PHOTOS: Disney Skyliner Gondola Testing at High Speed – Construction Update February 2019

This is our Disney Skyliner Gondola Construction Update for February 2019 and lots of stuff is new this month so we have tons to share with you!  Just since January so many things have been developing at a rapid pace it’s hard to keep up with it all!  The most recent news is that Disney is testing not only the dummy cars, but also the real Disney Skyliner Gondola cars which will be used for guests to travel in once open, even at high speeds!

If somehow you haven’t heard of the Disney Skyliner, basically it’s a new transportation system coming to Walt Disney World which uses suspended cable cars to transport guests to and from the Disney theme parks.  Think the old Disney Skyway which used to be in Disney’s Magic Kingdom, just on a bigger scale.

We won’t go into too much detail in this post as we want to concentrate on the latest construction updates for the project, but this transportation system will connect Epcot, Hollywood Studios with the Caribbean Beach, Art of Animation, Pop Century and Riviera Resorts.  

For more info and full guide to the Disney Skyliner Gondola project you can read it here.

Also, be sure to read our latest construction update on the Disney Skyliner for a more up-to-date look at the construction progress.

In our last Disney Skyliner update we saw the beginning of the Skyliner gondolas being tested from the actual cables, though the gondolas we saw were dummy ones just used for maintenance purposes and testing.  In this update for February we saw more of that earlier in the month, but Disney has also been testing the real Skyliner gondola cars too and we have an update from Disney with a video as well.

We also got confirmation from Disney on some, if not all of the characters that will be worked into the designs on some of the Gondola cars.  So far I count 20 differently themed cars with characters like Mickey, Minnie, Chip & Dale, Star Wars, Marvel, Frozen, Zootopia and more… 

Big thanks as always to @bioreconstruct over on Twitter for the fantastic aerial photos, which are the best around property.  That way we can really see all the projects happening around WDW from up above!  Let’s see all the new things so far in February…

I’m constantly updating this post so you can scroll down for the latest pictures:

Let’s start outside of the Disney Skyliner station in Epcot:

This station is located right outside the International Gateway and will provide guest transportation to Epcot’s back gate.  It will also pass right by the New France expansion in Epcot which will have a Ratatouille-themed attraction much like the one you can find in Disneyland Paris.

One thing is for sure, it’s going to be a great view from up above even though many are split on what the Disney Skyliner will do to the views from inside the park.

Right outside the Epcot station you can see workers riding the Skyliner gondolas as they are testing them out:

These gondola cars obviously are not the ones that guests will be riding in but only used for maintenance:

This is where guests from the ground will see the Disney Skyliner coming into the International Gateway:

Overall it’s really good to see them testing the Skyliner this early as we’re still only in February.  There is some optimism that Disney could actually be a bit ahead of schedule, but they definitely won’t rush things until everything has been checked and checked again.

Two types of gondolas are seen here used in testing.  The top one is a manually positioned gondola and the bottom one is a standard service gondola.  They are also placing communication wiring on the center wire.  

A closeup of the device:

Now let’s head over to the main station which will connect the entire Disney Skyliner and that’s at the Caribbean Beach Resort.  Here you get a nice aerial of that station and the line that head’s over to Hollywood Studios through the trees:

The Caribbean Beach station is known as “Trinidad”:

This station besides being the main hub for the Disney Skyliner will also house the Skyliner cars and be a service station when they need to be worked on:

From the below angle the left side goes up to the Riviera Resort and Epcot, the right side goes to Art of Animation and Pop Century Resorts, while the middle goes to Disney’s Hollywood Studios:

You can see all the room for the gondolas when they aren’t in service:

Now earlier we saw the maintenance gondolas being tested, whereas here we have one of the actual gondola cars which guests themselves will ride.  This one is parked at the station but Disney has also been testing them which we’ll see after:

Progress made to the Hollywood Studios station:

Here we can see the real gondola cars flying high above Hollywood Studios with the Tower of Terror in the background:

The test-run gondolas recently traveled across Victory Way between the stations at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort and the station at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Walt Disney Imagineering associate project manager Steve Pratt said there will be more gondolas added and cycling on the line as teams continue testing and training.

(Update – 2/20/19)

As you know Disney has been testing out the Disney Skyliner gondola cabins quite rigorously in the past weeks, and today they hit another milestone as the cabins were seen being tested at high speeds on the lines:

Here is the Disney Skyliner being tested outside of Disney’s Hollywood Studios and then down at the Pop Century Resort:

https://twitter.com/thetimtracker/status/1098328196783788033

Here is a shot of the gondola cabins coming at high speed:

Just looking at them I think people are going to be surprised at how fast they move.  I can see why the estimated time to get from one end to the other is only 15-20 minutes:

We’ll keep you posted with more soon…

(New Update – 2/25/19)

As you saw a few days ago, the Disney Skyliner has been very busy in testing, even moving along at high speeds and with the actual Skyliner Gondola cabins. Unfortunately they are still covered, but it’s still nice to watch them even under the covers.

Before we see more of the Skyliner in action, let’s look at a few of the stations around property and see how they are progressing.

Let’s start with the Epcot Station:

While the station is found on the left, on the right you’ll notice quite a change too. The construction walls have been taken down from around the Friendship Boats dock and it’s now open. Much nicer looking!

Speaking of nice looking, the painting on the side of the Skyliner Station roof is remarkable! Each station is styled differently, and these swans and the surrounding flowers are just stunning:

Down in Hollywood Studios you see a totally different theme looking at the back of this station:

I don’t like this one as much, but it certainly fits in with the 50’s Hollywood vibe in its colors and styling.

Then we get to the big one, the main Disney Skyliner hub at the Caribbean Beach Resort:

The sheer size difference stands out and the front entrance looks huge. A lot of the paint work seems to be done on the backside.

A look at the back side of the station and you can see one side looks almost finished and is currently filled with gondola cabins:

From zooming in and counting a bit, it looks like there could be as many as 160 gondolas on that side of the station, meaning probably more than 300 will be held here when complete.

From here the gondola cars will leave three ways, over to Pop Century/Art of Animation, to Hollywood Studios and Epcot.

Now to the Gondola cars themselves in action we have a couple new videos showing them zooming along:

https://www.instagram.com/p/BuMhDlbHw4L/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_locale_control

https://www.instagram.com/p/BuRVnwqnn9m/?utm_source=ig_embed&utm_campaign=embed_locale_control

That’s all so far, but keep checking back…

The Disney Skyliner doesn’t have an exact opening date yet, but Disney is still saying Fall 2019.  Things have to be finished by the time Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge is here in August because it will be crucial to the guest transportation for this new land. 

Be sure to check out our Walt Disney World Construction Updates post for more progress on all the projects going on around Disney World as we continue to bring you the latest!

For a detailed explanation of the Disney Skyliner system read our full guide here.

Stay tuned with Ziggy Knows Disney for more updates and info….

Other Disney World Construction Updates:

• Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge Updates
• TRON Roller Coaster Updates
• Sleeping Beauty Castle Updates
• Cinderella Sidewalk Expansion Updates

Your Thoughts:

I want to know what you think about the progress on Disney Skyliner Construction for February 2019…

• Are you excited for the Disney Skyliner?
• Which design is your favorite?

Let us know in the comments section below!

If you enjoyed this article, as always I appreciate it if you’d share it with others via social media.  I work hard at making this website into a useful resource for you and your family to plan your visit to the Disney Parks and I hope it can help you! Thanks 🙂

Photos: @Bioreconstruct