Disney has no shortage of icons. From Mickey ears to the phrase “Hakuna Matata”, The Walt Disney Company has over 6000 registered trademarks. Some are more recognizable than others, but one that has become an indelible symbol of Disney World is the monorail.
Its official name, according to the Disney website, is The Walt Disney World Monorail System. It opened with the park in 1971 and carries an estimated 150,000 passengers per day to six different stations on two different routes.
Lately, the monorail has become known as an icon of the park’s age. Several notable incidents, from stranded passengers to doors and chunks of concrete falling off, have given the monorail a bit of a bad rep of late. The system is also expensive to repair, putting into question how long Disney will stick with the system into the future.
It comes as no surprise, then, that Disney looked elsewhere when creating its new transportation system to shuttle guests between Disney's Hollywood Studios, Epcot, and some of the Walt Disney World resorts. Calling them “Aerial Gondolas”, Disney opened their new lift system this fall. The Skyliner, as Disney calls it, is a continuously moving cable car system where travelers ride suspended as high as 60 feet (18 meters) above the ground.
But can it become as iconic as the monorail?
Disney seems intent on trying. A recent visit to park stores finds Disney peddling Skyliner merchandise, and lots of it. Judging by the shelves, some of the items seem to be selling quite well, particularly the toys. While we were in the store, guests were picking them up, likely for holiday gifts.
It’s unclear how the Skyliner will fair as an icon. It has already suffered from a jam that caused two gondolas to collide and passengers to be trapped for a short time. Luckily, nobody was injured in the incident. There were also concerns that the lack of air conditioning in the gondolas would be a non starter for passengers, especially on hot Florida summer days. However, riders have reported the gondolas stay cool thanks to clever engineering, and reviews of the system have been positive.
Looks like Disney World is well on its way to getting a popular new symbol.