Tomorrowland Transit Authority

The Tomorrowland Transit Authority is one of Uncle Walt’s most unique creations. Walt looked at is as the mass transportation system of the future. This was one of the first commercial uses of linear synchronous motors. (Now they power things like Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.)     That’s my Uncle Walt, (yeah, I know he’s not really my uncle) slightly ahead of his time.  

  The track on this ride circles the Buzz Lightyear side of this land. You get a great view of some of Disney’s Timeless attractions.

The Preshow

There is not much of a preshow. Riding up the escalator can be an interesting experience.

The Crowds

Crowds? What Crowds? This is one of the few rides in Tomorrowland that doesn’t draw long lines. You can pretty much walk on to Tomorrowland Transit Authority at most hours of the day.   But, if you want to avoid crowds while at Walt Disney World you need a good plan. Touringplans.com has over 100 plans to help you get through the parks with the least amount of waiting in line. They’ve even got a smart phone app that will tell you the up to the minute length of every line in the parks.  

Dad’s Touringplans.com page

The Attraction

Uncle Walt wanted to design a pollution-free transportation system for the masses. He developed a new technology that uses magnets to power cars around a track. The amazing thing is this was almost 50 years ago. In the last 10 years this technology is starting to be used commercially. (Dad talks about Uncle Walt’s genius and the Tomorrowland Transit Authority.)   It’s amazing to watch how the continuous loading system works. the trains come together, then separate as they enter and exit the ride track.   Once you board you start your journey around the Magic Kingdom by entering Space Mountain. You get a quick peek at the inside, then you come back outside and get a unique look all around Tomorrowland.  

WARNING: It’s very dark in parts of this ride, which might be a little scary to small children.

Video from Tomorrowland Transit Authority

Fun Facts

Here are some interesting tidbits –

• You will hear references to the Blue Line, the Green Line and the Red Line during the narration. The Blue Line is the actual ride, the Red Line takes riders “off-planet” to distant destinations in the galaxy, while the Green Line provides transportation to the “Hover-Burbs”. You can see a diorama of the transportation system when you enter the north show building.
• During the ride you will see Uncle Walt’s vision of EPCOT as you pass by the Carousel of Progress.
• When Space Mountain breaks down and they have the lights on you can see the inside of the ride.

History

The WEDWay (Walter Elias Disney) People Mover opened on July 1, 1975. It was renamed to its current name in the spring of 1994. It was based on the Disneyland ride that used rotating tires to propel the cars through the ride.   At Disneyland the cars were covered, while here the track is covered.    

Dad’s Ride Information Table

TTA
Description: Ride through Tomorrowland on a futuristic people mover system
Height Requirement – none	Fastpass: no	Length of Ride: 10 minutes
Type of ride: Slow relaxing ride inside Space Mountain
Dad’s Ratings Toddlers Pre-Teens Teens Adults Grandparents 1 2 2 4 4
Other Information:

The Fine Print

Here’s some small print information

• Handheld Captioning is available with this attraction
• Guest may rent translation devices at Guest Relations
• Guest must walk to the attraction vehicles

Dad’s Bottom Line

The WEDWay People Mover has stayed pretty much the same through the years. It’s still way ahead of it’s time. Send the kids to Space Mountain and enjoy a relaxing trip around Tomorrowland.