The Disney Skyliner has been gliding through the skys of Walt Disney World since late 2019. If you weren’t able to take a trip to the vacation kingdom over the last few years, your next trip may be your first using this new style of Disney transportation. When the Disney Skyliner is up and running it’s incredibly convenient and usually the fastest way to get between the parks and resorts it’s connected to. The gondola line moves continuously keeping the cabins on the go at all times similar to Omnimover attractions like Haunted Mansion. This isn’t an in park attraction though. It has bird’s eye view excitement similar to the former Skyway attraction at Magic Kingdom in Fantasyland but can really take you places.
Disney Skyliner Resorts
The Disney Skyliner is a complimentary form of Disney transportation and you do not need to be a guest of a resort it serves to use it. You actually don’t need to be staying at any resort to ride. The only exception is if the lines are only open early for people with a dining reservation at a certain time or something unique like that. The addition of Disney Skyliner stops brings a lot of value to Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort and Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort with each receiving direct access. Note Art of Animation and Pop Century are neighbors and share a single station. The Disney Vacation Club property Disney’s Riviera Resort opened in December of 2019 with its own Skyliner station. While they don’t have a dedicated stop, guests of DVC resorts Disney’s Beach Club and Disney’s Boardwalk are able to easily access the Epcot station.
Disney Skyliner Route
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is the central Disney Skyliner hub. From there, there are three different routes each with their own queue line. The first route is a direct trip to the shared Art of Animation and Pop Century stop. Next, there is a direct trip to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The third route goes to the nearby Riviera but if you stay on the line it takes you to Epcot. Though it’s not a direct route, you don’t need to exit and wait in line to go to Epcot.
You’ll choose one of these routes, get in line to get on the line and be on your way. If you’re just wanting to ride for fun to experience it, you will have to exit at most stations and get back in line to return or to enjoy your next route. Here are a few hypotheticals for using the Disney Skyliner to get around.
Let’s say you’re staying at the Beach Club. You can walk to the Epcot Skyliner station just outside the back entrance of the park called the International Gateway. From there the Skyliner can take you straight to the Riviera resort for a rooftop, character breakfast at Topolino’s Terrace.
Or, you can stay on the Skyliner through the Riviera stop and exit at the main hub at Caribbean Beach. From there you can board your next route to swing into your day at Hollywood Studios.
The Disney Skyliner gondola system makes park hopping between Epcot and Hollywood Studios an absolute breeze.
Speaking of breezes, here are some more things you should know about the Disney Skyliner. The cabins are not air conditioned. The screened in windows on the top do provide a fair breeze when the cabin is in motion. As soon as it stops, it can get warm, especially during the day in the sun. It is possible you’ll be assigned to a cabin with another party but at slower times you can request to ride alone. It’s really up to the cast member working. If the timing ever works out on your trip, the Epcot fireworks views from the cabins on the Epcot line are absolutely amazing. You can also see Magic Kingdom fireworks from the Skyliner. Remember if you park at Epcot and use the Skyliner to get around during the day, you will need to return to the front of the park to get your car. The Epcot parking lot is on the other side of the park than the Skyliner station and you won’t be able to walk through after the park is closed so plan accordingly.
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