Update (4/18/17): According to documents obtained by the Orlando Sentinel, the rumored gondola system is a go. The paper reports that three lines will connect Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Caribbean Beach Resort, and the area between Pop Century Resort and the Art of Animation hotel. European company Doppelmayr appears to be the vendor for the system, and it’s expected that each vehicle will hold about 10 guests. Humorously, the Sentinel notes that the project has been code named “the Italian Job” around Disney, which is surely a reference to the canal gondolas in Venice, Italy. Disney, Reedy Creek, and Doppelmayr declined to comment.
Previously (February 2017):
The Disney rumor mill is abuzz today as WDWMagic message board users have uncovered permits filings that seem to suggest a new transportation system is coming to Walt Disney World, connecting Epcot, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and potentially the Art of Animation and Pop Century resorts. Many are pointing to an aerial gondola system as the most likely option based on the information presented, citing restrictions that existing roads present to any ground-level transit as well as the high cost of building and maintaining any additional monorail lines.
A potential path for an aerial gondola system (via The Disney Blog)
Obviously, with all of this only being rumor, it’s hard to say exactly what these gondolas would look like. It’s very unlikely that we’d see a return of the Skyway-style open air buckets, but something larger and enclosed is possible. A good comparison range would be the size of a Mickey’s Fun Wheel vehicle to about the size of a current WDW monorail car (minus the nose).
Once again, Disney has yet to announce anything official, so this is all conjecture and theory at this point… but what do you think about the potential of an aerial gondola system connecting Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios?