In this post, we’re going to give an overview of the Walt Disney World Resort “Skyliner” gondola system. This transportation option connects Epcot and Hollywood Studios to four resorts, providing great views along the way. Read on to learn everything you need to know about the Disney Skyliner!
What Is the Disney Skyliner?
The Disney Skyliner is a gondola lift transportation system that connects Hollywood Studios and Epcot to four Disney resorts. The below video shows them in action:
How Much Does it Cost to ride the Skyliner?
The Skyliner is free, just like the Disney buses, boats, and monorails.
What Resorts and Theme Parks Are on the Skyliner?
The Skyliner connects two theme parks—Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios to four resorts: Caribbean Beach, Pop Century, Art of Animation, and Riviera Resort. Pop Century Resort and Art of Animation Resort share a single station between the two hotels. If you need to know more about these hotels, we have the following reviews:
We haven’t reviewed Disney’s Riviera Resort and have no plans to do so. Here’s a review of Riviera by Disney Tourist Blog.
Map of the Disney Skyliner
Here’s a map of the Disney Skyliner route (numbers are Disney’s estimated travel times, more about these below):
What are the Skyliner hours?
Skyliner hours aren’t currently available in advance. The hours also vary by line, discussed more below. If you’re staying at a hotel with a Skyliner stop, the front desk or the Cast Members at the Skyliner itself should be able to tell you today and tomorrow’s hours.
Generally, the park lines (to Epcot and Hollywood Studios) begin operating an hour before the park opens for Early Entry. They typically stop operating an hour after the park closes.
Typically, the Pop / Art of Animation line will begin operating whenever the first park line begins running and stay running until both park lines are done running.
Where are the Disney Skyliner Stations located?
The Caribbean Beach station is located across the lake from the Trinidad section of rooms (these are the old Pirate Rooms, now the beautiful new Under the Sea rooms). This is also just south of the Jamaica section of rooms.
The Riviera Resort station is located between the Riviera Resort and Caribbean Beach Aruba Rooms. This means all guests staying on the west side of Caribbean Beach, farthest from the main building and pool, have easy Skyliner access.
At Art of Animation and Pop Century, the station sits between the two resorts on Hourglass Lake. (You can read a comparison of Pop Century and Art of Animation here.)
At Hollywood Studios, the Skyliner station is unmissable outside the front of the park, on the way to the buses.
The Epcot station is located at the World Showcase entrance (“International Gateway”), not the main entrance. If you’re unfamiliar with this entrance, it’s accessible via the bridge between the UK and France pavilions. The entrance also serves guests staying at the Boardwalk area hotels.
Disney Skyliner Lines and Transfers
There are three distinct Skyliner lines:
Line between Caribbean Beach and Pop Century / Art of Animation
Line between Caribbean Beach and Hollywood Studios
Line between Caribbean Beach and Epcot with stop at Riviera Resort
As you can tell from the map above and the descriptions of the lines, the hub of the Disney Skyliner system is at Caribbean Beach. If you need to “change lines” you will have to transfer at Caribbean Beach.
Transfers are incredibly straightforward. The lines are all terminate right next to each other at Caribbean Beach, so to transfer you just exit one line and get in line for your destination. For example, if you’re going from Pop Century to Hollywood Studios, you’ll get on a Hourglass Lake, get off at Caribbean Beach, and then queue—behind any guests who are already queued—for the Hollywood Studios line at Caribbean Beach
Disney Skyliner Travel Times
The estimated travel times (that have been relatively accurate in our experience) are:
Caribbean Beach to Hollywood Studios: 6 minutes
Caribbean Beach to Pop Century/Art of Animation: 6 minutes
Caribbean Beach to Riviera Resort: 5 minutes
Riviera Resort to Epcot: 9 minutes
Disney’s estimated times are a bit conservative—our actual experience tends to be about 10% faster. However, as discussed more below, there is enough risk of unexpected delay—e.g. stops mid-ride, that using Disney’s estimates for planning is a fine option.
Transfer times are minimal outside peak times, with midday waits being between the 30 seconds it takes to walk from one line to the other and a few minutes. If a park is opening or closing, you may encounter transfer times of 5 or even 10+ minutes.
Here’s a resort-by-resort look at the estimated Skyliner travel times to the parks.
Caribbean Beach Estimated Disney Skyliner Travel Times
Caribbean Beach to Epcot — 14 minutes
Caribbean Beach to Hollywood Studios — 6 minutes
Pop Century / Art of Animation Estimated Disney Skyliner Travel Times
Pop Century / Art of Animation to Epcot — 20 minutes (plus transfer time)
Pop Century / Art of Animation to Hollywood Studios — 12 minutes (plus transfer time)
Riviera Resort Estimated Disney Skyliner Travel Times
Riviera Resort to Epcot — 9 minutes
Riviera Resort to Hollywood Studios — 11 minutes (plus transfer time)
Dsiney Skyliner Refurbishment Dates
The Disney Skyliner typically undergoes an annual refurbishment in the second half of January. This results in all / or part of the system being closed during these dates. Here are the dates from recent years:
2024 - January 16 through January 27
2023 - January 22 through January 29
2022 January 23 through January 28
Based on these dates (usually just after Martin Luther King Jr. weekend), it’s reasonable to expect the 2025 refurbishment to take place around January 21, 2025 through January 28, 2025, though nothing has been announced yet.
Best Resort for Disney Skyliner
Caribbean Beach is the best resort when it comes to Skyliner access. Riviera Resort—on the Skyliner route between Epcot and Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort—has comparable travel times, but with a required transfer if you’re going to Hollywood Studios. And if you’re deciding between Riviera and Caribbean Beach based on the presence of a Skyliner transfer…you’re doing it wrong.
We very much enjoyed our stay in the new Under the Sea rooms at our last visit to Caribbean Beach. These rooms are brand new, close to the Skyliner, but far from the main hotel amenities. In our case, having the resort’s secondary quick service restaurant right outside the room was enough for us.
That said, there are smaller factors you might not consider that can impact how you feel about any resort. We cover these next as part of our Disney Skyliner FAQ.
Disney Skyliner FAQ
There are a lot of factors that impact a Skyliner trip. Here’s just a few things along with our best answers from our Skyliner experiences…
Can I ride the Skyliner without getting off (round-trip)?
Almost. You can take a roundtrip journey via Skyliner, but you will have to get off at a destination—you cannot just stay on through a station. You can usually just walk right back on going the other way. Of course, during peak times (park closing, particularly) this might be a bad idea.
Can you take the bus instead?
Sometimes, but don’t count on it. Often, you’ll get to the bus stop and the signage will direct you to take the Skyliner instead.
How Long Are Waits?
The Skyliner waits have been mostly manageable and not a reason to avoid the Skyliner. From outside the entrance to the Epcot Skyliner station, for example, we waited only 10 minutes. The biggest problems arise at park close and when lines go down (or, worse, when both those happen at the same time):
The #DisneySkyliner logistics at the end of the night at Epcot are a mess. At this point, we can't recommend using the system as a reliable form of transportation. From frequent stops to managers who weren't prepared for park close, there are plenty of growing pains pic.twitter.com/wQrbqxU1C6
— BlogMickey.com (@Blog_Mickey) October 4, 2019
At Epcot, the situation is particularly complicated. The Skyliner station is not connected to the bus depot (they’re on opposite ends of the park). So if you exit and the park closes, your only option is to take the Skyliner or cab/Uber/Minnie Van from Beach Club. I believe on the rare occasion that the Skyliner breaks down in this instance, they run buses from Beach Club to the Skyliner resorts.
At Hollywood Studios, if the Skyliner is operating you’ll have to check if buses are also running. But if it’s closed, you’ll be able to catch a bus from the bus depot.
What happens when a Skyliner line goes down?
Based on what we’ve seen on social media and in our own experience, stoppages of 2-5 minutes are relatively common while stoppages for 15+ minutes are very rare.
When a line has gone down, we’ve seen buses operate from next to the Caribbean Beach station to get people to their destination. One day, for example, the Art of Animation / Pop Century line went down, so guests coming from the park got to Caribbean Beach only to find out they had to wait in a long line for the bus (or pay $12 to Uber).
If the line goes down at Epcot, guests are directed to the front of the park to catch a bus. This is an enormous pain, given how far the two exits are from each other.
How Do Transfers Work?
Transfers are smooth and straightforward. Guests exiting one line simply get in line for the line they need to transfer to. All guests—transfers and guests departing from Caribbean Beach—use the same queues.
Do I Need a Park Ticket To Ride the Disney Skyliner?
No, you don’t. The Skyliner drops you off outside the entrance to both parks, so you don’t need a ticket for the Skyliner.
Can you ride the Skyliner for fun?
As long as you can get to one of the stations, you can ride the Skyliner for fun. You cannot stay on the Skyliner round trip though, you will have to get off and back on at a stop. Luckily, this is rarely going to involve any wait at all (unless you’re riding for fun at park opening or closing time).
Where Else Can I Take the Skyliner?
Besides the two parks, you can take the Skyliner to the four resorts—Caribbean Beach, Pop Century, Art of Animation, and Riviera Resort. Obviously you can also visit these resorts’ restaurants, or bars if you wanted to do a Skyliner bar crawl.
But the Skyliner Station at Epcot is also adjacent to the Boardwalk area, which hours three Disney hotels—Yacht Club, Beach Club, and BoardWalk Inn, along with a variety of dining / drinking options and the Swan & Dolphin hotels, operated by Marriott.
If you had a meal or wanted to grab drinks around the Boardwalk, this station is a great option for access from the Skyliner resorts. Keep in mind you will be limited by the Skyliner operating hours, which are tied to park operating hours.
Are Yacht Club, Beach Club, and BoardWalk Inn Skyliner Resorts?
Technically guests of these three hotels are just a short walk from the Epcot Skyliner station…but it would only be useful for connecting them to the four Skyliner hotels because they can already easily walk or take the Friendship boats to both Epcot and Hollywood Studios.
How Do Riviera Resort Guests Get Spots?
The Riviera Resort stop is along the Epcot line. It’s the only stop that isn’t an endpoint (i.e. where all guests have to exit). Presumably, Cast Members leave a few empty seats in each gondola to accommodate these guests. I’ve not heard of this being a real problem.
Does Room Location Matter?
Buses at Caribbean Beach make several stops around the resort. The Skyliner has one station officially at Caribbean Beach and one (Riviera station) also close to some Caribbean rooms. If you’re based far from the Skyliner, you’ll have to account for extra walking time.
Likewise, if you’re much closer to the bus stop at Pop Century or Art of Animation, it might be faster to take the bus (assuming you time it right) than to walk all the way to the Skyliner.
Which Epcot Entrance is better?
Note: Once Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind stops using a virtual queue, this section may be inaccurate.
Epcot has two entrances—a World Showcase entrance for guests arriving by boat, foot path, or Skyliner, and a main entrance for all other guests (including those by bus from Skyliner resorts, when that’s an option).
If you have access to the Skyliner, you should just take it to Epcot. Then plan your Epcot rope drop strategy and Epcot Lightning Lane strategy accordingly.
Is the Disney World Skyliner air conditioned?
No. They have vents that allow air to pass through them (see the top of the below picture), but the gondolas are not air conditioned. As long as the gondolas are moving, they’re pretty comfortable.
What are the seats on the Skyliner like?
As you can see in the above picture, the seats are simple wooden benches.
Do you get motion sickness on the Skyliner?
Neither of us has a particularly strong stomach (i.e. we both get nauseated on some rides, on occasion, Emily can barely ride the subway some days), but neither of us has ever gotten motion sickness on the Skyliner. That said, I’m sure some people experience motion sickness, just as I’m sure some people experience it on the carrousel.
It’s worth remembering, too, that if you have a fear of heights or experience vertigo-like symptoms, you might have a worse experience.
How Many People Does the Skyliner Hold?
I don’t know about the overall system capacity, but each of the gondola cabins holds up to ten people.
Isn’t a Gondola A Boat?
The word “gondola” originally referred to the long, narrow boats used to navigate the canals of Venice. Over many years, the term came to be used to refer to different, similar shaped containers, including those used in rail transport, those handing from the underside of an air vessel, and eventually those suspended by cable.
All Your Other Disney World Planning Questions Answered
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Just starting out? Check out our Walt Disney World planning guide! If you're still picking dates, we've got everything you need to know about Disney World crowd calendars. For picking your hotel, check out our Walt Disney World hotels guide.
When it comes time to book we’ll help you find discount Disney World tickets. Decide whether you need a dining plan in our Complete Guide to Disney World Dining Plans! And don't forget to book those Disney World Advance Dining Reservations!
Don't forget to master your Disney World Lightning Lane Guide and Strategy a few months in advance. We'll keep you out of long lines so you can maximize the magical time in the parks! We've got park-specific guides as well: Magic Kingdom Lightning Lane Strategy, Epcot Lightning Lane Strategy, Animal Kingdom Lightning Lane Strategy, and Hollywood Studios Lightning Lane Strategy.
Know what to ride with our guides to: Magic Kingdom rides, Hollywood Studios rides, Epcot rides, and Animal Kingdom rides! Plus learn about the water parks with our guide to Blizzard Beach and our guide to Typhoon Lagoon! And for some some fun prep, check out our Ranking of Every Ride at Walt Disney World.
Finally, before you head out, be sure to check out our to-the-point packing list, 10 essentials you forget to pack for every Disney trip. And if you're interested in saving, there's no better list than our 53 Ways to Save on your Disney trip from start to finish.