The Ultimate Disney Skyliner Resorts Crawl
Welcome to my Disney Skyliner Resorts Crawl!
I’m not gonna lie, I got really excited when thought about this post. A few weeks ago, I had the chance to ride the Disney Skyliners for the first time. I took the gondolas to each stop and spend some time exploring the resorts.
The Skyliner resorts might not be ones you would typically think about visiting. But there are plenty of fun things to do at each stop! Plus, you don’t have to have a park ticket or be a hotel guest to follow this crawl!
I hope you are as excited as I am! Let’s dive into the basics and then we’ll travel through my Disney Skyliner Resorts Crawl together!
Basics
If the first thought on your mind right now is, “huh?” don’t worry. We’ll back up a bit.
This post is all about Walt Disney World’s newest mode of transportation, The Disney Skyliners. Essentially, this is a gondola system that connects Epcot, Hollywood Studios, and a few resorts.
These are free to ride! Nope, you don’t need a ticket or a hotel reservation to ride them. Simply get in line and soon you’ll be airborne!
Hours
Unfortunately, Disney is only posting Skyliner hours on signs outside the stations. But if the parks are open, the Skyliners are open. The standard hours seem to be 7:30am-11:00pm. But, they offer extended hours during busier seasons.
Cost
It’s completely free to ride the Skyliners! You don’t even need a park admissions ticket.
You also don’t have to be a hotel guest to ride the Skyliners. Anyone can get off at any resort. Keep in mind though, parking isn’t free. We’ll talk about my parking recommendation a bit later but if you plan to park at Epcot or Hollywood Studios just know that you’ll have to pay. You might get away with parking at a resort, but it’s pretty unlikely.
Skyliner Route
As you can see, there are 5 Skyliner stations. The Skyliners currently travel to Hollywood Studios, Epcot, the Riveria Resort, Caribbean Beach Resort and the Art of Animation (which shares a station with Pop Century).
Caribbean Beach is the hub. Everyone has to get off here and transfer to another Skyliner.
It takes about 5 minutes to travel from one station to the next.
The Accident?
As you may have heard, shortly after the Skyliners opened in September 2019, there was an accident. The system malfunctioned and a few of the empty gondolas crashed into each other. No one was riding the gondolas that crashed, but this caused the system to shut down. Some guests were stranded in the other gondolas for more than three hours.
Disney completely closed the Skyliners following the accident and worked to fix any issues. They reopened a few weeks later and have been running smoothly ever since. I was a bit hesitant to ride the gondolas at first (especially since I get very motion sick) but I didn’t have any issues during my rides.
The Ultimate Disney Skyliner Resorts Crawl
Ok, now that we’ve covered the basics, let’s get to the fun part! I created this crawl to travel between each Skyliner resort. You’ll start at the Boardwalk for some breakfast before hopping on the Skyliner at the Epcot station.
Here’s a quick overview:
- Breakfast at the Boardwalk
- Coffee at the Riveria Resort
- Drinks & Snacks at Caribbean Beach
- Drinks and/or Lunch at Art of Animation
- Back to the Boardwalk for Ice Cream
Alrighty, let’s dive into the details!
Stop 1: Disney’s Boardwalk
Let’s get started! Our crawl starts at Disney’s Boardwalk. This resort doesn’t have a Skyliner station, but its less than a 10-minute walk from the Epcot station. Plus, there are some great breakfast options at the Boardway. Best of all, you should be able to park here for free.
As I mentioned earlier, parking at Disney for free is pretty tricky. But if you go to the Boardwalk early enough in the day, tell the parking guard you are here for breakfast. I can’t guarantee, but they will likely let you in. Otherwise, I suggest just taking an Uber or Lyft to the Boardwalk so you don’t have to worry about your car at all.
Alright, once you get parked (or dropped off) it’s time to eat! Here are my picks for breakfast on the Boardwalk:
- Trattoria al Forno– If you want a true Disney experience, check out the character breakfast at Trattoria al Forno. You’ll be joined by Rapunzel & Ariel as you enjoy pancakes or breakfast calzones.
- Boardwalk Bakery– This quick-service spot has Joffrey’s Coffee, pastries, and breakfast sandwiches.
After breakfast, spend some time strolling along the Boardwalk. It will be pretty empty in the morning, so it’s a great time to be here!
From here, it’s time to walk to the Epcot Skyliner station. It’s an 8-minute walk:
You don’t have to go into Epcot to get on the Skyliner. So you don’t need a park ticket! But, if you had a ticket for Epcot, a park hopper ticker, or are an AP, you could also get breakfast in Epcot. Les Halles Boulangerie-Patisserie usually opens at 9, so you could grab some pastries in the empty France Pavillion before getting on the gondola.
Once you get to the Epcot Skyliner station, get in line and get on! The Skyliner only goes one-way from Epcot. You will get off at the Riveria Resort in just a few minutes. Enjoy the view!
Stop 2: Riveria Resort
Welcome to Disney’s Riveria Resort. This Disney Vacation Club resort opened at the end of 2019. Don’t let the Vacation Club name turn you away, anyone is welcome to walk around and eat at the resort!
Once you get out at the Resort, spend some time soaking in the view. You can get a great picture of the Skyliners. There are also some gorgeous mosaics you’ll want to see.
This resort was designed after the French Riveria, which was one of Walt’s favorite vacation destinations. Inside the resort, there are some great photos of Walt and his family in France.
Besides getting some pictures and taking in the views, we are stopping here for coffee!
Le Petit Café is a cute cafe with a nice selection of coffee and French pastries. There is plenty of seating in the library-inspired lounge. They have some unique coffee options like a Cinnamon Cold Brew and a Shakerato (double espresso shaken with demerara sugar).
After relaxing, get back on the Skyliner and head to our next stop: Caribbean Beach. Just make sure you keep going the same way instead of getting on the Skyliners heading back to Epcot.
Stop 3: Caribbean Beach
Take the Skyliner to the central hub at Caribbean Beach. Everyone gets off here and transfers to another gondola. But to continue our Skyliner Resorts Crawl, we’ll get off and head to a beachy bar!
Caribbean Beach is a huge resort celebrating the (you guessed it) islands of the Caribbean. Make your way to the Old Port Royale market place where you’ll find the waterfront Banana Cabana bar.
Enjoy a fruity cocktail, like a Mariner’s Mojito or Pink Guava Colada. If you want lunch or a snack, they also have a food menu with options like Jerk Chicken Wings and a Plant-Based Jerk Sandwich.
If you want to extend your time at this stop, consider renting a bike. I know, it’s kind of surprising that this is an option at Disney World. But you can rent a bike at this resort and spend an hour or so riding along the tree-lined trails.
Enjoy your bike ride or cocktail hour (honestly both sound great to me!) and then head back to the Skyliner station. You’ll be taking it to our last stop, the Art of Animation/Pop Century stop. Just make sure you continue that way instead of heading back to Epcot.
Stop 4: Art of Animation
We’ve made it to the last stop on our Disney Skyliner Resorts crawl! We’re ending at the Art of Animation & Pop Century station.
You might not think these resorts are worth going out of your way for. I get it. But I’ve stayed at the Art of Animation a few times and it’s just fun to see! The resort is themed to The Lion King, The Little Mermaid, Finding Nemo, and Cars. The decorations are great and there are some fun photo-ops around the resort.
If you’re ready for another drink, make your way to The Drop Off Pool Bar. You can get a beer flight or a specialty cocktail, like a Sunshine Margarita.
If you want lunch or a snack, the Landscape of Flavors food court has a ton of options. Nothing super special but it’s a crowd-pleaser.
Another option is to head over to the Pop Century Resort. This is very similar to the Art of Animation except it is themed to pop culture from the 1950s-1990s. Visit the Everything POP food court to try their iconic Tie-dye cheesecake.
Our resort crawl is coming to a close! From here, you can either make your way back to the Boardwalk or another stop on the Skyliner Route.
Stop 5: Back to the Boardwalk
If you are done, head back to the Boardwalk to get your car. If you want to extend the crawl, you could stop at the Riveria Resort for a late lunch or dinner. Or, get ice cream at Ample Hills on the Boardwalk.
If you have a park ticket or are an AP, you could take the Skyliner to Hollywood Studios or go to Epcot. Once at Epcot, you could even take the monorail over to the Magic Kingdom. There are so many options!
I hope you enjoyed my Disney Skyliner Resorts crawl! If you follow this crawl, let me know! I’d love to hear all about it!
If you are planning a Disney trip, check out my other posts:
The 5 Best Bars at Disney World
How to Celebrate New Years Eve at the Magic Kingdom
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