This is our Disney Skyliner Gondola Construction Update for January 2019 and there is so much to share! So many new things have been taking place with the Disney Skyliner over the last month that it’s hard to keep up.
The most recent news is that Disney has been testing the Disney Skyliner Gondolas in various stations around Walt Disney World with what seems to be the actual Skyliner gondolas!
If you aren’t familiar with the Disney Skyliner, it’s the newest transportation system in Walt Disney World using suspended cable cars to bring guests from their resort to the Disney theme parks. It’s a lot like the old Skyway in Disney’s Magic Kingdom but as a transportation system and not an attraction.
We won’t go into it too much in this post as here we’re showing the latest construction updates for the project, but it will connect Epcot, Hollywood Studios with the Caribbean Beach, Art of Animation, Pop Century and Riviera Resorts. You can read more about the Disney Skyliner project here.
In our last Disney Skyliner update we got a look at the the massive process of hanging the actual cables between the Disney Skyliner support towers which will hold the gondola cars. In this update we’re going to look at where the gondola cable cars are stored, a Hidden Minnie at one of the stations and testing being done of the cars.
Big shout out as usual to @bioreconstruct over on Twitter for all the amazing photos, our favorites being the aerial ones. You really get a bird’s-eye-view of the project and insight into what a massive undertaking the Disney Skyliner is. Let’s get into it and see what’s new in January…
I’m constantly updating this post so you can scroll down for the latest pictures:
(Original Post – 1/21/19)
Our first shot is an aerial high above the Art of Animation and Pop Century Resorts:
This is where the Disney Skyliner begins, or ends depending on which way you are going. The station is conveniently located in the middle of the lake separating the two properties with a bridge leading guests to the loading area.
Notice the Disney Skyliner towers lined up in a row over the water. To me this will be one of the coolest spots to ride the Skyliner (besides going into Epcot) and the towers are actually pretty low over the water which will make for a nice takeoff or landing. This will be one of the busiest spots on the Skyliner line with 4,800+ rooms combined between these two resorts.
Once you leave those two resorts, you head up the line to the Skyliner station at the Caribbean Beach Resort. This will serve as the hub for the Disney Skyliner and the place where guests will transfer cars to their final destination.
In the above photo you can see the makings of a bus stop here for guests staying at the Caribbean Beach Resort. That way when they get off the Skyliner there will be a bus waiting for them to take them to their hotel room and not have to walk the whole way.
One question we’ve had answered in this month’s construction update is where Disney is going to put all the gondola cable cars. In the photo below you can see there is going to be a huge depot which will hold the Skyliner cars overnight and storage in general. This will probably also be where the cars needing maintenance get worked on:
I would assume that not all the gondola cars will be kept here overnight and that some will get stored in the other stations around property, but we’ll have to see what Disney has in store for that.
Next we head up to Epcot and catch an amazing sunset going down behind the Disney Skyliner station here:
A really cool feature of the various stations is they all have different styles to them, making each one stand out in a unique way. Something very special was discovered:
A Hidden Minnie in the overlay on the front of the station!!
I really love that Disney is working things like this into the design and I wonder how many more there will be throughout the system…
Lastly the biggest news so far this month about the Disney Skyliner is that they have been testing the gondola cable cars out on the lines. We saw a bit of this last month with the maintenance cars getting tested but now it seems like we have some of the actual cars which will be used for guests to ride in out there as well…
Here’s a look into one of the Disney Skyliner stations. The gondola car is being kept under the cover so we can’t get an exact look at it:
From the latest Destination D event though we have a pretty good idea of how it will look:
There are of course going to be tons of varieties with different Disney, Marvel, Star Wars and Pixar characters on them:
In any case here below you can the covered Disney Skyliner gondola car being tested during the day which normally Disney waits until night to do:
Here’s a video from @ThatFLFeeling on Twitter where you can get a look at it in action:
It looks like they are simulating the cars arriving into the station right now and we’ve yet to see these cars fully out on the lines yet, although that’s coming soon!
(UPDATE 1/22/19):
The testing of the Disney Skyliner Gondola cars in Disney World continues around property with more photos emerging at the Epcot Skyliner Station:
These ones came from @WDW_413:
As you approach the station outside the International Gateway in Epcot, you can see one of the gondola cars out on the line being tested:
It looks like they are getting the gondola car loaded up onto the cable for testing:
Hopefully that construction worker watches out, he’s doing quite the tightroping act there…
Here is a video of the same testing being done:
To anyone wondering about the design under the cover, it looks a Wreck-it Ralph-themed design on it:
If you look over to the right in the center you can see the vague outline of Venelope to the left and a bigger form which is Ralph to the right. If they are including these guys then yes, they should have quite the variety of characters available for opening.
Earlier today we saw another one of the character gondola cars with Beauty and the Beast on it in the new concept art released of the Disney Skyliner station at Disney’s Riviera Resort. Once ready there will probably be at least a dozen or more unique Disney character designs on the cars, but not all of the cars will have characters, some are just plain colors.
You can check out the complete list of Disney Characters on the Disney Skyliner Gondola cars here as they just announced 20 of them!
The Disney Skyliner doesn’t have an exact opening date yet, but it will have a Fall 2019 opening with everything finished well before Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge opens up at the end of 2019. They need to have it running smooth and a couple of months behind them before Galaxy’s Edge opens. Stay tuned for more updates and info….
In the meantime you can follow all the construction projects in Disney World on our updates page which gives detailed info for all the new attractions, hotels and more.
Other Disney World Construction Updates:
- Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge Update (January 2019) – Millennium Falcon Details Added, New Building Near Entrance
- Guardians of the Galaxy Roller Coaster Epcot (January 2019) – Track Pieces Laid Out and Ready to Install
- Epcot Forever Fireworks Show Update (January 2019) – New Work on World Showcase Lagoon for Illuminations Replacement Show
- TRON Roller Coaster Update (December 2018) – Disney World Railroad Tracks Torn Up for Construction
- Space Restaurant Epcot Update (December 2018) – Foundation Installed for Sphere Dining Room
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure Construction Update (December 2018) – Canal Area in France Pavilion Closed for Construction
Your Thoughts:
I want to know what you think about the progress on Disney Skyliner Construction for January 2019…
- How excited are you for the Disney Skyliner?
- Which Disney Skyliner station 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
My name is Ziggy and I love Disney, everything Disney! I grew up on Disney and it has and continues to be a huge part of my life. I started young when my parents took me to Disney World when I was 18 months old. Little did they know that would be the first of an uncountable number of trips we would take. I have so many amazing memories going to Disney with my family and friends and it has been interwoven into my DNA.
Leigh
Friday 25th of January 2019
Thanks for all of your updates