Disney’s new Skyliner gondola is closed after trapping passengers

Lake Buena Vista, Fla. — Walt Disney World officials said they are investigating the cause of its Skyliner transportation system's malfunction at Epcot that stranded passengers for about three hours Saturday night.

Disney released this statement about the rides status;

"One of the three Disney Skyliner routes experienced an unexpected downtime Saturday evening. As a result, the Skyliner will be closed while we look into the details surrounding this downtime. We apologize for this situation,” Disney said.

Riders shared on social media that they were stuck on the gondolas, including WFTV reporter Cierra Putman from our sister station Channel 9 Eyewitness News.

The gondolas on one of three routes came to a halt, and passengers were able to access emergency kits that included water, cups, a light stick and other items. Putnam shared a video on twitter. App users click here to see the video.

Putman said her group was stuck in a gondola for more than three hours. She also said Disney offered them two park hopper passes and $200 in gift cards

Aaron Murray, another guest who was stuck on the gondola, said at first he thought it was just a short delay, but a half-hour passed, then two hours, and he realized something was wrong.

"The biggest thing we became worried about is when they began evacuating the gondola behind us. They did get a bucket up there to remove two at a time," Murray said.

"Once we finally got grounded, their response was great. It wasn't their fault. It is something that happens, especially with new attractions like this," Murray said.

"We have a team diligently looking into the cause of last night's malfunction on the Epcot line of the Disney Skyliner. We have been in contact with the guests, many of whom were on the Skyliner for more than three hours, until we were able to restart the system. We express our sincere apologies for the inconvenience and continue to work with each guest individually.