After many months of construction, the Disney Skyliner is now open to the public and Only WDWorld has a firsthand review of Disney World's newest form of transportation. 


The beautiful enclosed gondola system that moves up to 14 miles per hour and can hold 10 people per car is now in operation!  There are 3 separate lines and 5 stations that connect 2 different Disney World Theme Parks (Epcot & Disney's Hollywood Studios) and 4 Disney World Resort Hotels (Pop Century, Art of Animation, Disney's Caribbean Beach, and the soon to open Disney's Riviera Resort).




This FREE Disney World method of transportation adds yet another exciting way to make your way around the Walt Disney World Resort besides: monorails, ferryboats, a variety of other ships and boats, buses, and steam trains.

Disney's Skyliner Review

We had a chance to test out all of the new Skyliner routes and stations at a special pre-opening to the public event. 



The gondola's are spacious and provide excellent views of the surroundings.  The cars that do not have the amazing character graphics actually provide the best views for the passengers.  We comfortably sat 5 adults in our gondola with plenty of extra space, although 10 adults would appear to be a bit tight.



The overall ride is very smooth and the Gondola's really do move quite quickly from station to station.  They can achieve 14 mph compared to a typical boat speed of only 4 mph.

The only rough areas of the trip were as we entered a station area and entering the sharp turn near the Boardwalk Resort on the way to the Epcot Station.

The rides were amazing and provided views that you cannot get otherwise anywhere else at Disney World.  The only downside was that the cars are not air conditioned and during the 90 degree day of our test rides the cars got very warm whenever the cars stopped or paused.  They really rely upon the movement of the gondola to provide airflow to keep the cars at a comfortable temperature for it passengers.

Time will tell how well they hold up during the fast moving thunderstorms during the Florida summers, but they absolutely provide amazing views that should not be missed.

Only WDWorld Recommendation

ABSOLUTELY ride the Skyliner and enjoy the amazing views for a new perspective of Disney World that you have never seen before!

Disney World's newest transportation system, aka Skyliner, is getting closer to reality!  Check out the latest photos showing significant construction progress.

Disney Skyliner

For those of you not familiar with the Disney Skyliner, it is a gondola based transportation system that will provide a unique new way to get around some of the Walt Disney World Resort's hotels and two of its theme parks.


When completed the Skyliner will have 5 stations that will provide opportunities to board the Skyliner and be taken to the next station.

The Stations are located at:

• Epcot (at World Showcase entrance)
• Disney's Riviera Resort (new DVC Resort under construction)
• Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort
• Disney's Hollywood Studios
• Disney's Pop Century Resort / Disney's Art of Animation Resort

Skyliner Construction Pictures

Exciting Changes In Progress

Disney has announced that a new form of transportation is coming to the Walt Disney World Resort.  The Disney Skyliner will join the Monorails, buses, trains, and boats of all shapes and sizes to help transport Disney World guests from select Disney Resorts to the Disney Theme Parks.

The new aerial gondola based system will connect Disney's Art of Animation, Disney's Pop Century, Caribbean Beach Resorts and the currently under construction Disney's Riviera Resort with Disney's Hollywood Studios and the International Gateway to Epcot which is located by Epcot's World Showcase between Great Britain and France Pavilions.  This would also give guests from those Disney Resorts a way to get to Disney's Boardwalk Shopping and Dining area.


Many of the gondolas will feature your favorite Disney Characters.

Besides creating yet another way to enjoy your time at the Walt Disney World Resort, The elevated aerial transportation system will give guests great views that they could never see before and hopefully eliminate a lot of bus traffic surrounding the congested traffic area outside Hollywood Studios.

Who is excited to see Disney invest in yet another unique transportation system to enjoy on your vacation?

Stay tuned to Only WDWorld for more updates and the latest Disney World information!

One of the advantages of staying at a Disney World Resort Hotel during your Disney World Vacation is that you have access to FREE Disney World Transportation during your entire stay.  You can leave the driving to the Disney World Cast Members and be delivered close to the front gate of each Disney World Theme Park.

Disney World Buses
If you are staying on the Disney World Property, then odds are you will be using the Disney Bus system to get around during your vacation.  Disney’s fleet of over 230 buses do a great job of getting people around the 47 square miles of the Walt Disney World Resort.

Each resort that is served by the bus system has 5 different buses coming every 20-30 minutes to take people to each of the 4 Theme Parks and Downtown Disney. The two Disney water parks can also be reached through the bus system (Typhoon Lagoon on the Downtown Disney bus and Blizzard Beach on the Animal Kingdom bus).


To get where you want to go, start out at the bus stop for your resort. The larger resorts have multiple bus stops, so that you only have a couple minute walk to your nearest bus stop.

The buses are clearly marked with the electronic signs as to their destination. You board the bus that is going to your destination of choice.

When you are dropped off, the bus driver will tell you where to go to pick up the bus to get back to your resort. There are also signs in case you forget.  Either way you find the number of the stop that corresponds to the resort that you are staying at.  The only confusing part of this process is that your resort does not have the same numbered stop at each Disney World Theme Park, so you have to check the information boards to make sure you have the right Bus Stop #.

Leave The Driving To Disney!
When you want to return to your resort, you go to the designated bus area and catch your bus back to your resort. They make the process very simple. There really is no need to drive once you arrive at your Disney World Resort Hotel.


The picture above shows a return stop at the Magic Kingdom.  The bus drop off & pick up point for the Magic Kingdom is much closer than where you can park.  It is a definite advantage to use the Disney Bus system when travelling to the Magic Kingdom.


Disney Bus Mastery
Never fear, you can easily master the Disney Bus system and take advantage of this free service that you are entitled to by staying at one of the Disney Resorts.

Although from time to time there can be extended waits, by the time you factor in parking and the extra walking that would would have to do, taking the Disney World Buses is usually the fastest way to get to the Disney Theme Parks.

You can also use the bus system to visit other Disney World Resort Hotels either for the purpose of dining at the various restaurants or just to explore.  You can either catch a bus to the desired resort hotel from one of the theme parks or from Downtown Disney.

Also remember you can always ask the bus driver if the bus is going where you are trying to go, or if he recommends catching a different bus to get to your desired location.

Lastly, if you are going to enjoy the Epcot Food & Wine Festival or enjoy some of the night time festivities, it is also nice to know that the bus is your designated driver.

Southwest Airlines now officially joins the list of airlines that provide Airline Check-In at the Walt Disney World Resort.  This is big news since Southwest Airlines is the busiest carrier at the Orlando International Airport (MCO).