Skyliner Gondola Review: Disney World’s Most Magical Flight on Earth
Walt Disney World’s Skyliner gondola system debuted over the weekend at Hollywood Studios, Epcot, Caribbean Beach, and Art of Animation/Pop Century, and we took several rides. In this review of the new aerial transportation, we’ll share a couple dozen photos, offer first impressions, and be brutally honest about whether the cataclysmic predictions of failure came to fruition.
Admittedly, this website has been among the biggest cheerleaders of the Disney Skyliner. As such, you might doubt that line about brutal honesty when it comes to conceding defeat as to the Skyliner’s problems. However, I’ve admitted I was wrong about Animal Kingdom and I’ve repeatedly reminded readers that I was way off on the Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge opening at Disneyland.
I have no problem admitting when I’m wrong–it’s literally a daily occurrence (just ask Sarah!) that I’ve learned to take in stride so as to not shatter my fragile ego. However, when it comes to the Disney Skyliner, I was not wrong. Unfortunately, I also was not totally right. Let’s delve into both the good and the bad about opening day of Walt Disney World’s new aerial transit system…
We’ll start with some quick basics about the Disney Skyliner gondolas in case you’ve glossed over our ~3,402 updates during the construction of the various stations dotted around Walt Disney World.
Dubbed the “Most Magical Flight on Earth” by the in-cabin audio, the Skyliner services two Walt Disney World theme parks (Hollywood Studios and Epcot) plus four resorts (Art of Animation & Pop Century, Caribbean Beach, plus Caribbean Beach (again) & Riviera Resort) via 5 stations.
One of the Caribbean Beach stations is the hub, from which you can reach every destination. It connects directly to Hollywood Studios, Art of Animation/Pop Century, and Epcot via the Riviera Resort/Caribbean Beach second station.
At most, you will have one transfer while riding the Disney Skyliner, as the Riviera station is en route to Epcot and does not require disembarking.
In air travel times on the Skyliner vary. It’s roughly 3-4 minutes from Pop Century/Art of Animation or Hollywood Studios to Caribbean Beach.
At the other end of the spectrum, it’s 10-11 minutes from Caribbean Beach to Epcot (or 4 minutes from Caribbean Beach to Riviera, plus 6 minutes from Riviera to Epcot). Add to that whatever time you wait in line at your original station and the Caribbean Beach Resort hub station.
Riding the Disney Skyliner is “free” in the same sense that all other Walt Disney World transportation is free.
You aren’t paying a fare directly when boarding, but you better believe guests at the resorts serviced by the Skyliner are seeing its infrastructure and operating costs built into their nightly rates. (In fact, this has already happened, as we cover in our 2020 Walt Disney World Vacation Pricing Info & Analysis.)
There were “rumors” (air quotes) that the Skyliner would be for resort guests only and this would be enforced with MagicBands. This is not true. There are no rules on who may ride the Skyliner or get off where.
You could ride the Skyliner around for 16 hours, making one stop per hour to grab the Tie-Dye Cheesecake at Pop Century and nothing is going to stop you. (Well, at some point your stomach would probably revolt–but Disney won’t stop you.)
That about covers it in terms of basics you need to know for now. We can always expand this if there are frequently asked questions…
Delving into the review itself, let’s touch upon a range of smaller topics before we address the elephant in the room. First, the views. They’re spectacular–better than I expected. My biggest worry here was seeing a lot of unpleasant backstage areas, parking lots, and nothingness.
There’s definitely a lot of the latter two, and it would’ve been nice if better landscaping was done along the evacuation paths. However, there’s no reason to be looking straight down at the ground to scope out parked cars or pathways. Along each leg of the journey, there’s something different and engaging that will instead capture your attention.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios to Caribbean Beach is boring if you’re looking towards the resort, but cool if you’re facing the park or looking over at Epcot in the distance (view pictured above).
From Pop Century and Art of Animation to Caribbean Beach, you swoop low over Hourglass Lake and have the oversized icons of the resort to each side.
En route to Disney’s Riviera Resort, you have the rooftops and landscaping of Caribbean Beach, and gliding over these is much cooler than expected.
For as much as I’ve groused about the Skyliner causing visual blight at this resort by not being routed through the parking lot, I actually love flying over the buildings. (This leaves me a bit conflicted.)
Traveling from Disney’s Riviera Resort to Epcot is my favorite stretch, even though it’s ostensibly the most boring and likely to “ruin the magic.” For most of this journey, you’re traveling over roads and parking.
However, for a large stretch you’re also going directly behind World Showcase, and it’s really cool to see the icons of each nation with Spaceship Earth in the background. Plus, aside from (temporary) construction of the France expansion, you aren’t really seeing much backstage.
As with so many things, a lot of this is a matter of perspective. If you’re looking straight down at parked cars or dirt, it’s not an interesting ride.
However, there is almost always something of visual interest in some direction. Failing that, spotting the other Skyliner cabins with characters on them is an option. (For the vast majority of guests with whom we rode, this is the #1 option–at least based upon their audible reactions.)
The bench seating situation can be a bit awkward. If seated “normally,” your views will either be out a side window or straight forward, looking past other guests. The latter is not ideal, and may make everyone feel like uncomfortable conversation is necessary. (It isn’t.)
We would instead recommend facing the window against which you’re seated. There are a couple of reasons for this. Most importantly, the views are better when you have a direct view unobstructed by others. Moreover, it’s imperative that your lens–phone or camera–is flush against the cabin glass to avoid reflections. For this reason, I like being seated backwards and facing backwards…to have a forward-moving view. (Make sense?)
If you sit that way, no one will try to enlighten you about Disney secretly building a new park in Texas.
I ended up taking several rides by myself, and overheard enough source material for 3 years worth of rumor posts. As an introvert, I dread making small talk with strangers, but all of my rides were enjoyable.
I took several of the 14 rides by myself because after 6 rides, Sarah’s motion sickness was “acting up” (her words). She made a point of saying she didn’t feel sick after riding the Skyliner, but due to the way it swings and makes a fairly abrupt stop when coming into the station, she might’ve felt sick if she kept riding.
So that’s something to keep in mind if you are prone to motion sickness. Another thing to keep in mind is that this was after 6 consecutive rides, which is not a normal “use case” for a transportation system. If you spent all day riding a Walt Disney World bus driven by someone auditioning for Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride, you might have a similar experience, but that probably wouldn’t be a fair indictment of the bus transportation.
The character wraps are definitely a mixed bag. Seeing your favorite characters pass your cabin is neat, but you absolutely do not want to be inside a gondola with a wrap.
Views are significantly impaired, and you can totally forget about photos. (One slight positive is these cabins felt a tad cooler than unwrapped ones.)
In theory, you can request a cabin without a wrap. We did this a couple of times when, mostly when there was almost no line going from Art of Animation to Caribbean Beach.
Unfortunately, the lines were really long traveling from Caribbean Beach to Epcot, so we didn’t bother there. Cast Members already appeared overwhelmed juggling the chaos of opening day, so we didn’t want to compound their problems. We’d recommend using common sense when it comes to making–or not making–a request.
Speaking of lines, they move fast. The Skyliner is incredibly high capacity, so even in the opening day mania at Caribbean Beach, we never waited in line more than 10 minutes. Right now, it’s tough to say how long lines and waits will actually be–clearly a lot of locals and Annual Passholders were on hand to take a Sunday drive…err, ride.
Leaving Epcot after IllumiNations, there was a long line for the Skyliner, and that’s undoubtedly going to be a common occurrence. Our recommendation there, as always, is to linger in Epcot because evenings in World Showcase after guests have cleared out are sublime.
Unquestionably, the biggest controversy about the Disney Skyliner has been the lack of air-conditioning in the cabins. I’ve continually reiterated that, to my knowledge, of the tens of thousands of Doppelmayr gondola systems installed around the world, only one is air-conditioned. That’s at Wynn Palace Macau, a 5-star luxury resort in the Las Vegas of Asia–if Vegas had seven times the revenue and probably seven times the humidity.
Thankfully, there’s really no longer any need to keep looking at past precedent or spinning our wheels offering predictions. The Skyliner is open and we have our verdict. The exterior glaze sufficiently reflects heat and the passive ventilation system works. It provides a cool and consistent breeze. In other words, the Skyliner is perfectly comfortable.
If you took a random guest off the street who doesn’t read blogs like this one or rage about Disney via social media and plopped them in a Skyliner cabin, they’d be unlikely to bring up the topic of air-conditioning.
Air-conditioning is simply a non-issue while riding, and no more likely to come to mind than concerns about a colossal gorilla appearing and tearing the tramway out of the sky. (A dire tragedy, and this is true, that Florida has actually suffered in the past.)
Disney’s Skyliner is more comfortable than sitting at a shaded bus stop and roughly as comfortable as the Tomorrowland Transit Authority Peoplemover. It’s less comfortable than the air-conditioned buses, and “it depends” when it comes to comparing it to the monorails.
Recently, we’ve had ones where it feels like the air-conditioning is barely working–that coupled with a crowded cabin has led to some unpleasant journeys on the Highway in the Sky.
All of this assumes that the Skyliner is continually moving, which is where our biggest problem comes in. This is also a big part of why this is a preliminary review offering first impressions. As noted, I ended up taking 14 rides on the Disney Skyliner, and on 5 of those, the line stopped for over 30 seconds.
Since movement is key to passive ventilation, it did become slightly uncomfortable during two of these stops. We were never stopped for more than 3 minutes, but heard of significantly longer stoppages. On longer stops with the sun shining directly into the cabin and no breeze, I could easily envision the Skyliner cabins becoming very uncomfortable. That’s not what we experienced, but it’s easy to see that occurring.
The question thus becomes why the system is stopping and how frequently this will happen once the Skyliner is operating smoothly.
We’ve ridden a lot of cable cars and aerial tramways like the Skyliner, and have literally never experienced another one stopping like this. (Since it’s a detachable gondola, the entire system does not have to stop for wheelchairs, ECVs, or other guests needing special assistance, so that’s not the explanation.)
In talking to Cast Members at the various stations, I’m not sure what is the explanation. Several different answers were given and, reading between the lines, I think the most likely reason is simply opening day hiccups.
Disney’s Skyliner is still new, and this was essentially the very first day of actual operations with real guests. Cast Members are still working on loading guests quickly, without having to stop the entire line.
Other possible explanations are Walt Disney World guests are materially different from those who use gondolas around the world, or that there is a flaw with the system itself. Disney guests do have more strollers, kids, and other reasons to board slower than normal, but I still don’t think that’s the root cause. As for the system itself, Doppelmayr has installed thousands of aerial tramways around the world, so that explanation also seems unlikely.
Nevertheless, we shall see how this plays out. If in the heart of next summer, the Skyliner is still stopping on 25% of its voyages for longer than a few minutes, I’m more than happy to eat all of my words on this topic. I really don’t think that’ll be the case, but as you all know, I’ve been wrong many times before.
There are other pros and cons I’m probably forgetting, but this is already getting long and I’ve already promised a follow-up, so we can touch upon other topics in that.
Some quick hits: we found the audio spiel to be a nice touch–but it could’ve been “catchier.” Stations are nicely designed and befitting of their surroundings. The Caribbean Beach hub feels like a central/union station, which is fun. Walking is still the fastest option between Epcot & DHS.
Overall, even though it’s not perfect (yet?), the “Most Magical Flight on Earth” moniker is entirely apt for the Disney Skyliner. It’s everything we hoped it would be, and I foresee us spending a lot of time riding it in the future (Sarah says she bring ginger drops for our next “Skyliner Crawl”). For us, this is the year’s new addition to Walt Disney World that we will enjoy the most.
I want to be careful to avoid being hyperbolic here, because I don’t think this is objectively “better” than Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge or superior to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run (even though we’ve already ridden it more!). It’s simply more our style. These low-key, atmospheric experiences are our preferred rides at Walt Disney World, and the Skyliner ranks up there with the PeopleMover for us. In case you’re unfamiliar with the blog, that’s about the highest possible praise. We just wish you could loop the Skyliner!
Planning a Walt Disney World trip? Learn about hotels on our Walt Disney World Hotels Reviews page. For where to eat, read our Walt Disney World Restaurant Reviews. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money on Walt Disney World Tickets post. Our What to Pack for Disney Trips post takes a unique look at clever items to take. For what to do and when to do it, our Walt Disney World Ride Guides will help. For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Walt Disney World Trip Planning Guide for everything you need to know!
Your Thoughts
If you have already ridden the Disney Skyliner, how would you review it? For those who have experienced it, do you agree or disagree with our assessment? If you have not yet ridden, are you looking forward to it, or are you still skeptical? 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!
I think the difference in guest demographic can be summed up in one word: strollers. Other gondola systems do not have to contend with these…
My main criticism, oddly enough, is the audio spiel. I don’t know why they didn’t keep it consistent with the monorail, bus and ferryboat narration (in terms of the voice artist used).
The other missed trick is not having a system where gondolas are preprogrammed with the destination and the switches and changes happen automatically. Given the technology exists to offload gondolas for ECV removal, this feels like it “should” have been possible. Maybe it was a step too far. Or maybe I’m being unrealistic – I’m not a gondola expert!
Aside from that, I have no criticisms. I see myself taking plenty of “pointless” journeys on these.
I didn’t see mention of how the Skyliner impacts crowds at the World Showcase entrance to Epcot. Is that entrance still quick and easy for the Epcot resorts?
(Maybe I just missed it. I’d love to hear from anybody who has been there “on the ground.”
So Ill be staying in Caribbean Beach Resort for Christmas. I am excited to ride the Skyliner! It seems per comments on this review I will try the ride to Hollywood Studios rather than to Epcot. And luckily it will be cool by then if we do stop. 🙂 What kind of timeframe do I need to give myself to get to the park at rope drop?
I’m not sure how much truth there is to this, but our Lyft driver told us that each gondola has a battery-powered a/c unit that kicks on if the skyliner is stopped for more than 20 minutes, and they can run for 3 hours, which is how long it would take to get everyone off the skyliner. Like I said, take that with a grain of salt, but it seems plausible?
Oh that’s my jam….hang from a wire while it stops for 30 minutes without any air, in a small closed in space. Sounds like great transportation for other people. The buses will have more room. It reminds me of the one time I rode spaceship earth and when we got to the very top next to a loud speaker it stopped for about 15 minutes. I never went on it again.
We rode on opening day (and got a pin!) and it was great from Pop to Caribbean but at Caribbean it was a nightmare- no organization the lines and people were everywhere people cutting etc. took 30 min not 10 like they said – which is probably just since it was opening day- once you’re on it it’s super fast! We liked it and my kids got a kick out of seeing all the art- my only complaint was that you have to get off to transfer somewhere it would have been nice to get to stay on between Pop and Caribbean and Epcot instead of Pop, get off at Caribbean and wait 30+ minutes and then get to a transfer station (where you could stay on) and then Epcot
Teresa and I just rode Skyliner today for the first time. WE loved it, period. No need for pros and cons or long dissertations (like yours, Tom). My only concern is what happens when there is an emergency? Or, when the system stops for longer than a few minute periods? I am a fan of the now defunct Skyway at WDW and DLR. So, I love aerial rides. (I grew up on ski slopes). I’m sure there will be safety concerns, like when idiots trying to open the doors and other pranks go bad. It’s a ride that CAN be dangerous with knuckleheads riding inside. And Disney can’t control that. I predict that idiots will try stupid pranks. How long until the first safety shutdown? Anyway, I’m a fan. Love it. Disney, remove the wraps! They were a bad idea.
We were there a couple weeks ago. We had five “adults” and three kids. On the bus we never could sit by each other. The strollers are always awkward trying to make sure you are not blocking the aisle too much. I generally had the stroller and was often separated from everyone else. The buses are fine, but I will really appreciate a guaranteed seat, all together.
Aside from that, I think it’s awesome to have so many unconventional travel options, ferry, gondola, monorail, etc. it’s fun, and adds to the Disney experience.
I’m interested in what the transport time would be once the kinks get worked out. We go in spring, are staying at BLT so won’t have a need for this, unless we took monorail to Epcot and Skyliner over to HS. This seems like it’d be too much effort for the added time compared to taking a direct bus to HS. Would it be worth it?
What is the thought on how bad wait times will be in crowds? (But barring extreme breakdowns)..
Going from Caribbean Beach for park open… think waits will ever be much more than 10 minutes?
When you say a bad line at International Gateway following fireworks… 10-15 minutes bad, or 20+ bad?
Many things new to the World that I have not experienced (last trip January of 2017), and I too am particularly looking forward riding the gondolas for our October trip. Thanks for the report
Which sections of CB are closest to the stations and if you’re not at one of those sections, does the internal bus at CB take you to the stations?
How long is it round trip if you go through all stops?
I’m a DVC MEMBER SUNCE 2001, and iT IS THE WORST RIDE/transit I’ve ever been on in Disney. Rode on it the last 2 days. Both times is stopped 100 feet up, just hanging for 20 mins, in 95’ heat. It has so many kinks they still need to work out. It’s a joke!!! I don’t recommend it for anyone especially if ur claustrophobic, or ur trying to get somewhere quick, then That’s not the ride for u. They wasted 5 years building it, and still don’t work right. Unless u like not moving while hanging 100 feet up, in 100’ heat!!
Everything is amazing and nobody is happy… including Mike. ¯\_(ツ)_/¯
Janel, I hope you enjoyed that articulate, well-reasoned answer to your question.
You might have had two bad experiences, but I’ve heard from multiple groups of friends how pleasant the whole ride was. Not to mention you just have some bad facts in there that unfairly paint the whole system poorly. It didn’t take anywhere close to 5 years to build, they started building sometime in 2017. I can’t compare it to other Dopplemayr gondolas, but that seems exceptionally fast to me. Disney is dealing with a system that is new in its operational model (its truly not comparable to the Monorail, buses or boats), has large capacity and is dealing with a user base that is difficult to manage: tourists, children, foreigners with a potential language barrier and large parties, in addition to most of these people almost certainly being first time users. All that means that any delays or hiccups in operation are totally to be expected. It sounds to me like most of the operation has been exceptionally. Once they iron out an operational plan that can manage the volume of people and keep the gondolas moving, it really seems like a system that will be both an efficient backup to the buses/boats, and fun for people to ride.
Compared to other transportation, the plus for me is the 10 person limit. This means everyone gets to sit and relax without being over crowded.
It stunk. Terrible ride/transport. It stops u 100 feet up for 20 mins in 100’ heat. U could walk faster to Epcot from Hollywood than using the skyline. Both times I was on it, it stopped 2-4 times while ur sitting in 100’ heat, hanging 100 feet above the road. Not a 1-3 min stop. 20-30 mins just stopped. 100% they should have a sign that lets u kno that can happen. Some people Are claustrophobic. I don’t recommend anyone ride that. (Even if ur staying at Caribbean beach club)
That is a little bit hyperbolic. These aren’t close to 100 feet above the ground, and temperatures are rarely 100°C. Certainly if you are severely claustrophobic or acrophobic you shouldn’t ride these, but that’s a tiny number of people.
As Tom said, if long stoppages become the norm these will have been deemed to fail. Btu that is not the norm in most parts of the world (I’ve never been on a ski gondola that stopped) so hopefully it was just opening day issues. Time will tell.
Did you change your name on purpose to comment more than once or did the system glitch out on you (these systems use the same avatar for repeat commenters…though it’s fairly obvious from your answers haha)?
Anyway it seems most posters here did not have the same experience. Perhaps you hit it at a bad time? At least you know there are a couple of other options in the future!
Question, has anyone taken the Gondola while Epcot fireworks or Hollywood Studios shows were on? I wonder if you have a different view of these?
Our family traveled on skyliner September 29, 2019. We were not staying at the resorts serviced by skyline, however spent a short time in Hollywood Studios with a final destination of Epcot.. The wait to board the skyliner at Hollywood studios was minimal, much better than expected. The ride was smooth and pleasant. The air flow in the gondola was refreshing. We arrived at Caribbean Beach without incident and would need to transfer to a different set of gondolas to reach our final destination. We found the skyline system to Epcot not functioning and were unable to get information about delays from cast members present. Responses varied that it could be 30 minutes to an hour. Because the line was growing and due to dining reservations at Epcot, we opted to use internal transportation to the Caribbean bus depot. Not the ideal situation. We noticed that the Epcot skyline stopped multiple times while we waited for the internal bus. I hope delays are few and short lived. I would wonder about the temperature in the gondola when not in motion??? Despite our experience I would highly recommend this method of transportation!
I’m wondering how things work at epcot, especially in the morning. Can one ride the skyliner before the park opens? Is there a waiting area? I believe world showcase always opens up later, so how does it work?
We were there Sunday morning before the park opened, and they were not letting people in the front entrance to cross the park to get to the Skyliner. You probably could have boarded from Boardwalk or Beach Club, but not from Epcot.
I was wondering more how it works for someone coming TO the park via the skyliner?
From the info I have seen online, the Skyliner track to Epcot opens at 8am (generally, but 7am on days with 8am EMH) daily. Depending on lines, that should get you to the International Gateway entrance before opening, though perhaps not as early as some might prefer for rope dropping. You then enter through the International Gateway as usual from that side of the park. While most of World Showcase isn’t open before 11am (I think?), Frozen and a few of the shops/restaurants are open at park opening.
I am incredibly excited to take the Skyliner. It would be a really fun thing to do on a non-park day. Take the skyliner on all its rounds, then bus to DS for lunch and then the boat to PORS area and back, then off to AKL and see the animals, then back to DS for dinner, shopping, and the bus it to a monorail hotel for fireworks and water parade.
We have yet to ride the Skyliner or visited Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge when last visiting WDW. Our timing was ALL OFF visiting the week before Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge. We are looking forward to our December visit for me in particular riding the Skyliner. In the earlier days usually our first ride was always the Monorail just to acclimate our selves. Having the ability to also visit the other Resorts will give us yet another activity when the Parks are just not on our radar. Thanks for your review, just one question had you seen any ECV’s boarding and are the doors (which I hope) wider enough to accommodate ? I would assume you would pull in and back out ?
I, being in a wheelchair myself, have seen many evcs enter and exit on opening day. The doors didn’t seem to be any wider but I didn’t have a close view of the non-handicapped vehicles, if there is a difference. You do enter straight in first, then exit last. Also, they pull an entire car off the line so you aren’t rushed into getting on and off the gondola. They have a 95 second (seems to be a heavy 95 second, more like a 95 digit counter, not exactly seconds) in which each vehicle departs. That is one potential concern of the skyliner for the disabled. If you have 20 passengers ahead of you, that is a 30+ minute wait to get on. I will say however, even on opening day, there was usually no more than five people ahead of us and we rarely waited more than ten minutes. I suppose my biggest curiousity is is getting to and from the gondola, waiting in line, taking the trip, switching at a station, waiting on another line, and then taking another trip really worth the effort after the magic of the ride wanes? Beautiful views but it took almost forty minutes to get to Epcot from HS. And it wasn’t that busy when we got there early in the morning.
Oh, and because we had a stroller barely make the cutoff, the doors are about 32 inches, give or take, wide. 🙂
I’m impressed with how good the stations look – that was my biggest concern with this project since I didn’t think you could disguise the “off-the-shelf-ski-gondola” look very easily.
You mention that walking is still the fastest route from DHS to Epcot, but which option would you personally choose on a normal, non-rainy day?
Traveling in Feb with a family of 4 and a double stroller. Have they published stroller rules and will a double fit on a gondola?
Also, how does the transfer work? We physically get off, get in a different line and board again?
Yes, you physically get off, get in a different line, and reboard at the CBR station.
As for the stroller, I don’t think I’ve seen rules, but I saw a drawing showing the doors opened a little wider than 32″ if that helps.
I am wondering about the stroller also!
A double wide does fit but you may be required to break it down. We had our family of 4 there with a double wide and a wheelchair. We fit! And the other poster is correct, 32 inches. We were able to get the double stroller on technically the first time but it was tight and folded it up every time afterward.