You know, to be honest with you all — and with myself, I might add — the early visits to Walt Disney World when I was a kid all those years ago are somewhat a fuzzy memory to me. For example, in my first trip, when I was 11 years old, I remember the feelings I experienced more than the attractions I rode. However, there is something from those early visits that I really do remember quite well, and today, I’m going to talk about it in Friday Flashback. That attraction is the old Skyway attraction.
For those that are younger than I and don’t know what the Skyway was, I’ll tell you. The Skyway was a special one-way transportation attraction that would take you from Fantasyland to Tomorrowland — or from Tomorrowland to Fantasyland. When you rode to either destination, you couldn’t continue back without getting back in line for a second trip. The Skyway was a suspended gondola type ride, where you were lifted into the air and suspended from a steel cable as your car was taken from one part of the Magic Kingdom to another. It was a whole level of freedom that you just didn’t get any other way, because you were able to look at the Magic Kingdom from a whole different dimension than you would normally get, and I LOVED the Skyway.
At it’s least, the Skyway was a nice, relaxing way to journey to another part of the park without tiring your feet any more than they already were. At it’s best, the Skyway was a way of seeing parts of the Magic Kingdom you never see anymore — a way to be above it all and reflect on the beauty of the park, how blessed you are to be able to experience it — and if you are a kid like I was — perhaps a way to tell your parents or grandparents thanks for taking you there!
The Skyway was an original opening day attraction at the Magic Kingdom, and had identical rides at Disneyland and Tokyo Disneyland. The Magic Kingdom version of the Skyway attraction lasted the longest, being open until November 5, 1999 — over 28 years! Now, for your enjoyment, here’s a YouTube video of the attraction for you to enjoy!
[…] Ellis has an excellent look back at the Magic Kindom Skyway that brings back memories of riding this attraction with my dad. I remember the first time I went […]