Buses Reduced at Disney World’s Skyliner Resorts
Walt Disney World has reduced bus transportation between the Skyliner gondola hotels, Epcot, and Hollywood Studios. In this post, we’ll cover the new policy, share results of our ‘field testing’ the buses, and recommendations for how this might impact your vacation.
Effective immediately, buses for Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios will pick-up guests approximately once per hour at the hotels with Skyliner gondola stations. This means Disney’s Riviera Resort, Caribbean Beach, Art of Animation, and Pop Century all now have reduced bus service.
Prior to the Disney Skyliner gondola system beginning operations for the day or if it’s experiencing downtime, bus service will be increased to approximately once every 20 minutes. These changes apply to both pickup from the hotels and pickup from Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios…
This news broke over the weekend, but aside from a sign at Pop Century notifying guests of the new policy, there were scant details about how this would work. Rather than rushing to share the incomplete story, we decided to head out to Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort and spend an afternoon seeing what, exactly, “approximately once per hour” means.
Sitting around a bus stop for hours might not sound exciting, but with construction now wrapped up at Caribbean Beach, Riviera Resort, and on the Skyliner stations, we have to find some way to fill our time there this year. 😉
Our first goal was to see whether the buses were operating on any sort of schedule. It seems, to us at least, that this would be fairly easy to accomplish at Disney’s Riviera Resort, Pop Century, and Art of Animation, since each of these only have one bus stop. (Due to the internal loop, it’d be more difficult at Caribbean Beach Resort.)
If buses now departed at the top of each hour or on a consistent schedule, this could actually be an improvement. Guests could plan around departure times and get to the bus stop when necessary. This would save Disney money, and improve predictability for guests. Win-win.
Unfortunately, this is not the case. What we found is that bus pick-up times are totally random, sometimes slightly less than an hour apart, sometimes slightly more. Never did the buses come on the top or bottom of the hour, and clearly that’s not the intent.
It’s unclear to us why this isn’t possible, but it’d be a huge improvement over what’s currently happening. Instead, our experience with the buses was unpredictable and frustrating.
The big problem aside from buses operating on an unpredictable schedule is that the wait time boards (and by extension, times in the My Disney Experience app) are unreliable. At Caribbean Beach’s Jamaica bus stop, times for the Epcot bus never displayed, and the bus just showed up unannounced.
This is actually an experience we’ve been having more and more of late. The entire time we were at Disney’s Riviera Resort, the bus wait times didn’t work in the app or on the signs. At the time, we assumed it was an opening week snafu, but we’ve had similar issues at other resorts in the last several months. (We were staying at Saratoga Springs while doing this test, so we didn’t have access to MDX wait times for the Skyliner resorts.)
If you’re concerned that the reduced bus schedule means longer lines for the Skyliner, don’t be. We took a divide and conquer approach to this testing, and while Sarah did most of the less glamorous bus stop stalking, I was flying the friendly skies. Never once did I encounter any line, let alone a long one.
Aside from park closing time (and to a lesser extent, park opening), the wait times for the Skyliner are rarely above 5 minutes. I often ride solo, and the unofficial midday policy seems to be to give each party their own cabin if the line is reasonably short. (We haven’t been grouped with another party at all in the last month.)
If you’re thinking this results in more crowded buses, that’s also not the case–which probably also helps explain the reduced bus service.
Again, this was midday and all of the buses (except Disney Springs) were departing less than half-full, but far and away the least-crowded buses were those bound for Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. If this continues to be the case, I could see Walt Disney World discontinuing bus service from the Skyliner resorts to DHS and Epcot entirely within the next year.
For us, this policy change comes as no surprise. Readers who won’t use the Skyliner have been optimistic that more guests using the gondola should reduce crowds on the buses–we’ve constantly been cautioning them that it’ll probably simply end up reducing buses.
Walt Disney World didn’t spend hundreds of millions of dollars on a new transportation system only to run the same number of buses as before. Every decision is always about revenue and costs.
On that note, if you’re not going to use the Disney Skyliner gondolas for whatever reason, we’d strongly encourage you to stay at a non-Skyliner resort. Walt Disney World fans love to praise the “free” perks like Disney’s Magical Express, Extra Magic Hours, and the resort-to-park transportation.
None of this is actually free. All of it is built into the nightly resort room rate.
The monorail is one of the main reasons the hotels on that loop cost over $500 per night. Take a hard look at Disney’s Contemporary Resort…do you really think that hotel would fetch those prices if it didn’t have a monorail running through it?! Same goes for Crescent Lake Resorts and being within walking distance of Epcot.
The same is also now true of Caribbean Beach, Art of Animation, and Pop Century. (Heck, even if you like Disney’s Riviera Resort, does anyone honestly think it could command its high rates without that Skyliner station?) Between last year and this year, this trio of existing resorts saw price increases disproportionate to Walt Disney World hotels, as a whole. We’ve contended that these price increases are surprisingly reasonable for the value-add of the Skyliner, but that’s only true if you use the Skyliner!
In short, the bus service is now virtually unusable between the Skyliner resorts, Epcot, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios as a result of this change due to unpredictability and the longer wait. If you are afraid of the Skyliner, you really should stay at other resorts. If that ship has sailed, we’d highly recommend getting to the bus stop before the Skyliner begins daily operations when bus service is still consistent.
Walt Disney World could turn this into a positive for all parties with a published bus pick-up schedule from the Skyliner resorts (even if this required only offering bus service from Old Port Royale, it’d be a net gain). However, we don’t view that as likely given the lack of bus utilization we observed. More likely, regular bus service will be further reduced or eliminated entirely from these resorts. Even if the buses were operating as before and you had perfect luck, the Skyliner is still the most efficient route to Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Epcot from the gondola hotels.
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Your Thoughts
What do you think of Walt Disney World reducing bus service at the Skyliner resorts? Will this cause you to book elsewhere, or do you not care since the Skyliner is so much more efficient? Does this surprise or disappoint you? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Maybe someone addressed this already, but with technology the way it is, my husband can track transportation in Chicago. The GPS shows in real time where trains/buses are located. So, is there a reason Disney doesn’t include in their apps a transportation link? I don’t mind if there is a longer time between buses, I just don’t want to stand for an hour and wait with little ones. There will be enough waiting once we get to the parks. Anyone know if this is perhaps in the works?
Its the suits in the accounting department doing this, WDW is quickly losing its identity as it becomes the less and less customer friendly and keeps cutting corners. You can be sure of one thing at WDW – if it’s free, it’ll be gone (Like the muppets in Liberty Square) or they will fin a way to make you pay for it (Like making people staying on property pay to park their car).
This is so upsetting. I dont usually stay at the gondula resorts and usually have a car since I am handicapped so it wont affect me, however I feep bad for those it will effect. Some people will not be able to use the gondulas due to medical and mental health issues. Those types of people cant afford to get stuck for three hours if it were to get stuck again. Also the fact that the gondulas have not gone through a summer run, it may change how many people want to ride them during that time. Maybe if enough complaints are made they will add a few buses back.
Have they started the skyliner service earlier? I read it starts at 8, but if you want to get to hollywood studios at 7 for rope drop how is that accomplished…? at 7 am bus still running?
We stayed at POP the last few times , my wife hates the idea of having to only having only the skyliner
We just stayed at AOA and loved the Skyliner. Long, yet very fast moving line to get onto Skyliner after Epcot fireworks. We were very happy. The bus wait for a few bus loads of people leaving a crowded park after fireworks would’ve been much longer.
Skyliner has a fantastic solution for loading ECVs without stopping the main flow of gondolas. There is a special loading area for ECVs that takes a gondola off the main line (so to speak) while it is being loaded, then shoots it off into the flow of moving gondolas with barely a slow-down on the line. Way more efficient than loading ECVs into buses. Kudos to Disney for thinking of this or I imagine there would’ve been tremendous and frequent slow-downs on the Skyliner.
While waiting in bus line to head to Epcot (only bc we were already across the resort near buses), we happened to catch the last bus in the morning on the normal bus frequency schedule before it switched over to the hourly buses. We had no notice and wouldn’t have known this was occurring if not for a CM that came over and said she had a bus coming, no worries, we were the last bus before it went to hourly buses for Epcot and HS. If not for that we may have been waiting for an hour with no understanding of why so we could have scooted over to Skyliner.
Overall, great Skyliner experience for us. Although not sure we’d pay extra for a resort price increase just to access Skyliner.
Do you recall approx how long it takes to get from AOA to each park?
Epcot was a 12 minute leg with a super quick transfer (about 1 min) to another 2 minute leg.
HS was quicker, maybe a 5-7 min leg with another super quick transfer to a 2 min leg. Transfers are easy even at park closing time, barely a line at the transfer.
Quicker than buses, especially if you add in the wait time for the bus. AND YOU ARE GUARANTEED A SEAT ON THE SKYLINER!!! We were skeptical at first and waited til second half of our trip to use them. Wish we started sooner. They Skyliner is built to move tons of people while keeping some buses off the roads and reducing time standing in line waiting. I give it a 10 (as long as no breakdowns, of course).
Can disabled guests use the skyliner as easily as a bus?
It’s even easier. You just drive into a gondola. They pull one off rotation, you get in, then they put it back on the line. Doesn’t hold up the rest of the passengers and you can take all the time you need.
Yes, you load into your own car that is stationed at the beginning of the line. It is very easy and when they see you in a wheel chair they help direct you to the right area.
What has your experience been riding the skyliner at Epcot closing after illuminations? I would expect long lines with reduced bus service. To these resorts.
Just rode it back to Riviera on Jan 2nd (along with half the park) after the park closed and while the line was very long, it still only took 5-10 minutes to get on.
I have minimal experience actually riding after the fireworks, but I’ve observed lines that stretch back to the Beach Club Villas. Even then, the Skyliner loads so quickly that this should still be a <15 minute wait.
Regardless of the mode of transportation, we always recommend lingering a while after the fireworks before leaving any park. Lines for buses, monorails, boats, etc. are always long and frustrating when you're part of that rush. You might as well spend that same time waiting in the park and walk-on to transportation after the lines have cleared out a bit.
NYE we waited about twenty minutes backed up about halfway to Beach, but didn’t arrive until about half an hour after fireworks. If we had closed down the park (1a.m.) there would have been almost no wait. There was only about a ten minute line behind us when we loaded at 12:50 or so. There were a couple brief stoppages that made the wait longer; the CMs had estimated 15 minutes. (The CMs were all actually very willing to give time estimates to people, probably to reassure them about the long line).
Obviously normal days will have less people trying to ride; we were very pleased with skyliner ops around NY.
The only thing that bugs me about this is that I don’t like being dropped off at the International Gateway at Epcot. I was at the parks last week and even park hopping from DHS to Epcot we opted to take the bus instead of the Skyliner because we wanted to go through the main entrance in front of Spaceship Earth for photos. Other than that, the gondolas were fast and easy and a whole lot better than being crammed on an overcrowded bus full of people who’ve been walking around in the Florida sun all day.
Normally I would agree about the drop off location but it was actually an asset on our last trip. We had rope dropped Hollywood Studios for ROR boarding passes and hit several headliners then used the Skyliner to cruise over to Epcot. Since we arrived at park opening time, coming in the back entrance allowed us to get through quickly and beat some of the crowd.
We were at Disney World in November and stayed at All Star Music. There were many times during our week stay that the buses were all messed up. One stop would get 3-4 buses in a row and some even waited for one to move, knowing no one would be riding it due to the other bus there, getting all of the riders. We’ve stayed well over 20 times and have never seen it so unorganized.
I think whoever thought this was a great idea is a total jerk! I don’t like heights, my daughter is worse then me. So, our vacation was planned and paid for last year. We chose AoA because there are 5 adults and 2 children. So, basically Disney heads are pretty much telling me and anyone else that feels the same way…we don’t give a rats a…!
Exactly what I thought. People who don’t like heights are getting “gondola” whether they like it or not.
No…you’re not. Did you not read the article? There are still buses…for now.
ugh, yes, you are if you don’t want to wait an hour….
I totally agree Barb! I too am terrified of heights. When my family of 4 was there middle of October, they talked me into riding it. We got on at Epcot and I made it 1 stop before calling it quits. I felt pretty good I didn’t have a full on panic attack, but the 2 ladies that got on with us sure were giving me side eye. It’s not our fault we are afraid of heights/jerky gondolas! It just frustrates me that Disney makes it seem as if they are kind of forcing you to ride the gondolas even if you don’t want to, or be forced to wait way longer times for the buses. Like it or not.
Totally agree too. We rode the Skyline right after it opened in early October (before the accident that shut it down). My husband loved it but I don’t like heights and probably wouldn’t ride again. We always stay at Pop Century but that may not happen again, definitely not if the bus service is removed. Busses were much more random than usual our last visit, the arrival time boards didn’t work at all and it was common to have 2 or 3 busses show up for one stop but only one for others. I can see it’s only getting worse.
Can you read they still run the buses just every hour on a time table instead buses should not leave before the time it says they will.
But can you read? In the article they point out the unreliable bus schedule! IF they stuck to a schedule then everything would be fine, but I have experienced multiple times where buses do not show up anywhere close to the time shown on the schedule!
Panic attacks are real and very debilitating for the one suffering. I am lucky not to have either the fear of heights or panic attacks but she is paying good money just like us and deserves to get the park in a reasonable amount of time. disney needs to fix the bus timings!
We just stayed at Riviera and were thrilled with the Skyliner! Service to and from Epcot and DHS went smoothly…even after fireworks line moved quickly! I was less than thrilled with the bus service to Magic Kingdom. One day we waited approximately 45 minutes and two days later over an hour to get a bus from Riviera to MK.
After years of stays at the dvc’s, I’ve always wondered how this service could be cost effective when the buses are usually empty. Likewise, why are these vehicals running on diesel rather than electric. WDW can make a huge statement by converting these buses to EV
We were just in Disney World December 14th-21st at the Contemporary Resort. I’ve never seen the bus service this bad before. After leaving the Animal Kingdom, we waited so long for a bus to Disney Springs, the line backed up enough to fill three bus loads. We started using a taxi service on several occasions.
Mary we there same dates Dec 10th to 22nd. We stayed at the Caribbean resorts. The bus system was AWFUL! Even went resort hoping the buses ere equally as bad. Sometimes the waits were close to an hour.
We primarily rely on buses since we rent an ECV for my husband which we take from the hotel. Does the gondola accept ECVs? Just want to know what options we have. Thanks
Yes they do. We rode it and loved it.
And from what I read it is alot easier to load as they are taken off the line and shot right back on after loaded so no dirty looks from the people who think they should not have to wait two minutes for people who are disabled trust me I got plenty of those last trip as I loaded the bus first.
If I am paying for a preferred room at Pop Century where is that room located now in light of the Skyliner being at the back of the resort and the preferred rooms being at the front?
What are the hours for the Skyliner? Does it start running with plenty of time to get to the parks well before openings suggested? In the past we usually catch the first bus of the day from AoA.
Thanks, Susan
We noticed a reduction in the middle of the day at Pop Century even back to the end of October when the Skyliner was not all that reliable. For me, this was a major disadvantage as it seemed to take a long time for Disney to react when the Skyliner service was interrupted causing our family to be in limbo with no (easy) way to Epcot or Hollywood Studios. Bus times were never posted so at one point we waited well over half an hour at the bus stop (it never came) with Skyliner service down and finally went a less traditional route to another park then took a bus from their to Hollywood Studios. I’ve decided to steer clear of Skyliner resorts for now even though we enjoy the ride because of the unpredictability.
The problem with most transit authorities (certainly in the UK) is that they don’t know the difference between frequent and regular.
Being bus users at home we know that if a bus is meant to be at a certain time we go out a bit earlier and be prepared for a wait and the last time we were at Disney we were happy that the transit at the All Stars was petty good.
I must admit the whole reason why I picked the Yatch club was due to location and I will be using the buses as much as we can when going on holiday.
I think they need people with experience in running buses from somewhere like NY or London and get them in to help with the regulation of services and better timetabling.
This may be a silly question, and please forgive me if this has been answered already, but I just want to be sure I’m understanding the issue fully. My husband and I are staying at Old Key West resort the first part of February (we have never stayed there before, and this is only our second trip to DW. Previously, we had a great experience with the bus transport). So I have to ask:
Are ALL buses traveling to Epcot/HS being reduced, or only those traveling from resorts with Skyliner access? If all are reduced, are we meant to take an inter-resort transport to one of the Skyliner “stops” and proceed from there, or is there another obvious solution I’m missing? I’m head-scratching right now, but that is mainly because it’s been a while since I’ve had to think about the workings of the park transportation. 😛 Thanks!
This only impacts buses between the Skyliner Resorts (Art of Animation, Pop Century, Caribbean Beach, Riviera) and Disney’s Hollywood Studios & Epcot.
No other resorts are impacted, nor is bus service between the above-mentioned resorts and Animal Kingdom or Magic Kingdom.
Hope that clarifies! 🙂
Yep! That’s exactly what I needed to know! Thanks so much for the quick reply, and for keeping us all in the loop as these changes are implemented! Your blog has been a Godsend. 😀
Tom, I just wanted to say a big THANK YOU to you and Sarah for making the enormous sacrifice of sitting at bus stops for hours on end just so our DW vacation time can go more smoothly. You guys are the best!
Keep up the good work!
You’re welcome! This blog enables us to do a lot of fun and cool testing/research, so it’s only fair that we also have to do stuff that’s in no way fun.
Actually, this was a bit awkward at times. While there are only a handful of wait time board photos here, we took over 150 between my camera and Sarah’s phone. (Most just for reference in order to write the article.) When you sit at a bus stop and take a photo of the wait times board every few minutes…you start to get some weird looks from other guests, haha!
you need to carry a clipboard,.. or flowers. Either prop indicates a wider purpose and reduces suspicion.
Rorosen, I think it’d also make sense if they were wearing these as well:
https://www.amazon.com/elope-335030-Groucho-Black/dp/B00412WY5C/ref=asc_df_B00412WY5C/?tag=hyprod-20&linkCode=df0&hvadid=309804208987&hvpos=1o1&hvnetw=g&hvrand=7649374166094571827&hvpone=&hvptwo=&hvqmt=&hvdev=c&hvdvcmdl=&hvlocint=&hvlocphy=9024749&hvtargid=aud-801738734305:pla-567346272147&psc=1