Today in Disneyland history – November 10, 1994 – the Skyway closed. Mickey Mouse got the last ride across the park.
There has been speculation for many years as to why the Skyway closed. Some say it was because someone ‘fell’ out of a bucket. Others have said it’s because too many people were spitting and dropping things on guests from above.
More likely though, it was a financial decision. It took about four ROs (ride operators) on EACH side of the attraction. So if there were just two shifts for an operating day, that would be 16 Cast Members (employees) to run the ride each day. That may not seem like a lot, but it’s all about capacity (even today.) Compared to other attractions that used fewer ROs, the Skyway took a lot for a fairly low count (the number of guests to go through the attraction in an hour.)
Below is a wonderful photo of the Skyway from December 1956 as it passes over Holiday Hill. Notice anything missing? You may also ask – what is “Holiday Hill”? Holiday Hill was the space that soon became the Matterhorn.
