The Rules About the Skyliner at Disney World

There are ALL kinds of rules in Disney World you might not know about — but we can help!

We’ve shared a look at the unspoken rules about shoes, important ride rules, and even refillable mug rules. But right now our focus is on the rules surrounding one of the newer (and most popular) forms of Disney World transportation — the Disney Skyliner!

Overview

In case you’re not familiar with it, the Disney Skyliner is a gondola system that floats high above the sky in Disney World.

The Skyliner connects Disney’s Hollywood Studios and the international gateway (back entrance) at EPCOT to:

• Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
• Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
• Disney’s Pop Century Resort
• Disney’s Riviera Resort

Note that Art of Animation and Pop Century SHARE a single Skyliner station, while the others each have their own individual stations.

Like the monorail, the Skyliner is a mode of transportation meant to help you conveniently get places, but for many, it is also a ride. You can get some pretty amazing views of Disney World from above, enjoy a leisurely ride around, and easily connect to various spots.

Note that the Skyliner is entirely FREE to ride for all guests. You won’t be able to access it unless you get to one of its stations, so that could cause some barriers. But you don’t need to be staying at one of the hotels on the Skyliner lines to use the service.

So if, for example, you are planning a park day at EPCOT and want to hop on the Skyliner to visit Disney’s Riviera Resort (even though you’re not staying at the Rivieria Resort) you can do that.

Now that you know some Skyliner basics, let’s get into the rules.

Stay Seated!

First off, we’ve got an important one. Riders are instructed to remain seated on the Skyliner and that is a rule you need to stick to.

Do NOT stand up when on this mode of transportation.

Weather

The next big thing you should know about is related to weather and how it impacts the Skyliner. When there is inclement weather, the Skyliner will CLOSE until it can safely resume its operations.

What does “inclement weather” involve? Well, it’s not just your ordinary rain. The Skyliner will typically run in the rain. There are vent flaps on the vehicles that open and close so you can be fully protected from the elements, and in the past, we have been advised by a Skyliner Cast Member that we could close those vents in the rain to avoid getting wet.

While ordinary rain won’t shut the Skyliner down, the gondola system will generally stop temporarily when there is lightning in the area and/or if there are strong winds.

If you’re in Disney World and the weather looks questionable, you can head over to the Skyliner station area to see if a Cast Member has information on a potential closure or if signs are already up indicating its temporary closure.

Be aware that if the Skyliner stops running mid-service, that can leave some riders stuck aboard the gondolas for a prolonged period of time. Cast Members do work to ensure everyone is safely off before the service is completely stopped, but it might cause a bit of a delay.

If the Skyliner does shut down temporarily due to weather issues, you’ll need to hop on an alternative form of transportation to get to your ultimate destination. Typically, buses or other forms of transportation will be available or will be made available during these situations so you can still get around.

Having to use an alternative form of transportation can complicate your plans, however, so the possibility of the Skyliner closing is just something to keep in mind if you are planning to visit Disney World during a particularly stormy season (like the summer).

Click here to read all about the DANGER of relying on the Skyliner in Disney World

Early Theme Park Entry Rules

When does the Skyliner start operating? Well, according to Disney’s rules, the Skyliner is available every day 1 hour BEFORE Early Theme Park Entry starts at EPCOT or Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

Early Theme Park Entry is a perk for Disney World hotel guests that lets those guests enter any park (with a Park Pass) 30 minutes prior to that park’s official opening time.

Read more about Early Entry here

Closing Hour

How long does the Skyliner stay open? That’s another good question! Disney’s rules indicate that the Skyliner closes each day 90 minutes AFTER EPCOT or Disney’s Hollywood Studios closes.

Extended Evening Hours

There’s an important thing to keep in mind when it comes to Extended Evening Hours. This is a special perk available to those staying at Disney World Deluxe Resorts, Deluxe Villas, and select other hotels. This perk allows qualifying guests to stay in certain parks on select nights AFTER that park has already closed to the public.

On a night when EPCOT or Disney’s Hollywood Studios offers Extended Evening Hours, the Skyliner will close 1 hour AFTER those parks close for the Extended Evening Hours event. So if the Extended Evening Hours run until 11PM at EPCOT, then the Skyliner shouldn’t close until 12AM.

Note, however, that Disney warns — “During this time, Disney Skyliner will only offer transportation to Disney’s Riviera Resort and Disney’s BoardWalk Resort” (via the International Gateway stop that is just outside of EPCOT). Disney continues “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.”

That’s a really important thing to keep in mind!

Be CAREFUL With EPCOT’s Hours

There’s another thing regarding park hours that you also need to keep in mind. Let’s say you park in EPCOT to start your day, make your way to the Skyliner station by International Gateway, and then hop on the Skyliner to visit Disney’s Hollywood Studios and/or the hotels on the various Skyliner lines. At the end of the day, you’ll need to get back to EPCOT to get your car because that’s where you parked it.

But if you are using the Skyliner to get around and you get back to the International Gateway station AFTER EPCOT has closed for the day, you’ll find yourself in a bit of a pickle. 

Normally (when the park is open) you’d be able to walk from the International Gateway station into EPCOT and then through EPCOT to the front of the park and out to the parking lot. But if EPCOT has closed for the night, you will NOT be able to walk through EPCOT to the parking lot. That means you’ll need to use an alternative form of transportation (like a Disney bus) to get to the front of EPCOT and the parking lot area.

So keep a close eye on those EPCOT hours!

Flying Solo

The Skyliner gondolas fit multiple people and parties — typically up to 10 without any wheelchairs or ECVs (up to 6 with a wheelchair or ECV onboard).

If you want to try and ride on your own, you can attempt to request a gondola for yourself and Cast Members may try to accommodate that request, but there’s no guarantee (and this may not be possible to accommodate at all during peak busy periods like park open or close).

Strollers

Traveling with a stroller? Know that a stroller can stay OPEN with a child riding inside of it as long as they fall within the maximum size requirements: 30″ x 48″.

Generally, single strollers and double strollers that have front-and-back seats will be okay (again, as long as they fall within that limitation), but side-by-side double strollers are typically too large and will have to be folded up.

Wheelchair or ECV

If you’re using a wheelchair or ECV or will require a stopped Skyliner vehicle to board, there are separate queue lines you’ll want to get in for this.

There’s a dedicated section next to the standard line that allows gondolas to stop so guests with this requirement can board safely. Once you board, the gondola will then join up with the main line.

Routes and Transfer Point

The Skyliner technically has different routes that’ll help you get to a few different spots, and getting to your ultimate destination may require a transfer. Here’s what you need to know.

First, there are Skyliner stations at these spots:

• EPCOT (International Gateway — back near Disney’s Beach Club Resort/Disney’s Yacht Club Resort — technically this station is OUTSIDE the park)
• Disney’s Riviera Resort
• Disney’s Hollywood Studios
• Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
• Disney’s Art of Animation Resort/Disney’s Pop Century Resort

The “central hub” and transfer spot is the station at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. The Caribbean Beach Resort station is considered an “end of the line” station, meaning you’ll need to get off here and then transfer to the routes that’ll take you to the other destinations.

Let’s go through the paths. If you’re starting at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, you can go the EPCOT Route, which involves stops at Disney’s Riviera Resort and then EPCOT.

From Disney’s Caribbean Beach, you can also opt for the Hollywood Studios route, which takes you from Caribbean Beach to Hollywood Studios directly.

Finally, there’s the Pop Century/Art of Animation Route, which takes you from Caribbean Beach to Pop Century and Art of Animation.

Travel times vary between stops, but are generally as follows:

• Caribbean Beach to Hollywood Studios — 4-5 minutes
• Caribbean Beach to Art of Animation/Pop Century — 5 minutes
• Caribbean Beach to Riviera Resort — 2-3 minutes
• Riviera Resort to EPCOT (no transfer) — 9-10 minutes

So, let’s say you want to go from EPCOT to Hollywood Studios. You’d take the Skyliner from EPCOT to Disney’s Riviera Resort (you don’t need to get off there) and then continue to Caribbean Beach. You will NEED to get off at Caribbean Beach. Then you can hop in the separate line for the Skyliner route that’ll take you to Hollywood Studios.

If you want to go from Art of Animation to EPCOT, you’ll take the Skyliner from Art of Animation to Caribbean Beach. There, you’ll get off and transfer to the line that is specifically dedicated to those going to EPCOT. Once you get on the EPCOT-specific line, you’ll pass through the Riviera Resort (don’t need to get off here) and then onto EPCOT.

Those are some of the key rules about the Skyliner that you need to know. For more about Disney World transportation, click here. Stay tuned for more news and tips!

Are you a fan of the Skyliner in Disney World? Tell us in the comments.

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