|
Last revised Tue, 04-Jul-2006 5:09 |
The Skyway, one of the original Walt Disney World attractions, present when the park first opened in 1971, was an aerial tram (cable car) type ride, which took guests between the Fantasyland and TomorrowLand parts of the Magic Kingdom, on a ride that lasted for around 5 minutes. On the way the Skyway passed over the striped tented Cinderella's Golden Carousel, and also over the Grand Prix Speedway. Due to the nature of the ride, it was difficult at times to acommodate guests with some disabilities, particularly from the Fantasyland boarding platform, however, providing it was possible for wheel-chair bound guests to leave their wheelchairs for a time, they could take a round trip from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland and back. 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. The ride was known as Skyway to Tomorrowland from the Fantasyland terminus, and as the Skyway to Fantasyland from the Tomorrowland terminus. It's replacement has not yet been announced.
|
|