It’s the day we’ve waited for — the Disney Skyliner is OFFICIALLY OPEN!
Skyliner and Riviera Views
We’ve already taken to the skies previewing the newest transportation at Walt Disney World, witnessed the dedication ceremony, and answered all of your biggest questions ahead of its opening to the public, and now it’s your turn to soar over Disney World on the Skyliner!
We headed to each Skyliner station to get a first look at what crowds were like as well as how smoothly guests were boarding on opening day. Come along with us!
Caribbean Beach Skyliner Station
Disney’s Caribbean Beach is the home of the main Skyliner station. All three lines of the Skyliner go out from this one location, making it a great spot to start our day. Think of it as the Transportation and Ticket Center for the Skyliner!
Caribbean Beach Skyliner Station
This station will take you to Disney’s Hollywood Studios station, Disney’s Riviera Resort station which continues on to the Epcot station, or the Art of Animation and Pop Century Resorts Skyliner station, which is located between the resorts on Generation Gap Bridge.
Route Info at Caribbean Beach Station
Handy maps are available for guests to keep track of the routes.
Skyliner Route Map
If you arrive early like we did you may be in need of some morning caffeination. Luckily, this spot has a new Joffrey’s Coffee that guests can enjoy before or after their ride! (And it doesn’t hurt that today is National Coffee Day!!)
Joffrey’s at the Caribbean Beach Skyliner Station
After some coffee, we were ready to hop in line!
Read more about the new Joffrey’s here!
Being the hub of the Skyliner system, we were prepared for a hefty wait but surprisingly it…wasn’t bad!
Caribbean Beach Skyliner Station
The line to get on each of the different Skyliner lines was surprisingly manageable! Lines actually kept moving at a somewhat steady pace.
Caribbean Beach Skyliner Station
The lines for guests requiring assistance was short as well!
Caribbean Beach Skyliner Station
After exploring the station for a while, we decided to hop a ride over to the Art of Animation and Pop Century Resorts Skyliner station to see what things were looking like over there.
Check out all the cool new Skyliner merchandise available by clicking here!
Art of Animation and Pop Century Skyliner Station
After a quick ride over to the station in the middle of Generation Gap bridge, we disembarked and checked out what the scene looked like at this hub for many of the Value Resorts.
Art of Animation and Pop Century Skyliner Station
This station was the most surprising! No crowd! No wait! We got in line and practically walked right on!!!
Art of Animation and Pop Century Skyliner Station
Boarding was going very smoothly, and Cast Members all seemed in very high spirits.
Art of Animation and Pop Century Skyliner Station
Now, let’s hop back on and head back to Caribbean Beach to transfer to the Hollywood Studios Skyliner line!
Check out everything you need to know before you fly on the Skyliner HERE!
Hollywood Studios Skyliner Station
After a short flight over, we arrived at Hollywood Studios.
Hollywood Studios Skyliner Station
There was certainly a line here!
Hollywood Studios Skyliner Station
Surprisingly, even though the line ran out to near the busses, it moved quickly! We were in line around 5 minutes before we got to board!!
Hollywood Studios Skyliner Station
Boarding was quick and smooth at this station as well.
Hollywood Studios Skyliner Station
After checking out the scene at the Studios, we hopped back on for a quick trip back to Caribbean Beach to transfer to over to the Epcot/Riviera line!
Check out all of our FAQs about the Skyliner HERE!
Riviera Resort Station
The Riviera Resort opens on December 16th but until then, guests on this line will head down through the station and simply continue en route to Epcot. Once the resort is open, guests will be able to exit when the doors open at the station or remain seated and the doors will close and they can continue on to the International Gateway!
Riviera Resort Skyliner Station
We took a quick trip through the station then were on our way to Epcot!
Riviera Resort Skyliner Station
If you want to read more about what to expect at this new resort once it opens, click here!
Read about our first ride on the Skyliner by clicking here!
Epcot International Gateway Station
Our last stop is Epcot at the International Gateway (hey, we covered a lot of ground this morning — time to treat ourselves to some nibbles at the International Food and Wine Festival!).
Epcot International Gateway Skyliner Station
This is such a pretty station! It reminds us of a Parisian metro station, which fits beautifully within its surroundings of World Showcase.
Epcot’s International Gateway Skyliner Station
There was a bit of a line here, but again, not that bad!
Epcot International Gateway Skyliner Station
Time to go enjoy a break in Epcot!
Epcot International Gateway Skyliner Station
Overall, we were REALLY impressed by how efficiently the opening day has gone. Guests and Cast Members alike seem happy! This has been such a smooth opening and it really does seem to be an efficient form of transportation for guests. Thanks for following along as we rode all the lines of the Disney Skyliner on opening day!
We’ll keep you updated on this newest form of Disney transportation as guests acclimate to the change. We’re excited to now have this unique, new way to navigate a large portion of Disney World! Got more questions?! Be sure to check out our FAQs for all your burning Skyliner questions answered! And if you want to see firsthand what our first ride on the Skyliner was like, check out our video below!
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Did they fill each car to its max to facilitate the line or did they ask how many in your group?
Dave, great question. I added this to our Skyliner FAQ on Saturday. The cast member we spoke to about this said they they will not be forcing groups to sit together unless it’s really busy, and they have to try to reduce wait times by sending maxed-out gondolas. So as a matter of practice, they will not be filling gondolas.
So now it’s definitely time for the Skyliner Pub Crawl! Would love to see your recommendations. That could be a lot of fun!
If you’re using strollers, which line do you go in? Will this be an option for the extra evening special events?
Trying to be delicate, but there are some “exceptional-sized” guests. Will the gondolas hold these hundreds of pounds safely?
Caribbean Beach and the Riviera are close to each other. Why have stops at each resort?
Went on out first ride Sunday morning. It was WONDERFUL!! Easy. Quick and a beautiful different ride. Nothing bad to say here. Disney does it right again. They are adorable and fun to ride .
Thx Sarah!
We rode the Skyliner today, as part of my 71st birthday celebration at the most magical place.
There were 4 of us, we got to ride in our own unwrapped gondola.
What a great journey over Disney.
We went from Epcot to Caribbean Beach, got off there, without any problem at all, and re-boarded, and went to Hollywood Studios.
We were at Epcot for the final night of Illuminations Reflections of Earth.
When we went to get on the Skyliner, the lines were really long, decided to walk to the Yacht Club, and took Uber back to our condo.
We are definitely going back tomorrow, and ride it again.
We are annual pass holders, live in St Petersburg, and go to Disney World as often as we can.
Like anything else in this world, you can’t please everybody.
When the Riviera Resort opens will guests need to wait until an empty gondola arrives to board? With the Caribbean Beach Resort being the hub to get to Epcot I can see a long wait at the Riviera to get an open gondola.
Maria, that’s an interesting question. I’ll see if our on-site people can keep an eye on this.