What happened to the Skywalk

[sgtpet]

Why did it close back in 1999?

[DVCDAVE]

The skywalk need to be upgraded and or renovated. But in order to do so it need to comply with current safety and building codes. Disney felt that it was to expensive to comply,especially since it wouldn't solve the problems of the skywalk closing due to strong winds.

I miss it. It was a great way to scoot from one end of the park to the other.

[sgtpet]

Yes. It was a great way to get around the park. Except of course if the wait was too long. I will never forget riding on it during a fireworks show back in 1978. What a thrill it was to see them from there at a young age.

Thanks for your feedback.

[All Aboard]

We are talking about the MK Skyway here, right? Or was there some skyWALK somewhere at WDW that I was not aware of? Not being a wisenheimer, I'm asking an honest question.

[WDWHound]

This is a first for me, A Disney attraction I have not heard of. Where was this Skywalk?

[DVCDAVE]

Yes, the MK skywalk. It ran from tomarrowland, near the raceway, to fantasyland, next to It's a small world. The were cable cabs, elevated in the air running on a high cable/wire. The Fantasyland landing was the sight of a bad accident one autum (1998 ?) Where a service man was knocked from the landing while inspection of the system was being conducted before the park opening. He fell to his death.

[Safari Steve]

They're talking about SkyWay. Dave was correct on the reasons for its removal.

[Werner Weiss]

A Skywalk provides enclosed walkways, above the street level, between buildings, primarily in cold-climate cities such as Milwaukee or Minneapolis.

The Skyway was an attraction in Disneyland and the Magic Kingdom at WDW.

[DVCDAVE]

Steve and Werner, you both are right. The question did pertain to the Skyway, not Skywalk. I know what the questioner was asking, and simply continued to answer using the incorect ride label. In any case, the Skyway is sorely missed in this houshold, even with my fear of hieghts. I would have preferred to see the system upgraded, regardless of the occassional shutdown due to winds.

[Helios180]

Unfortunately the skyway was shutdown because a maintance man fell from one of the buckets to his end. It happened early one morning before the park opened. This prompted the closing of our walk saving ride from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland.

[Werner Weiss]

Yes, it's true that a 65-year-old, part-time WDW custodian died in an accident involving the Skyway in Febraury 1999 -- but that's not why the attraction closed. It reopened after the accident, and continued to operate for much of the remainder of the year.

Disneyland's Skyway had closed in November 1994. The official reason was "declining attendance," even though there was always a line. In fact, the attraction was relatively expensive of staff and maintain, while having a limited capacity. In other words, it was an economic decision.

Exactly five years later, in 1999, the Skyway in The Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World was also closed. Same economics as in Disneyland -- same decision.

For more information about the Skyway at Disneyland, see http://www.yesterland.com/skyway.html and http://www.yesterland.com/skywayfant.html

[sgtpet]

Skyway not Skywalk, my deepest apologies.

Thanks for the information

[WDWHound]

Thanks for clearing that up. I was going nuts trying to figure out where this mythical skywalk had been and how I had somehow missed it. I knew about the skyways of course (I miss both of them), but had never heard of a skywalk. I should have realized that you were talking about the skyway.

[All Aboard]

Two news stories:
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2/16/99
With the Disney Skyway cable car coming at him, Raymond Barlow had two choices: Jump 10 feet to the ground, or grab the outside railing of the oncoming cable car and hang on.

Barlow, 65, a part-time Disney custodian since September, was cleaning a section of the Fantasyland boarding platform closest to the path of the cable car when the ride started up unexpectedly Sunday morning. Barlow grabbed the metal rail and tried to hang on to the empty four-person car, investigators said Monday.

``He decided to try to pull himself into the bucket,'' said Orange County Sheriff's Deputy Robert Larson. The Skyway car started to climb. By the time Barlow let go, it was 40 feet in the air. He plunged through the trees, breaking off several limbs, and landed in a flower bed. He died later at Orlando Regional Medical Center.

Larson said Barlow called to co-workers that he was to be working on the outer platform. How and why the car began to move has yet to be determined, he said.

Why Barlow jumped for the car instead of jumping down is ``a mystery to all of us,'' Larson said.

Barlow's death was ruled accidental, Larson said.
________________________________

11/11/99
Walt Disney World is closing one of its oldest rides, the Magic Kingdom Skyway, which has given visitors a bird's-eye view of the park since it opened in 1971.

The Skyway will be replaced by another attraction, but Disney officials wouldn't say what it is. The ride connected guests from Fantasyland to Tomorrowland.

Disneyland in Anaheim, Calif., closed its Skyway ride in 1994.

``It's part of our ongoing efforts to phase out some of the older attractions and introduce new things to keep our parks exciting for our new and repeat visitors,'' Disney spokeswoman Diane Ledder said Tuesday. ``It's just something whose time has come.''

In February, a part-time 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 called a ``serious'' violation of safety standards.

Two days later, Disney installed safety signs and enhanced safety procedures around the Skyway.

Ledder said the ride's closing is not a result of any concerns about its safety.


_____________________________________________

[sgtpet]

What did they add to replace it?

I loved it. It was a lot of fun and exciting riding in it as a child. It gave a great view of MK.

[JeffJewell]

...has not yet been replaced. There has been no announcement concerning a replacement.

If I was a betting man, I'd place my money on the theory that Disney will _not_ replace (or announce a replacement for) the SkyWay until after Carousel of Progress spins its last. Then the Ursa Major Minor Mart (the sad remnant of the Tomorrowland SkyWay Station), CoP, and possibly the theatre over there to the right of CoP will be bulldozed to make room for a new E-ticket.

Jeff

[wdwguide]

Jeff,

the Ursa Major Minor Mart does not exist anymore. With the exception of Space Mountain, the Carousel of Progress, and Buzz Lightyear, the entire outer rim of Tomorrowland now stands empty or unused. It's quite possible that the Skyway, CoP, and the theater will be replaced by a new attraction, or if parts of the area were used for the rumored Space Mountain remake.

[JeffJewell]

the Ursa Major Minor Mart does not exist anymore ...I suppose it's just as well. It really was a sad little sight: three t-shirt racks and a cash register tucked behind the stairs.

So I guess the legacy of the SkyWay is nothing more than restrooms... of course I must admit they are generally in nicer shape than the ones beside Ray's...

Jeff

[HorizonsFan]

Ursa Major Minor Mart was one of the few places that sold Guest of Honor badges...

[JeffJewell]

Ursa Major Minor Mart was one of the few places that sold Guest of Honor badges ...very true, although they didn't have an engraver. We were getting badges for the whole clan, but out of twelve names we could only find three of them pre-printed.

We found the best place for Guest of Honor badges was Disney Studios... a store whose name escapes me, but it's right along the main drag on the right. They had an engraver, and even offered to give us newly engraved badges to replace the three we'd bought pre-engraved (the pre-engraving text was very thin compared to the custom engraving).

They have an engraver at Downtown Disney, too, but both time we went by there it was "down right now, but come back later." It was an interesting contrast to the DS store, where they were backed up and couldn't get to them right away, but they took the names and said they'd have them for us (at some particular time, I forget), or if we didn't pick them up by closing they'd send them back to DxL for us.

Jeff

[Safari Steve]

Ursa's Major Minor Mart is still being used (at least) as a stroller replacement location.

[HorizonsFan]

They have an engraver at Downtown Disney, too, but both time we went by there it was "down right now, but come back later."
We got badges at DTD twice, both times with no wait. The store at the Studios was going to take two days...
As with everything Disney, "your mileage may vary".
BTW, I love wearing a Guest of Honor badge. It's amusing that people actually think the guy in the plaid shorts and the Dallas Stars hat is a cast member! :D