Just one week after Walt Disney World’s new Skyliner attraction started soaring through the skies, a malfunction has halted its flight. A number of guests boarded on the suspended gondolas became stranded in midair on the ride for three hours Saturday night and Walt Disney World has since discontinued letting riders on. Now, the theme park has been spotted testing empty Skyliners before reopening the transportation service to the public.
It’s been a few days since a few Skyliner gondolas collided at the Riviera Resort Station at Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida. The incident left theme park visitors stuck 60 feet above the ground, the local fire department had to evacuate one vehicle and one person was hospitalized shortly after. The person has been treated and released. According to WESH 2 News, the attraction is being run without passengers to test its safety.
The Skyliners opened at Walt Disney World on September 29 to provide improved transportation between the theme parks and hotels within the massive Disney property. The new attractiion includes six miles of cables, holds 300 gondolas and can carry up to 3000 guests at a time. The gondolas have five stops between Epcot, Hollywood Studios and hotel resorts and each vehicle can hold 10 people.
The theme park is expected to continue to resume testing until its deemed suitable to resume operation. Following the Saturday incident, the Skyliners have been closed for over three days. Guests can currently use the monorail or walk between locations as the parks has been functioning for years. Guests have been waiting for an easier way to jump from park to park and back to the accompanying hotels.
The Skyliners came to Walt Disney World just as Galaxy’s Edge recently opened in Orlando to packed capacity last month. The Florida theme park followed in the footsteps of California’s Disneyland and debuted a new land inspired by the massive franchise at Hollywood Studios. The new addition includes a new ride on the Millenium Falcon, lightsaber and droid building, blue milk and an immersive experience in the breathtaking new setting.
The year prior, Toy Story Land also opened in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, making the park a hot location for guests to flock to. The land based on the Pixar franchise includes a rollercoaster on Slinky’s back, Alien Swirling Saucers and Toy Story Mania.
A ride mishap also happened over at Universal Studios in Orlando when hundreds of bees infested the new rollercoaster called Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure in the park’s Wizarding World.
Stay tuned with us here on CinemaBlend for more updates on Disney and Universal attractions! Some exciting new additions coming for Disney parks such as a Marvel-themed campus and Star Wars hotel were recently announced at D23 over summer!
