I Tested How Early You Need to Get in Line for the Skyliner at Pop Century for Epcot Rope Drop
If you’re staying at Disney’s Pop Century Resort and want to rope drop Epcot, how early should you get in line for the Skyliner? Unless you’re an early bird, I’m not sure you want to know the answer. That said, it’s an important question for those staying at Disney World’s most popular budget-friendly resort, which has approximately 2,800 guest rooms.
Many guests choose Pop Century when they’re looking for affordable accommodations. This is also one of those resorts where people say, “the room is only a place for showers and sleeping.” We all know that I believe the resorts are much more than that. But for this article, we’ll consider everyone who wants to get from Pop Century to Epcot to participate in Early Entry.
As a quick primer, Early Entry is a resort benefit that allows eligible guests to enter the theme parks 30 minutes early each day. The benefit works at all four theme parks. Therefore, if you’re staying at an eligible hotel, you can enter Magic Kingdom, Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom up to thirty minutes before the official park opening each day. Pop Century is an eligible hotel, so if you stay here, you can participate.
Epcot typically opens at 9:00 a.m. each morning, which means Early Entry begins at 8:30 a.m. (technically). But here’s the catch. The turnstiles open around 8:00 a.m., so eligible guests can enter the park and wait in a holding area, ready to head to their first attraction. If you haven’t made it to the holding area nearest your desired attraction at rope drop, there isn’t much point in arriving early. You may remember that last year, I rope-dropped Test Track during Early Entry from the Swan and Dolphin. I arrived at 8:21 a.m. and did pretty terribly. (You read that right. I got there nearly 10 minutes before Early Entry officially started and did terribly.)
This time, I got in line much earlier…and did even worse! But y’all, my mistakes should be invaluable to you, and you’re about to find out why. By the end of this article, you’ll know when to get in line for the Skyliner to make it to Epcot early enough for it to matter. Or you’re going to say this is so not worth the hassle, sleep in, enjoy a leisurely breakfast at the resort’s food court, and head out after this massive line has dissipated.
Upfront, it’s also worth noting that the Skyliner is the only form of transportation offered to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The only exception is when the Skyliner is down. If the Skyliner is down. So the line we’re about to preview is for guests who are rope-dropping Epcot or Disney’s Hollywood Studios. Let’s see how my test turned out!
For this stay, I booked a preferred room and ended up in building 4 of the 70s section. When I left the room that morning, it was 7:40 a.m. So I estimated I would get to Epcot by 8:10 a.m. (I was wrong.) Here is a partial view of the line from the balcony of Building 4.
It was a long line, and what you can’t see is that there was also a long line on the opposite side of the lake at Disney’s Art of Animation. When you get close to the Skyliner’s entrance, you’ll find a Cast Member who’s rotating guests from each line to join the final boarding area.
The line was so far back that it reached beyond my building, stretching all the way to Building 3 in the 50s.
In the picture below, you can see how my building has a Yo-Yo-Top stairwell cover and the 50s section of the resort has a bowling pin cover. That’s the end of the line… way back there.
Staying in a preferred location did me no good here! I’m only kidding. As always, I took timestamped photos and a few notes about the process. I officially joined the Skyliner line at 7:45 a.m. Now I know you probably want to know how many people were ahead of me. Before I joined the line, I walked to the front to get an idea. I couldn’t count everyone, so I went roughly by sets of ten. I estimated there were somewhere between 600 and 700 guests ahead of me.
So now you know, I wasn’t the only one thinking I was going to make it to Epcot for rope-drop a full 45 minutes ahead of the opening. I boarded the Skyliner at 8:14 a.m. and rode along with some nice people I had been chatting with while we waited. We were dropped off at the Caribbean Beach station and transferred to the Epcot line at 8:20 a.m. (Thankfully, there was no line here.)
From there, I rode on to Epcot with a family who visited Disney World annually, and it was their first time staying at a Skyliner Resort. They were elated to be able to ride the Skyliner over the bus and had no idea that we were so late. I mean, on the clock it looked like we were right on time. I gently let them know how late we were. They soon saw for themselves when we passed over the lengthy line of guests already waiting for Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. It was 8:34 a.m. when we exited the Skyliner and were met with an almost empty International Gateway.
How Long Did It Take?
In case you lost track, it took me 49 minutes to get from Pop Century to Epcot for rope-drop! 29 minutes of that time was spent standing in line, and the other 20 minutes were riding, transferring, and exiting the Skyliner. So if you plan to rope-drop Epcot and get there early enough, you want to get in line by at least 7:15 a.m. for an 8:30 a.m. early entry.
We talked with some Cast Members who said that guests start lining up as early as 6:30 a.m., and the Skyliner typically starts running at 7:00 a.m. (Please note that those hours may vary based on park hours. The Skyliner’s hours are always posted near the entrance.)
If you want to be first, you would likely want to get in line at 6:30 a.m. But here’s the thing. You’re committing to two hours of wait time before you can even board an attraction. Yes, if you have a plan and know what you’re doing, it will put you at an advantage. It’s also a reasonable strategy if you’re not purchasing Lightning Lanes.
But making it to rope drop isn’t for everyone, and it shouldn’t be the end all be all for your vacation. Well, unless you’re in that phase of life where you feel like you have to do as much as possible to get your ticket’s worth. We did that when my son was younger, and we have a lot of “interesting” memories. So make sure you’re gauging your family’s interest and incorporating a strategy that works best for your party.
Final Thoughts
Whatever you decide, I hope my experience gave you an idea of how to plan your morning. If you would like to read some of my other touring experiences, you might like the following:
If you’re just getting started, you might also like our guide: How to Plan a Disney World Vacation. Check back with ResortsGal.com for more updates.
In the Comments
Have you ever rope-dropped Epcot from Pop Century? Did you have a similar experience? Let us know in the comments.
