Disney Reveals Sneak Peek of New Gondola System

Disney has released more details this week about its new aerial transportation system which will connect some theme parks and resorts at the Walt Disney World Resort.

While rumors about the new gondola system, called the Disney Skyliner, have been circulating for a while, the park first confirmed plans for its development in April, and then later formally introduced the project during Disney’s D23 Expo in Anaheim.

Now Disney is filling in a few of the blanks, including releasing some of the first images of the new system.

New Disney Skyliner gondola stations are coming to Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and the Caribbean Beach Resort. #WDW https://t.co/6poUu7ld3s pic.twitter.com/i0aPtD3KOc

— Attractions Magazine (@Attractions) December 10, 2017

The details, introduced via the official Disney Parks blog confirm that select gondola cabins will have “iconic Disney characters incorporated into their exterior design to give the appearance that a Disney pal is riding along with guests.”

Stations for the Skyliner will be situated at International Gateway at Epcot, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Pop Century Resort and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, and each one will feature a distinctive design reflective of its location.

At International Gateway at Epcot, for example, the station will take its inspiration from the nearby European Pavilions, incorporating ornamental steel structures and hand-painted murals reminiscent of the early 18th century Art Nouveau style. Guests arriving at Epcot via the Skyliner will be treated to a birds-eye view of the World Showcase.

At Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, which will serve as a transfer point, the station will reflect the feeling of an open-air village marketplaces of the Caribbean, with a design style in keeping with that of the nearby resort.

Guests will want to get their cameras ready when they approach the station at Disney’s Hollywood Studios for an all-new aerial (and instagrammable) perspective of iconic attractions like The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

One station will serve both Disney’s Pop Century Resort and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, and it will reflect the whimsical style of both these resorts.

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Passengers will also be treated to a “slow down” at the Disney Skyliner turn-station located along Buena Vista Drive, where they’ll have an inside peek at the aerial components that make up the entire transportation system.

An opening date has not yet been provided for the new Skyliner system.

The project is being developed just as Walt Disney World has beefed up other transportation options, including rolling out a new shared ride Minnie Van Service in partnership with Lyft.

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