This is Disney World’s Best Transportation System. Every Resort in This Area Ranked.

The most popular and convenient mode of transportation at Walt Disney World is the Disney Skyliner. The Disney Skyliner is a gondola-style transportation system connecting EPCOT, Disney's Hollywood Studios, and several Disney Resort hotels.

The Disney Skyliner makes traveling to those theme parks a breeze (literally!) and has made the Disney Resort hotels on the Skyliner route increasingly popular. Let's rank these Disney Skyliner resort hotels so you can see which one works best for your budget, especially if you plan on spending plenty of time at these theme parks!

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Why We LOVE the Disney Skyliner

If you stay at one of the Disney Skyliner resorts, you will have a ton of options to visit some of the best areas of Disney World property without needing to drive, pay for an Uber, or wait for a Disney World bus. You are also able to use the Skyliner to visit any of the other Disney Skyliner resorts. This could come in handy if you want to try a different restaurant, bar, or gift shop located at one of these resorts. You can see our full guide to how to get from one resort to another at Disney World for details on transportation for resort hopping. And if you're looking to take advantage of the best restaurants on the Skyliner route, then you should read our article highlighting that Skyliner restaurant experience.

Here's a look at the Disney Skyliner map.

Disney Skyliner resort guests can also take the Skyliner directly to and from EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. If you plan to park hop, the Skyliner also goes between these two parks, making it very easy for Skyliner resort guests to travel between their resort and these two theme parks.

Additionally, EPCOT is a relatively short walk to Disney's BoardWalk area. The BoardWalk is a quarter-mile promenade of other deluxe resorts, restaurants, lounges, and nightlife. Due to its popularity, it can be difficult to park near the BoardWalk. However, Skyliner resort guests can take the Skyliner to the EPCOT terminal stop and walk to the BoardWalk with no issue. If you don't want to walk from EPCOT to the BoardWalk, you also have the option of taking a Friendship Boat from EPCOT to any of the resorts located near the BoardWalk. The BoardWalk resorts include Disney's BoardWalk Villas, Disney's Beach Club Villas, Disney's Yacht Club Resort, Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel, and Walt Disney World Swan Hotel.

Skyliner Guests Win at Early Theme Park Entry

All Disney World property resort guests have the benefit of using Early Theme Park Entry for any Disney World theme park every day. This allows any resort guest to enter the theme parks 30 minutes before park opening. Early entry is valid starting the day of your resort check-in through the day you check out.

Early theme park entry is a huge benefit, especially if you plan on experiencing Disney World's most popular attractions. Even though you can enter the parks 30 minutes early, I still highly recommend arriving at the parks at least 30 minutes early, as there will be many other resort guests lined up for early entry as well.

If you are taking the Skyliner to either EPCOT or Hollywood Studios, you have the advantage of potentially arriving before other Disney guests as long as you line up early! The advantage at EPCOT is even better, as you will be dropped off at the World Showcase, which means you can be one of the first guests lined up for Remy's Ratatouille Adventure- one of the most popular rides in the park.

You can see why the Skyliner is so popular! And why the resorts with easy access to it are among the best at Walt Disney World.

#4. Disney's Art of Animation Resort

Disney's Pop Century and Disney's Art of Animation resorts are fairly similar but have two different themes. Both resorts are considered value, or less costly, and are located very close to each other. In fact, both resorts share the same Skyliner terminal stop, located on a bridge connecting Pop Century to the Finding Nemo section of Art of Animation.

Despite these similarities, we rank them differently on this list. The rooms at Art of Animation Resort were built to accommodate families and larger travel parties on a budget. There are 1,984 total rooms, including 1,120 family suites, which can accommodate up to six guests, compared to most standard rooms, which sleep up to four. Art of Animation is one of the best Disney World resorts that offers suites for travel groups of five or more people. The family suites are themed to Disney Cars, The Lion King, and Finding Nemo.

But when it comes to standard rooms, there are only The Little Mermaid themed rooms, and these are located in the far back of the resort, which is the furthest walk away from the Disney Skyliner. Now, if you are looking for an affordable family suite, then this changes the ranking of this resort to far higher on my list. But if you are looking for a standard room, I would look for a different Disney Skyliner Resort.

#3. Disney's Riviera Resort

Disney's Riviera Resort is a deluxe Disney Vacation Club (DVC) property at Walt Disney World, inspired by the elegance of the French and Italian Rivieras. It offers a European ambiance with Mediterranean-inspired architecture, lush gardens, and curated artwork reflecting Walt Disney’s travels in Europe.

You can spot beautiful artwork all around the property and inside the rooms. Most guests also have views of EPCOT and fireworks from their balcony. Be sure to check out the stunning Peter Pan and Tangled-inspired murals in the tunnel between the main pool area and the Skyliner terminal!

Riviera Resort is the only deluxe resort with access to the Disney Skyliner. Deluxe resorts have more perks than other resort categories, like table service restaurant options plus a chance to access Extended Evening Hours. In fact, the Riviera Resort is known for its popular Topolino's Terrace – Flavors of the Riviera dining experience. Topolino's is located on the rooftop and offers character dining at breakfast and an exquisite dinner experience with French and Italian cuisine.

But since this is a deluxe resort, it does come with the highest price tag of the Disney Skyliner resorts on this list, which is why I ranked it a bit lower than the others.

#2. Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort

Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort is a beautiful island-themed resort with buildings inspired by Barbados, Jamaica, Martinique, Trinidad, and Aruba. I have heard many guests say how incredible the property looks, especially when passing over the resort on the Disney Skyliner. It's hard to miss the pink buildings with teal rooftops throughout the resort property.

This is the only moderate-level resort on the Disney Skyliner route, and this makes it one of the most popular resorts in that category. Moderate level resorts offer improved dining options, pool areas, and more room space than value resorts. The food at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort is unique, far superior to the food options at the value resorts on this list. Latin and Caribbean flavors are a heavy focal point at all of the dining locations at Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, which creates an immersive experience.

The biggest drawback of Disney's Caribbean Beach Resort is its size as one of the largest resort hotels. Unless you pay for a preferred room and request a location close to the Disney Skyliner, you will be facing a long walk each day as you utilize the transportation. But that walk might be worth it, as the Caribbean Beach Resort is the main transfer center of the Disney Skyliner. This means you won't have to worry about transferring to a new gondola at other resorts, which makes this resort one of the best for Disney Skyliner access.

#1. Disney's Pop Century Resort

Disney's Pop Century pays tribute to various decades with buildings displaying themes from the '50s, '60s, '70s, '80s, and '90s. Brightly colored decor and larger-than-life figures can be found within each decade, highlighting special throwbacks of the past.

All rooms at Pop Century Resort are standard, unlike its sister resort, Art of Animation, which also offers family suites. If you do not need a family suite, then Pop Century Resort should be your choice for a value Disney Skyliner resort!

Pop Century Resort is one of my favorite resort hotels at Walt Disney World, not just for its Disney Skyliner access but affordability, fun retro theming, and convenience. Pop Century Resort is quite small in comparison to some of the other resorts, especially the sprawling moderate resorts, making your room location ideal regardless of where you end up. You can read more about why I pick Pop Century Resort for every Disney World stay in my review. 

For this reason, it comes out as number one since the walk to the Disney Skyliner is easy and increases your likelihood of using it often. I find I am more likely to come back for a midday break when I stay at Pop Century simply because I know how easy it will be to get back and forth to my room. Add in the great price and theming, and you have a perfect Disney Skyliner resort.

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