How Disney’s Skyliner Works During Inclement Weather (Rain and Delays)

If this is the case, you will need to continue to the front of the park, where bus service will be provided back to your resort. You’ll want to be prepared that it’s a long walk from the International Gateway to Epcot’s front entrance, especially if the weather is terrible.

As far as how the Skyliner operates, it does continue to run when it’s raining. It does not, however, operate in the event of inclement weather. So if lightning is within a certain radius, the Skyliner will close.

In our experience, Disney has also offered bus service from the Beach Club and the Boardwalk to the Skyliner Resorts when the Skyliner was down. One evening, we were leaving the park at closing and were directed to the BoardWalk to catch a bus. Another afternoon, we were directed to the Beach Club. On those occasions, we rode a shared bus back to the Skyliner Resorts. The bus driver ensured everyone knew which resorts they were visiting and in what order they would be dropped off. Here’s how it worked:

• We exited the International Gateway at Epcot, and a cast member directed us to continue to Disney Beach Club.
• We boarded a bus from the Beach Club to the Skyliner Resorts. (We had to wait about 15 minutes for the bus to arrive.)
• The bus driver dropped guests off at Disney’s Art of Animation and Pop Century Resort, which are in the same area.
• The bus driver then stopped at Caribbean Beach, which is nearby. However, the bus only stopped at the Skyliner Station. So, from the Skyliner Station, you would have to wait on the internal bus at Caribbean Beach to get back to your resort area.
• Then, the bus driver dropped the rest of us off at Disney’s Riviera Resort.

This situation has happened to us a couple of times. We are at Disney often, so we try to take advantage of complimentary transportation as much as possible. That said, if I were visiting with family or needed to get back to my resort quickly, we would do things differently. In this instance, we would take a Minnie Van or car service back to the resort from the Beach Club. The Skyliner Resorts are less than ten minutes away by car, and a car service can take you directly to your building if you’re at one of the larger resorts. (This is one of the few times I’d recommend the extra cost of taking a car service.)

If you’re near the front of Epcot or Disney’s Hollywood Studios when the Skyliner is down, a cast member will direct you to the correct bus stop. A bus will take you back to the resort. So it’s a little more straightforward than being at the International Gateway.

If you’re at the resort and the Skyliner is down, buses are routed to pick you up at the resort bus stops. Hopefully, you won’t have any issues during your stay. But Florida is prone to daily afternoon thunderstorms during the hotter months. While the Skyliner continues to run in rain, it will cease to operate during lightning and/or windy conditions.

Final Thoughts

We hope this article was helpful in your planning process. For more on Disney World transportation, you might like:

• Taking the Skyliner Between Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot
• Disney Resorts Ranked by Their Transportation Options
• Resorts that Offer Bus Service to Magic Kingdom
• Pros and Cons of Staying at a Disney Hotel with Multiple Bus Stops

You might also enjoy our Disney World Skyliner Guide with Routes.

More Planning

Resorts Gal specializes in Disney World Resorts, Characters, and Dining. Explore our resources, including our Disney World Resorts Guide. It provides an overview of everything you need to know about the Disney Resort Hotels. For dining, our Disney World Dining Guide is an excellent place to start. Our Disney World Transportation Guide is a wonderful resource for planning your routes. It’s one of our most popular resources. If you plan to meet characters in the parks, we have an updated list of Disney World Characters. It includes every available character meet-and-greet in the parks and where to find rare characters throughout the year. Lastly, our Disney Parks Guide provides a complete overview of all four theme parks and water parks.