Skyliner Resort Hopping (Things to Do at Each Resort)
Looking for things to do while resort-hopping the Disney Skyliner Resorts? If so, you’ve come to the right place. Below, we’ll briefly discuss how the Skyliner works. Then we’ve listed a few hidden gems and things to do to add to your trip.
We have found that many guests want to ride the Skyliner at least once during their vacation. The problem? Beyond riding the Skyliner, most guests don’t know what to do next. We notice this often when we’re leaving Hollywood Studios. Since the ride from the park to Caribbean Beach is so short, other passengers are often shocked to have to exit so soon. They always ask: Do we have to exit here? Yes, you do.
Of course, if you just want to continue riding the Skyliner, you can join the line for Epcot. This route offers more time to ride, and you’ll get a great view of the Walt Disney World skyline along the way. It’s a fun way to see things, but we think you can do better.
The Best Way to Access the Skyliner for a Resort-Hop
For most, the best place to board the Skyliner is Disney’s Hollywood Studios. As mentioned above, the gondola will drop you off at Caribbean Beach in under five minutes. Caribbean Beach is the primary hub that feeds all the lines. From here, you can board the Skyliner to any of its destinations:
- Hollywood Studios
- Epcot (International Gateway)
- Disney’s Riviera Resort
- Disney’s Pop Century and Art of Animation Resorts (Shared Stop)
For reference, Caribbean Beach and Disney’s Riviera are within walking distance of each other, but each resort has a Skyliner station. Pop Century and Art of Animation are also within walking distance of each other; however, they share a Skyliner station. It sits in the center of the bridge on Hourglass Lake. The resorts each face the lake on opposite sides.
Simple Skyliner Resort Hopping Itinerary
If we were going to resort-hop the Skyliner Resorts, we would start at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and take the Skyliner to Caribbean Beach. Then we would take the following steps:
- Skyliner to Art of Animation and Pop Century
- Tour the Resorts as Desired (Suggestions Below)
- Skyliner Back to Caribbean Beach
- Check out Caribbean Cay (Suggestions Below)
- Walk to Disney’s Riviera Resort
- Have a bite to eat and tour the resort. (Suggestions Below)
- Take the Skyliner to Epcot’s International Gateway.
- Check out Disney’s BoardWalk or Beach and Yacht Club.
- Take a Friendship Boat back to Hollywood Studios.
- Take a bus back to the resort.
When planning your resort hop, consider the weather and how much time you have. Depending on your pace, it could be hard to do it all and see everything. For example, if you wanted to take your time and see all the sections of Art of Animation, you could easily spend 1.5 to 2 hours there. So you might not make it to every stop we highlight below.
Things to Do at Disney’s Art of Animation
Our favorite thing to do is take a sunset walk around Art of Animation Resort. If you time it right and the weather’s cooperating, you’ll see a stunning sunset with fun Disney references all around. It’s a fun place for children and adults alike. It’s also much more comfortable to explore this resort (or any other outdoor area) when the sun is not directly overhead. If you visit at midday, you might be miserable and miss out on all the cool stuff the grounds offer.
Art of Animation has a fun gift shop called the Ink and Paint Gift Shop. We love to shop here and stop in often to check out the latest merchandise. The resort’s food court, Landscape of Flavors, is next door. You might want to grab a bite to eat or a snack. (We prefer to wait and eat at the quick-service restaurant at Disney’s Riviera Resort when we’re touring all the Skyliner Resorts.)
Kid Stop: Everything at this resort is designed for children. There’s also a fun playground any guest can access behind the splash pad. It’s a good place to let kids burn off a little energy. You might also enjoy browsing our photos of the Cars Hotel Area at Art of Animation. They’ll give you an idea of what you will see in the Cars section of the resort.
Things to Do at Pop Century
If you want to continue your stroll around Art of Animation to Pop Century, we suggest walking around Hourglass Lake. It’s a beautiful walk that’s full of fun references. Each section of Pop Century is themed to a unique decade. We always stop in the 90s to see the Potato Heads, Roger Rabbit, and the giant laptop. It’s such a fun resort.
Inside the main building, the “pop culture” references continue. I always like to look at the shadow boxes lining the lobby walls. You’ll find some pretty cool details! You might also like the Everything Pop gift shop or the food court.
Kid Stop: The resort has a playground behind Building 10 in the 70s section. (See our guide to the playgrounds at Disney’s Hotels. It has a map with the location of each applicable resort’s playground.)
Things to Do at Disney’s Caribbean Beach
Disney’s Caribbean Beach is a huge resort. You can walk or use the internal bus station by the Skyliner to get around the resort. If you’re up for the walk, we enjoy walking from the Skyliner to Old Port Royale. We would take the route through Jamaica, then cross the bridge to Caribbean Cay, the resort’s island. Old Port Royale is on the opposite side.
Kid’s Stop: While you’re on the island, you might let the children explore. The island offers a cool playground and scenic lake views. We have a gallery with photos of the Caribbean Beach Resort playground if you want to check it out.
Once you reach Old Port Royale, you might enjoy a meal or refreshments from the Banana Cabana, an outdoor bar and lounge. We also love checking out the lobby of Disney’s Caribbean Beach and shopping at Calypso Trading Post, the resort’s gift shop. See our photo tour of Old Port Royale for an idea of what you’ll see.
Things to Do at Disney’s Riviera Resort
Once you’re finished at Caribbean Beach, it’s a simple walk to Disney’s Riviera. This is our favorite place to eat. We love both the quick-service restaurant, Primo Piatto, and the resort’s lounge, Bar Riva.
You might also explore the resort and check out the bakery, Le Petit Cafe, and the nearby gift shop, La Boutique, on the resort’s lobby level. You’ll also likely want to see the Peter Pan and Tangled Mural, which sits between the resort and the Skyliner Station.
Kid Stop: You’ll find a variety of outdoor games on the resort’s green lawn behind the lobby. It’s a fun place to stop and relax for a bit.
How to Return to Your Resort
Here are a few details for getting back to your resort:
Option One: When you’re finished at Disney’s Riviera, you’ll have a few options. If your priority is returning to your resort, you can take a bus from the Riviera to Disney Springs, then board a bus back to your resort. (This might not be the quickest route depending on where you’re staying, but it is an option that will work for every resort. All Disney Resorts offer bus service to and from Disney Springs. Disney’s Riviera is very close to Disney Springs.)
*You must be a resort guest to use the buses at Disney Springs.
*You can also take a car service, taxi, or Minnie Van from this location if you don’t mind the extra expense.
Option Two: Board the Skyliner at Disney’s Riviera Resort, take it to Disney’s Caribbean Beach, then return on the next Skyliner line to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where you started. Take a bus back to your resort from Hollywood Studios.
Option Three: Take the Skyliner from Disney’s Riviera to Epcot’s International Gateway (the longest leg on the Skyliner). When you arrive at Epcot, you can take a boat back to Hollywood Studios, or you can walk to the BoardWalk or the surrounding Epcot Resorts Area. The boat stops at every resort on the way to Hollywood Studios if you prefer it to walking. This option lets you extend your resort hop to the Epcot Resorts area if you want.
Final Thoughts
I hope this article gave you a few hidden gems to explore while touring the area. We love checking out the Skyliner Resorts, and we find the entire area fun for everyone to enjoy. Just remember that it might be unpleasant to do these areas during the hottest part of the day. These resorts are all sizable, and resort-hopping means you’ll spend most of your time outdoors. You might also enjoy our list of every resort restaurant you can access from the Skyliner.
For more resort itineraries, see our guide to Resort-Hopping Itineraries for Disney World. 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.
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In the Comments
Have you ever taken a Skyliner Resort-Hop? Let us know in the comments below.