Disney World’s newest form of transportation is the Disney Skyliner, a gondola that connects EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios with several Disney Resorts.
Skyliner
Some people like to think of it as a ride in and of itself (remember Disneyland’s Skyway?) and we happen to love using it. But, there are some not-so-stellar aspects to the Skyliner, and we’re filling you in so you can be prepared.
The Skyliner can be an excellent way to get around Disney World. With stops at Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and multiple different resorts, chances are you might need to use it on your vacation, too! But, not all experiences are created equally, so we’re sharing what Disney doesn’t want you to know about the Skyliner and how you can prepare.
Skyliner Lines
Okay, you’re probably thinking, “This is Disney World we’re talking about, of course there will be lines!” And while you’re right, there’s an extra element of fun that gets added when you’re talking about the Skyliner. You’ve probably seen those long monorail lines at the end of the night when leaving Magic Kingdom, and that can be the case for the Skyliner too — only at Hollywood Studios and EPCOT.
Skyliner at night
The Skyliner services more hotels than the monorail — Art of Animation and Pop Century, Riviera Resort, and Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, so it’s likely that there are even more folks trying to head back to their hotels at the end of the night. We can’t complain about those stellar nighttime views from the Skyliner though!
Swing, Swing
We often talk about how the weather in Disney World can be unpredictable, and that comes into play with the Skyliner. It does get shut down during particularly bad bouts of storms, but if the skies are clear chances are things are a go! There’s just one problem — even on a clear day, it can be pretty darn windy in Central Florida. And since you’re elevated, it means the gondolas are prone to swaying in the wind.
Hello down there!
Even for people who don’t necessarily have a fear of heights, this can be pretty unsettling. The Skyliner is safe (Disney wouldn’t run it if it wasn’t!) but even Disney can’t control the weather. If it’s too windy, Disney could make the call to shut down the system and you’ll have to find another mode of transportation like a bus or Minnie Van.
Looks Matter
When it comes to the actual gondolas, some are wrapped with characters or other Disney-related images — which is super cute! We love seeing all the different ones go by. But, sitting inside a wrapped gondola isn’t always the best. To get the best view possible, we recommend trying to hop into an unwrapped one!
Unwrapped vs wrapped
You can still see out of the wrapped gondolas, but your vision is slightly obstructed. Of course, if you don’t care about getting those stellar views this might not be a big deal to you, but if you’re trying to see all the sights — see if you can request to have one without a wrap. Keep in mind that if there are long lines, it might not be the best time to make special requests, but Cast Members usually try to accommodate.
Fly Solo
Skyliner gondolas are made to fit multiple people and even multiple parties if the situation calls for it. If you don’t mind sharing one, you may be seated with strangers! You can request to have a solo gondola for yourself or your party and Cast Members will try to accommodate.
Skyliner at Riviera
Of course, this may not be an option — especially at the end of the night or in other situations where there may be long lines. The Skyliner is constantly in motion, making it a pretty efficient system, but if too many people are making special requests it can really slow things down.
Feelin’ Hot, Hot, Hot
Want to know a secret? It gets HOT in Florida. Okay, that might not be a secret, but it certainly may be a problem for Skyliner rides during the summer. The gondolas don’t have any sort of air conditioning, but they are vented to allow air to flow through as you’re moving. In our experience, it’s not a huge problem — except if you get stuck.
Riviera Resort Skyliner
The occasional temporary stop may come while you’re on the Skyliner for a number of reasons, and when that happens, the airflow is pretty much nonexistent. If you’re moving, you do get a nice little breeze, but when you’ve stopped, the air inside the gondola can get stagnant. And that Florida sun certainly doesn’t help.
They’re pretty high up there.
But, there are so many reasons why the Skyliner might still be the best option for you! This is especially the case if you’re visiting Hollywood Studios or EPCOT and are staying at one of the hotels on the Skyliner route. Plus, it’s just fun! We’ve hopped on the Skyliner just to ride around, take a break, and take in some incredible views of Disney World (and even did a pub crawl once!)
Inside a gondola
We’ll be bringing you even more tips and tricks to make your Disney World trip the best it can be, so be sure to stay tuned to DFB for more!
Everything You Need To Know About Transportation at Disney World
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We love the skyliner. Specifically planned our last trip for one of the skyliner resorts. As for sharing a gondola with other guests, we’ve had some great conversations with other guests. Shared one with some 1st time visitors one time and answered some of their questions. Have shared experiences with other guests who shared some of theirs. When it has stopped, it’s only a few minutes and since we go in the fall, extreme heat is usually not an issue.
I don’t get the Title of this story. Hmmm, WDW doesn’t really care if we know everything posted in this report. I didn’t see anything in this report that would be something WDW would try to hide. They want people to use the Skyliner, the lines have rarely ever been horrible, hot? As AP’s we ride them all the time, and at rare moments when it stops the breeze stops, but rarely are we stopped for any extended amount of time, wrapped gondola or not, views are great, sure non wrapped gondola is better for view, but kids love them, solo or not it’s part of the fun to meet new Disney fans, and can it swing, sure but again, rarely is it terrible. We visit an average of twice monthly, and the Skyliner is definitely a must do! Disney
A pleasant ride.
What I want to know is if a gondola were to fall in the water, can you manually open the doors to get out?
Hi Tammra. Disney hasn’t released any of that information, most likely because if people knew how to manually open the doors there would be a world of problems that had nothing to do with falling in the water, I’m sure.
But you can’t simply ride from Epcot to Hollywood studios or visa versa. You have to wait in line to first board and then you get kicked off half-way at the Caribbean Beach Resort and then have to wait in another line all over again to complete the second half of your route. That isn’t fun and takes time. An express gondola would have been great. The boats are actually faster.