A guide to resort Hopping on The Disney Skyliner
Not sure if a Skyliner resort is WORTH IT? In this post we are going to talk about all the in’s and out’s of park hopping on the Skyliner as well as some of the fun things you can do! Spoiler, it’s TOTALLY worth it!
but first, don’t forget to check out our skyliner videos!
What is the Skyliner?
The Disney Skyliner is the newest form of complimentary transportation that is offered by Disney World to connect several resorts and theme parks.
It is a gondola type system similar to what you may find in many ski or mountain destinations. It picks you up at a station and then carries you through the sky on a series of cables to your destination. Depending on where you are going, you may have to get off and reboard at a transfer station.
Each gondola car can hold up to ten guests and have both handicap and stroller access. This makes it easy so that everyone can ride!
Where Does it take you?
There are a TON of places that you can easily get to using the Skyliner including 7 resorts and 2 theme parks! Hollywood Studios and Epcot both have stations, but keep in mind that Epcot’s station is at the entrance to the International Gateway into world showcase and NOT the main entrance near future world.
The resorts on this line are: Pop Century, Art of Animation, Caribbean Beach, Riviera, and Yacht & Beach Club as well as the Boardwalk!
This is a big deal because before the Skyliner, it was very difficult to travel from resort to resort unless you are staying at one of the pricier monorail resorts. You would either have to take a bus to a theme park or Disney Springs and then catch ANOTHER bus to the resort you wanted to visit, or you would have to pay for an Uber, Lyft, or Minnie Van service to take you.
Now, you can visit any of these resorts with ease, much like you would at the Monorail Resorts without having to eat up a ton of time. What makes this even better is that Caribbean Beach is a moderate resort and Pop Century and Art of Animation are both Value resorts! That means you get to take benefit of this perk without the expensive deluxe price tag!
Why Would I Want to Go to other resorts?
The resorts offer many things to do other than a hotel room and a pool. You will often find tons of great places to eat and shop, as well as some fun lounges and pool bars with some pretty exceptional offerings.
Art of Animation
This resort is full of giant larger-than-life sculptures and theming throughout the resort that makes it super fun to walk around with your little ones and take lots of photos
You can also visit their Food Court Area with lots of yummy eats and participate in Drawing contests and other activities held throughout the day!
Pop Century
This resort is also known for it’s larger-than-life theming! The gift shop here is one of our favorites and has some really fun souvenirs and gifts for you to take home.
If anything, take a chance to go smell this lobby because it is honestly one of our favorites! (weird, I know, but it’s true!) You can even grab a few drinks at Petals Pool Bar or a quick bite at the food court.
Caribbean Beach
This tropical themed resort has several great restaurant offerings including Sebastian’s Bistro and Spyglass Grill, but our new favorite is to actually check out the Pool Lounge and Bar! They serve tons of great cocktails and drinks, but they also feature some delicious eats as well! We especially recommend the Pineapple Coconut Bread Pudding!
You can of course also enjoy shopping, check out their breezy beachy lobby, or participate in other activites held throughout the day! This is also a HUGE resort and great to just walk around or lounge in a hammock on the sandy beach.
The Riviera
This Deluxe resort is one of our favorites to hop to! The resort itself is absolutely stunning and features Signature and Quick Service Dining.
Topolino’s is, in our opinion, one of the best restaurants on property and they even make their pasta in house and fresh daily. You can also enjoy some unique eats in their quick service location or enjoy some drinks in Le Pettit Cafe or the adjoining Lounge.
Don’t forget to visit the massive Peter Pan and Tangled Mosaic Walls just off of the Skyliner Station exit. These things are stunning and perfect for a quick photo op!
Yacht and Beach Club
These two resorts are joined together but are actually two separate resorts. There are quite a few dining locations to enjoy, but something really fun is to pop over to Beaches and Cream with your family and try to eat the Kitchen Sink! This is a GIANT ice cream sundae that you will definitely need a team to eat!
You can also relax on the beaches and watch the boats go across the water as you sip on a fun drink or build sand castles in the sand.
The Boardwalk
This resort is one you should definitely try to make it to! There are tons of shopping locations, dining, snacks, and live entertainment that you can enjoy. There is even a dueling piano bar that is bustling with energy every night!
This resort is super unique in it’s theming, so take some time to walk around and spot all of the (sometimes weird) decor you may find around the resort.
Other Ideas
As you can see there are plenty of things to do at each resort, but even though you may or may not have time to truly explore them all, you can make a fun afternoon or evening out of resort hopping.
Our personal favorite is to do a Food or Bar Crawl. This means you make a stop at every resort and/or park and grab either a drink from the pool bar or a food item (to share) from each stop.
It’s a great way to have a relaxing afternoon and its something fun to do outside of the theme parks! The best part it you don’t go to the theme parks, you don’t even need to have a park ticket! You could easily fill an entire day exploring the resorts on the Skyliner.
Things to KNow
There are 5 total Skyliner Stations: one between Pop & Art of Animation, one at Caribbean Beach, one at Riviera, one at the entrance to Hollywood Studios and one at the International Gateway at Epcot.
Caribbean Beach is the transfer hub station, so know that this can get super crowded in the mornings when people are trying to get to the theme parks. The nice thing is that the lines move super fast and you can always grab a morning coffee or pastry at the Joffrey’s Kiosk near the entrance.
As of right now, if you are trying to take the Skyliner from Caribbean Beach to the Riviera, Yacht & Beach Club, The Boardwalk, or Epcot before Epcot has opened for the day, you must have a dining reservation to be allowed to use the service. The cast members will ask to see proof of your confirmation and mobile orders do not count.
Don’t fear! If you are trying to go to the Riviera for a Primo Piatto Breakfast (which is totally delicious BTW) then it’s just a short 8 minute walk over. Once you are there, they don’t question you, they just want to make sure that you don’t get stuck at a resort without an easy way to get back.
The Skyliner starts to run about an hour before parks open and about an hour or so after park close, so be sure to check the signs posted out front for operating hours so that again, you don’t get stuck somewhere without an easy way to get back.
The lines get pretty long after park close, so it says that the Skyliner closes an hour after park close, but if there is still a pretty long line, they will continue to run it until it dies down. Don’t take that as a guarantee because you don’t want to be caught by surprise!
The Skyliner in and of itself feels like a ride and is something you should definitely try to experience at least once on your trip! If you have the time, make a whole day out of it! You won’t regret it!
