List of Disney Resort Hotels With Direct Access to the Skyliner

List of Disney Resorts with Skyliner Stations

The following resorts all offer direct access to the Skyliner.

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

A few resorts are also within walking distance of Epcot’s International Gateway, where guests can access the Skyliner: Disney’s Beach Club, Disney’s Yacht Club, and Disney’s BoardWalk Resort. You would typically only use the Skyliner at these resorts for leisure.

Upcoming Skyliner Refurbishments

We’ve listed the Skyliner refurbishment dates for early 2027 and 2028. When the Skyliner is closed for refurbishment, bus service is offered to Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

• Skyliner Refurbishment Dates 2027: In 2027, the Skyliner is scheduled to close between January 24th and the 30th.

• Skyliner Refurbishment Dates 2028: In 2028, the Skyliner is scheduled to close between January 24th and February 2nd.

Skyliner Access and Destinations

If you stay at a Skyliner Resort, you’ll want to know where to access the gondola system and where it goes. In some cases, you’ll need to transfer to a different line to reach your destination. We’ll touch on that and a few other need-to-knows.

For starters, expect long lines for the Skyliner at the resort first thing in the morning. On our last stay at Pop Century, we got in line late, and it took us 30 minutes to board the Skyliner. If you would like to learn more, see our article discussing how long it takes to board the Skyliner at Pop Century for rope drop.

You’ll also encounter long lines for the Skyliner when you leave Epcot or Disney’s Hollywood Studios in the evening. Thankfully, the lines move relatively quickly. However, they can be so long that they feel intimidating. Our best tip is to hang out in the parks for a little while after closing. Most of the park’s larger shops stay open an hour past closing. So you don’t need to rush off. As for morning travel, rope drop crowds are inevitable.

A word of warning: Those who fear heights will likely not want to stay at a Skyliner Resort. The Skyliner is the only transportation option for Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. There is no bus alternative for these destinations. Buses are offered only when the Skyliner is down for refurbishment or due to inclement weather. See our overview of pros and cons for staying on the Skyliner if you would like to learn more.

Disney’s Art of Animation and Pop Century (Shared Station)

Disney’s Art of Animation and Pop Century share a Skyliner station. The station is located on the bridge between the two resorts in the center of Hourglass Lake. The lake is immediately between the resorts. The length of your walk to the Skyliner station will depend on your room location at either resort. The longest distance we’ve tracked is 0.33 miles (about 8-10 minutes) from the Little Mermaid rooms to the Skyliner station.

Once you board the Skyliner, you have to exit at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort. From Caribbean Beach, you can board a line directly to Disney’s Hollywood Studios or one that continues to Epcot. The line to Epcot drops down at Disney’s Riviera Resort. However, you do not have to exit at Disney’s Riviera unless that is your destination.

When you return from Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Epcot, or the Riviera, you must exit at Caribbean Beach. You’ll then board the direct shared line to Disney’s Art of Animation and Pop Century.

• Skyliner Location: Center of the Bridge over Hourglass Lake
• Skyliner Destinations: Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
• Transfer to: Disney’s Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and Disney’s Riviera Resort

Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort

Disney’s Caribbean Beach is home to the Skyliner’s central hub. All the gondola lines feed into this station. Guests of Disney’s Caribbean Beach are within walking distance of the hub and the Riviera station. In some instances, the Riviera station might be closer to your accommodations. For example, if you’re staying in Aruba, the Riviera station is less than a five-minute walk. So, you’ll likely want to board the Skyliner at Riviera for Epcot.

• Skyliner Location: Near Jamaica and Across the Lake from Trinidad
• Skyliner Destinations: Disney’s Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, Disney’s Riviera Resort, Disney’s Pop Century, and Art of Animation
• Transfers: NA

Disney’s Caribbean Beach is a moderate resort. Prices are higher than Pop Century and Art of Animation but considerably lower than Disney’s Riviera Resort, our next Skyliner stop.

Tip: Given its vast size, some might find this resort hard to navigate. However, Caribbean Beach has an internal bus that picks up near the Skyliner exit. If you do not want to walk back to your room, you can take the internal shuttle. Make sure you know which bus stop is closest to your room. (See our guide to walking distances at Caribbean Beach for more details.)

Disney’s Riviera Resort

Our last Skyliner Resort is Disney’s Riviera. This resort has a bonus: it’s an interior hotel just a few steps away, with a covered walkway to the Skyliner. (However, if you’re visiting Epcot, you must walk to the opposite side to board, and that walkway isn’t covered.) You may remember we recently discussed that the Skyliner continues to operate when it rains, but not during inclement weather with lightning or strong winds.

You can board a Skyliner directly to Epcot or Caribbean Beach from Disney’s Riviera. Once you reach Caribbean Beach, you must exit. From there, you can transfer to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Pop Century, or Art of Animation Resort.

• Skyliner Location: Right next to the hotel (you won’t have to walk far).
• Skyliner Destinations: EPCOT, Disney’s Caribbean Beach
• Transfers: Hollywood Studios, Pop Century, Art of Animation

Disney’s Riviera is a deluxe villa resort. It is the most expensive resort category on the Skyliner and among the highest-priced hotels at Disney World. It is a nice hotel with high-end finishes and fantastic dining options.

Final Thoughts

We love staying on the Skyliner, and our only major complaint about any of these resorts is that the line can be long first thing in the morning. However, you will rarely encounter a long line throughout the rest of the day. So, if you avoid early mornings and park closing times, you probably won’t have to wait long. That said, arriving early at the park has advantages.

If you would like to learn more, we have a complete overview of the Disney World Skyliner. 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. It’s the perfect primer for anyone new to planning or who hasn’t visited in a while.

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.