Disney Skyliner Closing From 24 January to 2 February 2028: Which Disney Hotels And Parks Are Affected?

Walt Disney World has confirmed that the Disney Skyliner will close for ten days from 24th January to 2nd February 2028 for routine refurbishment. Complimentary buses will replace the gondolas, but the unusually early announcement, nearly 17 months ahead of time, gives UK holiday planners an unusual advantage. Early notices means UK holidaymakers have the chance to factor the closure into their resort choice before booking a 2028 Florida holiday.

Skyliner Closure: Affected Hotels & Key Points

The Disney Skyliner is closing for routine maintenance in early 2028; the advanced notice is a gift for UK planners who often choose to pay more for Skyliner access, so this gives people the opportunity to change dates or hotels before booking.

When is the Disney Skyliner closing in 2028; what hotels and parks are affected?

The entire Disney Skyliner network is closing close from Monday 24th January to Wednesday 2nd February 2028 for routine refurbishment. Service will return on Thursday 3rd February 2028. The closure will impact:

• four Disney hotels:

  • Disney’s Art of Animation Resort

  • Pop Century Resort

  • Caribbean Beach Resort

  • Disney’s Riviera Resort (DVC)

• connections between EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

For the last two years Disney has announced the Skyliner’s routine maintenance to provide plenty of notice for people looking to book holidays. This year, Disney have given the longest ever notice window, a full 18 days longer than the window given for the 2027 routine maintenance closure.

For anyone already thinking about 2029 Disney World holidays, if this current pattern holds, notice of any 2029 Skyliner closure should land around September 2027.

Will Disney provide free buses while the Skyliner’s closed?

Yes, you’ll find free buses at the hotels taking you to Hollywood Studios and EPCOT from the hotels, and there are usually more buses around to help people park hop between EPCOT and Hollywood Studios. Buses aren't a like-for-like replacement, but the maintenance is necessary and short-lived during a time when it’s not as busy.

Is it better to avoid booking a Skyliner hotel during the 10-day refurbishment?

Not automatically, but if the Skyliner’s the reason you're choosing that hotel, I'd think carefully before paying for a stay in a Skyliner hotel without Skyliner access during these dates. If riding the Skyliner is an experience you’re looking forward to; taking the bus is going to feel disappointing.

When it comes to choosing between Disney’s 5 Value Resorts, the Skyliner can be the biggest deciding factor, but for these 10-days in 2028 there will be no difference in the free Disney transport offered by any of the Value hotels. As both Art of Animation and Pop Century are typically the more pricey Value options, a premium usually attributed to the Skyliner benefit, it may be worth staying in a different hotel.

Another factor to consider is how much of your holiday will be affected by the closure: if it’s all of it I would probably choose to stay somewhere else. If it’s 2 or 3 days of a 14-night holiday, it’s probably still worth booking that Skyliner hotel option if it appeals to you. That’s because the Skyliner route will only directly connect you to two of four parks, so you could easily be visiting a different park and not need Skyliner access for those couple of days.

UK guests planning far ahead to 2028 can make the most of this announcement by comparing prices against other Value, Moderate or Deluxe resorts before booking, rather than finding out there’s a closure after you've booked.

Is a January Disney Skyliner Refurbishment Normal?

Yes, late January is a normal time for Disney to schedule the Skyliner’s routine maintenance and 2028 will be the 7th year since it’s opening in 2019 that maintenance has taken place during this time. In 2025 and 2020 there was no maintenance closure.

Dates are also often very similar, as the 2026 - 2028 schedule shows:

The main difference to note with the 2028 refurbishment is the length of time the Skyliner will be closed. Both 2026 and 2027 have seven-day closures while the 2028 closure lasts 10 days. This pushes the scheduled maintenance window into February for the first time.

Magic in a Minute

The Disney Skyliner is closing between 24th January and 2nd February 2028, giving UK trip planners looking to book their 2028 holidays nearly 17 months notice. Booking a Skyliner hotel during the full period of refurbishment could feel disappointing if the Skyliner is the main reason to choose that resort, so weigh-up other hotel options before booking.