Disney News

Tag: transportation

  • Alaska Airlines Reveals New Star Wars Themed Plane

    Alaska Airlines Reveals New Star Wars Themed Plane

    In celebration of May the Fourth, or Star Wars Day, Alaska Airlines joined forces with the Disneyland Resort to launch a special-Star Wars edition aircraft with truly out-of-this-world details and design.

    That’s the inspiration the Seattle-based airline had in mind when creating the newest livery to come out of the hangar, which debuted Wednesday as part of the company’s “Star Wars Day” celebrations, according to a press release.

    The design on the exterior of the Boeing 737 jet depicts all things Star Wars — from the Millennium Falcon battling TIE fighters on the plane’s tail section, to the cute, small creatures called porgs that adorn the side of each winglet. The imagery is backed by a “space black” background that fully wraps around the plane. Take a closer look at the plane in the video below:

    The commercial jet that lists a tail number of N538AS is part of a joint effort between Alaska Airlines and Disneyland Resort in Anaheim, California, which features a 14-acre corner of the park named “Stars Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.”

    After being revealed Wednesday morning, the plane — which has an unofficial name of “Star Wars Transport to the Disneyland Resort” — took off on its inaugural flight from Seattle-Tacoma International Airport to John Wayne Airport in Santa Ana, California. The jet is scheduled to service several western U.S. airports, according to FlightAware, including Seattle-Tacoma and Denver International Airport, as well as at least one East Coast hub, Orlando International Airport in Florida, where Disney World is located.

    Alaska Airlines said the Boeing 737 is the seventh plane livery in collaboration with Disneyland Resort, and took 27 days (or 540 work hours) to fully paint it, requiring 228 gallons of paint.

  • Disney World Bringing Back Parking Lot Trams

    Disney World Bringing Back Parking Lot Trams

    Walt Disney World courtesy parking trams returned to Magic Kingdom on Sunday.

    The other theme parks would see the popular form of transportation return sometime next year.

    Disney announced on social media late last month that the trams would be returning this month first to Magic Kingdom as you can see below:

    Disney has been testing the trams over the past couple weeks.

    Walt Disney World’s parking trams have been suspended since the parks were forced to close in 2020, forcing guests to walk a short distance to the front entrances.

    According to Disney’s website, face coverings are required of all guests on enclosed Disney transportation, including Disney buses, monorails and the Disney Skyliner.

  • BREAKING: Magical Express Bus Service Ending at Disney World

    BREAKING: Magical Express Bus Service Ending at Disney World

    Disney World’s Magical Express bus service, which takes guests from Orlando International Airport to Disney resort hotels, is coming to an end, the company announced Monday.

    The service will no longer be available starting with arrivals on January 1, 2022. However, the complimentary service will still be available for new and existing reservations through the rest of the year.

    Disney said the change was due to a “shift” in consumer options. They also said they are “looking at how needs and preferences are changing across the travel industry, particularly in the way people want to get places faster, at their convenience. 

    “Vacationers have more options to choose from that ever for transportation, including ride-share services that save time and offer more flexibility to go where they want, when they want,” Disney said.

    Other transportation option at Disney World, such as buses, monorails and the Disney Skyliner, will still be available to visitors. In its announcement, Disney didn’t provided an update for its Minnie Van shuttle service, which was suspended in March when the parks closed in response to the COVID-19 pandemic.

  • Brightline to Build Train Station at Disney World

    Brightline to Build Train Station at Disney World

    If there is one thing that is synonymous with Disney it’s trains and now you can take a train straight to Disney World.

    Brightline and Walt Disney World Resort announced Monday that they have entered into an agreement to build a train station at Disney Springs.

    With this station, there will be a convenient travel option between Walt Disney World Resort, the Orlando International Airport and several stops in South Florida. 

    The station at Disney Springs will include a lobby on the ground level, passenger facilities and an upper-level train platform. It will reportedly be close to Walt Disney World Resort’s four theme parks, two water parks and more than 25 hotels. An exact location has not been disclosed.

    Brightline currently has stops in Miami, Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach. It will eventually connect South Florida to Orlando and Tampa.

    “We’re excited to work with Brightline as they pursue the potential development of a train station at Walt Disney World Resort, a project that would support our local economy and offer a bold, forward-looking transportation solution for our community and guests,” Walt Disney World president Jeff Vahle said.

    Other future South Florida stops include Boca Raton, Aventura and PortMiami.

    Brightline, which suspended operations in March because of the coronavirus pandemic, is on track to complete its expansion to Orlando International Airport in 2022.

  • Resort Transportation Not Available for Disney World Annual Passholder Preview

    Resort Transportation Not Available for Disney World Annual Passholder Preview

    Those annual Passholders who signed up for the Disney World Passholder Previews on July 9 and 10 may not have noticed an important detail. Disney resort transportation will not be available!

    Disney World confirmed that those Guests staying at a Disney Resort hotel will need to provide their own transportation to either the Magic Kingdom or Disney’s Animal Kingdom parking lot, as Disney transportation to the parking lots will not be available for this exclusive event.

    Spots for the exclusive event filled up quickly and if you were lucky enough to reserve one then you recieved an “Annual Passholder Event Registration Confirmation” email and on the bottom line under “Important Information About Registration” it states:

    “If you are staying at a Disney Resort hotel, Disney transportation will not be available for this limited event. You will need to provide your own transportation to the Theme Park parking lot.”

    Disney World has been closed since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic. An email was sent to passholders in April stating that monthly payments were placed on hold through the closures. The company said it would refund payments made March 14 through April 5 for passholders who pay monthly.

    Disney World has been closed since mid-March due to the coronavirus pandemic. An email was sent to passholders in April stating that monthly payments were placed on hold through the closures. The company said it would refund payments made March 14 through April 5 for passholders who pay monthly.

  • BREAKING: Bus Service to Hollywood Studios and Epcot Reduced Due to Disney Skyliner

    BREAKING: Bus Service to Hollywood Studios and Epcot Reduced Due to Disney Skyliner

    Disney Skyliner has proven to be a massive success and has prompted Disney to reduce bus service to Hollywood Studios and Epcot at Pop Century Resort and is encouraging guests to ride the Skyliner starting today.

    Disney’s Riviera Resort, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, and Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort which also have Skyliner access have not altered their bus schedules as of yet.

    Signs have been posted around Disney’s Pop Century Resort advising guests that buses traveling to Epcot and Hollywood Studios will only depart once an hour as you can see in the post below:

    Bus service to Disney’s Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Animal Kingdom are unaffected by the change.

    Disney Skyliner’s current schedule will remain unaltered, but this change now makes Disney Skyliner the preferred mode of transportation between Pop Century and Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot.

  • New Delta and Disney+ Partnership Brings Exclusive In-Flight Entertainment to the Skies

    New Delta and Disney+ Partnership Brings Exclusive In-Flight Entertainment to the Skies

    Delta and Disney+ have struck a new deal that will allow passengers to access exclusive Disney movies while they travel at 30,000 feet.

    Delta customers can now enjoy a selection of movies and TV shows from Disney, Pixar, Marvel, Star Wars and National Geographic thanks to the airline’s most recent partnership with Disney+.

    See the full list of Disney titles featured on the IFE Spotlight Collection in December below.

    TitleProduction Company
    Avengers: EndgameMarvel
    Captain MarvelMarvel
    CocoPixar
    Finding NemoPixar
    Free SoloNational Geographic
    FrozenDisney
    The Little MermaidDisney
    The Nightmare Before ChristmasDisney
    The Parent TrapDisney
    Remember the TitansDisney
    Star Wars: The Last JediStar Wars
    Toy Story 3Pixar
    UpPixar

    Additional Disney library titles are available within the movies and TV series pages on board.

    “We know how much our customers value entertainment on board,” said Ekrem Dimbiloglu, Director – Onboard Product and Brand Experience. “That’s why we have installed seat-back screens in over 700 aircraft and continue to forge partnerships with entertainment giants like The Walt Disney Company to bring more diversity and variety to the entertainment options we offer in flight.”

    Disney+ provides customers an unrivaled collection of Disney fan favorites, ranging from one of the highest-grossing films of all time “Avengers: Endgame” to timeless animated films like “The Little Mermaid.” A selection of content from the Disney+ library catalog joins the more than 3,000 movies, TV shows and music options already available through Delta Studio* – free of charge to all customers in all cabins. In addition to investing in seat-back entertainment, customers can choose to stream Delta Studio to their personal devices on the airline’s entire mainline fleet and most regional aircraft.

    This content partnership with The Walt Disney Company is the latest in Delta’s effort to bring new and innovative offerings to customers so they can make the most of their time in flight – from bringing Hulu Originals and Spotify podcasts on board, to debuting a next-generation IFE interface on the airline’s new A330-900neo, to taking steps toward free Wi-Fi and more.

  • VIDEO: United Airlines Introduces a Star Wars-Themed Boeing 737

    VIDEO: United Airlines Introduces a Star Wars-Themed Boeing 737

    United Airlines has officially unveiled an all-new Star Wars-themed paint design on one of its Boeing 737-800 that celebrates the upcoming opening of the film Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker.

    United is offering customers and employees alike exciting opportunities to experience the Star Wars saga first-hand on the ground, in the air and throughout the airline’s galaxy.

    Customers will begin flying the friendly galaxy in November when the aircraft which boasts a re-designed onboard experience to celebrate the movie. The airline will also offer Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker-themed amenity kits and launch its latest inflight safety demonstration video featuring characters from the new film. Take a sneak peek look at what you can expect below:

    The new paint design, which the airline teased last spring on its social media channels, captures the exotic atmosphere of the Star Wars galaxy and features imagery of famous Star Wars spacecraft, including the X-wing and TIE fighter starships. The aircraft’s tail starkly displays a different colored lightsaber – the weapon of the Jedi – against a black backdrop on each side, reflecting the two sides of the Force.

    United will greet customers with classic Star Wars-themed music during the boarding process and distribute commemorative pins throughout December in celebration of the movie’s premiere. The aircraft’s interior will also feature a special plaque reflecting United’s relationship with Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker and include headrests affixed with the emblems of the film’s dueling factions, the Resistance and the First Order.

    The new inflight safety demonstration video highlights United’s lasting commitment to the safety of all the airline’s customers and employees traveling to places “far, far away.” In addition to United employees providing safety instructions on what do to in the unlikely event of an emergency, the video features special appearances by several iconic Star Wars characters and thrilling, space-themed sequences scored to some of the most recognizable musical themes in both motion picture and commercial aviation history. The safety video also highlights some of the many international destinations United serves within the airline’s galaxy.

    “United Airlines and the Star Wars franchise share a common goal: connect people and unite the world,” said Mark Krolick, United’s vice president of marketing. “We are thrilled to join forces and help promote the concluding chapter of the Skywalker story, while at the same time enlisting help from our new friends from the Star Wars universe to demonstrate the importance of safety for our customers and colleagues.”

    In addition, the airline will provide once-in-a-lifetime opportunities for MileagePlus members – including access to attend the US premiere of Star Wars: The Rise of Skywalker – through MileagePlus Exclusives, the airline’s platform that lets MileagePlus members use miles to bid and buy exclusive items and experiences.

  • 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.