Disney Skyliner gondolas close indefinitely after crash and evacuation
Disney's newest attraction, the Skyliner gondolas, which now link together much of the Disney World resort including Epcot, Hollywood Studios, Caribbean Beach and other resorts, have closed after an apparently delayed gondola caused a crash and stalled the entire system, leaving some guests stranded in the air for over three hours.
Folks took to Twitter to express their displeasure, with many sharing videos of evacuations taking place:
Others wondered what kind of compensation they'd receive as a result:
For the curious, one reddit user stated that their compensation totaled a $100 gift card and a free one-day park ticket. Not sure that's worth the extended no-bathroom situation, especially when Disney's gondolas come prepared with emergency packs filled with water and glow sticks:
I'm sensing some DIY Disney magic here.
All jokes aside, the gondola that crashed and the one it hit were both empty, so no one was reportedly hurt. It's awful luck that this happened in the first week of operation, especially after all the hype around the gondolas opening and what it could mean for park touring plans. If you were planning on taking one of these babies in the very near term you'll want to rethink your Disney strategy. As of now, there is no mention of when they'll reopen.
Related: Ultimate guide to visiting Walt Disney World
Luckily for park-goers, there are plenty of other options to navigate Disney World, with such operations as the Minnie Vans saving guests loads of time (though adding to the total cost of the trip). Meanwhile, the complimentary monorail, ferries and buses continue to the various parks and resort hotels. Fingers crossed Disney is able to correct the issue that caused Saturday night's incident and get the Skyliners safely flying through the sky again soon.
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