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As we descended to the Tomorrowland station, we could see folks waiting down by the entrance of the Tomorrowland Autopia. We exited the attraction for the last time and joined the rest of the crowd below. Several groups of cast members departed for their last trips behind empty cabins, and finally Mickey and Minnie climbed into one of their own, the last one. As it left the Tomorrowland station on its final round trip, the people gathered cheered and applauded the attraction we're all going to miss. We all waited, and soon there was a picture flash in the Matterhorn, as the last two cabins approached their final return to the Tomorrowland station. In the first cabin was a photographer, the second carried his subject matter, Mickey and Minnie, in the last Skyway cabin to carry anyone over Disneyland.
The crowd cheered them all the way to the station. They stepped out of the cabin, and the Disneyland Skyway officially closed. As the crowd broke up and headed for Main Street to exit, it appeared that dismantling of the Tomorrowland station began immediately, almost as if they wanted to make sure it would not run again. Most likely it was because they felt it best to get the attraction out of the way.
Soon, the towers will be gone. Eventually, the Matterhorn will be altered, as there is no need for the passages that the Skyway used.
Such was the final night for the Disneyland Skyway. It was an attraction popular with amorous couples, people who wanted to smoke controlled substances at Disneyland without being caught, graffiti vandals, people who wished to expectorate on others below, and an attraction that will also be missed by those of us who behaved ourselves while on it.
Disneyland will always be changing. I know that, and I support that. But some of us will still miss attractions that are no longer there, and be sad to see them ago, even if that appears silly to some. I'll miss the Skyway, but I sure do look forward to Indiana Jones!
Epilogue:
The towers were removed within days. The Fantasyland station is still there, but the
Tomorrowland station was renovated away. The Matterhorn was indeed altered so that it
looks significantly different where the Skyway used to run through it.
One final note: The Disneyland Skyway was not closed due to safety concerns or due to any incident. There was indeed an incident not too long before the Skyway closed where a man stood up, reached out of the bucket, struggled with the door lock until it opened, and purposefully dropped from the cabin into a tree just a couple yards under the cabin. He was not seriously injured by his little stunt. However, it was well known among Disney cast members and fans, prior to this incident, that the Skyway was slated for either replacement or removal.
Related Links
- Skyway video clips including a complete ride from the last day (from The Happiest Page on Earth)
- Skyway to Fantasyland and Skyway to Tomorrowland (from Yesterland)
- Disney Grounds Skyway Ride (from 11/10/99 Orlando Sentinel)
-- Posted 11/10/99
-- Written by Ken Pellman. Ken Pellman contributes occasionally to LaughingPlace.com and
has his own site at http://www.Pellman.com.
He can be reached at [email protected].
-- Pictures by Rebekah Moseley