Announced in 2017, the Disney Skyliner project will be a new elevated gondola transportation system that will connect Disney’s Art of Animation, Pop Centuryand Caribbean Beach resorts with Disney’s Hollywood Studios and the International Gateway at Epcot.
Just a few days after revealing that Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance would be open at Walt Disney World before the end of the year, Disney has made another big announcement ahead of the bi-annual D23 Expo happening next month: the opening date for the Disney Skyliner Gondolas! And though this project will not be open with Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge on August 29, 2019, it will be open just a few weeks later!)
Disney Skyliner to officially open in September
Image: Disney
Disney has confirmed that on September 29, 2019 the Disney Skyliner gondolas will take flight and officially begin transporting guests around Walt Disney World Resort. If you’ve been to Walt Disney World recently, you’ve probably seen the gondolas flying around Disney’s Hollywood Studios this summer while Disney has been testing this system. Which might be relevant, because some rumors have popped up regarding
Could a partial opening be ready in time for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge?
Image: Disney
Although the official full opening of the Disney Skyliner won’t happen until September, there is some speculation that there could be a soft partial opening for the part of the Disney Skyliner that connects to Disney’s Hollywood Studios so there will be an additional transportation option in and out of this park when crowds are expected to swell.
Disney Skyliner gondola cabs will not have air conditioning
Image: Disney
Though it may be a little disappointing that the Disney Skyliner project won’t be open this summer, perhaps that is for the best as it has been confirmed that the gondolas will not have a powered temperature control system, and will be a lot more like the Magic Kingdom’s old Skyway gondola system, which allowed guests to feel the breeze as they travelled in the air. The gondolas will achieve this effect by using cross-ventilation to allow the air to flow inside the unit at all times. In addition, reflective windows (similar to those used in buses and monorails) will hopefully prevent the cabins from getting too hot.
Plenty of characters (including Marvel) to be featured on Skyliner cabs
Image: Disney
One of the most exciting things about the Disney Skyliner project is the different character-based cabs, which will feature a number of iconic Disney characters and themes, including:
- Star Wars
- Mickey and Friends
- Guardians of the Galaxy
- Beauty and the Beast
- Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs
- Moana
- Toy Story
- Coco
- Goofy, Pete, Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow
- Finding Dory
- Haunted Mansion
- Monsters, Inc.
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Ratatouille
Though we still have a few months to go until the Disney Skyliner gondolas officially open, we couldn’t be more excited to experience this new transportation option, and are really hoping that we can get a sneak peek during a soft opening in the very near future!
