Disney World’s Skyliner Gondolas Will Start Service in September

Disney’s fleet of buses, boats, Minnie vans and Monorails is about to make room for a new transportation option. The Disney Skyliner gondolas, which were announced in 2017, will be opening at Walt Disney World in Florida on September 29, 2019, according to the Disney Parks blog. This new transit system will connect Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios to a handful of Disney World resorts.

The Skyliner will resemble the type of gondola lifts often found at ski resorts and other mountainous locales, only all Disneyed up with Mickey, Minnie, Sheriff Woody and other characters on the sides. In a way it’s like a long-lost Disney ride is making a sort of spiritual return—the Magic Kingdom used to have a sky bucket system (dubbed the Skyway) that ran from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland, serving as both a fun mode of transportation and a beautiful observation point high above the park. (Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland had similar attractions.) It was shut down in 1999, but the Skyliner intentionally evokes this bygone attraction.

Here’s where the line will take you. The Epcot station will be near World Showcase, between the France and United Kingdom pavilions. From there the gondolas head to the upcoming Disney’s Riviera Resort, which is scheduled to open in December. Next up is Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. A short secondary line will connect this resort to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where passengers can transfer to the Disney bus line. The last stop is at Hourglass Lake, which sits between the Art of Animation and Pop Century resorts. So if you really want to experience the Skyliner when it opens, either look for the stations outside Epcot and Hollywood Studios, or book a room in one of those hotels.

Disney also released a video showing the Skyliner in action. Check it out below.

Senior editor Garrett Martin writes about videogames, comedy, travel, theme parks, wrestling, and anything else that gets in his way. He shares stories and photos from his Disney journeys on Instagram at @garrett_goes_to_disney. He’s also on Twitter @grmartin.