Skyway

[nikechic]

I was just wondering what is the real reason that the sky way was shutdown. My sister and I have been arguing over it. She thinks something terrible most have happened. And I thought it was because you can see the backstage areas or something to that effect. Any info would be great. and we miss riding it greatly.

 

[tigsmom]

from solarius.com:

In Feb 1999 the Skyway was in the news when a part-time Disney employee who had been working in the loading area of the ride fell to his death. The Occupational Safety and Health Administration later fined Walt Disney World $4,500 for what it termed a "serious" violation of safety standards. OSHA said the employee lacked protective equipment, such as a safety harness. Two days later, Disney installed safety signs and enhanced safety procedures around the Skyway, a Disney spokesman said at the time. The ride's closing is not a result of any concerns about its safety.

However in keeping with a general wish to remove older attractions, and replace them with updated ones the Skyway was finally closed on 10th November 1999, joining it's Californian cousin at Disneyland in Anaheim, which closed in 1994, and the Disneyland Tokyo Skyway which was closed in November 1998.

They also had problems because it wasn't really available to the dissabled...could only use it if you could walk from your wheelchair.

 

[nikechic]

Thanks for the info.

I love the part of about replacing older rides with newer ones yet nothing has been done there.

 

[civileng68]

Sky Way

I think it would be cool to have a "Skyway Transit System" as a new attraction to help keep you from being so tired. I say to a SkyWay from over at Space Mountain where the original was and run it to the other original spot over behind "It's a Small World" and then build a new extension over to the BTMR area. You'd be able to get to every general area of the park without wearing yourself out.

However then you would be able to bypass many refreshment stands and bypass many stores, which is EXACTLY what Disney wants to prevent. This may have been another reason it closed down.

 

[Ijones88]

I just wish they'd do SOMETHING with it and the old 20k ride....PLEASE Disney!!!!! :hammer:

 

[civileng68]

Can you imagine?

Originally posted by Ijones88
I just wish they'd do SOMETHING with it and the old 20k ride....PLEASE Disney!!!!! :hammer:

Can you imagine how much bigger and more fun the Magic Kingdom would be if they put attractions in the places of the two Sky Way stations and the 20 K under the Sea area? I mean you figure, those areas are prime spots for newers attractions.

I would like a new indoor ride, similar to POTC but with a complete them of it's own, just a ride similar in style to that.

 

[WDW1971]

I miss the Skyway...

It was a nice way to take a break and still get to see the park. The view was great!

 

[Ijones88]

Re: Can you imagine?

Originally posted by civileng68
Can you imagine how much bigger and more fun the Magic Kingdom would be if they put attractions in the places of the two Sky Way stations and the 20 K under the Sea area? I mean you figure, those areas are prime spots for newers attractions.

I would like a new indoor ride, similar to POTC but with a complete them of it's own, just a ride similar in style to that.

Yeah, you're right...I can't believe they have let those areas just sit there with a half hearted attempt ( Murial's meet and geek area) to make it look like something......GEEZ!!!!:brick:

 

[Yellow Shoes]

Originally posted by nikechic
I was just wondering what is the real reason that the sky way was shutdown.

I'm sure that once someone DIES on any attraction, it is carefully scrutinized in an attempt to make it safer. If that isn't readily do-able, my guess is that its days are numbered. OR--if it cannot be made handicap accessible then it goes to the scrap pile.

There are numerous posts about clueless and just plain rude guests.

Ponder this for a moment:

spit


f=ma

 

[kennyj29]

SKy way

I can't beleive they would close the ride for an accidental death. Another employee killed himself at the Contemporary also, it doesn't mean they are going take down the hotel and get rid of it. Splash Mountain also had a fatality but they didn't take that down. I'm sure it had absolutley nothing to do with any of those reasons. When we took the tour they stated that Disney tries to get rid of any ride that doesn't move people fast enough. That was one of the rides that didn't. I'm sure that's the reason.

 

[cuteypatooty78]

Re: Re: Skyway

Originally posted by Yellow Shoes
I'm sure that once someone DIES on any attraction, it is carefully scrutinized in an attempt to make it safer. If that isn't readily do-able, my guess is that its days are numbered. OR--if it cannot be made handicap accessible then it goes to the scrap pile.

There are numerous posts about clueless and just plain rude guests.

Ponder this for a moment:

spit


f=ma

I don't think the handicapped accessibility has anything to do with a ride closing. If that were true some of the other rides that can't be made safe for handicapped people would be closing.

 

[Lee]

The Skyway closed because:

Guests rode in an unsafe manner (shaking the cabins, opening the doors, etc.)

Guests liked to spit out of the cabins onto people below.

The park was under pressure to make it handicap accessable.
(True, many rides are not strictly accessable for handicapped guests, but most will accomodate a rider who can leave their wheelchair to enter the vehicle. Not Skyway.)

And the last reason: Capacity. The Skyway had the worst capacity in the park, besides 20k. Added to that, it was very labor intensive, requiring 4 CMs at each end. The lines never ended, extending to the area near Small World most of the day.
That left a lot of folks waiting an hour or more for a short, uneventful ride. Anyone remember Discovery River Boats? Same deal.

Oh, yeah, one more.
Lots of people complained about the trip being only one way.

Complaints + low capacity + no handicapped riders + unruly guests = extinction.

 

[RogueHabit]

I loved the Skyway, but in the time you queued to get on it you could walk to the other end and back....

 

[mickey04]

Re: SKy way

Originally posted by kennyj29
I can't beleive they would close the ride for an accidental death. Another employee killed himself at the Contemporary also, it doesn't mean they are going take down the hotel and get rid of it. Splash Mountain also had a fatality but they didn't take that down. I'm sure it had absolutley nothing to do with any of those reasons. I'm sure that's the reason.

Well, I think Splash Mountain is a lot safer than Skyway ever was. I mean, the only reason the guy died on Splash was because he got out of the log and was hit by the next oncoming one, if I remember correctly. As long as you stay in the log your fine- but w/ the skyway, there was a safety violation on Disney's part- which makes them responsible. What happened at Contemporary? Didn't someone jump off?

 

[WDW1971]

Originally posted by Catch 22
I loved the Skyway, but in the time you queued to get on it you could walk to the other end and back....

In the time it took me to get on Splash Mountain once when I was at WDW (over an hour), I could have caught a bus and gone to Blizzard Beach and jumped in the water...but I still waited and got on the ride.

It's a shame that a few morons mess things up by spitting and opening the doors. We truly are a country led by the few, the weird...the morons that cause lawsuits!

 

[General Grizz]

It also broke the "show" rule that Disney has...showing the backstage areas.

 

[Brooke]

I liked the Skyway but the line was always way too long for me. I would've liked it better if it actually took you a far distance. It doesn't take very long to walk from Fantasyland to Tommorrowland. It saved a little bit of walking, but it was never worth the line for me.

I think it would be so great if the TTA went all around the park and it had stops at each "land." Ofcourse it's pretty impossible but it would be cool.