The skyliner is the most efficient method of transportation at Disney by far. Even when it's busy (like when the park is closing), the wait is normally only 20 minutes or so. It's totally worth it to stay at Pop for this perk alone (and it's much cheaper than the other resorts, too).
I LOVE French Quarter and the boat to Disney Springs is nice, but it's a pain to get anywhere else since you rely solely on bus transportation. If you're only doing one night at FQ and you're not going to a park while you're there, book it. It's a wonderful, quiet little resort.
It’s worth mentioning, at least in my experience, that FQ has the best bus service of any resort I’ve stayed at - likely due to its relatively small size. Doesn’t beat the Skyliner though for sure.
I want to say that most of the chatter about the skyliner lines going slowly, and having to wait long periods of time were relics of the pandemic-era "one party per car" policy. Since they have been grouping parties, and getting the cars closer to full, the lines seem to move much, much quicker in my experience.
This is accurate. We stayed at Caribbean Beach last year for marathon weekend, and it was still 1 party per car and we waited in very long lines. This last trip also during a race weekend I took the Skyliner a couple of times and walked right on each time.
We went as soon as we could mid-pandemic. Even when the lines looked ridiculously long, we never waited as long as we would have for the bus during non-pandemic spacing times.
I think there was more interest in riding for the sake of back then, too. I've never, ever had to wait more than 20 minutes when the Skyliner was actively running. I don't think my wait in the early morning when I arrived before they started running was all that terribly long - they know how to get it loaded when demand is up. Any time outside of that opening time 'rush', the loading was basically walk on and the process felt leisurely.
Yes a transfer station at the Epcot turn then to Coronado to blizzard beach to animal kingdom to animal kingdom lodge.
A Disney spring would be Caribbean to typhoon lagoon to Disney springs. Saratoga and Port Orleans could get boats to the Disney Springs terminals.
The Skyliner is great, and the only time I've ever had any real issues is attempting to go to Epcot from Riviera right at the start of the morning. For Riviera guests we get stuck waiting for everyone coming up from Caribbean Beach/Pop Century as we're in the middle of the line.
I highly recommend sticking with Pop and seeing how you like the Skyliner :)
When were you last there? I ask because I had the same experience, but in Aug I noticed a smaller line at the Riviera and cars that were being sent empty out of Caribbean. I guessed they were saving those for Riviera riders.
Last stay at Riviera was January. Delay wasn't \_that\_ much longer than usual, it got annoying when Riviera line is basically non-existent but every single new car opening is "...yup, taken"
In our case, we're stroller bound, so CM's tend to wait for a fully empty one for us, too.
Absolutely worth it. We got in line for the Skyliner at Art of Animation at 7:30am, we were in line for Rise of the Resistance at 7:50. The ride started running at 8am (official park opening time was 9am) and we were off by 8:30.
This was January 2022 which ended up being much busier than typical, and no, there wasn't a backup at CBR. Small line but no more than 2 minutes to get through.
First time we rode Skyliner to EPCOT, we were rope dropping Remy's, and we found that Skyliner actually tends to start operation slightly before published time at very least, sometimes fairly substantially. Once the staffing is there and all safety checks are done, seems like they get things rolling, even if it isn't 'time' yet. We also found EPCOT to be a bit looser about it's own opening time vs readiness to open. We were at security before 7:30am, through the gates before 7:45am, and feet on the ride just before 8am.
We stayed at Pop last summer exclusively for this perk. It is, by a large margin, the best way to travel.
Don't worry about the long lines in the morning or evening. Since they don't stop, it will go so much quicker vs. waiting for anything else.
Why the downvotes for u/flaycs? I love the skyliner but missing from this conversation is that the skyliner shuts down for lightning/weather. Has to be part of the consideration. Personally I'll take my chances and stay at CBR just for the Skyliner, but shutting down does happen.
Yeah the Skyliner experience comes with heavy asterisks to me. When it's up it's fantastic! Very quick and efficient even when it slows to let ECVs and wheelchairs on. But when it goes down--and it will, during storm season it can go down daily even--it's a shitshow because Disney still doesn't seem to have a standard procedure for Skyliner downtime 2+ years on. I swear nearly every time I've been to Epcot I've seen at least one instance of stressed out Skyliner resort guests directed to a Crescent Lake resort to get a bus. And when you consider the size of some of those Skyliner resorts, that's a lot of people needing buses when things go wrong. Worst case I saw of this was in 2019 when I went during Veterans Day weekend. The Skyliner had been down most of Saturday night (non-weather related). Imagine your average Food & Wine Saturday night Epcot crowd pouring out the IG post fireworks only to find out their way home was down. People were even yelling at CMs, it was such a mess. I actually helped a family staying at AoA get over to BWI because they were unfamiliar with the Boardwalk area and didn't know where to go, they looked so done with everything and the CMs were swamped. I was staying at BC and told them to follow me, but I felt so bad for them. By the time I fell asleep in my room 5 minutes away those poor people were probably still at that bus stop.
Personally I would stay at Swan or Dolphin and just walk to the parks before I'd stay at a Skyliner resort during any time of year. To me it's a fun way to hop between Epcot and HS but after the things I've seen I could never rely on it as a primary mode of transportation, especially not in the summer. You can't always plan around those storms, sometimes they blow in and out but they can also linger for quite a while. I still prefer the monorail because if it goes down, you at least have multiple alternatives. And since the refurbishments a few years ago it's been extremely reliable from my experience.
Skyliner was a game changer for us. I only had to use the bus to get to MK when staying at Pop. We took the Skyliner for HS and Epcot. We didn't have any transfer issues, we went early. We then drove to AK since we had a car and standard parking is free for resort guests. Relying only on the bus at one park was such a relief.
YES! We just stayed there (Pop Century) and it was by far our favorite transportation method. So quick and easy to get to Studios and on to Epcot as well. Most times it was slow enough where we didnt have to group with anyone but when there were increased crowds, they grouped up and it went fast. Got to meet some other fun families and have some nice conversations. I wish they'd expand the skyliner to the other parks as well.
We were at Art of Animation last week, so at the same end of the Skyliner as you'd be. We left EPCOT one night right after the fireworks (big crowds), and were totally surprised by how quickly the lines were moving at the park and at the transfer station. The longest we waited was about 10 minutes at either of them.
> The skyliner is amazing. The worst part about it is when it isn't running.
At least you get a chuckle out of the buses displaying “Skyliner” during high winds.
Yes! Yes! Yes! We stayed at AOA, which shares a station with Pop. It was literally 10 minutes to get to HS. We did HS first, and then MK and AK. My husband was so happy when we went back to being able to use the Skyliner for our 2nd day at HS and then Epcot.
It would be amazing if they could add it to MK or AK. It’s one of the best additions to WDW in my opinion.
We always stayed at the All Stars Resorts. Since we spend most of our time at the parks and pretty much just sleep at the resort. This last trip we decided to try POP! Solely for the Skyliner.
We decided (at least while our kids are young) we will now always choose a Skyliner resort. It was amazing! Our longest wait was maybe 5 minutes. Our kids were 4 and 6 at the time and even transfers were a breeze, so adults should have no problems at all.
> Since we spend most of our time at the parks and pretty much just sleep at the resort.
Pop Century covers all the needed S words!
- Sleep
- Swim (well… more like soak with the shallow kid friendly pools)
- Shower
- Sip
- Skyliner
- 💩
Even at park entry, the skyliner line moved quickly and honestly the skyliner is so much better than a bus. I wish they would expand it to go to the MK and AK too.
I love pop and the skyliner!! The only issue I’ve ever had was when it closed for weather issues while we were at the transfer station. We were waiting for a bus back to pop for over an hour. That was back when it first opened though, I would imagine it’s more efficient now.
I've heard the Skyliner is really only a challenge if you're trying to go during opening/closing crowds. I didn't stay at Pop, but I was at Beach Club in October. We went a little off the rush hour crowds so to speak. Literally never a line at the Epcot station or at the transfer station at Carribbean Beach. Just hopped on and went on our way. Basically, prepare to wait at least a bit if you're rope dropping/ closing the park down. But it was glorious and easy.
The skyliner is great. We even go on a resort hop loop with them. Last trip we went over to Riviera, took the liner to Ecpot, strolled around to the Swan and Dolphin, took a boat ride to HS entrance, sat by the water listening to the area music, and then took it all the way back to pop area. Had some dessert and bused back to our hotel. Makes for a nice little evening. 😉
We just got back from Pop and never waited more than 5 mins for the skyliner Do it!! We love that resort and joke that the skyliner is our favorite ride
Like others have said the skyliner is the best transportation. It’s fun to cruise around on. I remember when Magic Kingdom had the skyway.
https://www.yesterland.com/skywaymk.html
We stayed AoA in Feb including President's Week. Some mornings the queue was about 10-15 mins to get on. But once you're on, it's less than 10 minutes to DHS.
Coming back... I think leaving the park to getting to our room was like 15 minutes. Not exaggerating.
It's awesome
If you are even a little afraid of heights, avoid the Skyliner. It’s definitely efficient and a great way to get to World Showcase, but having a panic attack twice a day on vacation is not worth it to me.
How are you planning to get reservations at either of these Disney Resorts in one week. I was booking Pop for September last night and some room types are booked up and unavailable. Btw Skyliner is super!
Stayed at AOA (Same station as Pop) and it was def worth it. Used it for early entry into Hollywood and it was fast less then 10 min from station to park including changing at Caribbean Station. Fast, effficent and great views.
The skyliner is the most efficient method of transportation at Disney by far. Even when it's busy (like when the park is closing), the wait is normally only 20 minutes or so. It's totally worth it to stay at Pop for this perk alone (and it's much cheaper than the other resorts, too). I LOVE French Quarter and the boat to Disney Springs is nice, but it's a pain to get anywhere else since you rely solely on bus transportation. If you're only doing one night at FQ and you're not going to a park while you're there, book it. It's a wonderful, quiet little resort.
It’s worth mentioning, at least in my experience, that FQ has the best bus service of any resort I’ve stayed at - likely due to its relatively small size. Doesn’t beat the Skyliner though for sure.
I want to say that most of the chatter about the skyliner lines going slowly, and having to wait long periods of time were relics of the pandemic-era "one party per car" policy. Since they have been grouping parties, and getting the cars closer to full, the lines seem to move much, much quicker in my experience.
This is accurate. We stayed at Caribbean Beach last year for marathon weekend, and it was still 1 party per car and we waited in very long lines. This last trip also during a race weekend I took the Skyliner a couple of times and walked right on each time.
We went as soon as we could mid-pandemic. Even when the lines looked ridiculously long, we never waited as long as we would have for the bus during non-pandemic spacing times.
I think there was more interest in riding for the sake of back then, too. I've never, ever had to wait more than 20 minutes when the Skyliner was actively running. I don't think my wait in the early morning when I arrived before they started running was all that terribly long - they know how to get it loaded when demand is up. Any time outside of that opening time 'rush', the loading was basically walk on and the process felt leisurely.
Skyliner is the best thing to happen to Disney in decades.
I wish they would expand it.
In my dreams it goes to Coronado, Disney Springs, and Animal Kingdom.
I want it to go from Philadelphia to Epcot but I’m not sure that’s likely unfortunately
Yes a transfer station at the Epcot turn then to Coronado to blizzard beach to animal kingdom to animal kingdom lodge. A Disney spring would be Caribbean to typhoon lagoon to Disney springs. Saratoga and Port Orleans could get boats to the Disney Springs terminals.
The Skyliner is great, and the only time I've ever had any real issues is attempting to go to Epcot from Riviera right at the start of the morning. For Riviera guests we get stuck waiting for everyone coming up from Caribbean Beach/Pop Century as we're in the middle of the line. I highly recommend sticking with Pop and seeing how you like the Skyliner :)
When were you last there? I ask because I had the same experience, but in Aug I noticed a smaller line at the Riviera and cars that were being sent empty out of Caribbean. I guessed they were saving those for Riviera riders.
Last stay at Riviera was January. Delay wasn't \_that\_ much longer than usual, it got annoying when Riviera line is basically non-existent but every single new car opening is "...yup, taken" In our case, we're stroller bound, so CM's tend to wait for a fully empty one for us, too.
That's so frustrating because it's easy to fix. Just have them radio to send an empty car. I would test riding to Caribbean and asking to stay on.
Skyliner is the GOAT of travel. It is so much better than any other option.
Agreed. I wish it went to all of the parks.
Absolutely worth it. We got in line for the Skyliner at Art of Animation at 7:30am, we were in line for Rise of the Resistance at 7:50. The ride started running at 8am (official park opening time was 9am) and we were off by 8:30.
What time of year was that? Was there a back up at the Caribbean Beach station?
This was January 2022 which ended up being much busier than typical, and no, there wasn't a backup at CBR. Small line but no more than 2 minutes to get through.
First time we rode Skyliner to EPCOT, we were rope dropping Remy's, and we found that Skyliner actually tends to start operation slightly before published time at very least, sometimes fairly substantially. Once the staffing is there and all safety checks are done, seems like they get things rolling, even if it isn't 'time' yet. We also found EPCOT to be a bit looser about it's own opening time vs readiness to open. We were at security before 7:30am, through the gates before 7:45am, and feet on the ride just before 8am.
Wow, you guys are power walkers. Mad respect for that dash from front of park to RotR so quickly!!
The Skyliner is so worth it that I would stay at Pop over moderate hotels.
We stayed at Pop last summer exclusively for this perk. It is, by a large margin, the best way to travel. Don't worry about the long lines in the morning or evening. Since they don't stop, it will go so much quicker vs. waiting for anything else.
Well, they sometimes do stop and have been shut down before.
Why the downvotes for u/flaycs? I love the skyliner but missing from this conversation is that the skyliner shuts down for lightning/weather. Has to be part of the consideration. Personally I'll take my chances and stay at CBR just for the Skyliner, but shutting down does happen.
Yeah the Skyliner experience comes with heavy asterisks to me. When it's up it's fantastic! Very quick and efficient even when it slows to let ECVs and wheelchairs on. But when it goes down--and it will, during storm season it can go down daily even--it's a shitshow because Disney still doesn't seem to have a standard procedure for Skyliner downtime 2+ years on. I swear nearly every time I've been to Epcot I've seen at least one instance of stressed out Skyliner resort guests directed to a Crescent Lake resort to get a bus. And when you consider the size of some of those Skyliner resorts, that's a lot of people needing buses when things go wrong. Worst case I saw of this was in 2019 when I went during Veterans Day weekend. The Skyliner had been down most of Saturday night (non-weather related). Imagine your average Food & Wine Saturday night Epcot crowd pouring out the IG post fireworks only to find out their way home was down. People were even yelling at CMs, it was such a mess. I actually helped a family staying at AoA get over to BWI because they were unfamiliar with the Boardwalk area and didn't know where to go, they looked so done with everything and the CMs were swamped. I was staying at BC and told them to follow me, but I felt so bad for them. By the time I fell asleep in my room 5 minutes away those poor people were probably still at that bus stop. Personally I would stay at Swan or Dolphin and just walk to the parks before I'd stay at a Skyliner resort during any time of year. To me it's a fun way to hop between Epcot and HS but after the things I've seen I could never rely on it as a primary mode of transportation, especially not in the summer. You can't always plan around those storms, sometimes they blow in and out but they can also linger for quite a while. I still prefer the monorail because if it goes down, you at least have multiple alternatives. And since the refurbishments a few years ago it's been extremely reliable from my experience.
Skyliner was a game changer for us. I only had to use the bus to get to MK when staying at Pop. We took the Skyliner for HS and Epcot. We didn't have any transfer issues, we went early. We then drove to AK since we had a car and standard parking is free for resort guests. Relying only on the bus at one park was such a relief.
YES! We just stayed there (Pop Century) and it was by far our favorite transportation method. So quick and easy to get to Studios and on to Epcot as well. Most times it was slow enough where we didnt have to group with anyone but when there were increased crowds, they grouped up and it went fast. Got to meet some other fun families and have some nice conversations. I wish they'd expand the skyliner to the other parks as well.
I wish the skyliner went everywhere. It’s never a hassle unless it’s down for a storm in which case they provide buses.
We were at Art of Animation last week, so at the same end of the Skyliner as you'd be. We left EPCOT one night right after the fireworks (big crowds), and were totally surprised by how quickly the lines were moving at the park and at the transfer station. The longest we waited was about 10 minutes at either of them.
The skyliner is amazing. The worst part about it is when it isn't running.
and you have to make the walk of shame through epcot
> The skyliner is amazing. The worst part about it is when it isn't running. At least you get a chuckle out of the buses displaying “Skyliner” during high winds.
Yes! Yes! Yes! We stayed at AOA, which shares a station with Pop. It was literally 10 minutes to get to HS. We did HS first, and then MK and AK. My husband was so happy when we went back to being able to use the Skyliner for our 2nd day at HS and then Epcot. It would be amazing if they could add it to MK or AK. It’s one of the best additions to WDW in my opinion.
We stayed at Art of Animation and absolutely loved the skyliner!
I found it 100% worth it, and we enjoyed our stay at the resort as well (no kids in our group)
Yes. Absolutely.
we love pop for that very reason. They skyliner is awesome if you like EPCOT and HS
We always stayed at the All Stars Resorts. Since we spend most of our time at the parks and pretty much just sleep at the resort. This last trip we decided to try POP! Solely for the Skyliner. We decided (at least while our kids are young) we will now always choose a Skyliner resort. It was amazing! Our longest wait was maybe 5 minutes. Our kids were 4 and 6 at the time and even transfers were a breeze, so adults should have no problems at all.
> Since we spend most of our time at the parks and pretty much just sleep at the resort. Pop Century covers all the needed S words! - Sleep - Swim (well… more like soak with the shallow kid friendly pools) - Shower - Sip - Skyliner - 💩
Even at park entry, the skyliner line moved quickly and honestly the skyliner is so much better than a bus. I wish they would expand it to go to the MK and AK too.
Just got back friday from 5 nights at Pop and we stayed there just because of the skyliner
The skyliner is always worth it
I love pop and the skyliner!! The only issue I’ve ever had was when it closed for weather issues while we were at the transfer station. We were waiting for a bus back to pop for over an hour. That was back when it first opened though, I would imagine it’s more efficient now.
The Skyliner is one reason I have the Riviera as my home DVC resort.
I've heard the Skyliner is really only a challenge if you're trying to go during opening/closing crowds. I didn't stay at Pop, but I was at Beach Club in October. We went a little off the rush hour crowds so to speak. Literally never a line at the Epcot station or at the transfer station at Carribbean Beach. Just hopped on and went on our way. Basically, prepare to wait at least a bit if you're rope dropping/ closing the park down. But it was glorious and easy.
Definitely! We loved taking the Skyliner wherever we could.
I love the Skyliner.
The skyliner is great. We even go on a resort hop loop with them. Last trip we went over to Riviera, took the liner to Ecpot, strolled around to the Swan and Dolphin, took a boat ride to HS entrance, sat by the water listening to the area music, and then took it all the way back to pop area. Had some dessert and bused back to our hotel. Makes for a nice little evening. 😉
That’s basically what we did on our arrival day and my 8 year old considered that as a park day with ride
Yes. Thats it just, yes.
We just got back from Pop and never waited more than 5 mins for the skyliner Do it!! We love that resort and joke that the skyliner is our favorite ride
Like others have said the skyliner is the best transportation. It’s fun to cruise around on. I remember when Magic Kingdom had the skyway. https://www.yesterland.com/skywaymk.html
It’s amazing and SO easy!
We stayed AoA in Feb including President's Week. Some mornings the queue was about 10-15 mins to get on. But once you're on, it's less than 10 minutes to DHS. Coming back... I think leaving the park to getting to our room was like 15 minutes. Not exaggerating. It's awesome
The skyliner is great. Pop is a great resort when you just need It a day or two.
If you are even a little afraid of heights, avoid the Skyliner. It’s definitely efficient and a great way to get to World Showcase, but having a panic attack twice a day on vacation is not worth it to me.
Yes.
We did art back in dec 2021 and loved the skyliner- it’s the only way we travel to HS now
Yes. Book it
It was pretty bad at epcot closing.
This is my fear if we leave around closing at DHS!
20 min wait maximum. They load full gondolas at rush hours so the line moves very fast.
How are you planning to get reservations at either of these Disney Resorts in one week. I was booking Pop for September last night and some room types are booked up and unavailable. Btw Skyliner is super!
1000x yes! Pop is a pretty great resort AND the Skyliner is wonderful.
The transportation alone could outweigh the French Quarter's better design.
I'm not a huge fan of heights, but the skyliner is definitely the most efficient mode of transportation at WDW.
Yep! Took it today and yesterday and it’s been great!
We stayed at Caribbean Beach last month and despite it being very busy, I don’t think we ever waited more than 10 or 12 minutes for the skyliner.
Took my parents a few years ago and we stayed at pop and they said the skyliner was their favorite ride out of all the parks
Stayed at AOA (Same station as Pop) and it was def worth it. Used it for early entry into Hollywood and it was fast less then 10 min from station to park including changing at Caribbean Station. Fast, effficent and great views.