Disney News

Category: Transportation

  • Disney Skyliner Gondolas Return to Service Transporting Guests

    Disney Skyliner Gondolas Return to Service Transporting Guests

    The Disney Skyliner gondola transportation system is returning to service today, according to the Walt Disney World website, more than a week after it was shut down due to a malfuction which left guests stranded in the air for hours.

    Notifications on Walt Disney World’s official website and the My Disney Experience app indicate that the hours of operation Monday will be 8 a.m.-10:30 p.m.

    Disney also says that on Wednesday, the line going to Hollywood Studios will be closed for “system updates,” and the other two lines will run from 1 -10:30 p.m. All lines are scheduled to run from 1-10:30 p.m. on Thursday and Friday.

    The Skyliner has been closed since the evening of Oct. 5, when the system stalled with hundreds of visitors aboard.

    Disney has not disclosed the cause of disruption or commented about photos circulating on social media showing crumpled cabins at one of the system’s loading stations. The Skyliner had been open for seven days when it halted.

  • Free Wi-Fi Now Equipped Onboard Disney World Buses

    Free Wi-Fi Now Equipped Onboard Disney World Buses

    As we previously reported, Walt Disney World has introduced new buses adorned with your favorite Disney characters and USB ports, but now Disney has added complementary Wi-Fi that you can use while riding to and from the parks.

    The new service is currently available on select Disney buses that are marked with a Wi-Fi enabled sticker near the front.

    All you have to do is log in to the Wi-fi network named “Disney Ttansport Guest” and you’ll be able to save yourself some data and continue using the My Disney Experience app, making changes to your FastPass+ or dining reservations.

  • New Pixar Pier-Themed Plane Unveiled by Alaska Airlines

    New Pixar Pier-Themed Plane Unveiled by Alaska Airlines

    Alaska Airlines has revealed its special-edition plane themed after Pixar Pier at Disney California Adventure Park.

    Alaska Airlines has had a great relationship with Disneyland Resort for the past 20 years. This is the sixth painted plane from Alaska Airlines that allows our guests to be immersed in a Disneyland Resort celebration even before they arrive at the parks. The inaugural flight departed today from Seattle, with a stop in San Francisco for a gate ceremony and then on to its ultimate arrival in Orange County.

    The aircraft is aptly named, “Friendship and Beyond at Disneyland Resort” and is a whimsical tribute to the parks newest land, which opened back in June of 2018. Take a look at how this amazing paint job was added to the air plane:

    The unique aircraft design is a collaboration between Alaska Airlines, the Disneyland Resort and Pixar Animation Studios. The Pixar Pier-themed 737-800, tail number N537AS, begins flying throughout Alaska’s route network today, welcoming guests with its artistic flair for many years to come.

    The exterior of the plane required more than 2,800 work hours and 24 days using 50 gallons of paint in 44 primary colors and custom shades. The Toy Story trio of Woody, Buzz Lightyear and Jessie span both sides of the aircraft, while Aliens can be spotted on both winglets. Even Rex the Tyrannosaurus makes a special appearance (hint: he is in a place that will welcome everyone boarding the aircraft).  On board while supplies last, little ones may enjoy the Disneyland Resort Activity Fun Book and Kids’ Choice Picnic Pack.

  • BREAKING: Disney’s New Skyliner Leaves Guests Stranded After Malfunction

    BREAKING: Disney’s New Skyliner Leaves Guests Stranded After Malfunction

    Riders on the recently opened Skyliner gondola ride at Walt Disney World were stranded for hours late Saturday night after an apparent malfunction, according to witnesses and social media posts.

    A Walt Disney World spokeswoman confirmed there was an issue and said there are no reported injuries. There was “unexpected downtime” on the Skyliner, the spokeswoman said.

    Riders were starting to be evacuated from the ride after 11 p.m.

    As of midnight, Disney offered no new details on what happened and did not confirm that riders had been taken off the gondolas.

    Reedy Creek officials are on the scene on Epcot Resorts Drive, along with fire trucks from Orange and Osceola counties. That is adjacent to the system’s line that connects Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort with Epcot. It also runs through a station for Disney’s Riviera Resort, a Disney Vacation Club offering scheduled to debut in December. It is the longest line on the system, which opened last week.

  • New Disney Skyliner Merchandise Soars into Disney World

    New Disney Skyliner Merchandise Soars into Disney World

    Yesterday, Disney shared the first look at the first Disney Skyliner merchandise inspired by artwork similar to what will be featured on the gondolas.

    The new collection offers something for every member of the family, including t-shirts, hoodies, mugs, pins, MagicBands, Christmas ornaments, toys and more.

    We’re just a few days away from the official September 29 opening of the Disney Skyliner and no Disney Transportation system would be complete with out new merch! Take a look below at all the offerings:

    Skyliner Tees and Hoodies

    Skyliner Hat

    Skyliner Mug

    Skyliner MagicBands

    Disney Pins and Buttons

    Christmas Ornaments

    Merchandise will be available at these locations:

    • International Gateway at Epcot
    • Mickey’s of Hollywood at Disney’s Hollywood Studios
    • Disney’s Pop Century Resort
    • Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
    • Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
    • Merchandise will also be available at the new Disney’s Riviera Resort when it opens later this year!

    The magical gondola system will offer guests transportation between Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Epcot and select Disney World resort hotels.

  • New Disney Skyliner Transportation System Opens Sept. 29 at Disney World

    New Disney Skyliner Transportation System Opens Sept. 29 at Disney World

    Excited to finally get a bird’s eye view of Walt Disney World? Well, magic will soon be in the air at the Resort when the new Disney Skyliner transportation system opens to guests this Sunday, Sept. 29, 2019.

    We were invited to Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort yesterday for a special dedication moment for the complimentary new transportation system. The festivities featured Disney characters, fireworks and more in honor of this “most magical flight on Earth.”  

    Take a look at this video below to see some of the fun: 

    Disney Skyliner connects Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios to four Disney resort hotels – Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort and the forthcoming Disney’s Riviera Resort, a Disney Vacation Club resort set to open Dec. 16, 2019. The system serves as a magic carpet, floating guests through the air aboard approximately 300 gondolas, nearly half of which are wrapped in whimsical Disney scenes of beloved characters, fan-favorite movies, theme park attractions and more.

    While riding Disney Skyliner, guests are treated to never-before-seen views of Walt Disney World Resort as they float along the treetops and waterways alike. The system provides bird’s-eye vantage points of Disney icons such as the Hollywood Tower Hotel and Spaceship Earth.

  • Virgin Atlantic Launches Millennium Falcon Themed Star Wars Plane

    Virgin Atlantic Launches Millennium Falcon Themed Star Wars Plane

    This is the airline you are looking for! Virgin Atlantic has given one of its Boeing 747 aircraft a major Star Wars themed makeover and it is out of this galaxy!

    The Millennium Falcom themed 747 will now transport you from London Gatwick Airport to Orlando, Florida, where you’ll be able to experience Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, at Walt Disney World Resort.

    The aircraft, which will be known as “The Falcon” – showcases the iconic Millennium Falcom – the famous spaceship once owned by Han Solo. It forms part of Virgin Atlantic and Virgin Holidays’ celebrations of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which opened in Orlando in August.

    It’s part of a promotion that Virgin Holidays is doing in partnership with Walt Disney World. Virgin says the decal is 144 feet long from end to end and took three weeks to print.

    “It was a very exciting brief to be able to redesign our aircraft livery to represent something as iconic as the Millennium Falcon and it’s not something that you get to do every day,” Virgin Atlantic senior engineer Dave Napper said in a news release. “We have many Star Wars fans within the company who jumped at the chance to get involved in some way, and we cannot wait to see ‘The Falcon’ take flight.”

    The new plane wrap also comes as Disney World ramps up promotion for Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, which opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on August 29.

  • Buses Featuring Even More Characters Join Disney Transportation at Disney World

    Buses Featuring Even More Characters Join Disney Transportation at Disney World

    As we previously reported, Walt Disney World has introduced new buses adorned with the sensational six: Mickey, Minnie, Donald, Daisy, Goofy and Pluto and as we roll on into September, Disney has announced that even more buses featuring characters from some of the most beloved Disney films are joining the fleet.

    Now guests will be able to enjoy a ‘Hakuna Matata’ journey with Simba from Disney’s “The Lion King,” experience a whole lot of laughs with Mike and Sully from “Monsters, Inc.,” or see how far they’ll go with Moana – as these new designs full of character and fun hit the roads around Walt Disney World!

    And, similar to the buses featuring the sensational six, these buses have those new blue seats and laminate floors throughout. Some of the buses will also have USB charging ports conveniently located between seats, so you can re-charge your devices and not miss a moment of capturing and sharing your Disney vacation memories as you can see below:

    In the coming weeks keep an eye out for buses featuring characters from Disney’s “Frozen” and many more. 

  • Disney World Monorail Stalls With Guests on Board Headed to Magic Kingdom

    Disney World Monorail Stalls With Guests on Board Headed to Magic Kingdom

    A Walt Disney World Monorail stalled enroute to Magic Kingdom today trapping several guests including infants on board.

    One guest took to Twitter stating that she and others were “trapped” on a hot monorail for 30 minutes and had to open the emergency windows.

    Take a look at the post below witch includes a picture of what appears to be rescue workers below:

    Only one monorail was stuck on the line, according to a Disney spokesperson. Magic Kingdom’s monorail service was closed while Disney’s transportation team worked to fix the issue.

    The spokesperson would only confirm that the monorails experienced “down time.” Disney did not say what caused the monorail to stall or how long the monorails were down.

    All guests who were stuck on the stalled monorail train are no longer on it, according to Disney, and the monorails have since resumed normal operations.

  • Disney World Skyliner Gondolas Opening Date Announced

    Disney World Skyliner Gondolas Opening Date Announced

    Magic is definitely in the air as testing of Disney Skyliner cabins and other elements is well underway, and today Disney announced the opening date for Disney World’s newest form of transportation.

    On September 29, Disney Skyliner gondolas will take flight and officially begin transporting guests around Walt Disney World Resort.

    As many of you have seen, this state-of-the-art transportation system offers a new way to experience the resort with amazing views only available from the sky. Disney Skyliner connects Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot to four resort hotels- Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort and the new Disney’s Riviera Resort scheduled to open in December 2019. Take. Look at the video below:

    Some Disney Skyliner cabins feature graphics based on Disney films, attractions and characters. We previously featured a few of the character cabins on Disney Dorks, including those with Mickey Mouse, Minnie Mouse, Pluto and Chip & Dale. Other Disney stories taking flight with guests include:

    • “Coco”
    • Goofy, Pete, Horace Horsecollar and Clarabelle Cow
    • “Finding Dory”
    • Haunted Mansion
    • “Monsters, Inc.”
    • Pirates of the Caribbean
    • “Ratatouille”

    Before you know it, Disney Skyliner will be floating guests across Walt Disney World Resort!