Resort Guide Confirms Park to Park Bus Transportation Will Remain After Disney Skyliner System Opens at Walt Disney World

Jessica Figueroa

Resort Guide Confirms Park to Park Bus Transportation Will Remain After Disney Skyliner System Opens at Walt Disney World

There’s no denying that the addition of the Disney Skyliner will help revolutionize Disney Transport in a very big way once it opens at the end of the month on September 29th. However, many guests have been wary of the addition, wondering if it will lead to cutbacks in other transportation services offered by Disney across the Walt Disney Resort.

wdw resort room skyliner pamphlet sept 2019 5

We recently flipped through a resort guide for more information on the Skyliner. If you are staying at a Walt Disney Resort hotel, a set of printed guides and pamphlets are usually left for guests by the table or nightstand for all their resort information needs. You’re always welcome to take these and use them throughout your stay, but with the advent of My Disney Experience, it’s rare that someone would carry one of these around, although in any case, it surely might be more dependable than the app.

wdw resort room skyliner pamphlet sept 2019 2

Each park or point of interest gets its own set of handy directions, with minimalist icons for each mode of transportation, be it a boat, monorail, bus, or the Skyliner. Thankfully, guests staying at resorts with Skyliner stations will have the option of taking a bus or gondola to the two parks the system connects: Epcot and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

It also appears that Park to Park bus transportation will remain after the opening of Disney Skyliner, so guests who aren’t keen on dangling in a non-air conditioned box at various heights will still have options, as well.

wdw resort room skyliner pamphlet sept 2019 4

wdw resort room skyliner pamphlet sept 2019 1

It’s interesting to note that this guide, which was printed for the opening of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge as indicated by the Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run promotional photo on the cover, mentions the Disney Skyliner as if it were already in operation. There’s no asterisk or fine print anywhere that says, “Hey, you won’t actually be able to take a Skyliner gondola yet, because it won’t open until late September!” This could be misleading for the everyday guest who doesn’t keep up with parks news. (It could also hint at the fact that the Skyliner was in fact due for a late August opening alongside Galaxy’s Edge, but I digress.)

wdw resort room skyliner pamphlet sept 2019 3

In any case, we’re glad that the Skyliner simply means more options for resort guests instead of fewer. While the gondolas will be ADA accessible and can seat up to 10, with room for strollers, between the “passive ventilation” and relatively small quarters, we know it won’t be for everyone, and retaining the option of taking a chilly, character-themed bus with USB charging ports seems ideal for many people.

So, what will be your transportation pick once the Skyliner finally opens? Gondola, or bus? (If you’re a Minnie Van person, well, I mean… treat yo’self.)

6 thoughts on “Resort Guide Confirms Park to Park Bus Transportation Will Remain After Disney Skyliner System Opens at Walt Disney World”

  1. Serious question – did anyone really think that the gandolas would replace bus transportation? Disney is building more hotels to, in theory, accommodate more guests. More guests = more transportation. The gondolas are an efficient alternative form of transportation….not to mention cheaper on Disney’s books to maintain long term.

    • That was my first thought too, especially since I thought it was common sense. Plus all the millions pouring into revamping every entrance to have better flow and drop-offs like Hollywood Studios where every single bus loop was rebuilt.

    • yes, there were rumors early on that this was their test to see if they could reduce or eliminate the costly buses between these locations. At least reduce the frequency of the bus pick ups.

  2. I’m curious about the efficiency of the gondola system, will it be faster to get to the parks than the buses? I’m staying at the Pop Century resort in mid-October. I don’t think I’d mind no ac if it means faster commutes to and from the parks. Plus it “should” be cooler during that time. Also, would it be a hassle to embark/disembark etc depending on where you are going?

    • Roughly the same I believe not counting the waiting for a bus. From Pop to Epcot thats like 15 minutes and around 9 I believe to Studios. Though I’m also not sure if thats counting the transfer time to swap gondolas. No AC should be fine with how fast it moves to generate a decent breeze and the reflective coating on the outside. It will honestly come down to how fast you can get a bus and getting a gondola. Another thing they have going for them is the handicap gondola will be pulled off the mainline in the station so it can stop without interfering with the rest of the system – something that at a bus requires, even more, waiting so they can load and secure first.

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