With so many new elements set to be added to Disney parks, including Star Wars Land, the company that sells you experiences will soon likely be selling amazing transportation options as well.
The Skyliner will take “a currently unused portion of Walt Disney World, the air, to shift guests around the various properties.”
The Disney Skyliner isn’t a secret at this point. Theme Park Tourist has previously documented this new form of transportation, although it’s actually an old Disney concept that Imagineers have brought back. A gondola once connected Tomorrowland to Fantasyland. That ride, the Skyway, opened in June of 1956, meaning that Disney had a gondola all the way back in year one.
The difference with the resort of the future is in purpose. The Skyway combined style and utility, delivering a panoramic view of Disneyland and Magic Kingdom while saving guests a decent amount of walking. The Disney Skyliner is the company’s way of future-proofing an impending problem. The arrival of Star Wars Land will cause a massive influx of traffic in and around the parks.
Disney’s embracing the third dimension to attack the issue aggressively. Sure, they’re fixing the roads and entry points to impacted theme parks, but that’s a half-measure at best.
By implementing the Skyliner, Disney offsets increased park traffic in a clever way. They can filter theme park tourists in and out of the parks directly from four resorts: Disney’s Pop Century, Disney’s Art of Animation, Disney’s Caribbean Beach, and Disney Riviera Resort. Guests in nearby resorts can head to these properties rather than waiting on buses and boats, too.