Right Before Our Eyes: The Story of the WDW Skyway

Hello again, friends!

In a previous post, I talked about my frustration with Disney leaving abandoned attractions to essentially rot, right in front of guests. In that post, I discussed River Country, a water park that closed in 2001.

Tonight, I thought I would discuss the Skyway.

The Skyway was one of the original attractions available to guests on opening day in 1971. Guests would board a tram in either Fantasyland or Tomorrowland and take about a 5 minute ride to the other side of the park. Guests would get a view of the tops of Fantasyland (which I can honestly say isn't all that exciting), Cinderella's Golden Carousel, and 10,000 Leagues Under the Sea (when it was operating).

The Skyway was not a new concept within the Disney company. The Skyway was also operating at Disneyland for many years before it was closed permanently in 1994.

Disney World bid the Skyway farewell on November 9, 1999 amid rumors of the ride being dangerous and not being able to comply with the needs of guests with disabilities.

Guests in the Magic Kingdom walk by the abandoned structures that once housed the Skyway each day, some without thinking twice. Those like me, however, can't seem to walk by them without shaking their heads a little bit. Why even keep the structures up? What good are they serving?

The Fantasyland structure is the only one left standing. It's themed like a Swiss Chalet, which simply doesn't fit in with the theme of the rest of the land. Additionally, it's become this massive corral for strollers. It's not uncommon to see literally hundreds of strollers parked in this area on a busy day. Of course, this also tends to be the place in the Magic Kingdom where most of people's personal items go missing. It's just a breeding ground of badness, and frankly, I'd love to see it made into something useful to guests. Hopefully we'll see some changes during the Fantasyland refurbishment.

The structure in Tomorrowland was demolished in 2009, which thankfully, eliminated a very random building that often confused guests ("Is this a restaurant? A bathroom? A gift shop!?"). Now, why are they choosing to leave it's cousin standing in Fantasyland all by itself?

What are your thoughts? Have you noticed these buildings before? Did you ever ride on the Skyway before it closed? Share your thoughts!