Updated October 2026
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Short answer: The Disney Skyliner is a free gondola system at Walt Disney World. It connects EPCOT (International Gateway) and Disney's Hollywood Studios with four Disney Resort hotels: Caribbean Beach, Riviera, Pop Century and Art of Animation. It has five passenger stations, all three lines meet at Caribbean Beach, and you don't need a park ticket to ride. It opens one hour before Early Theme Park Entry at EPCOT or Hollywood Studios and closes 90 minutes after those parks close. Plan around one closure: the Skyliner is down for refurbishment January 24–30, 2027, with free buses running instead (Walt Disney World).
The Skyliner can carry you up to about 60 feet above the resort, and it's one of the easiest ways to get to two parks. It's also easy to get on the wrong line or get stuck in a long queue at park opening. This guide covers the stations, routes, hours, transfers and crowd tips so you can ride it like a pro.
Want to see it first? Watch our short Riding the Disney Skyliner Gondola video, and find more Disney World clips on the Fun Park Go YouTube channel.
Most gondola rides at theme parks just move you from one side of a park to the other. The Skyliner is real transportation. Its job is to get guests from their Disney World hotel to the parks without a bus or a car.
There are three Skyliner lines, and all three meet at the Caribbean Beach station:
Pop Century and Art of Animation sit on either side of Hourglass Lake. Their shared station is on the bridge between the two resorts, so guests at both hotels walk to the same spot.
Caribbean Beach is the transfer hub where all three lines meet. It's a big resort, so depending on your building the walk to the station can take a while. Ask at check-in for the quickest path from your room.
The Riviera station is right next to the resort's main building. Riviera guests have the shortest Skyliner ride to EPCOT, with no transfer.
This station is just outside EPCOT's International Gateway, the back entrance between the France and United Kingdom pavilions in World Showcase. From here it's also a short walk to the BoardWalk area. If you're staying at the BoardWalk Inn, you can usually walk to EPCOT faster than you could ride the Skyliner.
The Hollywood Studios station is just outside the park's main entrance, so you step off and walk straight to the gates.
Between Riviera and EPCOT, the cabins pass through a turning station that helps them change direction. Guests can't get on or off there. It confuses a lot of first-timers, so stay seated until you reach EPCOT.
Every trip that crosses Caribbean Beach needs a transfer. These rides need one (in either direction):
Rides that start or end at Caribbean Beach, and Riviera ↔ EPCOT, are direct. Each station has a route map, and cast members can point you to the right line.
The Skyliner doesn't have one fixed schedule. Disney ties its hours to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios (Walt Disney World):
Check park hours in the My Disney Experience app before you go, and look at the signs posted at each station.
The Skyliner pauses for lightning and high winds, and it can stop for a while when storms roll through on summer afternoons. When it's down, Disney runs buses for the Skyliner resorts.
The next planned closure is January 24 through January 30, 2027 for its annual refurbishment, with free bus service to the affected resorts and to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. Disney expects it back on January 31, 2027. If your trip falls that week, add extra travel time, especially in the morning.
Your cabin may stop for a minute or two during the ride. That's normal. It usually means a cast member is helping a guest who uses a wheelchair or scooter board in a stopped cabin at a station.
Wheelchairs and ECVs use a separate accessible boarding area where the cabin stops completely. Strollers can ride too. Smaller strollers can usually roll on, and larger ones may need to be folded. A cabin with a wheelchair, ECV or stroller holds fewer people, so ask the cast member at the entrance which line to use.
For more ways to save time on your trip, read our Disney World tips and tricks and what to know before you go.
For a lot of families, yes. Staying on the Skyliner gives you an easy ride to two parks. Pop Century and Art of Animation are Value resorts, Caribbean Beach is a Moderate, and Riviera is a Deluxe Villa resort. All four Skyliner resorts are Disney Resort hotels, so you also get Early Theme Park Entry every day of your stay. The trade-off is that Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom still mean a bus.
Yes. Like Disney's buses, boats and monorail, the Skyliner is free to ride.
Yes. You don't need a park ticket or a Disney hotel reservation to ride. You can ride between resorts and get off at the EPCOT or Hollywood Studios stations, but you'll need valid park admission to go through the park gates.
It opens one hour before Early Theme Park Entry at EPCOT or Hollywood Studios and closes 90 minutes after those parks close. On EPCOT Extended Evening Hours nights, it closes one hour after EPCOT closes and only runs the EPCOT–Riviera route late.
Yes. It's scheduled to close for refurbishment January 24–30, 2027, with free buses replacing it. Service is expected to resume January 31, 2027.
Disney's Caribbean Beach, Riviera, Pop Century and Art of Animation. BoardWalk Inn, Yacht Club and Beach Club are a short walk from the EPCOT station.
Usually, yes, in light rain. It pauses for lightning and high winds, and buses run for the Skyliner resorts when it's down.
Most single rides take roughly 5 to 15 minutes. Add your wait in line and a transfer at Caribbean Beach if your route needs one.
Need park tickets for EPCOT and Hollywood Studios? You can buy discounted, authorized Disney World tickets from Undercover Tourist. Prefer to book a hotel-and-ticket package yourself? Browse Funjet theme park vacation packages.
Want help picking the right Skyliner resort for your family? Fun Park Go has planned Disney vacations since 2010, and our planning is free. Request your free Disney World quote and we'll build your trip around the parks you want most. You can also learn more about how we plan Walt Disney World vacations.
