While you might not think there could be bad days at Disney World, we have to admit we’ve had them and this one specifically left us feeling so frustrated.
Skyliner at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
We’re here to tell you about our experience so that you do not make the same mistakes we made that led to this series of unfortunate events. You see, while Disney transportation is free to use and can be convenient, it can also be very inconsistent and it could cause you to completely pivot from your original plan. And that is where our story begins…
We were at EPCOT looking to hop over to Hollywood Studios. Easy peasy, we’ll hop on the Skyliner at the International Gateway. The Skyliner doesn’t have a direct route from EPCOT to Hollywood Studios, but it’s just one switch at the Skyliner Station making it a relatively easy trip or at least it should be.
International Gateway Skyliner
Sadly for us, the Skyliner was down when we arrived to board in EPCOT. A sign instructed us to go all the way back to the main entrance of EPCOT to take a Disney bus. We, of course, listen to the sign, feeling a little annoyed, we head to the front of the park… SPOILER: this is where we messed up.
Look for a sign to let you know the Skyliner is closed!
Once we walked to the bus station outside of the park, we waited for about 15 minutes and boarded the bus to Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Others had the same plan as us so the bus was pretty crowded. As we were standing on this crowded bus, we realized that we could have done something that would’ve saved us time.
Crowded bus
While we were already at the International Gateway, we could have just walked the quick 5-minute walk to Disney’s Beach Club and hopped on a bus there going to Hollywood Studios. It would’ve saved us time and a lot of steps, which could be a game changer at Disney World.
Walking path from Beach Club to EPCOT
So if you find yourself stuck in this situation, think about walking over to the Beach Club and you could save yourself the headache. For more Disney tips, be sure to follow us at DFB.
Join the DFB Newsletter to get all the breaking news right in your inbox! Click here to Subscribe!
WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.
Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.
Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!
Are you willing to take the Skyliner? Tell us your thoughts below!
Our handy (and portable!) ebook guides make sure you get the best deals and can plan a vacation of a lifetime.
You could have also taken one of the boats from the boardwalk area resorts to HS.
I didn’t think they had a bus from Beach Club to Hollywood Studios unless it is bad weather and the friendship boats are down.
You could have taken the boat to Hollywood or even just walked there quicker.
If the skyliner is down, the easiest way is not by bus. It is a boat ride. Simply walk across the walkway from the skyliner entrance and hop the boat to Hollywood Studio.
On the first day of the Art Festival, we took the Skyliner from Art of Animation to Epcot. Our party was pushing two wheelchairs. Since we were in the front of Epcot when we decided to leave, we decided to take the bus back to the hotel. We found out there is no bus to art of animation from Epcot; you must take the Skyliner. After a long day, and the fact we could not get back into the park since we had one day passes, we were forced to Uber as the quickest alternative to returning to the hotel. We have been going to Disney since it opened 50 years ago, and I’ve seen the changes, but nowhere has it been told to us that we did not have a choice.
After reading this i’ve seen other people mention this.
But what I read, it’s not so much the skyliner itself. It’s just, when It goes down like anything at Disney, people go to somewhere else, and you stand in line. And you got told to goto the bus, trust me, I’ve been there. A lot of people do go over to the beach club because they already know that little shortcut
You could have also just taken the boat, if they were running.
You can walk to Hollywood studios from the international gateway in the same time it takes to walk to the front of EPCOT or walk to Beach Club and take the boat to Hollywood Studios, even quicker than walking.
Why didn’t you just take the boat to Hollywood? Was that closed? It’s right by the Skyliner entrance??
You could also have taken a Friendship boat from the International Gateway to Beach Club for the Magic Kingdom bus.
You also could have walked or taken a boat.
Boat?
If the Friendship boats were running, I would have taken that! I try to avoid the buses if at all possible.
There is an easier way to get to Hollywood studios from Epcot when the skyline r is down. Right outside the gateway entrance is a ferry boat that runs up that canal to Hollywood studios. If you don’t mind walking or some of your party are on scooters u can use the walkway from gateway that runs along the canal to the studios To access it instead of heading to the beach club take a left towards the Boardwalk & pick up the walkway.
If you were already at the International Gateway, you could have just jumped on a boat or even walked to the studios. Probably would have been your quickest route
I’m sure there’s a chorus out here saying “take the boat!” It’s right there near the Skyliner entrance. A bit slower maybe but easy peasy.
OR……you can just take the boat from International Gateway directly to Hollywood Studios. No extra walking, no waiting for busses.
Perhaps Disney should have installed some information boards throughout the parks calling out when major transportation services are down. The walk from the international gateway to the bus pick up outside Epcot is a killer. Poor planning by Disney for sure. They are usually must better than this when providing guest service, especially in the areas of transportation.
To be honest, I’d have just walked from Epcot to Hollywood Studios. That doesn’t take too long and it’s quite relaxing.
Another way and a lot less walking and over crowed bus. Take the boat that is right there sit in comfort. Yes it make stops but it is a nice ride.
I would have walked. We’ve walked many many times to HS. If you get tired get a dessert at Boardwalk and sit for a bit.
I would’ve just walked. We usually walk between Epcot and HS anyway.
In case you didn’t read my comment thoroughly, I was heading to Art of Animation not another theme park. It was freezing, everyone was tired, and had pushed two wheelchairs all day.
The riders could walk onto a bus as the wheelchairs were rented for the day. No one wanted to wait for the long line for Skyliner. After we left park for bus, we found out there was no bus to our hotel. It was late and Ubering got us to the room door in ten minutes. Well worth this alternative!!!
Thank you everyone. Unfortunately, I wanted to go to Art of Animation not another theme park (Hollywood Studios).