Skyliner sensation

[MrcAec]

I would like to get from Epcot to the Riviera by using the Skyliner. However, my spouse hates the sensation from a ski chairlift or a ferris wheel. Is the Skyliner similiar to that in feeling.

 

[eticketplease]

IMO no. You are not rocking and it is pretty smooth.

 

[focusondisney]

I would like to get from Epcot to the Riviera by using the Skyliner. However, my spouse hates the sensation from a ski chairlift or a ferris wheel. Is the Skyliner similiar to that in feeling.

What sensation is it that bother him? I have a paralyzing fear of heights & get terrible motion sickness. I don’t do roller coasters or things like tower of terror. Can’t do Ferris wheels & there’s no way in the world I would get in a ski lift. When they were building it, I swore I was never going on it. But the first trip I decided to try it just to see how it was. I absolutely LOVE it! As @eticketplease said, it’s very smooth. No motion sickness whatsoever. Sometimes we ride it for fun when we’re just relaxing. The only way to know for sure is for him to try it once.

 

[Micca]

We love it, it's so relaxing. Depending on the size of your party you may get a cab all to yourself which is also nice because a little quiet time is pleasant at WDW. OTOH, we've had some wonderful conversations with other folks on the skyliner, it's fun to have brief conversations with other Disney fans from around the globe.

Comparing to a ski-lift or ferris wheel, keep in mind you are completely enclosed so it's not like you have the wind in your face or your legs are dangling in the air. It might pause occasionally, but we've never stopped for more than 30-45 seconds.

 

[Threehearts]

I did find that the sensation was similar to a ski gondola without the wind. I also think that if you are claustrophobic, you may want to consider the closed, up in the air circumstances. I thought it was great fun to try it out on my last visit and I certainly understand the appeal. That said, I have no desire to repeat the experience.

 

[Miffy]

I've never been on a ski lift--and have no desire to try it--but the Skyliner sensation is nothing like a Ferris wheel. As others have already said, it's smooth, doesn't rock, and your legs aren't hanging out into the cruel open air. You're inside--very different from both the Ferris wheel and ski lift.

Epcot to the hub is probably the shortest leg of the trip, so maybe try that out to see how your spouse feels.

Also, unless you're there at a super crowded time, you can probably get a car all to yourselves.

My sister and I go on Skyliner joy rides all the time and love it, and neither of us is a thrill seeker!

 

[fla4fun]

OP, perhaps have him take a look at some videos taken from inside the gondolas, so he can get a feel for what it’s like. You can definitely feel the transition from the stations to the cables, and feel the gondola going over each support pole. There can also be some sway if it’s breezy. There is a little bit of a bounce feeling at the stations when arriving or departing. I have not been on a standard Ferris wheel or on a ski lift, so I can’t compare the sensations, but the ride is very smooth.

 

[zackiedawg]

It's not going to have the sway of a chair lift, but it's pretty much identical to a larger ski gondola - any cab-based gondola system for multiple people per car. It will occasionally stop, which will sway a bit as it comes to a stop...you will get the bump as you go through the towers and turning spots...and it does rapidly decelerate as it approaches the stations which does lurch it forward. Overall it's pretty smooth, so if he just doesn't love it but can stand it, he should be fine - if he has an absolute abject fear of those motions or feelings, then you'll probably want to avoid it. It's among the smoothest of any gondola or lift systems I've been on anywhere in the world - I've even been on the exact same system in some other countries with the very same cars - it's a very widespread-use system (Doppelmayr/CWA Omega IV) not only for ski resorts and such, but even as regular urban transportation!

 

[Genie+]

What sensation is it that bother him? I have a paralyzing fear of heights & get terrible motion sickness. I don’t do roller coasters or things like tower of terror. Can’t do Ferris wheels & there’s no way in the world I would get in a ski lift. When they were building it, I swore I was never going on it. But the first trip I decided to try it just to see how it was. I absolutely LOVE it! As @eticketplease said, it’s very smooth. No motion sickness whatsoever. Sometimes we ride it for fun when we’re just relaxing. The only way to know for sure is for him to try it once.

Great advice. I think the shortest leg is Riviera/Epcot so that’s a good place to test it out.

See below

 

[Skippyboo]

Great advice. I think the shortest leg is Riviera/Epcot so that’s a good place to test it out.

Actually it’s pretty long from Epcot to Riviera. You start at International Gateway go over the Boardwalk area and then you have the turning station and then down along the Buena Vista drive to Riviera.

 

[Genie+]

Actually it’s pretty long from Epcot to Riviera. You start at International Gateway go over the Boardwalk area and then you have the turning station and then down along the Buena Vista drive to Riviera.

You are correct! Maybe going from HS to Caribbean Beach is the better option between convenience and time in the air (if not staying at one of the skyliner resorts)

 

[CarolynFH]

I agree that DHS to CBR is the shortest segment. Of course, if he rides from DHS to CBR and hates it, how does he get back to DHS? Rideshare, I guess, or bus from CBR to some other park and then bus to DHS.

 

[Dug720]

him take a look at some videos taken from inside the gondolas, so he can get a feel for what it’s like.

Maybe avoid the ones coming in to debark though. LOL. The ones where you think you're about to crash.

 

[Dug720]

I agree that DHS to CBR is the shortest segment.

Wouldn't it be CBR towards Epcot which goes through the Riviera station and he could get out if it's too much and just walk the path back to CBR?

 

[CarolynFH]

Wouldn't it be CBR towards Epcot which goes through the Riviera station and he could get out if it's too much and just walk the path back to CBR?

Yes, that's a good idea!

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

IMO it does feel similar to a Ferris Wheel when it sways or goes around.
I enjoy that feeling though its relaxing to me.

 

[Genie+]

Maybe avoid the ones coming in to debark though. LOL. The ones where you think you're about to crash.

They do stop abruptly there

 

[dvczerfs]

I would like to get from Epcot to the Riviera by using the Skyliner. However, my spouse hates the sensation from a ski chairlift or a ferris wheel. Is the Skyliner similiar to that in feeling.

All good advice on here. I spent some time riding the SL lol. I am afraid of heights. I went on Soaring one time, sat on the bottom row of the attraction and I had my eyes closed most of the time and white knuckled it. lol.
As a rule of thumb, each leg is about five minutes, the leg between Riv and IG is about ten. Of course there are a lot of factors that change those times but that is easiest way to remember.
The ride from CBR to Riv is just a few feet longer than CBR to DHS. The CBR to RIV is the highest, eighty six feet.
Swaying, for the most part it’s very smooth. But, on windy days and if the line stops, you can sway and bounce. It’s not bad, and it’s nothing like a Ferris wheel. You could always tell if it is a windy day, custodial was busy.
You maybe wondering how I rode it so many times, being afraid of heights, I know how the system works and what is holding you to the three inch thick line. You are safer on the line in a cabin than on a bus on the rode.
You will feel sudden execration leaving the stations and deceleration entering a station. In the station, the cabin is being pushed on a track by electric motors at a slow speed. The line is moving at a faster speed. When you come on and off the line, that’s when you feel it.
Give it shot, ride it on an off hour. The more you ride it, the easier it gets if you’re not a fan.