Permits Filed For Gondola Transportation System At Disney World: Skyway Returns?

For many years, guests heading to Walt Disney World have wondered why the monorail system did not go to more parks and resorts. There are a number of legitimate reasons for that, but in the meantime, there are buses and boats to help with transportation. Still, Disney is always looking for ways to advance their methods, and that is why they may be checking into how feasible it would be to put in a gondola transportation system.

Many may not remember it, but both Disneyland and Walt Disney World had a gondola system at their parks known as the Skyway for many years. Tokyo Disneyland had a version as well for quite some time, but they have all been closed and had the structures removed in the 90s.

However, permits have now been filed to bring it back to Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida, but in a much more advanced fashion.

On this day in 1999, The Skyway closed in the Magic Kingdom. pic.twitter.com/AyfvDfWkNL

— The Mickey Wiki (@TheMickeyWiki) November 9, 2016

According to WDW Magic, permits have been filed by Disney to show a number of structures being constructed around the Walt Disney World property. Some of them are squared off while others are L-shaped or even shaped to show features that would allow the changing of directions.

These are all the significant features of a gondola system, which travels through the sky on cables and transport guests from one location to another. If they were to follow through with these plans, two theme parks and two resorts would all be connected.

In all, the multiple permits filed are related to the following.

• Epcot
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
• Disney’s Art of Animation Resort

The supposed plans show a gondola transportation skyway system that can travel a good distance across the property. When breaking it all down as those in the WDW Magic forums did, everyone can see just where the cable-car route would take them.

The yellow squares on the map feature the actual gondola stations/stops while the blue squares signify the L-turns to change direction. The orange lines detail the cable routes the gondola cars will travel.

This new gondola system would help greatly with transportation and directly connect more resorts and parks. While the system would be quite new at Walt Disney World, it would not be a new idea overall. London already has a similar system in place, and New York has one with plans for another one to come in the future.

While the Disney monorail system does run between two parks (Magic Kingdom and Epcot) and three resorts, guests have wanted to see it expanded for years. Upgrades and changes have been made to the system, but the cost of expanding it is simply out of the question.

Magic Kingdom had a smaller version of the gondola transportation system called the Skyway from 1971 until its closure in 1999. The attraction carried up to four guests between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, with one big L-turn shifting direction in the middle of the route.

As of now, these are simply permits that have been filed for the proposed gondola skyway system at Walt Disney World, but nothing is definite at the moment. Disney has made no official announcement of any kind, and nothing is confirmed until they do.

While an expanded monorail system at Walt Disney World may not be feasible and would cost far too much, the gondola transportation system could become a reality. Plans filed by the Walt Disney Company show they are at least seriously looking into it and seeing if this is something that could work. If plans end up playing out as the permits show, a brand new version of the Skyway may be on its way back.

[Featured Image by Danny Cox]