Possible change to Disney Skyliner refurbishment planned for January 2023

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Posted: Tuesday January 10, 2023 7:00am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

The previously announced January 2023 closure of Disney Skyliner at Walt Disney World may have been canceled or postponed according to an update to Disney's official website.

Disney Skyliner overview

Disney Skyliner's refurbishment was initially scheduled from January 22 through January 29, 2023, but overnight, all mention of the closure was removed from the Disney Skyliner page on the official Walt Disney World website.

Confusing matters is that the closure remains listed on individual resort hotel and theme park web pages, including EPCOT, Disney's Hollywood Studios, the Art of Animation and Riviera Resort.

It isn't clear if it is simply an error on the webpage or if there has been a deliberate change to the Skyliner refurbishment timeline.

Disney Skyliner officially opened on September 29 2019, connecting Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot to four resort hotels - Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort and the new Disney’s Riviera Resort.

Disney Skyliner at Riviera Resort

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ToTBellHopJan 30, 2023

Happy to hear the under seat broilers work once again. Thanks to the non-winter this year, 4 guests have already been slow-roasted.

Coaster LoverJan 30, 2023

By that definition, isn't every time a ride at Disney goes down for refurbishment also a repair (or at least that is what we are hoping? ... to fix broken effects, upgrade control systems, fix animatronics)?

John park hopperJan 30, 2023

If you go by definition: Repair means to restore by replacing or putting together what is torn or broken, to restore to a sound or healthy state. Refurbish is to brighten or freshen up. Overhaul is to repair, to renovate, remake, revise. It sounds more like an overall/repair

MisterPenguinJan 30, 2023

I heard they were toast!

Coaster LoverJan 30, 2023

Those haul ropes take a lot of stress. I believe Doppelmayr suggests replacing the haul rope every 20,000 operating hours and if the Skyliner is in operation ~14 hours a day, ~365 days a year, 20,000 hours would occur right around the 4 year mark.

Crunchie9Jan 30, 2023

Least we forget those souls stranded above the earth below for 8 hours straight 4 years ago

NunuJan 30, 2023

Maintenance completed. The Skyliner is back in business as of this morning.

JoeCamelJan 26, 2023

I don't know the configuration of the service car but I would think they are doing tower maintenance

DisoneJan 26, 2023

It's been neat to watch. The last couple of days they've removed all the gondolas from the Caribbean /Riviera /Epcot line. Definitely look like they were replacing portions of the main haul rope, possibly the entire rope has it now looks black versus the gray that it used to be. They put the gondola's back on the Caribbean Riviera Epcot line today, including at least one very drab utility gondola with two construction workers sitting it very hard hats.

JohnDJan 23, 2023

Annual. Gosh, for that type of transportation system, I certainly hope so.

NunuJan 21, 2023

I was hoping for a delay. Oh, well. Thanks for the update. :)

DCBakerJan 21, 2023

The refurbishment has been added to the Important Information header on the Skyliner page.

mmssbrg2Jan 14, 2023

A delay would be fantastic. We’re checking in to Riviera the day the refurb was scheduled to start and checking out the day it was scheduled to end.

Back!Elbow!Shoulders!Jan 12, 2023

😬😬 I really hope it’s pushed back more than a week or two. We booked AoA for early February specifically for ease of getting a stroller on the Skyliner.