Walt Disney World’s Skyliner Gondola System Malfunctions Days After Opening, Leaving Guests Stranded
Walt Disney World’s Skyliner, a system of aerial gondolas designed to ferry guests to and from certain locations within the Florida resort, malfunctioned Friday night, leaving some passengers stranded for hours, The Orlando Sentinel reports.
Passenger Chris Edenfield said that he was riding one of the cars with access for disabled passengers, along with his disabled mother, when the system malfunctioned. The cabins are not climate-controlled, and passengers who have ridden it say that the cars are not too uncomfortable when they’re moving, but they can be stifling when they’re still. Edenfield was stuck for several hours; at one point he had to open the on-board emergency kit to get water.
“There’s a fire truck [and] paramedics unloading the people ahead of us; we’ve been stuck up here for hours waiting. We’ve cracked open the emergency kit awhile ago for water; it’s just a nightmare right now,” he said.
His mother, Edenfield says, was so nerve-wracked that she wound up vomiting in the cabin.
Fortunately, fire trucks from Orange and Osceola counties showed up with cranes, and Edenfield and other stranded guests were able to be evacuated.
Over on Twitter, other stranded guests are tweeting about the experience.
“Stuck on Disney skyliner for about 45 min and wife just threw up,” tweeted one user.
“Stuck on the Disney skyliner for the third hour now. Wife is a nervous wreck and the kids are crying. Disney really is the happiest place on Earth,” tweeted another.
Edenfield says that, for his and his family’s trouble, they were given four all-day park passes and $200. As for the other inconvenienced guests, a statement from the company says that they are working with individually-impacted guests “regarding impacts to their visit with us.”
https://twitter.com/Waltspark/status/1180664784666185728
The statement also noted that the system is closed until further notice.
“The Skyliner will be closed while we look into the details surrounding the downtime,” the statement read.
Finally notified that there is emergency kit with water and a notepad ??? under the bench. Unfortunately it was tied shut. Had to break into it. #skyliner pic.twitter.com/jelU9m7xF5
— Brad G. from YYT (@Brad_George) October 6, 2019
https://twitter.com/RecoTheFolf/status/1180670114024361986
As reported at the time by The Inquisitr, last weekend the Skyliner opened to thin crowds and little fanfare. The system is designed to be just another piece in the overall puzzle that is the internal Disney transportation system that shuttles guests to and fro. The Skyliner joins the Florida resort’s existing fleet of boats, buses, monorails, and in-house ride-share cars in shuffling guests around the expansive property.
Guests who rode the new system when it debuted last weekend raved about it, in particular highlighting the smooth ride and the birds’ eye view of the theme parks and resort hotels.
