What time does the Skyliner close at Epcot?
Disney Skyliner hours depend on the park hours for Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Typically, Skyliner gondolas start running around 60-90 minutes before park open, around 7:30-9:00 AM, and continue operating until about 60-90 minutes after the park close, around 10:00-11:00 PM.
Hours vary seasonally. In general, you can expect the Skyliner to begin running about an hour before EPCOT and Disney's Hollywood Studios open, and to stop running about an hour after those parks close, but there is significant variability in this.
Disney's Skyliner and all complimentary Disney Resort Transportation typically operates up to one hour following a scheduled event like Disney's After Hours events. But in the event that it is not operating for any reason, complimentary bus service will be provided.
EPCOT's Skyliner station is located at the park's International Gateway (between the France and United Kingdom pavilion in World Showcase) and captures the beauty of the pavilions located near this part of the park.
At the Skyliner stations, there should be signs alerting Guests to when the Skyliner is operating on that day, according to my experiences. You can also ask a Cast Member at any Skyliner station or even at your Walt Disney World Resort, and they should be able to let you know the operating hours for that day.
Disney Skyliner hours depend on the park hours for Epcot and Hollywood Studios. Typically, Skyliner gondolas start running around 60-90 minutes before park open, around 7:30-9:00 AM, and continue operating until about 60-90 minutes after the park close, around 10:00-11:00 PM.
When it's raining hard or storming, it can close down completely. This is especially true if there is lightning! If you were planning on taking the Skyliner and it's closed for weather, there will be signs outside of the station telling you about or guiding you to alternative forms of transportation, like buses.
The EPCOT fireworks showtime is usually 9:00pm, every night.
Hours of Operation
The EPCOT Monorail begins operating 30 minutes prior to when EPCOT opens and stops 2 hours after EPCOT closes.
You do not need Theme Park tickets to enjoy the Disney Skyliner, so you can fly around as often as you want! There's plenty to discover at Disney's BoardWalk, Disney's Beach Club Resort, and Disney's Yacht Club Resort, and I'm sure that you'll have a wonderful time on your extra days!
Can you walk to front of EPCOT from Skyliner?
Hi Douglas! You can absolutely walk to the EPCOT bus transportation lot from the Disney Skyliner.
The only way to travel from the EPCOT monorail station to the EPCOT Skyliner station without entering the theme park would be to use a car service to travel from the front of the theme park to one of the resorts along Disney's BoardWalk and then walk from the resort to the Skyliner station.

No, you don't. The Skyliner drops you off outside the entrance to both parks, so you don't need a ticket for the Skyliner.
Does the Skyliner close if it rains? During storms or high winds, or if lightning has been detected nearby, the Disney Skyliner does close. When that happens, bus transportation will be provided.
Because the EPCOT station of the Disney Skyliner is located outside of the park's turnstiles, you absolutely can ride the Skyliner to Disney's Hollywood Studios without having to enter EPCOT, or having a theme park reservation there.
The Disney Skyliner at Walt Disney World isn't only good for traveling from point A to point B via aerial gondolas. It's a prime form of transportation that can take guests to several locations with a variety of dining locations, including Table Service, Quick Service, and lounges.
Often Skyliner will start running 30-60 minutes prior to park opening. Ask at your hotel what time it will start running. Don't forget to allow time to board Skyliner during rush hour, wait times can be 15-20 minutes during this period. Yes, another reason to get an early start on your day at Walt Disney World!
The flight from Pop Century to EPCOT takes approximately 20 minutes, also with a quick transfer at the Skyliner Station at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort.
Disney Skyliner | |
---|---|
Trip duration | 11 minutes (Riviera, Epcot) 5 minutes (Hollywood Studios) 4 minutes (Art of Animation/Pop Century) |
Fare | Free |
Technical features | |
Aerial lift type | Mono-cable gondola detachable |
The most recent accident on the Disney Skyliner occurred at the Hollywood Studios Skyliner station when some Skyliner cars crashed into each other. What is this? Some glass from the windows of the cars was shattered, but Disney was able to clean the glass up immediately.
Does Skyliner ever get stuck?
With today's fairly lengthy closure, we couldn't help but be reminded of the incident that occurred back in 2019 when some of the gondolas collided. During that incident, some guests were stuck on the Skyliner for up to THREE hours and several guests ultimately had to be evacuated from the air by emergency vehicles.
One thing that is interesting is that the Walt Disney World Skyliner gondolas don't have air conditioning. Instead they use a “passive ventilation system” (aka window vents) which allows the breeze to move through the cabins. As long as the gondola is moving, the temperature inside remains quite comfortable.
He added that EPCOT's new nighttime spectacular will feature an original composition and evocative selections from the Disney songbook, all woven together to “remind us that we are more alike than different.” This new (still unnamed) show will debut in late 2023 on World Showcase Lagoon.
Under normal circumstances, Disney Harmonious runs between 9:00 pm and 10:00 pm nightly. From now through April 2, 2023, Disney Harmonious is scheduled to start at 9:00 pm each night.
Disney's Festival of Fantasy Parade runs every afternoon at 3pm† and there's plenty of space for families with buggies and little ones!
Looking at recent history, Saturdays and Sundays have the lowest average wait times at EPCOT. However, that doesn't mean that the weekends are always the best days to visit EPCOT. Sundays are great at EPCOT, especially during non-festival weeks. In five months in 2022, Sundays had the lowest wait time.
ATTRACTION / RIDE | AVERAGE WAIT TIME | CATEGORY |
---|---|---|
Frozen Ever After | 80 minutes | Theme Park Ride |
Test Track | 70 minutes | Theme Park Ride |
Soarin' Around the World | 60 minutes | Theme Park Ride |
Mission: SPACE | 40 minutes | Theme Park Ride |
What time should I get to Epcot? We recommend arriving at Epcot 30 minutes before you're allowed in the park. That's an hour before the scheduled open if you have Early Entry or 30 minutes before scheduled entry if you don't have Early Entry.
As you can see, The Skyliner has a much faster ride time than the bus or the monorail, and you also don't have to worry about the gondolas being overcrowded or too full to get on. The longest part of the whole process will most likely be waiting in line to get on.
Just like the Monorails or the buses, you can get on the Disney Skyliner without paying anything. There are no tickets required for the Disney Gondolas either, just walk up to the station, get in line and get in. In fact, riding the Skyliner is one of our favorite Free Things to Do in Walt Disney World!
Can you ride the Skyliner and not get off?
Guests are not required to exit here, but can if they wish to do so. If you continue on, you will have to exit at the stop for Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort, as it is an "end of the line station." You can then walk just a few steps away to the separate line that will take you to Disney's Hollywood Studios.
EPCOT has two entrances into the park (the main entrance and the International Gateway), so we're going to talk about which entrance you should use while you're at Disney World!
Yes, you can use the monorail to hop between the Magic Kingdom and EPCOT. You can also use the Disney Skyliner to hop between EPCOT and Disney's Hollywood Studios.
However, because of the way the Monorail and Skyliner stations are situated (at Epcot's front gate and International Gateway, respectively), visitors looking to ride both modes of transport would need a park ticket. You'd have to walk through the entire park to get from one to another.
The Art of Animation Little Mermaid rooms are located as far away from the bus stop and Disney Skyliner as you can be. Depending on how fast you walk, you are a 10+ minute walk to both transportation options.
Pirate Room Location
The Pirate Rooms are located in the Trinidad section of the resort. This is far from the main area of the resort—Old Port Royale—but relatively close to the Disney Skyliner.
The theme park previously required face coverings for all guests aboard Disney buses and monorails regardless of vaccination status. Disney made masks optional for fully vaccinated guests aboard the Disney Skyliner last month.
As has been the case with some of Disney's outdoor attractions or resort pools for decades, there will be a storm radius for the Skyliner and if a lightning strike occurs within that, the gondolas will cycle until they're empty, dumping guests from the lines and not reloading until there have been X minutes since the ...
There are restrooms located in or nearby each Skyliner station. At the station located near International Gateway at EPCOT, there are a couple of single-occupancy restrooms located within the station itself.
Magic Kingdom Indoor Attractions
The most consistent air-conditioning bang for your buck in the Magic Kingdom is unquestionably the shows.
What hotels does the Skyliner go to?
- Disney's Art of Animation Resort.
- Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort.
- Disney's Pop Century Resort.
- Disney's Riviera Resort.
to Magic Kingdom
The Monorail ride from EPCOT takes about 15 minutes, and it will actually drop you off at the Transportation and Ticket Center (TTC). From there, you can hop on the Express Monorail to Magic Kingdom, which usually takes less than 10 minutes.
As you soar to your magical adventures on the Disney Skyliner, you are welcome to take your jet fuel (i.e. coffee!) along for the ride! There is a restriction on bringing alcoholic beverages on the Disney Skyliner, but your boost of morning Java will be just fine!
When you take the Disney Skyliner to EPCOT, you will exit the Disney Skyliner at the EPCOT International Gateway. The EPCOT International Gateway is located in EPCOT'S World Showcase area.
While you may bring non-alcoholic beverages aboard the Disney Skyliner, you must finish your adult beverages before you board your gondola. While you are exploring The Big Blue Pool, you absolutely have to try my absolute favorite summer beverage, the Frosé.
Disney Skyliner at Walt Disney World is now closed for a brief annual refurbishment. The gondola transportation system is planned to be closed January 22 through January 29 2023. Bus service is available at the resorts served by Disney Skyliner.
Disney's official estimated ride times for the Disney Skyliner are rides between 5-15 minutes, though most will be quicker than 15. There are more than 300 gondolas in the Disney Skyliner fleet and they travel at heights of up to 60ft.
Disney Skyliner Closing for Refurbishment in January 2023 at Walt Disney World. Walt Disney World announced today that all lines of the Disney Skyliner will be closing for routine refurbishment from January 22-29, 2023. Bus transportation will be available between all resorts and theme parks during that time.
Disney World Closing Theme Park Indefinitely in 2023 - Inside the Magic.
Does the Skyliner close if it rains? During storms or high winds, or if lightning has been detected nearby, the Disney Skyliner does close. When that happens, bus transportation will be provided.
How long does it take to get from Skyliner Pop to EPCOT?
The flight from Pop Century to EPCOT takes approximately 20 minutes, also with a quick transfer at the Skyliner Station at Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort.
If you just want to ride the Skyliner for fun, you will have to get off at a destination—you cannot just stay on through a station—but you can usually just walk right back on going the other way. Of course, during peak times (park closing, particularly) this might be a bad idea.
Because the EPCOT station of the Disney Skyliner is located outside of the park's turnstiles, you absolutely can ride the Skyliner to Disney's Hollywood Studios without having to enter EPCOT, or having a theme park reservation there.
Looking at recent history, Saturdays and Sundays have the lowest average wait times at EPCOT. However, that doesn't mean that the weekends are always the best days to visit EPCOT. Sundays are great at EPCOT, especially during non-festival weeks. In five months in 2022, Sundays had the lowest wait time.
The Skyliner has been incredibly popular since it opened in 2019, but with that popularity comes a lot of crowding.
The attraction, first opened as a log-flume ride in the late 1980s, will cease operations to begin the next phase of development for Tiana's Bayou Adventure. ANAHEIM, Calif. -- Splash Mountain at Disneyland Park will be closed starting May 31, 2023, Disney Parks announced Wednesday.