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Is Skyliner Transportation Really Worth Spending More of Your Hotel Budget For?


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When it comes to choosing a hotel for your Disney World trip, you have a lot of things to consider.

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Skyliner

First, there’s a budget to think about. Will you be staying in a value, moderate, or deluxe resort? If you’re on a tight budget, you might be leaning more towards a value resort, which means you can stay at one of the three All-Star Resorts or Disney’s Pop Century Resort or Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. The latter two can be more expensive, though, because they have something the All-Star Resorts don’t: direct access to the Skyliner. But is it worth spending more money on those hotels just for the Skyliner?

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Well, the answer is: it depends. There are certain things you need to think about to justify the extra cost of staying at a Skyliner hotel. So should you book that Skyliner hotel? Let’s find out.

Yes

Convenient transportation to two parks

The Skyliner can take you directly to EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It’s a lot more convenient than waiting for a bus because even when there’s a long line at a Skyliner station, it moves quickly because the Skyliner rarely stops — it basically moves continuously.

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Skyliner Station at Disney’s Pop Century and Art of Animation Resorts

If you’re staying at Pop Century or Art of Animation, you’ll just walk to the Skyliner station and hop on a gondola if you’re headed to EPCOT or Hollywood Studios. It’s as easy as that. The two hotels share the Skyliner station.

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It’s faster

If you’ve ever had to wait for a Disney bus at a resort, you know how long those waits can be. You also know that some trips to the parks take longer. However, as we mentioned, the Skyliner is faster because it’s continuously moving, which means you’ll spend less time waiting in line for it.

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The Skyliner is faster than buses

It’s also generally faster because it travels over Disney World’s roads, so you don’t have to worry about things like traffic.

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Visiting other resorts

The EPCOT resort area has a lot of great dining, shopping, and entertainment, and if you’re planning on visiting the area, you can get there via the Skyliner. If you plan on spending any time at those hotels, staying at a hotel with Skyliner access will make it so much easier to get to those hotels. This is especially true as you can’t just Uber to a hotel without a dining reservation there.

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EPCOT Skyliner

This is also the case with Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort or Disney’s Riviera Resort — if you plan on spending time there or dining there, all you have to do is hop on the Skyliner to get to those hotels.

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You get the best views

If you want a bird’s eye view of Disney World, particularly of the gorgeous Caribbean Beach Resort or EPCOT, the Skyliner is the way to do just that. You can just ride above part of Disney World and see it from a completely different point of view.

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The views from the Skyliner are AMAZING

You can’t get this view with any other Disney World transportation, so if that sounds good to you, booking that Skyliner hotel might just be worth it.

9 Things The Disney World Skyliner Desperately Needs

It’s a ride!

The Skyliner is pretty much its own Disney World ride, and the best part is you don’t need a park ticket to ride it! Seriously, it’s a lot of fun and really is an attraction on its own. And it’s FREE. You could just hop on the Skyliner and ride all day if you want.

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Disney World’s Skyliner is a ride!

Also, your kids are going to love it. It might end up being their favorite Disney World ride.

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No

It’s closed during bad weather

If you’re visiting Disney World and there’s bad weather, the Skyliner will be closed. Instead, you’ll just have to take a bus, which defeats the purpose of booking a Skyliner hotel. So you would have paid extra for basically nothing.

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Skyliner closed

This isn’t really something you can check super far in advance, but let’s just say it rains a LOT in the summer plus there’s hurricane season to consider, so if you’re visiting during those times, you might not want to pay more for a Skyliner hotel.

We Were Seriously WORRIED About the Disney World Skyliner — Here’s How It Turned Things Around!

You’re afraid of heights

The Skyliner does go up above the roads in Disney World and gets up to about 60 feet above the ground. If you have any kind of fear of heights, you’re not going to want to ride it. So why pay for a hotel perk you can’t use? This is also often the only way to travel to EPCOT and Hollywood Studios, so you’d just be out of luck.

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The Skyliner gets up pretty high!

So keep that in mind: if you have a fear of heights, you probably don’t want to have anything to do with the Skyliner or stay at a Skyliner hotel.

How the Disney Skyliner Totally CHANGED This EPCOT Debate

You don’t want to ride with strangers

Yes, you have to ride on a bus with strangers when using that Disney World transportation option, but you’ll be in a small enclosed area with other strangers on the Skyliner — and it can feel a little awkward because the seating is a little more intimate.

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Those gondolas can feel a little awkward with strangers

If you don’t want to have those awkward moments, you may not want to stay at a Skyliner hotel.

People Keep Making the SAME Skyliner Mistake in Disney World

The gondolas aren’t air-conditioned

Disney buses have air conditioning, which is something you’ll appreciate during the hot Florida summers. On the other hand, the Skyliner gondolas do NOT have air conditioning, and although you can sometimes feel a breeze in them, you’re otherwise left to your own devices in the heat.

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No air conditioning

If you’re heat-intolerant or just don’t want to subject yourself to even MORE heat traveling to and from your hotel, you may not want to pay for a Skyliner resort.

We Bet You Didn’t Know THIS About the Disney World Skyliner

If you’re visiting in January

If you plan on visiting Disney World in January, just go ahead and do yourself a favor by NOT booking a Skyliner hotel. Why? Well, the Skyliner usually closes for a week or two for maintenance in January, so you would have just paid extra for a Skyliner hotel just to take Disney buses everywhere.

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The Skyliner closes temporarily in January

So the time of year you visit could also mean it’s not worth it to pay for a hotel with Skyliner access.

When You CAN’T Use the Skyliner in Disney World

So if you are considering a Skyliner hotel, you’ll need to consider all these things first to determine if it’s worth it.

Stay tuned to DFB for more.

Disney World Skyliner Gondola PRO TIPS: Here’s What You Need To Know Before You FLY!

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WE KNOW DISNEY.
YOU CAN, TOO.


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Oh boy, planning a Disney trip can be quite the adventure, and we totally get it! But fear not, dear friends, we compiled EVERYTHING you need (and the things to avoid!) to plan the ULTIMATE Disney vacation.

Whether you're a rookie or a seasoned pro, our insider tips and tricks will have you exploring the parks like never before. So come along with us, and get planning your most magical vacation ever!

Do you prefer to stay in a Skyliner hotel or not? Tell us why or why not in the comments!

The post Is Skyliner Transportation Really Worth Spending More of Your Hotel Budget For? first appeared on the disney food blog.

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