The Disney Skyliner gondola system is a mode of free transportation at Disney World. You can take flight at Disney’s Hollywood Studios; soar to Caribbean Beach Resort, Riviera Resort, and Art of Animation and Pop Century Resorts; and touch down at EPCOT’s International Gateway.
And we took you aboard with us in our LIVE post!
Skyliner and Riviera Views
But as with anything built for the Disney Parks, Skyliner is not without controversy or questions. So DFB is sailing into action to answer all of YOUR questions. Read on, and be sure to reach out in the comments if you’ve got a question that we didn’t answer about the Skyliner.
What is the Disney World Skyliner?
The Disney World Skyliner is a new transportation option to get Disney World Resort guests to and from the Parks. Similar to the Disney Skyway that used to be in the Magic Kingdom, these gondolas give guests the opportunity to see Walt Disney World Resort from above. The Skyliner consists of 300+ gondolas in eight bright colors and features a slew of character wraps.
Disney Skyliner
What are the Disney Skyliner’s operating hours?
Skyliner operate pre-Park opening and post-Park closing each day. They tend to operate on the same schedule as buses (45 minutes prior to Park opening and one hour after closing). Signs at the stations state “operating hours vary depending on weather,” and Skyliner may close early if weather is a factor.
To which Resorts does the Disney Skyliner travel?
Resort Skyliner stations can be found at Caribbean Beach Resort, Riviera Resort, and Art of Animation and Pop Century Resorts (located at Generation Gap Bridge). The Skyliner’s hub is located at Caribbean Beach Resort, where all three lines can be accessed or where transfers from other Resorts and Parks can be made.
Caribbean Beach Resort Station
To which Parks does the Disney Skyliner travel?
There are Skyliner stations at EPCOT’s International Gateway and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
How fast does the Disney Skyliner travel?
The Skyliner moves at speeds up to 11 MPH.
How high do the Disney Skyliner Gondolas fly above the ground?
Those guests afraid of heights, take note: Skyliner’s highest point is 60 feet up.
Riviera Station Arrival
Is the Disney Skyliner air conditioned?
There is no air conditioning on the Disney Skyliner gondolas. The gondolas are actually fitted with cross ventilation and feature reflective windows to mitigate effects from the central Florida climate. But it DOES get hot in there if your gondola is paused or stopped for some reason — at least during what’s still considered the hot time of the year in Orlando.
What is the temperature like inside a Skyliner gondola?
We found the temperatures inside a Skyliner gondola to be comfortable when the cabin is in motion. When the cabin is stopped for a few minutes or more, temperatures do noticeably rise.
Cross Ventilation
How many people can travel inside a Skyliner gondola at one time?
Skyliner gondolas are designed to fit ten passengers seated on the cabins’ wooden benches. They can also accommodate wheelchairs, ECVs, and strollers. When one of these vehicles is inside the gondola, the capacity lowers to six passengers. Children in strollers and anyone using a wheelchair or ECV count toward the gondola’s maximum capacity.
Skyliner Interior
Will Cast Members make my party ride with another to reach capacity in the gondola?
Cast Members we spoke with told us they they will not typically force different parties to ride together. However, if crowd levels (and thus wait times) are high, they may group parties to fill gondolas and run the lines at their maximum capacity.
How do the Skyliner Gondolas board ECV’s, wheelchairs, etc?
Each line in every station has a wheelchair-designated queue. Cabins designated for this line will stop to allow boarding. When guests have boarded, the cabin will be added to the Skyliner line without interruption to the line’s continuous service.
Can more than one ECV or wheelchair be placed in a single gondola?
We did not see more than one ECV or wheelchair loaded per gondola.
Will a wheelchair be strapped into Skyliner?
Cast Members told us that they have wedges to place behind the wheels of a wheelchair to prevent it from rolling inside the cabin.
Wheelchair/ECV Queue at Caribbean Beach Resort station
What if I don’t need a wheelchair or ECV but still need a stationary gondola for boarding and disembarking?
No problem, a cast member tells us. Just speak with the cast member in the wheelchair/ECV queue and explain that you need to board and disembark from a stationary cabin.
Will the wheelchair and ECV gondolas also stop at the line’s destination?
They will. No gondola is specifically designated as a handicap cabin; rather they are identified by the system and will therefore automatically shift to the stationary queue at the next station for deboarding.
What is the travel time between each location?
Travel time between Caribbean Beach Resort station and Disney’s Hollywood Studios is about five minutes. Travel between Caribbean Beach Resort and Riviera Resort is about three minutes. Travel between Riviera Resort and EPCOT is about ten minutes. Travel between Caribbean Beach Resort and Art of Animation/Pop Century is about five minutes.
Riviera Resort station isn’t a transfer station; does that mean I can stay on the gondola to continue on to EPCOT or Caribbean Beach stations?
Guests will be able to stay on through the station at Riviera Resort as they travel on toward Epcot or Caribbean Beach Resort. There will be no transfers at Riviera Resort. Cast members tell us that if guests wish to disembark at the Riviera station, they’ll just need to stand up when their gondola pulls into the station to signal their intentions. If guests want to remain in their gondola through the station, they’ll remain seated.
Board your gondola at Hollywood Studios!
What are the Skyliner gondolas like when they slow and stop?
Guests will board a gondola on the continuous line (unless they’re boarding with a wheelchair — see above). When the gondola doors close, they pick up speed quickly. Riders do notice some motion related to the launch. When gondolas arrive at a station, they do so at what feels like a relatively high speed, and they slow abruptly. The gondolas are fairly close together when one arrives behind another in the station.
Epcot’s International Gateway Skyliner Station departure
Are strollers allowed on the Disney Skyliner? And if so, do I need to fold my stroller?
We’ve seen families load single strollers with children riding in them by simply rolling the stroller into the cabin (just as guests can do on the Monorail). Stroller size is limited to 30″ by 48″ when unfolded. Families with larger strollers are able to fold them to bring them onto the Skyliner gondolas, but the maximum capacity will change to 6 guests.
Does my child in the stroller count as a passenger?
Yes, children seated in strollers do count as passengers. So if you have one child in a single stroller or two children in a double stroller, you’ll only be able to load 5 and 4 other passengers respectively. If you are a family of over six with one or more strollers, you will be asked to board two gondolas.
What happens if it rains or if lightning is in the area?
Disney prioritizes safety, and we expect plans are in place to adjust to these conditions. Skyliner signs indicate “operating hours vary depending on weather.” We have seen the Skyliner close for weather quite a few times.
Art of Animation and Pop Century Skyliner Station
What happens if the Skyliner gondolas get stuck above water?
Should your gondola get stuck above Hourglass Lake at Art of Animation and Pop Century Resorts, Disney has a rescue barge built to unload passengers. Learn more about it here.
What if I want to ride in a specific character gondola?
You can tell a Cast Member in the queue that you’d like to wait for a character gondola (or conversely if you’d prefer NOT to ride in a character gondola). They will try to accommodate as they’re able; you’ll need to move to the side to wait. Cast Members told us that it will be more of a challenge if you want to wait for a specific character gondola versus any character gondola or the next character gondola.
Winnie the Pooh!
Can children ride without an adult?
Cast Members told us that the same rules for minimum ages on other Disney transportation applies to Skyliner. We were told that guests age 14 and older can ride Skyliner on their own. According to cast members, kids ages 7-13 must ride with someone 14 or older.
Can I eat and drink on the Skyliner?
We saw guests riding with coffee (with lids) from the new coffee stand at the Caribbean Beach Resort station, and you can bring food into the gondolas.
Is there WIFI in the Skyliner gondolas?
WIFI is available throughout Walt Disney World property, but it’s not wired into the gondolas themselves. There may be lapses in accessibility at times.
Want to know more about Skyliner? Be sure to check out our DFB Skyliner video below!
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What about filling to capacity? If there are only 2 or 3 members in my party, will we be forced to ride with others, or will we be able to have the gondala to ourselves?
Can you also answer whether the wait times and if it will be closed (due to weather or mechanical reasons) will be in the app to check and choose the bus instead if it’s closed? And can you also explain the transfer at Caribbean Beach Resort? Do you have to get off the gondola and switch and thus get in the BACK of the next line?
My husband and I rode yesterday for cast preview. The air flow was great. We stopped over the water for about 8 minutes and it did start to get hot in the cabin. We were the only ones in it 2 to be exact. The cabin does sway when we were waiting to start again. Don’t no what it will be like with 10 people in the cabin. Very nice ride.
It sounds awesome and like a great option for parents with small children! I am wondering if a wide double stroller will be able to roll onto the Skyliner. I think the City Mini GT double stroller meets the size requirements but it looks like it would be a tight fit to get in the doors. If you happen to see one going on I would love to hear about it. Thanks!!
How much do they slow down at the station? My mom broke her foot really badly last year and is still recovering and has some difficulty getting onto moving things (like escalators). I hope they slow down enough for her to feel comfortable getting on and off.
I had heard there would be Wifi. Is it confirmed?
I noticed the gondolas going over the accommodation at Caribbean beach, would you feel safe in your room If these are going over head? I now have the fear one will crash through the roof 🙈😣 eating at Caribbean beach August 2020
In my previous comment I meant we are staying* at Caribbean beach August 2020
Keri, you’d have to make that call for yourself.
Courtney, my mother has mobility issues, too, and I would ask a cast member if we could use the wheelchair queue. I’ll see if a team member can confirm this on Friday.
Tom, we didn’t notice, but I’ll have someone look into it!
Nicole, I’ll have our team look into the app questions. At Caribbean Beach Resort, you do have to disembark and then get in the queue for the line you’re transferring to. The continuous loading meant we didn’t wait long for transfers while we were there, but we’ll keep tabs on this.
Sara, we’re looking into this!
The highest point for the gondola system happens between Caribbean Beach Resort and the Riveria Resort and it is 93 feet high!
Is there a map of Caribbean Beach with the skyline station included? Or can you tell us which building in Caribbean beach is closest to the station?
Reena, the closest sections are Jamaica, Barbados, and some of Trinidad. Skyliner is on the official Disney World map!
Does the Skyliner stop right outside of Epcot and could potentially get to the Boardwalk area? Thinking about using this transportation to get to the Boardwalk, but want to make sure it doesn’t use up a park ticket 🙂
How early will the skyline be running? This fall HS opens for EEMH at 6 am. Does this mean the skyline will be running as early as 5:30 am?
Susie, at present, with those 6-9AM Hollywood Studios Extra Magic Hours, Skyliner is running from 545AM.
KC, Skyliner’s International Gateway station is outside of the Park gate there. So you do NOT need to burn a ticket to take Skyliner to Epcot’s station and walk to BoardWalk! Check DisneyWorld.com’s maps to check on the walkway situation.
If people aren’t required to get off and reboard at Riviera, then what happens in the morning if you’re staying at Riviera and you want to go to Epcot? Isn’t there a strong possibility the lines may be painfully slow because of all the full gondolas coming from Pop Century, Art of Animation, and Caribbean Beach? Am I missing something? That sounds miserable.
Ben, we’ll watch for this!
Are you required to purchase a park ticket to ride the gondolas?
Bruce, no!
Is there a way to take the Skyliner from Hollywood studio to Epcot, then transfer to the monorail to Magic Kingdom (without entering the park, i.e. no park hopper passes)?
Karla, no, you’d need to enter Epcot to pass through to the Monorail. As far as I know, there is no (safe or logical) way to walk around Epcot to get to the Monorail. But you could ride Skyliner from DHS to Epcot’s International Gateway, then walk to an Epcot-area Resort bus stop to hop a ride to Magic Kingdom. (By that logic, you could also ride Skyliner to a Resort and get on a bus to Magic Kingdom, if riding Skyliner is the whole point of the trip.)
If I take the Skyliner to Epcot and World Showcase doesn’t open until 11 am can I still get into Epcot at the World Showcase entrance?
Christina, you can! And if you’re hungry, Boulangerie Patisserie Les Halles is open at 9AM. 😉
I really hoped the Skyliner system would eliminate our need to use the buses. We’re staying at Contemporary but with 10PM fireworks at HS and Epcot closing at 9:30 it sounds like Skyliner isn’t an option. Whats the suggestion for leaving HS late?
Do you have to be a Disney guest or have a park ticket to ride the Gondolas?
Jaimi, no, but you’ll need to figure out how to get a point where you can access them. You can try to park at one of the adjacent Resorts (easiest if you have an ADR at the Resort), or you’ll need to park at Disney Springs, bus to a Resort, and then catch a Skyliner from there. You could also pay to park at Hollywood Studios to board there, but that’s pretty pricey for a gondola ride.
We are staying at the Caribbean Beach. I have a fear of heights (especially over water). If I am traveling to and from Hollywood studios and Epcot will I pass over water? Also, has anyone with a fear of heights ridden these?
Hi, i was wondering if we can still ride the skyliner even if we dont have tickets to the parks? if we do get to without tickets to the park where should we go to load on and travel to?
Molly, you can ride Skyliner without park tickets. Where you can get aboard is a little tricky. You’ll have to pay for parking at DHS to board there, or park at one of the Skyliner resorts and board there. But Disney does sometimes disallow day guests from entering the resorts if you don’t have a reason to be there — like you have an ADR at a restaurant at the resort. You could try a resort and tell them you want to ride Skyliner or plan to have a meal at the resort and see if they’ll let you in. If you want to ride without paying for parking and you can not enter a resort to park, you might head to Disney Springs, park there, take a bus to a Skyliner Resort, and then proceed to experience Skyliner. I think it would be fun, once you get onboard, to ride the three lines. All of them go through Caribbean Beach, and you’ll have to disembark and switch to different lines to try them all. But if you’re looking for a full Skyliner experience, that’s how to do it!
I’m curious if there will be Disney songs playing over the tannoy in the gondolas. Like in the buses. I haven’t been since 2013 so I’m going off an old memory there but I loved the Disney songs playing while travelling. It really pumped us up.
Curious if we can get from Pop Century to Magic Kingdom on the Skyliner..?? Can we ride to Epcot and then hop on the Monorail?? Already booked, just trying to make plans. (I also know that there is bus transportation, just looking for more “adventure”…)
Lisa, unfortunately, EPCOT’s Monorail is currently not running. You could ride Skyliner to Caribbean Beach Resort, then hop a bus from there to Magic Kingdom. Or switch to the Riviera Resort line, get off there (explore if you want!), and then take a bus from there. If you really want to extend your adventure, you could ride Skyliner to EPCOT, then ride a Friendship Boat to one of the EPCOT-area Resorts, then hop a bus to MK. I think those are the only ways to really add some adventure right now. Hopefully the Monorail will open soon (or in time for your trip!).
Has anyone found out if the gondolas will fit more than 1 ecv
John, they will only load one ECV/wheelchair per gondola.
Thanks I gueas we will just have to use buses
Were you able to find out if the lines would be slow to board from the Riviera to Epcot if passengers from POP, Animation and Caribbean are not required to disembark and reboard? I too believe the wait would be miserably long.
Cheri, we have not found the waits to be too long at Riviera station.
I have a more technical question regarding the turn station between the Riviera and EPCOT. On each side of the turn station there is a vertical column with a rail leading into the station and a track leading to the rail. What are these for?
Tim, I’m not sure the answer to this. I will look into it and see if I can find anything out about it.
If staying at Pop Century, how early would we need to be in line for a Gondola if we wanted to make it for rope drop/opening of HS?