Convenience matters when you visit Disney theme parks frequently. Longtime Disney Vacation Club members are acutely aware of the frustrations of Disney’s mercurial transportation system.
Thankfully, Disney has solved that problem by looking to the skies with its latest form of transportation. We’re all in love with the Disney Skyliner and prioritize the resorts close to it. Here are the DVC resorts with Disney Skyliner access and a few suggestions about how to benefit from the service.
The DVC Resorts Near the Disney Skyliner
Five official Walt Disney World resorts provide ready access to the Disney Skyliner, but two of those aren’t Disney Vacation Club properties. So, DVC members choose between a trio of luxury hotels.
Disney’s Beach Club Villas and Disney’s BoardWalk Villas already offered quick entry to EPCOT via the International Gateway. However, guests had to walk a much greater distance to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, needed to cross the park for monorail access, and had no direct path to Disney’s Animal Kingdom other than the buses.
None of those options were ideal, which explains the appeal of the Disney Skyliner. You must walk past the Disney Skyliner station to reach the International Gateway. You can leave the hotel lobby and reach the gondola station in ten minutes.
Photo Courtesy of WDWNT
From Disney’s BoardWalk area outside the hotel, this walk to the Disney Skyliner only takes two or three minutes longer. That’s a much shorter distance than if you chose to walk to Hollywood Studios. Plus, you enjoy the bird’s eye view of Walt Disney World from your gondola.
Still, the reality is that a third DVC resort benefits the most from the Disney Skyliner. Obviously, I’m referring to Disney’s Riviera Resort, a place whose hotel lobby is maybe 100 feet from a gondola station. You exit the resort, walk through a lovely arch covered with Disney-related murals, and you’re right by the Disney Skyliner station.
From here, you can take a gondola directly to Hollywood Studios or EPCOT. While the other two DVC resorts are technically closer to EPCOT, you’ll save yourself some extra walking by staying at the Riviera. That’s always a smart strategy at Walt Disney World.
The Disney Parks Near the Disney Skyliner
I’ve already mentioned them, but please allow me to spell out the importance. When you book a Studio/Villa at one of these three DVC properties, you’re adding unprecedented convenience to your Disney experience.
I’m a Disney monorail fanatic, but even I must acknowledge that it comes with a slight flaw. The monorail loop ensures that unless you’re quite fortunate, you must wait several minutes for a tram to arrive.
The Disney Skyliner works differently. It’s almost constantly in motion, ensuring you’ll board a gondola within moments of arriving at the station. While lines sometimes form outside the station, it’s typically a near walk-on experience, especially at DVC-adjacent stations.
So, you can exit your hotel and hop on a gondola. From there, you’ll arrive at a theme park in a matter of minutes. Here’s a map of the Skyliner routes:
While there’s obviously some variance for each ride, let’s assume it’s generally accurate. As such, we can add the stated times to identify approximately how long you’ll need to travel to a park.
From the Riviera, you’ll reach Hollywood Studios in six minutes. The EPCOT leg is slightly shorter at five minutes and 27 seconds. Thanks to the Disney Skyliner, You’re only six minutes away from either park!
Beach Club and BoardWalk’s travel time is slightly longer. A trip to Hollywood Studios will take 11 minutes and 27 seconds. That’s still quicker than a walk from BoardWalk to the park, and you save yourself most of the wear and tear on your feet.
The Disney Restaurants and Stores Near the Disney Skyliner
What I love about the Disney Skyliner is how the service connects Disney amenities. Several exceptional restaurants reside at Disney resorts on the gondola line.
For example, when you stay at the Riviera, you can travel to one of the parks to eat a meal at somewhere like Woody’s Lunch Box or Le Cellier Steakhouse. However, you can also ride the Skyliner to Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, which is only two minutes away. There, you can dine at Sebastian’s Bistro, which is surging in popularity.
Similarly, when you’re at Beach Club or BoardWalk, you’re not lacking for exceptional dining options. Still, you may prefer Topolino’s Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera as a great place to eat while watching the fireworks from the rooftop.
Conversely, when you’re a guest at the Riviera, you may prefer a fine dining option that isn’t inside the parks. If so, you can ride the Skyliner to Flying Fish, Trattoria al Forno, or the Cake Bake Shop by Gwendolyn Rogers, which opens later this year.
Alternatively, you can exit the Skyliner station near the International Gateway and walk to Beach Club. There, you can relish a DVC favorite, Beaches & Cream Soda Shop or a character breakfast at Cape May Café.
In short, you expand your dining options exponentially when you stay at a DVC resort near the Disney Skyliner. Oh, and you also expand your gift shop options to all the other Disney resorts near the gondola stations!
For all these reasons, you can understand why demand is soaring for the three DVC resorts located close to the Disney Skyliner. This service provides the best logistics at Walt Disney World today.
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