For parents planning a Walt Disney World vacation with young children, choosing a hotel isn’t always about finding the coolest pool or the best-themed room.
Sometimes, it comes down to one question: How difficult will it be to get everyone to the parks?
That’s why families visiting Walt Disney World from January 24 through January 30, 2027, may want to take another look at their resort choice. The Disney Skyliner will close for annual maintenance during those seven days, temporarily removing a transportation option that can make traveling with babies and toddlers considerably easier.
Disney plans to provide complimentary bus transportation during the closure, so guests won’t be stranded. However, families using strollers may find that buses don’t provide quite the same convenience.
Skyliner Resorts Are Popular With Families for a Reason
The Disney Skyliner connects EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios with Disney’s Pop Century Resort, Disney’s Art of Animation Resort, Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort, and Disney’s Riviera Resort.
Pop Century and Art of Animation can be particularly appealing to families with young children. Beyond their colorful theming, both resorts offer access to a transportation system that can simplify getting little ones into the parks.
The stroller can make all the difference.
Guests using many single strollers or front-and-back tandem double strollers can roll them directly into a Skyliner gondola without folding them. Wider side-by-side double strollers may need to be collapsed before boarding.
If your stroller can remain open, the Skyliner can make getting around Disney World noticeably easier.
Think about everything parents might have loaded underneath a stroller during a park day. There could be diaper bags, drinks, snacks, sunscreen, extra clothes, toys, souvenirs, and countless other items.
Having to unload everything isn’t exactly how most parents want to begin or end their day.
Taking the Bus Changes the Routine
Disney buses present a different situation because strollers generally need to be folded before guests board.
That means taking the kids out, gathering belongings, collapsing the stroller, and somehow carrying everything onto the bus.
If you’re traveling with another adult, you can divide the responsibilities. One person can handle the children while the other handles the stroller and bags.
But even then, that’s a lot of stuff.
It can become even more difficult at night. A toddler might fall asleep in the stroller while leaving EPCOT or Hollywood Studios. Instead of leaving them asleep and rolling onto the Skyliner, parents relying on a bus may have to pick up the sleeping child and collapse the stroller.
Now you’re holding a sleeping toddler while potentially carrying bags and keeping track of another child.
That’s not impossible, but it isn’t particularly relaxing either.
Resort Transportation May Suddenly Matter More
Families visiting during the closure may decide the missing Skyliner changes the value of staying at one of its resorts.
That doesn’t necessarily mean everyone should cancel their reservation. Pop Century, Art of Animation, Caribbean Beach, and Riviera still offer plenty beyond the gondolas.
However, transportation is part of what guests are getting when they choose these hotels.
A family traveling with teenagers probably won’t care nearly as much about switching from the Skyliner to a bus. Parents traveling with a baby and toddler could have a completely different reaction.
Some may decide to compare other Disney hotels before making a final decision.
A resort within walking distance of a theme park could become more attractive. Boat transportation could also appeal to certain families, while guests planning multiple Magic Kingdom days might prefer accommodations with easier access to that park.
The right answer will depend on the family.
Parents May Want to Think Beyond the Room
Seven days isn’t a particularly long refurbishment, but that doesn’t matter much if your entire vacation happens during those seven days.
Disney World’s transportation system becomes part of the daily routine, especially when you’re traveling with small children.
Parents already have enough to juggle between diaper bags, drinks, snacks, strollers, and the kids themselves. Having to remove children and collapse a stroller every time the family boards a bus simply adds another task.
The Skyliner can eliminate that step for families whose strollers fit without folding.
That convenience might not sound important when booking a vacation months in advance. After several long park days with tired toddlers, it could feel extremely important.
Families visiting January 24-30, 2027, don’t necessarily need to avoid Skyliner resorts. They should simply understand that staying at one during this particular week will provide a different transportation experience.
And for parents who selected their hotel largely because they could roll the kids onto the Skyliner without dismantling their entire stroller setup, another Disney resort might suddenly deserve a second look.
