Hi there Cathy, I'd like to wish you a very warm welcome to planDisney!
It's always so great to see fellow Canadians planning their trips before making the migration down south for our Walt Disney World Resort vacation, and January seems to be a popular month for aspiring snowbirds and those looking to escape the wintery weather alike! From the sounds of it, you'll be arriving right in the middle of January to take advantage of the Theme Parks as the crowds depart from
runDisney Marathon Weekend and as some Floridians find the weather to be too chilly to be out and about. (However for many Canadians, a Floridian chill can feel like nothing more than a Canadian spring day and after all: the cold never bothered you anyway, right!)
At the current time, there is still no official word on when or whether the
Disney Skyliner will undergo its refurbishment in 2024. I can definitely understand how important it can be for anyone
staying at the Walt Disney World Resort Hotels along the Disney Skyliner route, as it's a very key and convenient mode of transportation that became a game changer for folks planning their days at
EPCOT and
Disney's Hollywood Studios in advance.
From my research it appears that historically, the closures in 2022 and 2023 have taken place during the last week of January; for this to have occurred in consecutive years tells me that a considerable amount of thought was put into scheduling this at a time of year when it was likely to cause the least amount of disruption for any major happenings. In previous years, Cast Members have been provided the dates and began communicating them to guests well in advance with special notices appearing on the pages for the Disney Skyliner as well as the corresponding Overview pages for each Resort Hotel affected but at the present time this has not happened yet. (It's important to note that this is of course subject to change without prior notice and may even be suddenly be announced after I write this response!)
What I might recommend to be on the safe side is to have a back-up plan in place or actively choose an alternate Resort Hotel location where your planning does not completely rely on taking the Disney Skyliner, especially in the event that a refurbishment is scheduled to coincide with your trip! While you're down here in January, be sure to check out the
EPCOT International Festival of the Arts while you're at it; it's definitely one of my favourites and ever since my appearance on the
planDisney podcast - this festival has a very special place in my heart! Don't hesitate to come back to planDisney again Cathy,
I'm always happy to lend an ear and a bit of knowledge to every Canadian on their adventures to Disney Destinations around the world!
Here's hoping you'll be able to soar on the Disney Skyliner on your upcoming vacation!
Prince