Cloudtop Cruise

Cloudtop Cruise is the first race track in the Special Cup of Mario Kart 8. This course mainly takes place on a giant beanstalk (similar to Sky Garden) and on an airship (like Airship Fortress). Several of Bowser's airships are seen flying in the background. The end of this track's song uses parts of Sky Station Galaxy and Gusty Garden Galaxy's music from the Super Mario Galaxy games. Like several other courses, the music for this course have two different variations; the first one is when the players drive on the cloud and beanstalk sections, while the second one comes up when reaching the thundercloud section. The second variation transitions into a rock arrangement with guitar solo.

Course layout
The race starts a giant beanstalk, shortly after there is a ramp with some Item Boxes on it, there is a Bowser Balloon that characters can bounce on, similar to the mushrooms in Mushroom Gorge from Mario Kart Wii. The racers will then continue racing on a cloud. Later, they come onto an airship, where the player encounters two paths, both of which meet up right before a cannon, which launches the player to a anti-gravity metal track inside a storm cloud. On the track, there are many boost panels, but once in a while, lightning will strike them, which the racers have to avoid or else they will get knocked out. This section then ends to start a gliding section, which touches down on a giant stone ? Block. There is just one more right turn before the finish line.

Shortcuts

 * Players can bounce on the second Bowser Balloon without using a Mushroom.
 * Near the end of the lap, players can jump off two big leaves, cutting off the final corner.

Trivia

 * In the Japanese version, this course shares its name with Sky Garden from Mario Kart: Super Circuit.
 * The ? Block platform at the end of the anti-gravity section is a reference to how Beanstalks grow out of ? Blocks in Mario games.
 * There are pods of beans growing on the beanstalk near the end/beginning of the course
 * A Mario sprite can be seen hidden in one of the clouds.
 * The first portion of the track music plays in amiibo screens in retail stores.