A relatively recent addition to Walt Disney World, the Disney Skyliner is a series of aerial gondolas that take you between certain resorts and theme parks. That’s right, you can now take to the sky to get around parts of Walt Disney World. Here is the Disney Skyliner Map and Routes: your complete guide.

About the Disney Skyliner

The Disney Skyliner is a gondola lift system that provides transportation between EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and four Disney resorts. It is free—you do not need to pay for an additional ticket or make a reservation to ride the Disney Skyliner.

Where are the Disney Skyliner Stations?

The Disney Skyliner primarily travels between EPCOT and Hollywood Studios parks and certain surrounding resorts. But where exactly, you ask? Read further to learn exactly where each Disney Skyliner station can be found.

EPCOT International Gateway

The International Gateway is the EPCOT park entrance located at the southwest corner of the park (close to the France Pavilion). Because the International Gateway stop is technically just outside of EPCOT, you can use the Disney Skyliner to access resorts (and their dining options) within walking distance, including the Yacht Club Resort, Beach Club Resort, and the Boardwalk Inn. (See my resort reviews of the Yacht Club and the Boardwalk Inn & Villas.)

Disney’s Hollywood Studios Station

The Disney Skyliner station at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is just outside the park entrance (close to the bus stop) and a short walk into the park.

Disney Skyliner Stations at Disney Resorts

There are four Disney Resorts that are home to Skyliner stations. They range in price and theming, but they all are in the general EPCOT-Hollywood Studios area of Walt Disney World. The Disney Skyler resorts are as follows:

Disney’s Riviera Resort

The Disney Skyliner station at Disney’s Riviera Resort—home to my favorite character dining experience at Walt Disney World (see my review of Topolino’s Terrace here)—can be found next to the now iconic mosaics themed to Tangled and Peter Pan, not far from the pools.

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort

The Disney Skyliner station at Disney’s Caribbean Beach is the hub for the Disney Skyliner. Depending on your destination, you may need to get out at this station for a transfer. (See my helpful tips below or examples.) You can find this station at the Southwest Corner of Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort.

Disney’s Pop Century Resort and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort

Disney’s Pop Century Resort and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort actually share a station that sits at the center of Hourglass Lake, the lake situated between the resorts. Fun fact: this station is the only Disney Skyliner station that floats! The more you know.

Helpful Tips for Using the Disney Skyliner

Depending on your destination, you may need to make a transfer at certain stations. Here is a map of the Disney Skyliner route.

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort acts as the epicenter for the Disney Skyliner.

Getting to Disney’s Hollywood Studios via the Disney Skyliner. Guests heading from Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort, or Disney’s Riviera Resort will need to stop at the Disney’s Caribbean Beach station to transfer for their trip to Hollywood Studios.

Getting from Disney’s Hollywood Studios to Disney Skyliner Resorts. When leaving Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you do the reverse: simply stop and get out at Disneys’ Caribbean Beach Resort station, and then take the gondolas heading to your desired destination along the Disney Skyliner route.

Getting to EPCOT from Pop Century, Art of Animation, or Caribbean Beach via the Disney Skyliner. Guests traveling via the Disney Skyliner from Hollywood Studios, Pop Century, Art of Animation, or Caribbean Beach Resort will need to stop and get out at the Riviera Resort station and transfer to the gondolas heading from that resort to EPCOT.

Getting to EPCOT from Disney’s Riviera Resort. Guests riding the Disney Skyliner to EPCOT from the Riviera Resort do not need to transfer because the Riviera Resort station heads straight from that resort to EPCOT.

Inclement Weather may impact the availability of the Disney Skyliner. If rain or storms are forecasted on your theme park day, prepare a backup plan in the event the Disney Skyliner goes down.

Disney Skyliner Hours of Operation

According to the Disney website, the Disney Skyliner operates on the following schedule:

• Disney Skyliner will be available each day one hour before Early Theme Park Entry begins at EPCOT or Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Disney Skyliner will close each day 90 minutes after EPCOT or Disney’s Hollywood Studios closes
• On nights when EPCOT offers Extended Evening Hours, Disney Skyliner will close one hour after they close*

*During this time, Disney Skyliner will only offer transportation to Disney’s Riviera Resort from EPCOT International Gateway. The route that moves between Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, Disney’s Pop Century Resort and Disney’s Art of Animation Resort will be unavailable.

A note for parents

During my last stay at Disney’s Riviera Resort I encountered some issues at Disney Skyliner stations that I thought I would share. Importantly, I have three small children and we travel with a double stroller that is really compact and fits in most spaces. I am well aware of when it needs to be broken down to board—for the Disney Skyliner, that previously meant just before boarding the gondola.

On my most recent trip, I ran into inconsistencies at both the Caribbean Beach station and at the Art of Animation/Pop Century station. At the Caribbean Beach station, a Cast Member told me to fold it down from the queue, which required me to unload two of my kids, fold it, and then walk a further distance to board the moving gondola—no easy feat for a tired parent. I thought it was an odd request but of course obliged. The Cast Member suggested that we perhaps use the accessibility line for easier access on the way back (I will return to this point).

However, things got even more interesting at the Art of Animation/Pop Century station where, upon attempting to return to the Riviera Resort, I was instructed to break down the stroller before I even entered the station—you read that right. If you’ve used the Disney Skyliner, you know that is not a short distance. Luckily, there wasn’t a long line, but I can’t imagine having to do so in a line where I would need to start and stop before reaching the gondolas.

That said, I had to unload my kids, break down the stroller, and carry it from the very front of the entrance to the gondola—it wasn’t easy, and even a light stroller can get heavy towards the end of such a distance. I am a tired dad—this is the last thing I needed for my back.

Lastly, when I returned to the Caribbean Beach station en route to the Riviera Resort, I heeded the other Cast Member’s advice to try for the accessibility line, if only to save my back. The Cast Members there acted completely shocked, and firmly told me I could not use that line and that strollers must use the regular line. This tired dad with three tired little ones obliged again, but note that as we neared the regular line the Cast Members changed course and called out to us that we could use the other line if “we needed to.” It was a bit of mess. Sources tell me that this is apparently a new requirement and I thought it would be worth sharing here for parents who may encounter such inconsistencies at Disney Skyliner stations on their next trip.

Final Thoughts and Other Transportation Options

The Disney Skyliner is a unique, efficient, and fun addition to the suite of transportation options offered at Walt Disney World. There’s something about seeing the gondolas around the Walt Disney World skyline that add a touch of magic to an already magical place. If used appropriately, they can quickly get you to two of the four theme parks, and between certain restaurants.

Be prepared to encounter some parking or other logistical barriers you may need to navigate to use the Disney Skyliner. For example, because the International Gateway Disney Skyliner station is technically located outside of EPCOT, it doesn’t connect you to the Magic Kingdom—which can be reached by monorail from the front of EPCOT. Also, if you aren’t staying or dining at a resort with a Disney Skyliner station, it may be hard to find a parking spot at said resort to use the Disney Skyliner station. Finally, you may need to follow different instructions at different stations that may depend on the specific Cast Members, who are, of course, only doing their jobs—just be prepared.

But don’t fret— a good plan (and this guide) can get you where you need to go. And there are always other Walt Disney World transpiration options—see my guide to the monorail and boat transportation around Disney property.

Are you a fan of the Disney Skyliner? Do you prefer Disney resorts with Disney Skyliner stations? Sound off below.

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