Walt Disney World sometimes closes the Skyliner gondola transportation system for annual upkeep through the winter low season. This submit covers historic refurbishment announcement and closure dates, why we wouldn’t ebook an impacted resort, advisable resort options and extra.
This routine downtime of the “Most Magical Flight on Earth” impacts the entire Skyliner routes and resorts. These gondolas service two Walt Disney World theme parks (Hollywood Studios and EPCOT) plus 4 resorts (Artwork of Animation & Pop Century, Caribbean Seashore, plus Riviera Resort & Caribbean Seashore once more) by way of 5 stations.
The Skyliner will get annual preventative upkeep at about the identical time yearly, the length of which and strategy (all traces without delay or in phases) has diversified from 12 months to 12 months. This winter’s closure was the longest downtime that Disney and Doppelmayr have achieved because the Skyliner gondolas opened. In opposition to that backdrop, the explanations for this submit are threefold…
First, as a result of we’re beginning to obtain a number of questions concerning the closure from readers (albeit admittedly not many). Second, as a result of we view it as make-or-break when reserving a Skyliner resort.
Lastly, as a result of final 12 months’s closure announcement was comparatively last-minute, and as soon as it was made, we heard from many readers who have been upset that their journey was impacted. Understandably so, given the second level. With folks already beginning to ebook 2025 Walt Disney World holidays, we worry a repeat of final 12 months’s late announcement, and wish to get forward of this potential information and provides planners a heads up…
Listed here are the small print of the Skyliner refurbishment, per the correspondence despatched out by Walt Disney World final 12 months. With a view to preserve the best high quality requirements, Walt Disney World should conduct refurbishments every now and then. In the course of the Skyliner refurbishment, Walt Disney World provides bus service between the impacted accommodations and the parks. This implies elevated frequency–the kind of common bus service you’d count on from a non-Skyliner resort that supply bus service.
This 12 months, the Skyliner was closed for routine upkeep in Winter 2024 in phases, beginning on January 16 and reopening on January 26. That was really a pair days forward of schedule–the Skyliner was scheduled to formally reopen on January 28, 2024. (Specifics on the phases aren’t actually related right here since they’ve diversified from 12 months to 12 months.)
This 12 months’s refurbishment of the Skyliner was not introduced till October 25, 2023. That made it the longest closure, and the one introduced newest. Provided that Walt Disney World makes an attempt to announce deliberate routine upkeep to swimming pools a 12 months or extra prematurely (generally pressing work is extra last-minute), our sturdy suspicion is that scheduling with Doppelmayr delayed the announcement. (To not give Disney an excessive amount of good thing about the doubt–it’s doable they only dropped the ball and didn’t share the information till final minute.)
Whatever the motive, it’s totally doable that this occurs once more. Since previous precedent suggests that is annual preventative upkeep for the Skyliner, listed here are historic dates for the gondolas refurbishment:
- Winter 2023: Skyliner system-wide closure January 22-29.
- Winter 2022: Skyliner system-wide closure January 23-28.
- Winter 2021: Skyliner particular person routes closed for single-day downtime between January 24 and 28.
- Winter 2020: No Skyliner closure–it was only some months outdated!
In accordance with the DTB Archives, the 2021-2023 closures have been all introduced between early Might and mid-August. This 12 months’s closure was the anomaly, with a late October announcement. Nevertheless, it’s already virtually September, so both one other late announcement is coming…or no closure in any respect?
The latter situation–no Skyliner refurbishment in 2025–appears unlikely. To not extrapolate an excessive amount of from the above, however the pattern is for the Skyliner refurbishment to get progressively longer every year because the system will get older. It’s unlikely that Walt Disney World will “neglect” upkeep as a cost-cutting measure (like might be argued has occurred on different transportation and points of interest through the years), because it’s virtually actually a contractual stipulation with Doppelmayr.
The underside line is that the dates of the Skyliner closure may change in 2025–we’ve no method of understanding–nevertheless it appears extremely possible that there might be one other refurbishment and it’ll happen throughout what’s left of the winter low season.
As for when, my greatest guess is that the Skyliner refurbishment will happen after Walt Disney World Marathon Weekend. That’s January 8-12, 2025. One other related date is Martin Luther King Jr. Day, which is January 20, 2025. That’s a vacation weekend, with crowds tending to reach the Friday beforehand–so January 17, 2025.
Given the probability of an extended refurbishment slightly than a shorter one, it appears unlikely that the Skyliner will occur between these weekends–January 13-16, 2025 simply isn’t sufficient time. That’s, until it occurs in phases, however that will additionally imply impacting extra visitors.
This 12 months, the Skyliner refurbishment began the Tuesday after MLK Day. I feel a repeat of that’s extremely possible. That makes January 21 to February 4, 2025 the date vary we’d suggest avoiding. If historical past actually repeats itself, the Skyliner might be closed for refurbishment from January 21 to 31, 2025. (We view that because the more than likely situation.)
That week tends to be a sluggish time at Walt Disney World, so we’re not suggesting that you simply keep away from visiting that week (on the contrary, the entire dates in query are on or come shut to creating our record of the Finest Weeks to Go to Walt Disney World in 2025 & 2026). Simply tha you keep away from staying in Skyliner resorts throughout these dates.
Winter isn’t actually crowded till Presidents Day, nevertheless it does get progressively busier. As such, I’m skeptical of a Skyliner closure taking place past the primary week of February. However once more, that is all guess-work. I’ve zero inside info. I’m simply speculating so you possibly can err on the facet of warning and put together accordingly (if in any respect).
Once more, our advice is to not keep in a Skyliner resort through the refurbishment. The explanation for that is easy: the entire Skyliner resorts have a major pricing premium as a result of gondola service. It’s arguably their #1 promoting level and greatest visitor perk.
Whilst you may assume it’s unimaginable to quantify what every amenity really contributes to the rack charges at every resort, this isn’t merely conjecture on our half. Excluding Riviera, the entire different accommodations pre-date the Skyliner, so it’s totally doable to trace their pricing each earlier than and after the Skyliner.
Each single resort has gone up in value since 2019. Two of the largest ‘offenders’ in all of Walt Disney World when it comes to share value will increase are Pop Century and Caribbean Seashore. That is notably pronounced at Caribbean Seashore, which went from being one in every of Walt Disney World’s extra aggressively discounted resorts to at least one that’s typically within the lower-tiers of financial savings, or solely provides the perfect reductions on most well-liked rooms, and so forth.
It’s doable that this isn’t totally attributable to the Skyliner. Disney’s Caribbean Seashore Resort additionally had a large reimagining previous to the Skyliner’s debut, which possible was not totally mirrored in its pricing by late 2019. Perhaps the low menu costs for that superb family-style feast at Sebastian’s Bistro are backed by increased room charges!
Suffice to say, in the event you’re visiting Walt Disney World through the Skyliner closure, we suggest staying elsewhere. The apparent different is Coronado Springs, which itself noticed an analogous reimagining and enlargement a number of years in the past. That Reasonable Resort added the Deluxe-caliber Gran Destino Tower to its grounds, bringing lots of the similar improved facilities that Caribbean Seashore noticed added with Riviera Resort.
The largest draw back of Coronado Springs is the all-bus transportation, and one of many few causes we hesitate to suggest that Reasonable Resort to these reliant upon Disney to get round. (These with their very own car, rental vehicles, or who will use Uber or Lyft ought to strongly take into account it.) Nevertheless, each Reasonable Resort is all-bus transportation through the Skyliner closure, and with the transportation taking part in discipline leveled, Coronado Springs rises to the highest.
In most different regards, Coronado Springs surpasses Caribbean Seashore. The place it actually issues for many visitors wanting on the Reasonable Resort tier–pricing–Coronado normally wins handily thanks to raised low cost availability. Not solely that, however one in every of our greatest complaints about Coronado Springs usually is that its buses and pool are overcrowded–two issues which might be unlikely to be true over the past week of January when occupancy tends to be low, and temperatures too!
For no matter it’s price, I stayed at Coronado Springs through the Skyliner closure this 12 months and it was implausible. There was a medical conference occurring which made eating places a bit busier, however in any other case the resort was lifeless. The swimming pools have been all just about empty–I do know this as a result of I ‘replenished’ my pool photograph stockpile with zero awkwardness!
Since convention-goers don’t actually do the parks, the buses have been a breeze. The unfold out resort was really fairly good through the winter climate, too. (Simply be conscious that Coronado additionally hosts cheer and dance teams every now and then–you may wish to keep away from these.)
On the subject of different Worth Resorts, the plain options are the All Stars. Music would in all probability be our go-to it doesn’t matter what you’re contemplating at Pop Century or Artwork of Animation, because it’s essentially the most just lately up to date and has household suites. Once more, that is all bus transportation, however that’ll be the case with Pop and AoA that week, too.
The opposite motive we’re selecting All Star Music is as a result of late January may have some group bookings for ESPN Huge World of Sports activities youth occasions. At the moment, solely the 2025 Disney Ladies Soccer Showcase and 2025 USA Area Hockey Sunshine Showcase are on the ESPN WWoS calendar for late January 2025.
I’ve no clue how giant both of these occasions are, however they’re virtually actually not as large/dangerous as all of the cheer and dance summits that usually happen within the first few months of the 12 months. However that’s not the purpose. The purpose is that All Star Music is much less more likely to host these teams than All Star Sports activities, so staying at Music is an effective hedge towards youth occasions.
In the end, we simply wished to present you a heads up concerning the doable Skyliner closure in Winter 2025 and its potential refurbishment daes. To reiterate as soon as once more, that is all purely speculative–it’s actually not official and it’s not even a rumor. We’re simply making guesses primarily based on previous precedent. You possibly can both use this data for contingency plans or ignore it…your name, as at all times!
We nonetheless completely love the gondolas and would select one of many Skyliner resorts over their counterparts nearly any time of 12 months…besides when it’s down for refurbishment or extra more likely to be impacted by storm season. Even the latter doesn’t make it a non-starter (the monorail additionally isn’t 100% dependable!), it simply makes consciousness of the climate extra necessary.
For many who go to Walt Disney World commonly all through or throughout totally different months of the 12 months, our very best instances to remain at Skyliner resorts are November by means of Might. Clearly, minus that 1-2 week stretch in January. As a matter of private choice, we’d in all probability additionally take away the vacation season. Not as a result of there’s any subject with the Skyliner then–on the contrary, that crisp breeze feels even nicer–however as a result of not one of the Skyliner resorts get decked out for Christmas all that impressively.
So actually, our Skyliner ‘candy spot’ is just about mid-February by means of Might. We’ve additionally booked in September and October, however needed to be extra diligent about monitoring the climate throughout these months. As at all times, your mileage might range.
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YOUR THOUGHTS
Would you pay premium pricing to remain at Caribbean Seashore, Pop Century, Artwork of Animation, or Riviera Resort whereas the Skyline is closed for refurbishment in Winter 2025? Are you a fan of the gondolas, or do you like a unique ‘sort’ of resort? Have you ever used the Skyliners at Walt Disney World just lately? What has been the nice, dangerous, or ugly for you? Any points with Skyliner downtime throughout storm season? Do you agree or disagree with our evaluation? Any questions we will help you reply? Listening to your suggestions–even if you disagree with us–is each attention-grabbing to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
