It appears there has been an accident on the brand-new Disney Skyliner System.
the #disneyskyliner is broken, carts are crashed, alot of people are stuck its been at least an hour. #Disney #DisneyWorld pic.twitter.com/kIHk6Ypb7Y
— Thanos⁶⁹ (@galxty) October 6, 2019
The “Twitterverse” is blowing up with the news that Disney World Skyliner gondolas are piled up at the Riviera Resort station, and that the entire Epcot to Caribbean Beach line is shut down. The Epcot to Caribbean Beach line has an optional stop at Riviera Resort.
— Theme Park Alex (@themeparkalex) October 6, 2019
Guests stuck on the Skyliner have reported being stuck for over an hour to an hour and a half. Thank you to DFB Follower @JamesBeats for the use of his photos.
My view of the current Disney #skyliner saga. Feel so bad for everyone on board and hopefully it’s moving again soon. pic.twitter.com/1wI8oWMSgp
— James Beattie (@JamesBeats) October 6, 2019
People are tweeting that Disney has advised guests that are stuck to use their emergency kits under the seats — which contain water and cool packs.
Disney has now begun the process of evacuating the stuck gondolas, with help of fire trucks. Big thanks to DFB Follower @WaltyDis for the photos.
Truck and ladder being prepped to evacuate from Skyliner at Boardwalk Resort #disneyskyliner #DisneyWorld @WDWToday pic.twitter.com/4WAu5ClwMq
— Aaron Murray (@WaltyDis) October 6, 2019
Looks like they are starting to evacuate from the Disney #skyliner cabins on the Riviera to Caribbean Beach Resort line. pic.twitter.com/R7vFnkQaK7
— James Beattie (@JamesBeats) October 6, 2019
Disney confirmed to the Orlando Sentinel that there have been no reported injuries as a result of the incident.
UPDATE:
It seems as though at least part of the Skyliner lines are moving again.
We are now slowly moving back to the station at Boardwalk 3 hours into being stuck on Disney Skyliner. #disneyskyliner #disneyworld @WDWToday pic.twitter.com/bSGW16m3Ju
— Aaron Murray (@WaltyDis) October 6, 2019
Thank you to @WaltyDis for sharing his evacuation photos! Looks like Guests are evacuating off the Skyliner, where they are greeted with dozens of Cast members there to assist as needed.
CMs prepared at stations after 3 hour delay on Disney Skyliner. #disneyskyliner #disneyworld @WDWToday pic.twitter.com/YlWKjERvYB
— Aaron Murray (@WaltyDis) October 6, 2019
10-6-19 UPDATE:
Disney World has closed the Skyliner today. There is no word currently as to when they will reopen.
The cause of the collision is unknown, though speculation has been made both about a power failure and errors made in the systems that route the gondolas within the stations.
This is a developing story, but we will continue to update as we get more news.
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We love the skyliner! It’s been so fast and such a pleasant travel way. We rode it numerous times yesterday and plan to ride it again tomorrow if they are open. We are currently stuck on a bus b/c it keeps getting rerouted due to emergency personnel and vehicles from this situation. We are staying at Pop Century where there is a skyliner stop.
Before this even happened, DH and I agreed we will only ride the gondolas in the late fall, winter and early spring months. And we will not ride them if we need to get somewhere on time, for example if we had pre-paid reservations for a fireworks dessert party. Can you imagine how hot it would be to be trapped in those gondolas for three hours in August? A lightning storm could blow in very quickly while people are stuck. No thank you!
Unfortunately we got stuck on the Skyliner for 3 hours on the approach to Riviera Station. Thank goodness at that point they were able to clear one of the crashed vehicles and move us down the line to get off.
The more important piece of information is that no one was injured and that’s great news! All modes of transportation have issues, Disney or not. I’m not a heights person, but I can’t wait to try the skyliner out. As for being on time or late somewhere, again, you’ll get that with any transportation mode. That’s why Disney tells you to allow time to compensate for this. I’m assuming if you were stuck on the skyliner or any other vehicle (Disney owned) and were delayed, if you explained nicely to the CM, they would do something about your late/no show fee.
@Mickey the point being that I’m not worried about a late/no show fee — of course Disney would compensate for that — but rather I don’t want to look like a wet dishrag after getting there due to sitting in a non-air conditioned gondola that’s stuck in mid-air. We can’t wait to try the gondolas either; we’re just going to be selective about when and where.
@MrsKiwi,
I wasn’t necessarily talking about you. It’s just that things like this and other things, changes my perspective on what’s really important. I’m also thinking about all the other negative comments that people have left on sites after the monorail broke down and it took about the same amount of time (I believe) to rescue the stranded guests.
I’ve been on the Skyliner and this incident will not stop me from going on it in the future. Disney is extremely safety conscious and will be sure to address this issue. I’ve been stuck in I4 traffic longer than 90 minutes. It’s called “life”. Things happen. I was surprised at the air flow when I rode it. After a long hot day in the parks being able to sit in shade with air movement will be appreciated. For those who aren’t comfortable with riding it, don’t. It’s not that complicated. There are thousands of others who wouldn’t mind a shorter que😊
Glad to hear at this point, no one was injured. Things happen. That is why they call it…an accident. If this sways people not to ride the ShyLiner, so be it. It is a personal decision. After informing my daughter and grandson, of this incident. It will not stop us from using the Skyliner, to travel to and from the Riviera Resort in May. The accident on the Monorail, did not stop us from using it. The accident on the buses the same. Albeit for the last 15 years I rent a car. From a selfish point of view, the less amount of people selecting not to ride it…I’m good with.
I think they pushed things too fast – gondola speed and the opening. Definately going to fast likely caused the offending gondola to mis-grab the cable and got hung up in the station, this caused the 3 or so following to ram into it, and break some plexiglass panels. I haven’t seen anything about this either – how do passengers alert staff of medical emergencies while stuck onboard? I didn’t see any emergency call buttons. I know the monorails have an emergency phone in each car. Curious.
As a Poly devotee the gondolas were never going to be possible for me since they don’t go there and when I stay at an Epcot hotel I only would have considered them to avoid the slow boat ride with many stops or the mile walk to get to HS…until I learned you have to change gondolas and go through stops. Top that off with the fact that they don’t sound pleasant: no air, moving while you get on, the big push off out of the station…not for me. I never thought they were unsafe I mean we trust Disney that their rides are safe so this would not be different but they just sound unpleasant to me
As with everything designed and built by humans, accidents will occur (equipment breakdowns, human errors, environmental effects like extreme weather and earthquakes, poor engineering, etc.). Disney could have tested the Skyliner for 10 years and there would still be a failure at some point (people are killed on amusement park rides from time to time, even at Disney Theme Parks). You have to distinguish between what is possible from what is probable or you will live your life in constant fear.
The good news was that there were no serious or fatal injuries. Disney will find the cause of the accident and correct it. The key is that you have a choice of which transportation system you want to use. That will still not eliminate accidents. The Skyliner was not a “bad decision” by Disney. These gondola systems have been used world wide for decades. Things are usually much safer in the USA just because of our tighter laws (and the tons of lawyers that we have). I can tell you horror stories from amusement parks (and just general safety issues) in other countries as I have lived in and visited many.
I plan on using the Skyliner (and the monorail, buses, Lyft, etc.) when I visit WDW next year. It’s possible that I might get into an accident, but probably not. 🙂
We rode the Skyliner on Monday from DHS to Epcot. We had almost no line at DHS and the ride was comfortable and uneventful. When we got to CBR to change to the loop to Epcot, there was a long line waiting to get on the Skyliner because that loop had shut down for a short while. It started up soon and we didn’t wait too long to get in the car. The inside of the car was ventilated well as long as we were moving and the wind was blowing. It was very smooth, not jerky at all. We did not stop on either loop while we were riding.
The car keeps moving as it approaches the station, kind of like an escalator. Not a fast moving car at all. They can fit ten persons, but I would choose not to ride in a car with ten people or a stroller and six people. That would be just too crowded. I thought it was a lot nicer that the “egg” car that I rode up to the top of the St Louis Arch a few years ago. That held five people and everyone’s knees touched in the car. There was no room at all once all the guests were loaded into that car. Plus it jerked every few moments as it realigned to keep upright. Skyliner was much more comfortable and smooth.
okay but. is disney going to compensate these people for being stuck for 3 hours?????
I’ll say it again, won’t ever get on one of these things. Unless they have a viable evac proceedure, which they never will, this is a nightmare waiting to happen. If it had been during the day the heat alone would have caused “injuries”. 3 hours?!! No way. Central FL is no place for a non-A/C vehicle like this. If someone had asthma, COPD, heart problems, reactive claustrophobia, anxiety, etc. this could have been a literal death trap. I give it until there are multiple “reported” deaths and lawsuits to end this entire blunder. They should have extended the monorail and fixed the AC and other issues with the existing fleet. The money would have been well spent and well received. A system like this isn’t meant for continuous hot humid conditions and isn’t meant to carry the volume of people it will in the future. Cold packs? Nope.
It’s been such fun riding the gondolas. I’m gutted for Disney that this has happened. It’s not hot at all inside, I fact it’s quite breezy. I hope they get this sorted with the people that made the system. Safety is Disney’s main priority in every level.
Emily, guests reported getting $100 Disney gift cards per person and Park Hopper passes.
Negative reactions are the norm as well as the inherent belief that you need to be compensated. In 2016 over 200 skiers were stuck in a gondola system over the French Alps, some OVERNIGHT. This is no way worse than that. This is not NEW tech, unfortunately accidents happen. One can only hope that all are safe.
Gutted for disney for real..I like how people are making excuses for disney when I feel for the seniors/people who have bladder issues and cant hold it..How embarrsing, I feel for the diabetics who could have had complications from not being able to eat (such as they could faint or worse) , I feel for those with small children, I feel for those who are scared of heights but rode because it would b a faster, short ride not thinking it would b for 3 hours!! What I dont feel for is Disney who should have tested this more..I really dont understand people not understanding this is devasting for some..The compensation is not enough for a ruined vacation..maybe they are not able to come b this year..
We rode it during the day and really enjoyed the ride. Things happen, No injuries. I am sure this will be rectified
I will say, a friend of mine road the Skyliner the day before the accident, she said they were comfortable, quick, efficient, and she enjoyed her ride. It’s really unfortunate that this happened, but machines will break or have issues, especially new technology. Obviously being stuck for 3 hours is really awful and scary, but it’s not like Disney meant for this to happen. Fortunately no one was hurt. I’m sure they’ll address whatever issues caused the incident and it’ll be smooth sailing for here on out.
We were on stuck the Skyliner along with 4 family members (kids 7 and 2) for just under 3 hours. Gondola temperature was not a problem as it was evening and very comfortable. Biggest problem was lack of bathroom facilities and uncertainty as to if it would resume. I wouldn’t hesitate to ride it again. I thought it was a great ride. Good that no one was injured.
While I have not had the opportunity to ride the new skyliner, I know it would be miserable to be stuck when hot and humid! It seems like they would not operate if lightning was a possibility. We (I live in Orange County, CA) were so disappointed when the skybuckets were Removed from Disneyland! It was not a long ride and we did not have to worry about lightning or humidity!
Some of these comments are a bit just out of touch with reality. Do you really think Disney didn’t test this? They are meticulous about everything! Stuff happens, stop with the hyperbole. If your diabetic you have food on you so that’s a non-issue unless you just don’t plan. There were emergency kits on the gondolas. Disney compensated people to try and make it right.
This is no different than issues on a cruise ship, at a park, on a bus, etc.
I’m so glad that no one was injured in this incident. I’m a bit annoyed that Disney and the news media keeps referring to this as a “gondola stall” – at least Marty Salt on the local station said Disney referred to it as a stall and as they showed the footage of crashed gondolas and broken glass she said “that sure looks like a crash to me”. I don’t like that Disney isn’t being upfront about what occurred. Sure they still need to investigate but don’t call something that obviously involved crashed gondolas something other than what it really is. Thank God this CRASH happened at night. A child in a closed car during the summer can die within 15-30 minutes. If this had occurred during a summer daytime, dozens of children and elderly could have died. DEAD … let that sink in. We now know that long-term stops can happen and when the gondolas stop, so does the passive ventilation. Please think of your younglings and other loved one before stepping aboard the Skyliner.
As with everything in life, it is a choice whether to ride the Skyliner or not. It is fine if some don’t or won’t ride them and it is also fine for those who do. Same as with the many rides at the parks. Not everyone is interested in riding but there is no reason to not have them for those who do enjoy them. As far as other modes of transportation being “safer”, one time we had a bus driver who apparently was not familiar with the route and seemed to have gotten lost. He did not appreciate the hecklers/complainers, stopped the bus, stood up and said “you drive it” and walked off. Fortunately it wasn’t long and he came back on and continued the trip to our resort. This did not stop us from ever riding buses again. And anyone who is a diabetic knows to carry something with them as there are many factors that can cause a drop in blood sugar levels other than just not eating on time.
Glad no one was hurt. Note to self, use restroom before riding.😉
Folks, gondola rides are not a NEW thing. Anyone who goes to a ski resort most likely has ridden in either a gondola or bench skyliner, and of those people I would assume most have had the unfortunate circumstance of a delay or stop in the line. As many people have already said, it was an accident on a new system, and speaking as someone who troubleshoots new digital systems I can tell you the kinks they have experienced so far are par for the course. Furthermore, this is Disney and they will investigate and find a solution. It’s what they do and that’s why we love them!
I had the fortunate opportunity to ride the gondolas several times this last week and I find them efficient and fun, even when the line had to stop once or twice. I look forward to my next ride as well…and hopefully I’ll get to be in the Haunted Mansion one again!
Hakuna matata my friends. Why is there such anger and fear directed at the Skyliner? I was happy to be among the first to ride on day 1, and I can’t wait to go back. It is hard to make magic, and sometimes it doesn’t work out as planned, but have faith in this magical place.
Lots of thoughtful comments, but no one mentioned that the system was LESS a week old when this happened. Testing should not be done on the public.
We will be at WDW in about a month and will rude the Skyliner.
This could have happened on any rider, think about it. We were stuck on an airplane for 3 hours in Atlanta along with 13 other planes on the tarmac because of a storm going thru Orlando, etc. We had to beg for water let alone a snack.
Anyone that follows anything Disney at all should know these gondola’s were tested for months!
We’re checking out of Disney today. We rode the Skyliner the day before it broke down. Absolutely loved it. It’s a GAME CHANGER in transportation there. It was quick getting on and off and even though temps were upper 80’s, was not hot in the gondola. No waiting to get on either. Will definitely ride in future trips. They will get the kinks worked out!
I know it must have been hot and uncomfortable for a three hour wait. I also know that attitudes mater in your comfort. Some say a good attitude will help in an emergency situation. I believe you are going to be there in an undesirable situation just try to have a good attitude and others will look up to you. I know people and am sure some may have been a little testy but everyone stuck was going through to same thing. I have not be able to fly in the skyliner but when I do, I will remember the day of the incident as I do the Monorail crash years ago. The only way to get over this, is ride it with a positive attitude and hope it never happens again.
We love,love, love the Skyliner. Anything can happen at any time. If your always afraid then you will never drive, fly, ride a train or bus and even the Disney Skyliner. Can’t wait to ride it again.. Sure hope it’s up and running in November… Will be there on the 22nd……