Skyway in Magic Kingdom

[w.bob]

Haven't been to Disney World in 15 years. DW and I will be visiting in Nov. I believe I read somewhere that the Skyway from Tommorow Land to Fantasy land no longer operates. Can anyone comment on this. Thank you.

[BriarRose]

I was just there last December and there is no longer a skyway.

[Cocoaspw]

Wow, I didn't know that. It has been a long time since DH and I visited WDW too... 11 years. I used to go on this to get from one land to the other, and it was so relaxing. I sure will miss it .

Is there anything else like the Skyway and the RR that will move you from one land to the other? And isn't there something about the RR... which way does it go... which land do you get on/off the RR in?

Thanks!!
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[TiggerRPh]

Due to safety concerns(a CM got killed by it) maintenance (it broke down a lot) and minimal use the skyway was removed about 3 years ago.

[ June 27, 2002, 10:08 AM: Message edited by: TiggerRPh ]

[Cocoaspw]

That's truly terrible. I am very sorry to hear about the CM.

[marlyn]

Yes, the skyway is gone.
In response to your WDWRR question, it stops in Main Street, Fronteirland and Toon Town.

[Disney-4-Me]

I didn't know about the CM's death. I figured with people using less and less common sense, Disney figured it was only a matter of time before someone stood up, fell out and sued.

It took a couple of years from the time it was closed until all of the towers were taken out. I kept hoping it was just being refurbished. I liked the different perspective while looking down at the attractions, especially the 20,000 Leagues pond.

The RR is an easy way to get around though. If you are wanting to go to Tomorrowland, exit the train in Toon Town and stay to the left. There is a little-used walkway along the train tracks that lets you bypass all of the kiddies. It is also a great place to take a picture of the train. I catch the engineer waving right behind my kids on every visit.

[onegoofyfamily]

Sadly,it is gone! We do miss it!! But understand why Disney did away w/ it!

[DisneyFanaticDargon]

Concerning the cast member, what had happened was he was out doing some sort of maintenance work on one of the Skyway supports and a Cast Member at the station, not knowing that the other Cast Member was out on the support, started the ride. Apparently shocked and scared the maintenance Cast Member tried to climb into one of the Skyway cars, slipped and fell to his death. Not long after this the ride was closed, the supports are gone and the Fantasyland station is now used as a Character Greeting area.

Coincidentally, a death was what caused the Skyway at Disneyland to be closed a few years prior to the closure of the Skyway at the Magic Kingdom. It's kind of a shame because I always thought the Skyway was a nice relaxing ride and offered some great views of Cinderella Castle and Fantasyland.

[Jared]

I don't think anyone was surprised when the Skyway closed. Quite frankly, I think they are lucky that it took that long for one person to get hurt on it.

[FROG0823]

While I understand it was an accident waiting to happen, I LOVED the Skyway! I loved the perspective you got from the air...although it was a bit disheartening flying over Fantasyland and seeing the ugly rooftops! But, the Disney nut in me was interested to see what I could see from the sky and not from the ground.

[imported_Melanears]

Some of the best pictures I have in MK were taken while I was riding the Skyway, especially ones of the castle. It is a shame, but I completely understand the removal. To be truthful, I don't know if I would ride it today. I've become so skittish about things.

[Imagineer Wanna Be]

Frankly, I've always considered the Skyway to be a deathtrap waiting to happen. It's just something about it's general design that made me uncomfortable, whether in a Disney park or any other amusement park. The ride entrance in Fantasyland still looks to be in excellent shape, and it would be wonderful if Disney could somehow make use this entrance for some sort of ride (space permitting). It wasn't being used as a "meet-and-greet" when I last visited in May. I tried to find the entrance in Tomorrowland, but it's been a long time between visits (10 years), and I couldn't find it (but I think it was somewhere near the bathrooms in Tomorrowland).

I'm still amazed by the ability Disney has in covering up accidents and deaths (I can't remember ever hearing about a death at the parks in the news). Only recently did I learn about the deaths at the Contemporary and in the Seven Seas Lagoon from an online news article.

[WDW crazy]

The death of the CM in the Skyway wasn't a secret. We heard about it all the way in California! I'm sure they would like to keep it secret but it always gets out.

[DisneyFanaticDargon]

Originally posted by Imagineer Wanna Be:
I tried to find the entrance in Tomorrowland, but it's been a long time between visits (10 years), and I couldn't find it (but I think it was somewhere near the bathrooms in Tomorrowland).

The Tomorrowland Entrance is that raised building with the flat slanted wall on one side facing Space Mountain and a large opening above the slant (used for the cars to exit) which is never used for anything.

[CJDDS]

Originally posted by Melanears:
Some of the best pictures I have in MK were taken while I was riding the Skyway, especially ones of the castle. It is a shame, but I completely understand the removal. To be truthful, I don't know if I would ride it today. I've become so skittish about things.

Me, too. It was a great photo op spot. What really surprised me about the closing was that the guide books still listed it as an attraction for several years!

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[snmthecloser]

I believe that they did shut it down awhile back for safety and mechanical reasons. Sorry that you wouln't get a chance to see it. [img]graemlins/crazy.gif[/img] [img]graemlins/clappy.gif[/img]

[FigmentFreak]

Sad to say, but yes they are gone. I loved riding it because you could kind of map out which rides had the most people waiting and you could get awesome pictures of the castle and tomorrowland.

[Friend Of Mick]

As far as the safety issue, there is a cable chair lift at Blizzard Beach that enjoys heavy use every day. This is a chair lift with one lose seat bar and lots of wet people. Just like a ski resort in the mountains it does not stop to load or unload, you squat to load as seat moves behind you and jog at top to unload ahead of seat. Fun with good views of BB but usually crowded with long lines unless there is lots of rain. Only shuts down in high winds. Wet people, rain and one lose lap bar could be a safety concern but I have been in these conditions several times. It does have a umbrella type top. Go visit an give it a try.

[doombuggy]

When I went to DL for the first time in 1998, their Skyway was closed down. I think it closed there first. I was disappointed b/c I wanted to have a photo of me taken with the castle in the background. I have one of me at WDW from Feb. 1974, again in 1976 (w/grandmother) and 1992 (w/sister). I was disappointed. I agree that it was an accident waiting to happen. I loved the ride - great alternative to walking!