Recently we wrote a post about the new Disney Skyliner gondola system and how much we love it! From your feedback, it really seems like you all love the Skyliner, too. The convenience of getting to the parks so easily and the fun, peaceful ride are our favorite things about it! You can click here to read the full post about the Skyliner. Today we want to talk more about the resorts on the Disney Skyliner!
For us personally, being on the Skyliner is our new favorite way to stay at Disney World. Staying at several of the resorts on the Disney Skyliner on our last trip completely won us over. We can’t talk highly enough about our experience! For those that can’t wait to try the Skyliner out on your next trip, our hope is that this blog post will help you to learn more about the resorts and decide which one might be right for you!
Disney’s Pop Century Resort
About the Resort
Pop Century is a fantastic resort for those wanting affordability while getting all the perks of an onsite Disney resort! At this resort guests can immerse themselves in their favorite pop culture decade, from the 1950s to the 1990s, with huge sayings and icons from each era trimming the four-story buildings Like other value resorts, the theming here is bright, colorful and fun. Kids love the larger-than-life decor and fun atmosphere, while the retro atmosphere can be fun for adults to reminisce.
Accommodations
The rooms here are standard-size and accommodate 4 guests. All the rooms were completely refurbished in 2018. Previously, the rooms had double beds and were really in need of an update. Now, they have a fresh new design and queen size beds! One of the beds is actually a Murphy bed, which you can put up during the day to have more space in the room. We stayed in one of these refurbished rooms last summer; check out our photos below:
Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
About the Resort
Sharing a Skyliner station with Pop Century is Disney’s Art of Animation Resort. Art of Animation is Disney’s newest value-level resort, which opened in 2012. This resort is a perfect option for families (especially larger families) with its family suites! For families of 5 or 6 who cannot fit into most standard-size hotel rooms, this is a fantastic choice. Like Pop Century and the other value resorts, this resort is bright, colorful and fun. Art of Animation is inspired by the art and color of Disney’s animation. Each section of the resort is themed after one of Disney’s animated classics!
Accommodations
The three sections with family suites are themed after The Lion King, Cars and Finding Nemo. The Little Mermaid section, which houses standard rooms, is located a little further away from the main areas. The Family Suites can accommodate up to 6 guests and have a separate master bedroom with a queen bed. In the main area, a full-size sleeper sofa and convertible table bed provide the additional sleeping areas. The suites have two bathrooms and also have a small kitchenette. Unlike the rest of the value resort rooms, these suites have interior hallways. The Little Mermaid standard rooms are very much like the rooms at other value resorts, with two double beds and exterior entryways.
We recently stayed at Art of Animation in a Finding Nemo Suite, and absolutely loved it! The cost for the Finding Nemo suites is a bit higher than the Cars and Lion King suites because it is in a preferred room location. We loved being so close to the pool, lobby and Skyliner so we would definitely recommend upgrading to a Finding Nemo suite. Check out our photos of the resort and our Finding Nemo suite below:
Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
About the Resort
Caribbean Beach resort is the only moderate resort that’s on the Disney Skyliner. The beautiful islands of the Caribbean have inspired this resort, so it has a really relaxing atmosphere! This resort is very large, with the buildings scattered around a small lake. Each section of buildings is named after a different Caribbean island, and the resort is full of lovely tropical colors. Heavy remodels have taken place in recent years, with an entirely new lobby and many updates throughout the resort. With all the new updates and the addition of the Skyliner, this resort has definitely moved up on our list!
Accommodations
Most rooms at this resort have two queen beds (although there are some with a king). Select rooms here also can accommodate a 5th guest in a child size pull-down bed. The rooms have a similar layout to standard rooms at the value resorts, although they are slightly larger. Preferred Rooms, which are located near the lobby and pool areas, are highly recommended here since the resort is so spread out.
One section of buildings also has Pirate Rooms. These rooms have two double beds (instead of queens) and they are a bit of a walk from the lobby. While it does offer the perk of being pretty close to the Skyliner station and a slight upgrade in theming, we don’t really recommend this room category. We did a quick one-night stay here in December, and while the pirate rooms were cool, to us it wasn’t worth the added cost. Unless your family is really into pirates, we wouldn’t recommend paying extra to be in a pirate room. If you’re considering an upgraded room type, you’d be better off to put that money towards a Preferred Room since Caribbean Beach is such a large resort. See below for photos of the resort and our Pirate Room:
Disney’s Riviera Resort
About the Resort
Disney’s Riviera Resort is the first resort to be designed with the Skyliner in mind. This brand new resort opened in December 2019 and we were lucky enough to stay here on its opening night. Click here to read more about our experience! Riviera Resort is themed after the architecture and culture of the French and Italian Riviera, which inspired Walt Disney himself during his travels. The European influence creates an elegant and relaxing atmosphere throughout the entire resort. The stylings and decor of the lobby and rooms give this resort a truly timeless feel! It’s an enchanting combination of the magic and glamour of the European Riviera and the charm of Disney.
Accommodations
Riviera is a DVC (Disney Vacation Club) Resort, so the rooms here are studios and villas. These rooms are designed for guests with longer stays, or those wanting the comforts of home while on vacation. The studio rooms feature a kitchenette, while the villas have a full kitchen and washer/dryer. The studios and villas are designed with efficiency in mind. Rooms feature queen-size beds that pull down from the wall over the sofa, allowing the space to easily convert from a daytime living space to a nighttime sleeping area. This is also the first DVC resort to introduce Tower Studios, a cozy room type that can accommodate 2 guests in a queen-size wall pull-down bed. Check out the photos below of this beautiful resort and the Deluxe Studio we stayed in on opening night:
Epcot Resorts
The Epcot Resorts are worth an honorable mention here because they do have access to the Epcot Skyliner station. So technically Boardwalk, Beach Club and Yacht Club are all are on the Skyliner, too. However, these resorts are all walking distance and have boat access to Epcot and Hollywood Studios. That means for these guests there is really no reason to ride the Skyliner unless you just want to enjoy the ride (or if you are visiting one of the other resorts). Since guests at these resorts won’t use the Skyliner as a primary way to get to Hollywood Studios and Epcot, we decided to leave these off the list. They do get an honorable mention, though!
Where Will you Stay?
We love that there are value, moderate and deluxe/deluxe villa resorts on the Disney Skyliner. This allows guests to choose the price point that works best for them without compromising on convenience and access to the parks! It also allows you to easy visit or dine at the other resorts, too. With so much added benefit, we personally want to stay at these resorts on our next trips! In the comments, let us know what resort you plan to stay at next!
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