Taking the Skyliner Between Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot
Since it opened, most guests have enjoyed taking the Skyliner between Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot, especially for park or resort-hopping. This route also works well for those who only want to ride the Skyliner for leisure. So below, we’ll discuss the details of taking the Skyliner between the two theme parks. Of course, if you’re only riding for leisure, you’ll want to have a plan on how to get elsewhere when you’re finished. However, that shouldn’t be too hard if you understand the basics of transportation at Disney World.
Disney Skyliner Route: Hollywood Studios to Epcot
We’ll start at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and travel to Epcot. The Skyliner station at Disney’s Hollywood Studios sits outside the park’s entrance. It’s between the main gate and the bus stop. You cannot miss it.
The Skyliner’s hours are posted at the entrance. If you’ll use the Skyliner frequently during your stay, you might want to take a picture of the hours, which change based on the park’s hours of operation.
As you approach the loading area, the line splits. Both lanes are open.
When the Skyliner leaves Hollywood Studios, it travels directly to Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. This is a very short route that takes less than five minutes. Once you reach Caribbean Beach, you must exit. At this station, you’ll find additional queues for the following destinations:
- Disney’s Riviera and Epcot (Shared Line)
- Art of Animation and Pop Century (Shared Line)
- Hollywood Studios (You just exited here.)
When you exit the gondola at Disney’s Caribbean Beach, you’ll want to stay to the left and join the queue for Epcot and Disney’s Riviera Resort. (This is a very simple process and there will be signage and cast members to point you in the right direction.)
Once you’re back on board, you’ll stay in the gondola until you reach Epcot. Here’s a photo of the Skyliner as it crosses over Jamaica and Aruba, between Caribbean Beach and the Riviera. This portion of the route is super short, but it’s so pretty to look down and see the vibrant island colors.
The Skyliner drops back down at Disney’s Riviera Resort. However, you can hang tight here. You would only want to exit if you were visiting the Riviera. Guests visiting Epcot remain onboard. (A cast member will give you this same spiel when the doors open at the Riviera.) After the doors close, the Skyliner’s path turns at the station. The doors open again, and other guests might board your gondola if there’s room.
Below, we have a photo taken from the Skyliner. At this point, we’re between Disney’s Riviera Resort and Epcot. To the right, we see guests traveling along Lake Buena Vista Drive.
Looking to the opposite side, you’ll get a glimpse into Epcot. At one point, there’s a clear shot of Epcot’s Italy Pavilion with Spaceship Earth in the distance.
Soon, you’ll go through a turn station as the Skyliner’s path changes direction toward Epcot. This station is in the air near Disney’s Boardwalk. After you pass the Boardwalk, you’ll be able to see down into Epcot’s France Pavilion as the Skyliner makes its final descent to the International Gateway, which is Epcot’s secondary park entrance. You have arrived.
How Long is the Skyliner Ride Between Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios?
So, how long does the Skyliner between Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios take? Well, it varies. We track a lot of travel times, and this is one of the most inconsistent routes I’ve recorded. The reason is that the Skyliner tends to pause along the route. So, my average time for this route is 25 minutes.
Note that it is fairly common for the Skyliner to stop or slow down. We’ve never felt stuck on it or anything like that. But I like to mention this because some people are apprehensive about riding it in the first place. I’ve been on many a Skyliner ride where other guests were a bundle of nerves because the Skyliner stopped for a few minutes.
Disney Skyliner Route: Epcot to Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Here are the directions if you’re leaving Epcot to park hop to Hollywood Studios using the Skyliner:
- Exit Epcot at the International Gateway*
- Board the Skyliner (Only Goes One-Way)
- When the Skyliner drops down at Disney’s Riviera, stay on board.
- When you reach Disney’s Caribbean Beach, everyone must exit.
- Board the Skyliner (a few steps away) to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
- Exit at Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
*Epcot is the only park with two entrances/exits. Epcot’s International Gateway sits between the France Pavilion and the United Kingdom Pavilion. It leads to the Epcot Resorts Area, the Skyliner, the FriendShips, and the walking path to Disney’s Hollywood Studios.
As we wrap things up, I would be remiss if I failed to mention one thing. Many guests enjoy riding the Disney Skyliner for leisure. It’s available to anyone. But there’s one time that I think is a little more special than others: at sunset. The photos below were taken on a clear evening as I was traveling from Caribbean Beach to Hollywood Studios. You can see the Tower of Terror’s silhouette in the sunset.
Final Thoughts
I hope you found this virtual route helpful in planning your vacation, or at the very least, enjoyed the photos. For more on the Skyliner, you might like the following:
For an overview of how the entire system works, make sure to see our guide to the Disney Skyliner Routes and Travel Times. Check back with ResortsGal.com for more details.
In the Comments
Have you taken the Skyliner between Hollywood Studios and Epcot? Did you find this guide helpful? Let us know in the comments below.