About two and a half seconds into my first ride on the Disney Skyliner I absolutely fell in love with it. It is such a great way to get around Disney World and a huge asset to the Disney resorts that are on the Skyliner route. We stayed nine days at Pop Century in March 2021, and by the end of our trip we were absolute pros at the Disney Skyliner! Below I’m sharing all the tips, tricks, and info you need to know if you plan on utilizing the Skyliner on your next trip to Disney World!

What is the Skyliner?

The Skyliner is Walt Disney World’s newest form of transportation. It opened in September of 2019. It’s a system of aerial gondolas that glide above all the busses and traffic and take you straight to your destination! There are Skyliner stations at Pop Century and Art of Animation Resorts, Caribbean Beach Resort, Hollywood Studios, Riviera Resort, and Epcot. Here’s a link to the map of the route.

The Hub station is near Caribbean Beach Resort, where you get off and can transfer to another line. If you’re going into the Hub, you have to disembark. Then you can choose to get in line for Hollywood Studios, Epcot/Riviera, or Pop Century/Art of Animation. The Hub can be a little confusing your first time doing it (and overwhelming if it’s a busy time, like park opening). But there will always be cast members there to tell you where to go. By the end of our first day, we felt like pros.

The Skyliner only goes to these six locations. It does not service Magic Kingdom, Animal Kingdom, or Disney Springs at all, so even if you’re staying at a Skyliner Resort, you will still have to take a bus to these locations.

a view of palm trees and the disney skyliner from disney's riviera resort
What’s so great about the Skyliner?

First of all, I love that you can get access to the Skyliner staying at two different Value resorts (Pop Century and Art of Animation). Most of Disney World’s “upgrade” transportation options—basically anything that isn’t a bus—have generally only been available at Deluxe or some Moderate resorts. It’s a pretty big deal for a value resort to have a transportation option that isn’t a bus! 🙌

Second, it’s QUICK! Because the Skyliner system is always moving (it does pause sometimes, but never for very long), the line goes amazingly fast. The line can LOOK overwhelming, especially with social distancing causing it to spread out, but even at park close (which is one of the busiest times) I don’t think we ever waited longer than 20 minutes to get on. And this will hopefully expedite even more as social distancing restrictions lessen and Disney starts boarding multiple parties in each gondola again.

And third, it’s EASY. Going between the Skyliner resorts, Hollywood Studios, and Epcot is an absolute breeze. During our Pop Century stay, we were much more likely to go have dinner at Epcot than to stay and eat at the resort because Epcot was just a quick Skyliner ride away. Park hopping between Epcot and Hollywood Studios is also a breeze! No waiting for busses!! It’s amazing. It’s also much easier to resort-hop between Skyliner resorts. We were able to check out Riviera and Caribbean Beach Resorts easily—no more complicated bus routes or having to order an Uber driver to get you there.

sign that says disney skyliner with the skyliner gondolas in the background
Skyliner Tips & Other Info
  • Even if you’re afraid of heights or don’t think you’ll like it, give it a shot! Neither Korey nor Liam like heights at all and both of them loved the Skyliner! It’s a very smooth ride—unless it’s VERY windy, you’ll barely notice the gondola shifting once it’s in the air. And the more you ride it the more you get used to it. 😊
  • If you have a stroller you can wheel it right onto the Skyliner gondola! Sure beats having to fold and unfold the stroller every time you get on and off a bus!
  • The Skyliner is also wheelchair and ECV accessible! Just ask a cast member to point you to the part of the line for this, and they will be able to pull a Skyliner car off of the line for you to board while it’s stationary.
  • The gondolas are not air-conditioned, but they’re not as hot and stuffy as you might expect. When we were there, it was 90 degrees outside, but the gondolas were built with that in mind—the cross breeze from the windows really does work.
  • If you’re at a Skyliner resort, don’t rule out making a dining reservation at another Skyliner resort! Getting there will be a breeze and definitely worth it!
  • There’s also a Joffrey’s at the Hub station if you need a coffee fix! 🙌

Have you had a chance to ride the Skyliner yet? What’s your favorite mode of Disney transportation? Let me know in the comments below!

And check out some of my other Walt Disney World tips and tricks here!

Don’t forget to pin this post for later!
the disney skyliner reflected in hourglass lake with text everything you need to know about the disney skyliner