The Best Rides at Disney World

Best Rides at Disney World

Disney World is stuffed full of attractions. Some attractions are world-class while others are stinkers. There is a huge range when it comes to Disney World, so I am going to try my best to rank the best attractions at the resort. In some order…. These fluctuate so much, just depends on how I am feeling for the week.

A few honorable mentions

Dinosaur—I loved that ride and it got shut down for more IP.

Tron—It’s short but very cool.

Tiana's Bayou Adventure—it is a long attraction, typically a short wait. Maybe a step down from Splash Mountain, but this ride is still fun and wonderfully themed.

Soarin’—It is just a vibe.

Now let’s get into this top ten list. This is just my opinion so please don’t pick up the pitchforks.

Test Track—One of the newest additions to this list. I loved the first version of this attraction when we were the test dummies. It had its own charm, and the ride system was advanced with some thrills. The second version of this attraction was a fall from grace. I liked the aspect of designing my own car and testing it but it was still very disappointing what they did to one of my favorite rides. I have only ridden the new version of the ride once and wow did they do well. It had a great old school Epcot feel, the top of the line when it comes to “edutainment”. It has great music, a good story, and still has the thrill of circling the building while going almost 65 miles an hour. The bad part? It is typically an hour wait.

People Mover—One of the best rides when it comes to “vibes” that I have ever been on. This attraction is almost always a walk on and delivers a great experience everytime I get on it. Different scenes in a relaxing delivery. Due to it being a walk on and having a decent ride time, this is one that I never miss when I’m in the Magic Kingdom.  

Space Mountain—This attraction has been around for 50 years and I have loved it ever since I first got on it. It has unexpected drops, a bit rickety, and tons of thrill delivered in a family friendly package. The show building is as iconic as it gets, and the queue feels like you are walking the halls of a space ship on Star Trek. It’s a great ride, and has always been a great ride.

Flight of Passage—The last meaningful addition to Animal Kingdom was almost 10 years ago now… The screens from time to time definitely show their age. Even with the screens being fuzzy and needing a refurb, I have always had a good time on this attraction. When I first rode it, the theming, the story, and when the music swelled and the banshee nosedived it got me a little bit emotional. This attraction is a faster paced Soarin’ on an alien world, with an animal breathing on your legs. The world that they build is already incredible, and the theming doesn’t have to do too much heavy lifting as you already feel like you are on Pandora.

Rise of the Resistance—I have mixed feelings about this attraction. I am not a Star Wars fan, and I think it is similar to the new Harry Potter attraction in Epic Universe. They tried so hard to make all of these new attraction pieces that they forgot the point of theme park attractions… For people to say weeeeeee. I love the moments with the AT-AT, Kylo Ren (when working) and the dodging on the gun deck. I also love the queue AFTER you see Poe’s X-Wing. The reveal into a Star Destroyer is similar to the reveal in the Ministry of Magic. It really takes your breath away. The immersion does not break from there, all the way until you get off the ride. I think this is a fantastic section of queue and preshows.

Pirates of the Caribbean—I love 50-year-old attractions. Accessible to the whole family, I have been riding this attraction for over 20 years. I remember thinking the drop on this attraction was massive, now my adult brain knows it barely drops. But after the drop, it puts you in one of the best show scenes at Disney with Captain Barbosa on a ship locked in a cannonball battle with the Fort. Another ride with a short wait time attached to a long attraction. The queue is also great, going deeper and deeper into the fort, hearing the song, and smelling the Disney water. This ride scratches my nostalgia itch.

Haunted Mansion—A Disney classic in every sense of the word. This ride has been one of my favorites for 20 years. From the times I used to be scared of it, to me now enjoying a classic attraction. This is a strong attraction throughout the whole experience. I love the queue, the preshow aspect in specific. The switchbacks outside of the mansion used to add some theming with the wolves howling, but that has since been removed. The stretching room is an amazing bit of theming. The capacity is great, I love the ride vehicles, and this ride just has an amazing story. Amazing effects throughout the years and has good ride music. One of Disney’s best attractions ever made.

Tower of Terror—Thrill and theming. This attraction is the perfect combination of these two. It is one of the few rides that get my hear rate elevated before the first drop. As you turn down Sunset Boulevard and see this intimidating building, the theming starts working on you. You see the tower, you hear the faint screams. This is Disney at its best with storytelling. Once you get in the queue, the theming continues to build that you are in an abandoned hotel, the screams get louder, and the building gets more imposing. The preshow gives you some light context, and then you get pushed into the boiler room loading area. This room is wonderfully themed. It isn’t flashy or anything but it still delivers a great point. Similar to the lobby with all of the cobwebs and emptiness. This is a place frozen in time.

Expedition Everest—This is a huge nostalgia pick. When I was growing up I was very scared of rides. I would walk the gift shop with my mom while my dad and brother would ride all of the attractions. Everest was my first “big” coaster. It gave me enough confidence, and the new addition of middle school peer pressure to ride almost every attraction at Disney. This is a ride we rode over and over again during my graduation trip with all of my high school friends. This is a ride we rode over and over again on my middle school math team trips. I think we rode it 12 or more times in a row as this as an incredible capacity, and can be sped up even more by having the best single rider line at any park. All personal history aside. I love this attraction’s theming and thrill. It has multiple ride elements, it goes backwards, goes down a huge drop, circles a helix before coming face to face with a giant animatronic yeti. Unfortunately, it does not move anymore but now that is just lore at this point. Too expensive to fix, and not an IP surrounding it so there is no point in today’s Disney parks. The queue is a great walk through different museums. These museums  have some fun artifacts to look at, and does a great job providing the education for the Himalayas. It has a fun story attached, when you take a regular queue, you stop at multiple different vendors to pack for your trip to the Himalayas, fast pass takes you past fewer vendors, and the single rider line takes you past one lone vendor. Just a fun small detail that reflects the time waited and your necessities for the journey. The steam train is also an awesome ride vehicle, this is a relic of Disney and I hope it will stay its self for the next 20 years.

Cosmic Rewind—Oh Cosmic Rewind… This immediately jumped up to the top of my rankings after one or two rides on this attraction. It is just that good. The queue isn’t incredible, it has two preshows that I wish could be optional. The second preshow is the only one worth watching. The ride vehicles are comfortable, and the show building with the ship in front looks great. The supporting details might not be as strong like in Expedition Everest, or Tower of Terror. The ride is able to pull up whatever short comings this attraction has. It is one of, if not the most fun attraction I have ever ridden in my life. The ride layout is long enough for it to easily beat out Tron. It is an exclusive attraction for Epcot. It has some great music attached to a fun ride layout that goes close to 60 MPH. It is thrilling, it is so much fun, and it is one of the best rides in the world.