Is the Walt Disney World Gondola System about to become a reality?

Feb 15, 2017 in "Disney Skyliner"

Forum Forums Tweet Share Tweet Share

Gallery / 1 Photo
Walt Disney World Gondola map

Posted: Wednesday February 15, 2017 7:30am EST by WDWMAGIC Staff

Recently filed permitting plans suggest that Walt Disney World may be about to get its own gondola transportation system.

The plans show several structures at key locations around property, with some exhibiting quite distinctive proportions - L Shapes, that are typically used to change direction on overhead cable-based gondolas. (Thanks to danlb_2000 and P_Radden on the WDWMAGIC Forums for interpreting the plans)

The plans appear to show the new gondola transportation system linking Disney's Hollywood Studios, Art of Animation Resort, Caribbean Beach Resort and Epcot.

Walt Disney World Gondola map

Timing is especially interesting, as major changes are coming to Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort and Disney's Hollywood Studios, which would make integration of a new transport system much easier.

The Magic Kingdom of course had its own Skyway, which served as an attraction inside the park for many years. But the use of gondolas as mass transport is gaining popularity. A new system is proposed for New York City, and London already operates a version in the east of the city.

Disney has not yet announced any new transportation plan, but it is well known that expansion of the monorail is unlikely, and roadways for bus use are becoming increasingly congested.

Discuss on the Forums

Get Walt Disney World News Delivered to Your Inbox

TrainsOfDisneySep 18, 2023

Wrap presents not transportation!!!!!

arich35Sep 18, 2023

I am surprised they haven't announced the annual maintenance yet

UnbansheeSep 18, 2023

Blogmickey posted photos of the Encanto Skyliner design https://blogmickey.com/2023/09/encanto-disney-skyliner-gondola-wrap-debuts-at-disney-world/

Thumper 32Sep 08, 2023

Quite happy to be proven wrong! That looks great!!

DCBakerSep 08, 2023

Photos of the Coco bus.

DisoneAug 22, 2023

Although it'll be the fair I've been in that line when it has backed up from the Epcot station to the beach club. And it was about a half hour long. And I've definitely waited 45 minutes in a much shorter line. Bus line It was shorter physically, but longer wait time. Mine was long enough for about three bus loads,. Buses were coming pretty quickly but they were still about 15 or 10 minutes in between buses plus 5 to minutes or so just to the load the bus.

TrainsOfDisneyAug 22, 2023

that is the downside - it’s great for a constant flow of moderate crowds, but it backs up quickly with large crowds. I saw the same thing in Icy Straight Point Alaska, I had planned to take one of the aerial trams back to my ship, but another ship had just arrived so the line was backed up so I had to walk back to the other dock. It’s the exact same system.

UNCgolfAug 22, 2023

That is definitely another big issue, although it ties in with the speed/efficiency issue and that's far from the only problem along those lines.

CastAStoneAug 22, 2023

IMO the big issue (as has been noted dozens of times in this thread) with expansion is that the CBR main station is already at/over capacity at peak hours and the park stations are past capacity at park close.

Tha RealestAug 22, 2023

Long wait times, unreliable in rainy weather, most optimized by the guests willing to pay more than others - yeah, it’s a an attraction.

UNCgolfAug 22, 2023

It's strange. I just looked at Disney's site and for some dates CBR is more and other dates POR is more. In October, e.g., the CBR rooms are about $10 more than the POR rooms, but in January 2024 every room at POR is $15-30 more than the counterpart at CBR -- except the preferred rooms, which are still $10 more at CBR even though everything else is cheaper.

UNCgolfAug 22, 2023

I was looking at Mouse Savers -- they have the 2023 rack rates at POR higher than CBR for most dates, but obviously Disney's website is the best source.

mattpetoAug 22, 2023

I don’t believe that’s accurate. CB has been more expensive since the skyliner.

DisneyFanatic12Aug 22, 2023

That’s true, they couldn’t do any “through” stations like at Riviera, because that causes the line to slow down a lot (at the other stations, the stationary boarding area allows the line to almost never have to slow down). Even if the line never slowed down, though, Coronado Springs to Disney Springs would take a crazy long time. I do think something like a loop to AK and it’s surrounding resorts could be doable, but it would be hard to make a line without having one for every resort (not laid out as well for a Skyliner line). I wish we could walk to AK from AKL, because it’s just silly how close it is to have a lack of direct access… at this point I don’t even need a pretty trail in the trees, just a sidewalk along the road would work!