Featured Story

Universal Orlando Resort: Where to Stay & Play for a Few Days

By

My recent stay at Universal Orlando Resort was so much fun and I’m going to share and highlight my favorite moments with you. First and foremost, I stayed at the Cabana Bay Beach Resort on the property which allowed me early access (one hour) to The Wizarding World of Harry Potter™. It was my first time experiencing Diagon Alley™. I took advantage of the complimentary shuttle service to Universal Studios Florida and was able to … [Read More...]

Life & Style

Navigating Disney World During a Pandemic

By

I recently had an opportunity to visit Walt Disney World as part of my Goofy Getaways FAM Training. It was exciting and I was a bit anxious because even though some restrictions are being lifted, guidelines are more relaxed, and travel is starting to … [Read More...]

Strike a pose at Pose Selfie Studio

By

I recently had an opportunity to visit the NEW Pose Selfie Studio in Raleigh, NC with my daughter and it was so much fun. The great thing about this studio is that you have all the tools you need to capture your perfect photos alone or you can go … [Read More...]

Taste the Flavors of St. Thomas USVI

By

I am excited to be collaborating with my fellow foodie lover Hannah Victoria on this listing of places to eat in St. Thomas USVI whether you are visiting or local to the island. We are giving you our personal opinions based on our dining experiences … [Read More...]

More Top Stories

Tech

Travel

Navigating Disney World During a Pandemic

By

I recently had an opportunity to visit Walt Disney World as part of my Goofy Getaways FAM Training. It was exciting and I was a bit anxious because even though some restrictions are being lifted, guidelines are more relaxed, and travel is starting to … [Read More...]

Taste the Flavors of St. Thomas USVI

By

I am excited to be collaborating with my fellow foodie lover Hannah Victoria on this listing of places to eat in St. Thomas USVI whether you are visiting or local to the island. We are giving you our personal opinions based on our dining experiences … [Read More...]

Food

Rosé All Day at Seasons 52

By

I recently had the opportunity to experience the Seasons 52 Summer Menu paired perfectly with Rose cocktails. The menu changes with the season and I can really appreciate that. My reservation was for 7:00pm and it … [Read More...]

A whole day on the Disney Skyliner, one stop at a time

After seventeen hours flying from Sydney to Orlando, with a short layover in Los Angeles where I bought trail mix at LAX because the prices made me nostalgic for Woolworths, the last thing I wanted was another shuttle bus. The Disney Skyliner, those bright gondolas drifting above the resort roads, looked like the sort of cheerful transport that could jolt me out of my jet lag fog. I had three park days planned, but on the day in between I gave myself a simple challenge: ride the Skyliner system from open to close, getting off at every single station.

For an Australian used to trams in Melbourne, ferries in Sydney, and cars in the suburbs, the idea of an aerial cable car linking theme parks felt futuristic and familiar. It reminded me of the chairlifts at Thredbo in winter, except the cabins are enclosed, air-conditioned, and plastered with Disney characters. I bought a park hopper ticket, laced up my sneakers, slathered on sunscreen strong enough for an Australian summer, and committed to the bit. What followed was one of the most unexpectedly relaxing days of my whole two-week holiday.

The Skyliner system spreads across three main hubs, with a transfer station connecting everything in the middle. From any station you can hop on, change direction at Caribbean Beach, and reach Pop Century, the Riviera, EPCOT, or Disney's Hollywood Studios without ever touching a bus. The cabins run constantly, they are free for anyone with a valid park ticket or resort reservation, and the views from up high give you a completely different perspective on Walt Disney World.

Why I committed to a Skyliner-only day

I had originally planned a "down day" between park visits, the kind where you eat too much at a resort food court, swim a little, and maybe ride the monorail for old time's sake. Then I started reading about the Skyliner stops and realised each resort had its own personality worth exploring. Caribbean Beach is a sprawling tropical property with a quiet stretch of shoreline. Pop Century is a walking museum of pop culture from the fifties through the nineties. The Riviera is so new it still has that glossy untouched feeling.

I also wanted to test the system's reliability, because my family back home in Brisbane had plenty of questions. Could you rely on it during a Florida thunderstorm? Would I end up stranded mid-lake during a power outage? I wanted real answers, not forum gossip. So I strapped on a small backpack, packed a refillable water bottle, and headed for the closest station around 8:30 in the morning.

Starting at Caribbean Beach and the transfer hub

The Caribbean Beach Resort station is the heart of the system, because it is where the two Skyliner lines meet and function as a giant rotating platform for transferring cabins. I got off here first to look around the resort, one of Disney's older moderate-tier properties themed like a colourful Caribbean village with pastel buildings named after islands. I walked past the main pool, with its Spanish fortress-style water slide already screaming with kids at 9 a.m., and ducked into the Old Port Royale food court for a flat white, because some habits die hard.

Aussie travellers know the pain of paying six dollars for a coffee that costs four at home, but the resort coffee was honestly fine, and the staff were warm, especially when they spotted my Qantas tag still hanging off my backpack. The transfer hub itself is a covered open-air pavilion with four boarding zones, digital signs showing wait times, and plenty of benches for early arrivals. I spent about forty minutes wandering the resort before heading back up to catch the next cabin toward EPCOT.

Pop Century Resort and a stroll through the decades

From Caribbean Beach, the green line heads north toward Pop Century and the newer Art of Animation resort next door. I had been to Pop Century once before but never really explored it. The buildings are arranged in decade-themed courtyards, with massive icons on the rooftops like a Big Wheel, a foosball table, a Rubik's cube, and a Walkman. Walking through feels like flipping through a high school yearbook, even for someone who grew up in a different hemisphere.

I grabbed a quick lunch at the Everything POP food court, where I had a cheeseburger and a side of Disney's famous poultry dinner everybody raves about. Then I wandered the resort lake connecting Pop Century and Art of Animation. A walking bridge over the lake gives a great view of the Skyliner cables snaking through the trees, and I watched cabins glide silently past with families waving from the windows. It was the sort of low-key afternoon you do not get on a busy park day, and it reminded me how rare those slow moments are when travelling on a tight schedule from Australia.

Riviera Resort and the fanciest station of them all

The Riviera is the newest Disney Vacation Club property on the route, and the architecture feels much more grown up than the neighbouring resorts. I would compare it to the polished feel of a new luxury apartment development in Brisbane's New Farm, all soft creams, terracotta, and elegant ironwork. The Skyliner station here is the most decorative of the four main stops, with mosaics on the floor, curved wooden ceilings, and soft lighting that makes even a quick transit feel like an event.

There is a quick-service restaurant called Primo Piatto serving Italian-leaning food, plus a rooftop bar called Topolino's Terrace that is technically a signature dining experience at dinner. I only went up to take in the daytime view. From the upper terrace you can see the entire Skyliner system stretching across the trees, with EPCOT's Spaceship Earth on the horizon and the Hollywood Studios tower to the south. Worth getting off here even if you have no plans to eat.

EPCOT station and a quick World Showcase loop

The EPCOT station drops you at the International Gateway entrance, the back door between the United Kingdom and France pavilions. I hopped off and walked a slow loop around World Showcase, stopping for snacks rather than rides. I tried the famous schoolbread in Norway, a margarita at La Cava del Tequila in Mexico, and a macaron in France, because when you have flown across the Pacific you have earned it.

EPCOT was busier than expected for midday, with families streaming toward Frozen Ever After and Remy's Ratatouille Adventure. I skipped the rides, enjoyed the air conditioning, and soaked up the people watching, including the strange familiarity of hearing so many Australian accents. Late spring is one of the most popular times of year for visitors from down under because of the school holiday overlap, and I bumped into three Melbourne families within an hour without trying.

Hollywood Studios station and the closing ride

The Hollywood Studios station sits at the back of the park near the main entrance, with a wide-open plaza and views straight down the main drag toward the Tower of Terror. I rode the Skyliner here in the late afternoon, when the Florida heat had softened into something almost pleasant, and the wait for a cabin was about five minutes. The sunset was ridiculous, the kind of orange and pink you get over the Coral Sea at home but rarely notice when rushing for a flight.

I caught one last ride to the Caribbean Beach transfer hub an hour before park close, partly for photos and partly to feel the system at its busiest. The queues were still manageable, the staff were patient, and I never felt unsafe. By the time I walked back to my resort I had been on the Skyliner eight times, gotten off at every station, and felt oddly proud of the whole experiment.

Practical notes for your own Skyliner-only day

Wear sunscreen strong enough for a Bondi Beach weekend, since you are partly outside the entire time. Bring a refillable bottle and refill it for free at any resort quick-service. Plan loosely and leave room to wander, because the joy of this kind of day is the surprises. The system closes during lightning, but cabins come back online quickly and queues clear fast because most guests panic and switch to buses. Just remember that leftover snacks will get confiscated at Australian biosecurity on arrival, so finish them before you fly. A quiet day above the treetops is a gentle way to close out a trip.