Hidden Gems at the Disney Skyliner Resorts: Dining, Shopping, and More

When the Disney Skyliner was added, connections were made. Suddenly, guests could visit the resorts on the Skyliner for dining, shopping, and casual resort hopping. As an example, if you previously wanted to visit Art of Animation to tour the grounds, you would have had to take a bus to a theme park and then board another bus to get there. These days, you can hop on the Skyliner without having to worry about waiting for the next bus to arrive.

The problem? Other than taking the Skyliner for a ride, we have found that many guests have no idea what to do next. We notice this often when we’re leaving Hollywood Studios. Since it’s such a short ride from the park to Caribbean Beach, other passengers are often shocked to find they have to exit so soon. They always ask, do we have to exit here? Yes, you do.

Of course, if you just want to continue riding the Skyliner, you can join the line for Epcot. This route offers a longer opportunity to ride, and you’ll be able to see a good deal of the Walt Disney World skyline on the way. It’s a fun way to see things, but we think you can do better. Below, we’ll briefly discuss how the Skyliner works. Then, we’ve listed a few hidden gems you might like to expand upon as part of your journey.

the Skyliner travels across Hourglass Lake
The Skyliner travels across Hourglass Lake on the way to Pop Century and Art of Animation. | ©Resorts Gal

The Best Way to Access the Skyliner for a Resort-Hop

For most, the best place to board the Skyliner will be at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. As mentioned above, the gondola will drop you off at Caribbean Beach less than five minutes later. Caribbean Beach is the primary hub that feeds all the lines. From here, you can board the Skyliner to any of its destinations:

  • Hollywood Studios
  • Epcot (International Gateway)
  • Disney’s Riviera Resort
  • Disney’s Pop Century and Art of Animation Resorts (Shared Stop)

For reference, Caribbean Beach and Disney’s Riviera are within walking distance of each other, but each resort has a Skyliner station. Pop Century and Art of Animation are also within walking distance of each other, however, they share a Skyliner station. It sits in the center of the bridge on Hourglass Lake. The resorts each face the lake on opposite sides.

the Skyliner station at Disney's Hollywood Studios
The Skyliner Station at Disney’s Hollywood Studios | ©Resorts Gal

Simple Skyliner Resort Hopping Itinerary

If we were going to resort-hop the Skyliner Resorts, we would start at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and take the Skyliner to Caribbean Beach. Then we would take the following steps:

  • Skyliner to Art of Animation and Pop Century
  • Tour the Resorts as Desired (Suggestions Below)
  • Skyliner Back to Caribbean Beach
  • Check out Caribbean Cay (Suggestions Below)
  • Walk to Disney’s Riviera Resort
  • Have a bite to eat and tour the resort. (Suggestions Below)
  • Take the Skyliner to Epcot’s International Gateway.
  • Check out Disney’s BoardWalk or Beach and Yacht Club.
  • Take a FriendShip Boat back to Hollywood Studios.
  • Take a bus back to the resort.

You’ll want to take into consideration the weather and how much time you have. Depending on your pace, it could be difficult to do and see everything. For example, if you wanted to take your time and see all the sections of Art of Animation, you could easily spend 1.5 to 2 hours there. So you might not make it to every stop we highlight below.

a directional for the Skyliner Station at Disney's Caribbean Beach
The Caribbean Beach Skyliner Station travels to Art of Animation, Pop Century, Disney’s Riviera Resort, Epcot, and Disney’s Hollywood Studios. | ©Resorts Gal

Hidden Gems at Disney’s Art of Animation

Our favorite thing to do is take a sunset walk around Art of Animation Resort. If you time things just right and the weather’s cooperating, you’ll experience a stunning sunset with fun Disney references all around. This is such a fun place for children and adults alike. It’s also much more comfortable to explore this resort (or any other outdoor area) when the sun is not directly overhead. If you were to visit midday, you might be miserable and not be able to see all the cool stuff the grounds have to offer.

Art of Animation has a fun gift shop in Animation Hall called the Ink and Paint Gift Shop. We love to shop here and stop in often to check out the latest merchandise. The resort’s food court, Landscape of Flavors is next door. You might like to pick up a bite to eat or a snack. (We do, however, prefer to wait and eat at the quick service restaurant at Disney’s Riviera Resort when we’re touring all the Skyliner Resorts.)

Kid Stop: Everything at this resort is designed for children. There is, however, a fun playground that any guest can access behind the splash pad. It’s a good place to let kids burn off a little energy. You might also enjoy browsing our photos of the Cars Hotel Area at Art of Animation. It will provide an idea of what you will see in the Cars section of the resort.

The Cars Section at Disney’s Art of Animation is fun to explore. | ©Resorts Gal

Hidden Gems at Pop Century

If you want to continue your stroll around Art of Animation to Pop Century, we suggest walking around HourGlass Lake. It’s a beautiful walk that’s full of fun references. Each section of Pop Century is themed to a unique decade. We always like to stop in the 90s and see the Potato Heads, Roger Rabbit, and the giant laptop. It’s such a fun resort.

Inside the main building, the “pop culture” references continue. I always like to look at the shadow boxes that line the walls of the lobby. You’ll find some pretty cool details! You might also like to check out the Everything Pop gift shop or the food court.

Kid Stop: The resort has a playground behind building 10 in the 70s section of the resort. (See our Parent’s Guide to the Playgrounds at Disney World. It has a map with the location of each applicable resort’s playground.)

a sign on Memory Lane at Pop Century that references 1989
A walk down Memory Lane at Pop Century is sure to jog your memory. | ©Resorts Gal

Hidden Gems at Disney’s Caribbean Beach

Disney’s Caribbean Beach is a huge resort. You can walk or use the bus station at the Skyliner to get around the resort. If you’re up for the walk, we enjoy walking from the Skyliner to Old Port Royale. We would take the route through Jamaica, then cross the bridge to Caribbean Cay, the resort’s island. Old Port Royale is on the opposite side.

Kid’s Stop: While you’re on the island, you might let the children explore. The side that faces Disney’s Riviera Resort offers a cool playground and scenic views of the lake.

Once you reach Old Port Royale, you might enjoy a meal or refreshments from the Banana Cabana, an outdoor bar and lounge. We also love to check out the lobby of Disney’s Caribbean Beach and shop inside Calypso Trading Post, the resort’s gift shop. See our photo tour of Old Port Royale for an idea of what you’ll see.

Old Port Royale outdoor area at sunset
Old Port Royale is a beautiful place to explore, especially at sunset. | ©Resorts Gal

Hidden Gems at Disney’s Riviera Resort

Once you’re finished at Caribbean Beach, it’s a simple walk to Disney’s Riviera. This is our favorite place to enjoy a meal. We love both the quick service restaurant, Primo Piatto, and the resort’s lounge Bar Riva.

You might also explore the resort and check out the bakery Le Petit Cafe and the nearby gift shop La Boutique on the resort’s lobby level. You’ll also likely want to see the Peter Pan and Tangled Mural, which sits between the resort and the Skyliner Station.

Kid Stop: You’ll find a variety of outdoor games on the resort’s green lawn behind the lobby. It’s a fun place to stop and enjoy a little downtime.

We planned this resort hop so you could see the murals at Disney’s Riviera Resort after dark. | ©Resorts Gal

How to Return to Your Resort

Option One: When you’re finished at Disney’s Riviera, you’ll have a few options. If your priority is returning to your resort, you can take a bus from the Riviera to Disney Springs, then board a bus back to your resort. (This might not be the quickest route depending on where you’re staying, but it is an option that will work for every resort. All Disney Resorts offer bus service to and from Disney Springs. Disney’s Riviera is very close to Disney Springs. *You can also take a car service, taxi, or Minnie Van from this location if you don’t mind the extra expense.)

Option Two: You can board the Skyliner at Disney’s Riviera Resort, take it back to Disney’s Caribbean Beach, and then return on the next Skyliner line to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, where you started.

Option Three: You can take the Skyliner from Disney’s Riviera to Epcot’s International Gateway (this is the longest leg on the Skyliner). When you arrive at Epcot, you can take a boat back to Hollywood Studios, or you can walk to the BoardWalk or other surrounding Epcot Resorts. The boat will stop at every resort on the way to Hollywood Studios if you prefer to take it over walking. This option provides an opportunity to extend your resort-hop to the Epcot Resorts area if desired.

Final Thoughts

I hope this article provided you with a few hidden gems to do while touring the area. We love to check out the Skyliner Resorts, and find the entire area is fun for everyone to enjoy. Just please remember that it might be unpleasant to take on these areas during the hotter portions of the day. These resorts are all sizeable, and this type of resort-hop requires that you spend most of your time outdoors. For more on the resorts, you might enjoy the following:

You might also enjoy our list of every resort restaurant you can access from the Skyliner.

In the Comments

Did you enjoy reading about any of these hidden gems at the Skyliner Resorts? Let us know in the comments or on our social media.

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