Disney Skyliner Resorts vs. Monorail Resorts (How To Decide Which One’s Best For You)

The Resorts We’re Comparing (Monorail vs. Skyliner)

Below, we’ve listed the resorts that offer immediate access to the Monorail or the Skyliner.

Monorail Resorts

• Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa
• Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort

Skyliner Resorts

• Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
• Disney’s Pop Century Resort
• Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
• Disney’s Riviera Resort

*You can walk to the Skyliner from the Epcot Resorts Area, which includes Disney’s Beach Club, Yacht Club, and BoardWalk. However, these resorts do not have a Skyliner Station. So, they are not included in our comparison.

Pros and Cons of Staying at a Monorail Resort

Guests staying at a monorail resort can take the resort monorail to Magic Kingdom, the surrounding monorail resorts, and the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC). When traveling to Epcot, you must transfer at the TTC and board the Epcot Monorail. We’ll start with what we consider the best parts of staying at a monorail resort.

It’s History: The monorail opened with Walt Disney World in 1971. So you get a little piece of history every time you ride.

Minutes from the Magic: Staying at a monorail resort puts you minutes from the Magic Kingdom. Yes, the monorail stops at other hotels on the route, but the process is generally fast. So you’ll be dropped off at the park entrance in no time.

Stunning Views: The monorail offers stunning views of Seven Seas Lagoon and the Magic Kingdom Resort area. But the most scenic ride is the loop through Epcot on your way to the park. It’s beautiful!

Quick Access to Other Popular Resorts: If you’re staying at the Contemporary and want a tropical treat, take the monorail to the Polynesian and order a Dole Whip from Pineapple Lanai. This is just one example of the nearby dining options you can enjoy while staying on the monorail.

The Monorail Resorts Offer the Option to Walk: If you leave Magic Kingdom after the fireworks, you can walk back to any of the monorail resorts. I know what you’re thinking: you want to ride the monorail. But when a couple of thousand people are crowded around the monorail entrance, you’ll be so thankful for the option to walk. It sure beats standing in another long line.

On the flip side, we have a few negatives to consider:

High Price Tag: The monorail resorts all fall under the deluxe or deluxe villa category. These hotels are among the most expensive options.

You Might Feel Packed In Like a Can of Sardines: It’s every man, woman, or child for themself when boarding the monorail. During peak travel times, you can expect to be crammed into a monorail car. It’s pretty much like riding a Disney bus. They will load as many guests as possible, no exceptions.

No Alternatives to Epcot: This is one of the least-known things about staying at a monorail resort, and it’s important to know if you’re a newbie. The monorail is the only complimentary transportation option available from the monorail resorts to Epcot. However, most guests don’t realize you have to take the resort monorail to the TTC, then transfer to Epcot. This route takes time. It takes even longer during peak travel times. (See our How Long It Takes to Get from Grand Floridian to Epcot as an example.)

You’re Stuck if the Monorail Breaks Down: It doesn’t happen often, but it can happen to anyone. If a monorail breaks down, you’re stuck. While it probably won’t be the end of the world, you’ll have to wait until it’s resolved. I can’t say exactly how long it could take, but (and this is also true for the Skyliner) you can’t just exit anywhere.

Pros and Cons of Staying at a Skyliner Resort

We’ll start with the positives of staying at a Skyliner Resort.

An Incredible Way to Travel: The Disney Skyliner is a unique mode of transportation most guests will never experience anywhere else. Yes, you might have to wait in a long line at certain times (see negatives below). However, those frustrations tend to melt away as you look down and see your hotel disappear, and soon after you’ll see Galaxy’s Edge in the distance, or maybe Spaceship Earth if you’re visiting Epcot. You’ll be there shortly.

Hotels for Every Budget: Unlike the monorail resorts, the Skyliner offers hotels for every budget. You can stay at Art of Animation or Pop Century, both value hotels, and still get upgraded transportation. It’s a win-win.

It’s a Short, Convenient Ride: If you’re not traveling at peak times, you rarely have to wait for the Skyliner. You can leave your room, walk to the station, board almost immediately, and reach your destination within a few minutes. (Note that you do have to transfer midway from some hotels. See our entire guide to the Disney Skyliner to learn these specifics.)

Here are a few negatives.

Long Lines: Expect long lines for the Skyliner at peak travel times. If you’re visiting a park at rope drop or early entry, you’ll likely run into a long line for the Skyliner. The good news is the line keeps moving, but it might make you question everything. This situation is inevitable with complimentary options. We have a walkthrough of our experience with Skyliner lines during rope drop at Pop Century.

If you can’t deal with the line, you can always take a paid car service or drive to Hollywood Studios and Epcot. (Most guests don’t realize this, but Hollywood Studios is a block or two from the Art of Animation and Pop Century entrance. Caribbean Beach and Riviera are just a little further. See this transportation hack that shows how close.

Tip: We avoid leaving Epcot right after fireworks because the Skyliner lines get long. We always take our time leaving by shopping or relaxing on a bench while the masses exit. You can even stroll down the Boardwalk and around the Epcot Resorts Area while the Skyliner line clears.

No alternatives: If the Skyliner is operating, there are no other complimentary ways to get to Epcot or Disney’s Hollywood Studios. We see it all the time. Guests see the Skyliner line first thing in the morning and think, forget this! For whatever reason, they think they’ll just take the bus. After a long walk to the bus stop (and possibly a wait), they realize the bus isn’t coming. Then it’s back off to join the long line for the Skyliner. This makes for a rough start to the day.

The Skyliner is Scary for Some: Okay, to clarify, I do not think the Skyliner is scary. But some people do, and that’s perfectly okay. However, if you know someone in your party doesn’t care for heights, then you might want to read that last point: there are no alternatives! We hear guests all the time say that they thought they would have a backup if someone didn’t do well on the Skyliner. The other thing is, and I’ve mentioned this several times on the site, you might not know how someone will do. I’ve ridden the Skyliner with parents who were taking it for the first time, and their young child had a complete meltdown as soon as we left the ground. It was so unexpected, but that’s how it goes.

Sometimes the Skyliner Pauses: Okay, this issue won’t happen to everyone. But sometimes the Skyliner pauses for a couple of minutes or more. Now, the Skyliner does pause here and there. Then it resumes rather quickly. However, sometimes you end up hanging in midair longer than you’d like. So if you’re worried about these things ahead of time, consider how you would feel if a bus broke down or the monorail stopped on the tracks. Again, these things are rare, but they can happen.

A Skyliner or Monorail Resort?

As you can see, the decision is tough. While I can’t decide for you, I will share a bit of my thought process for planning our resort stays. Our budget always comes first. It hasn’t always, but it does now. If I were on a limited budget, I would go with Caribbean Beach, Pop Century, or Art of Animation.

However, if I had fewer budget restrictions, my next consideration would be where we wanted to spend the most time. If we were planning a Magic Kingdom-heavy trip, I would choose a monorail resort. I cannot stress enough the convenience of being within a short distance of a theme park. It’s also hard to beat having the option to walk if there’s a long monorail line. Again, these options come with a high price tag, so it won’t be the best decision for everyone.

To reiterate, that’s also what makes the Skyliner Resorts so great. They offer a variety of price points. You might also plan to spend more time at Epcot or Disney’s Hollywood Studios since you’re so close. We enjoy visiting both parks at night, even if it’s just for a ride, dinner, or to enjoy the evening entertainment.

This point brings me to one important tip. Whether you choose a Skyliner or Monorail Resort, we think the park hopper ticket option is worth considering. If you’re brand new to Disney World, you might not want to do more than one park a day. But if you’re open to breaking up your trip, you might take advantage of being so close to any of these parks. We enjoy spending the day at one park, taking a break, and returning to another park in the evening.

Final Thoughts

We hope this comparison of the Monorail and Skyliner Resorts offered ideal expectations. While we highlighted a few negatives, remember that some of these are just the facts of life. I like to believe that, in most cases, knowing about possible hiccups beforehand helps you handle them better if they happen. For more resources regarding the Skyliner and Monorail Resorts, you might enjoy the following:

• The Pros and Cons of a Skyliner Resort: This article highlights more pros and cons of Skyliner Resorts.
• A Complete Guide to the Disney World Monorail: This guide shares everything you need to know about the monorail and its routes.
• Every Resort Restaurant Accessible from the Skyliner: If you choose a Skyliner Resort, you might want to know your nearby dining options that don’t require a park ticket.
• Disney Resorts Ranked by Transportation Options: Spoiler: our top choices aren’t monorail or Skyliner Resorts!

To learn more about the resorts, see our guide to the Disney World Hotels. You might also like our overview of dining at Disney World. Need to know how to get around? Our beginner’s guide to transportation options at Disney World is one of our top resources.

For touring the parks, see our Disney World Rides and Attractions guide. It links to attraction guides for all four theme parks. If you’re just getting started, you might like our Disney World Vacation Planning Guide. It brings together the resources you need to plan your visit. Check back with ResortsGal.com for more updates.

In the Comments

So, which would you choose? The Skyliner or the Monorail? Let us know in the comments below.