG and stay a Beach Club frequently. However we just returned from a stay at GF. When boarding the monorail, all hotel guests and passengers to the train must go thru security check at that time. Then board tThe monorail and head out. Upon arrival at MK there is no security check points. You just proceed to the scanners and enter the park. Same thing with passengers using boat transportation. So they have split up the security checkpoints eliminating the wait times. Likely this will be a process implemented in some manner at the EPcot area resorts to expedite any delay in entering thru IG.
Just wondering why the issue of severe thunder and lightning storms, heavy monsoon rains or the threat of them has never been brought up in any forum? I’m very interested in the plan there. Even the plan for empty cars during a hurricane? I can already picture them blowing around unsafely yet it’s never ever been brought up.
Disappointed that you didn’t address the huge problem at the IG . You’ve mentioned many times you love staying at the Epcot resorts,so why not mention the bus stop the IG will be turned into! If you bag check pre-boarding how about the boat and the hotel guess no place to do all this! Disney has screwed the resort at DVC guests at this entrance!
There’s no reason bag check can’t be moved farther up so the Skyliner station is inside the ‘secure’ area with boat guests routed back to that point, which is what I assume will occur. That would address any concerns about this becoming overly congested.
I agree that there’s the potential for a problem here, but I think it’s premature to assume this will occur, as we have no clue how much additional infrastructure work will occur at the International Gateway.
My guess is that the crowds leaving Epcot after Illuminations will be the bigger problem facing IG, especially on nights that DHS is open late with huge crowds moving over to catch Galaxy’s Edge at night.
I’ll wait until the cables are up before I begin to guess about sight-lines, but I never considered the permanent World Showcase architecture to be “whimsical” before in the way that a Fantasyland typically is.
“Sleeping Beauty Castle, the Matterhorn, and Main Street viewed together all work for me”
My wife and I spent twenty minutes just hanging around the Disneyland Hub, which we never do in Florida. That flowerbed on the east side is fantastic! It really tied the lands together.
Having gondola pylons so close to Resort buildings just goes to show how inept and short sighted current management is! REALLY, they couldn’t space out the span between towers to have the least visual impact, Shame on you Disney Iger!
Hi! I’m looking forward to the gondolas. And as for sightlines in Epcot, it can’t be any worse than the balloon from Disney Springs popping up over China, right? 🙂
I loved the old Skyway so much! I experienced it at both Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom (more often at Disneyland, since that was my home park), and it was one of my favorite attractions. It still makes me sad that they removed it from both parks.
It never bothered me to see the tops of buildings from above, or the pylons from around the park. It always struck me as one of those fanciful things that just “belonged” along with the other things you mentioned such as Sleeping Beauty Castle, the Matterhorn, and Main Street which are viewed together but do not technically go together thematically. It just worked, and I rode it as often as I could in the parks. I collect vintage Disneyland postcards, and I have focused on getting as many as I can featuring the Skyway.
Plus, the Fantasyland Skyway chalet, particularly the one in Disneyland, was so pretty and charming. I loved the Swiss design. It fit in very well with much of the rest of Fantasyland.
Probably the biggest highlight of Disneyland’s Skyway was going through the Matterhorn – that was always so exciting! And it was also fun when you were riding the Matterhorn and saw the Skyway buckets passing through. The Matterhorn and the Skyway were probably my two favorite attractions as a kid.
As for the new Skyliner, I am 100% for it. Looks like some of the pylon placement could have been better, so that’s a bit lacking, but the sightlines, particularly in World Showcase, are hardly “pure” currently, and the new pylons do not appear to egregiously affect them. I am excited to have more options other than bus transportation!
I couldn’t agree more! Growing up in CA I loved the Skyway, and going through the Matterhorn was so much fun! Agree with your comments on the Skyliner as well 🙂
I think this will be interesting and possibly cool. However, as others have noted, how will “bag checks” and security be handled? I’m really nervous about the once-secluded “International Gateway”. That was always such a quiet “sneaky / back door” entrance. However, even now it gets pretty backed up with the security checks for the hotel guests. What in the world will happen once the Skyliner opens up? I hope they have plans for the “mob scene” that it may become.
I had the same thought when we were there in February staying at the Beach Club…I love the IG entrance, and exit. I fear now it will be bottlenecked as that area for security & MB scanning is not that large.
Just another Disney change over the last year or two, that won’t have a huge impact on my trip, but leaves a bit of a bad taste, and dulls the magic just a bit more.
With any luck security will be at the hotels, similar to how the hotel monorail around 7Seas is handled. Get off the monorail at MK and you are behind security.
I’d hate to have one of those rooms by those pylons. Yeesh.
I have stayed at every moderate resort, and I have never spent any time standing on the outdoor walkway admiring the immediate view. I do admire the views (especially at POR) as I walk through the resorts, but a pylon near my room door, that will be out of sight in 20 seconds as I walk away, would not bother me.
Despite our collective assumptions, the planners at Disney are probably not stupid, and likely anticipated the reaction of some to the placement of these towers. If so, then there must be reasons for the location of the towers that we, not being gondola system engineers, may not quite grasp.
As long as the gondolas are quite and don’t wake me up, they can put them where they need to.
I am curious to see how they handle security…am hoping it is at the stations so that the international gateway only gets crowded with more guests scanning their MBs, not more bag checks. (Would be fine with separate bag checks for BC/YC/BW/S&D a la the Contemporary.)
Wow! Great pics. That place looks amazing. I am definitely planning a trip to go visit.
I am excited for the skyliner. I wonder if they will “dress them up” a bit so the harsh steel is not such an eyesore and contrast against the beautiful Florida nature backdrop. I am also excited at the thought of being on the gondola during a fireworks show. I still think they should sell tickets for show times and get the gondolas up and stop them during the show and resume moving once the show is over. I for one am very excited for the skyline (And I am terrified of heights even! LOL )
I was thinking they should paint those huge support pillars to reflect the surroundings. Like paint the bottom with plants, trees, etc, and then higher up, paint them sky blue with puffy white clouds. And a few hidden Mickeys, of course.
Tom, I can no longer sit idly by the Swan and Dolphin battering and hereby proclaim that I find them absolutely breathtakingly dreamy. I am perfectly serious. I feel happy whenever i see them in their little watery corner of the universe. I’ve never understood why you dislike them so. They’re whimsical, grand and colorful. What’s not to like?
I actually like the Swan & Dolphin in isolation, but in the context of Crescent Lake and World Showcase, I think they’re eyesores. If their exact designs existed in a more remote location at WDW, or on a smaller scale in their present location, I’d be totally fine with them.
I totally agree. On their own, they’re beautiful and unique. However, their placement leaves SO much to be desired. They take over SO MUCH of the surrounding landscape that they do a disservice to both the sightlines as well as to their own uniqueness.
HATE how visible they are behind the Boardwalk and the World Showcase. Takes away from the magic in my humble opinion!
Swan and Dolphin have already ruined park continuity and are a horrible eyesore. At least the skyliner serves a purpose.
I agree J, Swan and Dolphin are just so drab and dingy. The colors are horrible. Absolutely lend nothing to the area they are in. Inside the resorts are nice but the outside is a total “yuck”……..
Is there a boat service that transports guests from Epcot to Hollywood Studios??? I thought I read in a review where someone said that guests could take a boat from Epcot to HS but I didn’t think that was actually possible.
Yes there is s bus but it is much better to walk it.
We always walk it takes about half an hour and we walk slowly. Through the Nosrdwslk and into the back way of Epcot by France
It is is quicker than the boat when that was running. Try it.
Ok thanks. We always use the bus. Been there a dozen times and never knew we had options to take a boat or a walking path from Epcot to HS!! Will try it next time.
There is MD. I live 45 min. from there and my family and I frequent these resorts.
It also connects you to Sean and Dolphin Resorts and Yacht and Beach Club on the same boat circuit as well.
Thanks! I will look for it next time we are there.
I liked the Skyway, as did my wife, which we both rode separately as kids, and older, and then on our honeymoon. It cut down on walking, gave the feet a rest, and could be one of the coolest places during summer in the Magic Kingdom.
Sure, you could look down on roofs, but by the time I could do that, I was at the stage where I was interested to see how everything was done. And as for sightlines, yep, the Skyway was far worse than anything the Skyliner is going to do, although I agree, it was jarring to see at first to see the change to the skyline at the Caribbean, and it’ll be even more so when the gondolas are up and running.
As to the impact on Epcot, it is far to early to estimate. Given that there’s an itty-bitty thing called the Swan and Dolphin, Disney might not bother, but they could easily put up a façade that hides the gondola from view from the World Showcase. But what’s the point of doing so while the Ratatouille Ride is under construction?
I loved the Skyway, especially at night. What a beautiful view of entire park all lit up. I have an old picture of Fantasyland taken from the Skyway, closer view of the back of the castle. Can’t see that anymore.
I have a very fond memory of the old Skyway, though it’s not what you might think. I rode it with my older sister and my grandmother (who didn’t care for me at all), and they’d been ticking me off all evening…
…so I rocked the car!
As a carefree and pseudo-immortal child, I loved Walt Disney World’s and Disneyland’s Skyways. As a quite the opposite adult, I won’t ride Skyways of any sort. So, I only miss them in a nostalgic sense. Still, I really like the idea of them at WDW, even though I won’t board it. The sightlines mean nothing to me, as far as the Skyliner is concerned. It’s something new, and that’s novel enough for me.
I am glad you are opportunism about the Skyliner in relation to the Skyway. Similar to yourself, I did not like the Skyway and I am glad its gone from the Disney Parks. If it was around today, I can only imagine how often people would drop their cell phones accidentally and hit the guests below.
Sorry guys I am one who enjoyed the skyway and being almost 50 I am old enough to remember riding it. I am also hoping I will enjoy the gondola the same way as pop century is basically my home resort