I Got Caught in a Storm on the Skyliner and I’ll NEVER Do It Again

Storms in Disney World are never fun, but you know what makes them even less fun? I’ll give you a second to guess.

When you’re just about to hop on your favorite ride and it shuts down due to the storm? Close, but not quite. What about when it’s been storming all day and your perfect day has blown a little sideways? That can be a bummer too, but you can turn it around. No, the worst part about storms in Disney World to me is when you’re stuck SIXTY FEET up in the air.

Of course, I’m talking about the Disney World Skyliner. While this is easily my favorite form of transportation, on my recent trip, I got a taste of what an AWFUL stormy ride in a gondola could really look like.

For those who don’t know, the Disney Skyliner is the “highway in the sky” that can take you between Disney’s Hollywood Studios, EPCOT, and multiple resort hotels. On a clear blue day, the Skyliner is a great option!

One day on my trip, I was BOLTING out of  Hollywood Studios to take the Skyliner over to EPCOT to say “hey” to some of the AllEars YouTube team, and while it wasn’t raining yet, the wind was starting to whip. I didn’t think anything of it since the Skyliner was still running, but the moment I was up in the sky, I started to regret my decision.

During my ride, the wind was so strong it was actually blowing open the bottom of the doors of the Skyliner car! Not enough that anyone would have been at risk of falling out, but it was certainly unnerving to see (I wish I had a photo, but I was a little preoccupied trying to stay calm as my anxiety shot up to 110%).

Now, I’ve talked before about how I thankfully don’t struggle with motion sickness, so that’s normally not something I need to worry about on a Disney World vacation. So to give you an idea of JUST how rocky this trip was — by the time I got to EPCOT, I was a little woozy for a few minutes!

Now, I knew I wasn’t unsafe — the Skyliner wouldn’t have been running if it was dangerous at all to use, but when I was heading back to Hollywood Studios an hour or so later, I did choose to take a bus instead. That uncertainty and slight queasiness weren’t something I wanted to revisit!

That’s one of the great things about Disney World — there are multiple forms of FREE transportation! Not only that, but Disney will usually add backup options if one is unavailable for a period of time (like when the Skyliner closes for bad weather). There are busses, the monorail, the Skyliner, and boats offered all around the resort.

However, storms happen in Disney World, especially during hurricane season, which spans June 1st-November 30th. While short rainstorms are common during almost all times of year in Disney World, most of them lasting less than 30 minutes, stronger storms can and will happen.

So what should YOU do if you get caught in Disney World during a storm? First of all, we recommend downloading a weather app that’s a little more in depth than the one your phone comes with. I personally really love using WeatherBug! It updates nearly every minute with what’s going on and can give you a heads up when rain is headed your way.

And please, take it from me — don’t just walk through the pouring rain if you’re not REALLY prepared for what that means (wet EVERYTHING, being cold in an air conditioned bus/building, and needing to take time out of your day to head back to the hotel to change OR risk getting sick). Yes, I’ve done that, and YES I looked and felt like a wet rat doing it.

So you’ve checked your app and you see that this storm coming is supposed to last around an hour, and it’s the real deal — rain, thunder, lightning, etc. Remember that all outdoor attractions will close during thunder and lightning, so we suggest grabbing a snack or drink and ducking into an indoor attraction building to hang out in for a little while while the storm blows over. OR you can get in a long indoor queue line and stay dry while you wait for a ride you planned to ride anyway!

Now, if you’re debating on leaving the park during the storm but aren’t sure, pick a place close to the front of the park to hop on a bus — Monorails and the Skyliner will close during severe weather! This way, if you do decide to leave when it’s raining, you don’t have to walk through half the park (fun fact: some of the parks will flood when it rains REALLY heavily, so keep that in mind).

However, we recommend sticking it out if you’re willing to and it looks like it’ll end in an hour or so — SO many people leave the park when it rains for over 20-30 minutes, and once it stops, that means wait times have DRASTICALLY dropped. This happened to me recently too — I arrived in EPCOT after it had finished pouring and Spaceship Earth was TOTALLY empty. A pity for humanity to miss out on this incredible ride, but it was to my benefit!

Want to learn more about all the different kinds of Disney World transportation? Check out our full guide below!

Learn all about Disney World transportation!

We’re always here to bring our latest experiences from the Disney World parks to help you better plan your vacation, so stay tuned to AllEars!

These are the ONLY 3 times you should avoid using the Disney World Skyliner!

What’s your wildest Skyliner story? Tell us in the comments!

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