A quick reminder if you’re traveling to Walt Disney World in January: The resort’s Skyliner system will be CLOSED for refurbishment at the end of the month!
Disney Skyliner
The popular gondola system, which links EPCOT and Hollywood Studios with several Walt Disney World hotels, will be down for its annual maintenance refurbishment from January 25th through January 31st, 2026.
The Skyliner closure will impact the hotels the line directly services: Art of Animation, Pop Century, the Caribbean Beach Resort, and the Riviera Resort. Disney will be providing complimentary bus service during the closure.
Skyliner
Guests staying at resorts that are indirectly serviced by the Skyliner — such as the Boardwalk, Yacht Club, and Beach Club resorts, each of which is within walking distance to the EPCOT station — should use those resorts’ provided transportation methods during the closure, including buses and the boats that link EPCOT and Hollywood Studios with the EPCOT Resort Area. Don’t forget these resorts also offer walking paths if you’re looking for the extra steps.
Disney’s BoardWalk
The closure is nothing new for the popular Skyliner, which first opened in 2019. The gondola system has regularly closed during the early part of the year for routine maintenance.
Inside the Disney Skyliner
The Skyliner project is one of many hotel construction and refurbishment projects happening in 2026, with others including:
- Pop Century: Disney’s pop culture-themed Value Tier resort has been in the midst of an ongoing major refurbishment of rooms, the lobby, and other common areas for a while now. According to Disney, it’s set to finish sometime in February 2026.
- All-Star Sports: Both the Surfboard Bay Pool and its associated kiddie pool area will be closed from January through April of 2026. According to Disney, the Grand Slam Leisure Pool will still be available, as will the other pools throughout Disney’s All-Star Resorts, including the Calypso Pool, Piano Pool, and kiddie pool at Disney’s All-Star Music Resort; and the Fantasia Pool, Duck Pond Pool, and kiddie pool at Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort.
- Animal Kingdom Lodge: The resort’s Kidani Village area will finish its current refurbishment in May 2026. Note that when that’s complete, the Jambo House area will enter its own refurbishment from May 2026 through January 2027
- Port Orleans: Guest rooms at Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside are in the midst of a refurbishment lasting from early May 2025 through August 2027.
- Contemporary: An ongoing series of refurbishments that began in September of 2024 is set to last all the way through the summer of 2027. In the midst of that, the Bay Cove Pool, its water play area, and the whirlpool spa at Bay Lake Tower will close on January 26th, and remain shuttered until sometime in May.
- Yacht Club and Beach Club Resorts: The sibling resorts are both undergoing routine exterior maintenance through 2027.
- Fort Wilderness Resort & Campground: At some point in 2026, the Meadow Swimmin’ Pool area — which has been open during construction since 2025 — will close as part of an expansion including a new zero-entry pool, a full deck, and even pickleball courts. There’s no set reopening timeframe for the new pool area.
Surfboard Bay
Disney’s Skyliner will be down for routine maintenance from January 25th through the 31st as one of several hotel refurbishment and construction projects happening at Walt Disney World in 2026. Stay tuned to DFB for more on what closures to expect during your Walt Disney World vacation.
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