Ok, we love rides! We would consider ourselves roller coaster people who love a good dark ride, and some nostalgia. We hate rides that spin in circles and we don't have any children to worry about when we're picking our rides. We spend four days in Disneyworld, one in each park. We camped at Disney's Fort Wilderness Campground, so we had early entry into each park, and we purchased Genie+ all four days in the individual Lightening Lane pass for 3 out of 4 parks. If you're into Rope Drop and Lightening Lane strategy, or just want to figure out how to ride the most rides in a single day in each park, we highly recommend the blog Mouse Hacking. The site has an amazing amount of in-depth information to help you plan and strategize your Disneyworld vacation.
We are big data nerds, and like nothing better than a good ranking post. So here is our officially unofficial ranking of the 40 rides we rode in our four days in Disneyworld.
#40 Test Track
Park: Epcot
We wanted to love Test Track, we really did, but it was somehow, just, disappointing. Yes, getting to design your own car is cool, but when it comes time to "test" it out, the results don't measure up to the anticipation. Maybe we were turned off but the Chevy branding, maybe the short 65 MPH drive just didn't live up to the hype. Either way, we wouldn't wait in line to ride this ride again.
#39 Kali River Rapids
Park: Animal Kingdom
The sun finally came out in the afternoon of our day at Animal Kingdom and there was no line for Kali River Rapids. We knew we would get wet, so we put our coats on so they could dry out after. The ride was fine, but so short. It was fun to wonder with the others on the ride, who would get the wettest, but at the end, all we could think was, "Is that it?"
#38 Hall of Presidents
Park: Magic Kingdom
Is this a ride or a show? It's an interesting and educational look back at the Presidency and a good way to get out of the sun or the rain. Are some of the animatronics of more recent presidents unbelievably creepy? Yes, yes they are.
#37 Living with the Land
Park: Epcot
We were surprised at how much we enjoyed this educational ride through a greenhouse. Was it thrilling and stimulating, definitely not. But we learned things, pondered our relationship with agriculture, and enjoyed seeing how crops grow.
#36 Liberty Square Steamboat
Park: Magic Kingdom
We had some time to kill so we jumped on the Liberty Square Steamboat. It is a great vantage point to observe Tom Sawyer Island and lots of good views of Frontierland and Liberty Square. A calm way to avoid the crowds for 15 minutes.
#35 It's A Small World
Park: Magic Kingdom
It's a Small World is maybe THE iconic Magic Kingdom ride. It's nostalgic and still delightful, even if it is 15 minutes of an ear worm of a song. It's a must ride ride, if for the nostalgia factor alone!
#34 It's Tough to be a Bug
Park: Animal Kingdom
The '4D' experience of this short film tickled us both and we giggled throughout. I wouldn't wait in line for an excessive period of time for it, but it is worth an experience for sure! Time it with your walk around the Tree of Life.
#33 Spaceship Earth
Park: Epcot
This ride is inside the iconic Epcot geodesic dome, that alone makes it a must ride. It is a cool walk through the changes in communication on our planet. A lovely way to spend 15 minutes!
#32 Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros
Park: Epcot
We enjoyed the boat ride inside the Mexico pavilion at Epcot. Can we see this ride getting re-themed for Coco very soon, yes? Is it worth a ride before or after you get your margarita and chips and guac in the Mexico pavilion, still yes.
#31 Country Bear Jamboree
Park: Magic Kingdom
While not technically ride, this is worth a place on the list. It's not quite as amazing technology as it was when we were kids, but it's still a delightful way to spend 20 minutes, especially if you're avoiding one of those Orlando afternoon rainstorms like we were.
#30 Na'vi River Journey
Park: Animal Kingdom
We decided not to try to Rope Drop Avatar: Flight of Passage, so we headed to Na'vi River Journey instead. It was a beautiful dark ride, with so much to take it, and the shaman at the end was one of the coolest Disney animatronics we saw in four days in Disneyworld.
#29 Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
Park: Magic Kingdom
Not technically a ride, but an interactive experience that includes the audience, so it is a different experience every time. We laughed, but we didn't belly laugh.
#28 Enchanted Tiki Room
Park: Magic Kingdom
Also, not technically a ride, but a delightful animatronic show that we really enjoyed. I can still hear the birds singing, "In the tiki tiki tiki tiki tiki rooooommmmm!"
#27 Dinosaur
Park: Animal Kingdom
"CSI!" we shouted at the plot device. We walked on to Dinosaur! in the early morning and we underwhelmed. It was a fine ride, but it is showing its age, and the plot was silly. If you have a dino-lover in your family, this would be a must-ride ride for sure.
#26 Soarin'
Park: Epcot
Soarin' is a gorgeous ride. It's technology is not quite as amazing as newer rides, but we still absolutely loved soaring over so many gorgeous vistas from around the world. This ride definitely spoke to our travelers' hearts.
#25 Carousel of Progress
Park: Magic Kingdom
This was another ride we jumped on when we had some time to kill in the afternoon, since it had no wait time. The dang song is catchy as hell, and it's fun to see how much our country has progressed over the past few hundred years. "It's a great big beautiful tomorrow, shining at the end of every day!"
#24 Peter Pan's Flight
Park: Magic Kingdom
Why is Peter Pan's Flight one of the most popular picks on the Genie+ Lightening Lane system? Beats us! The old dark ride is still delightful and hits all the nostalgia notes while you fly above London and Neverneverland with Peter and the kids.
#23 Muppet Vision 3D
Park: Hollywood Studios
As Xennials, The Muppets are such a significant part of our childhood, that there was no way we would miss this show. It hit all the Muppets humor notes we were expecting, with a few unexpected surprises thrown in. A can't miss experience at Hollywood Studios.
#22 Mickey's Philharmagic
Park: Magic Kingdom
This was such a cute short film! We loved the symphony theme and Donald making mischief for Mickey. Another experience that is not really a ride, but you should make time for in your Magic Kingdom day.
#21 Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Park: Magic Kingdom
Considering that this ride is available to purchase as an individual Lightening Lane rather than part of Genie+ Lightening Lane, we decided to Rope Drop it to ride. It is a decent coaster, and the fact that the mine carts move left to right is a nice addition, but ultimately we expected more. Keeping the old animatronics from the previous Snow White ride is definitely a nice touch! We would advise against purchasing this as an individual Lightening Lane. (Mine Train's status as an individual LL purchase may change when the new Tron rollercoaster opens up in April 2024.)
#20 Pirates of the Caribbean
Park: Magic Kingdom
Man, Pirates is such a great ride! We think perhaps, it's time for Jack Sparrow to head back out to see, but we still find a much joy for watching the pirates be ridiculous and the canon balls splashing into the water as we did as kids. We consider this a must-ride ride at Magic Kingdom.
#19 Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run
Park: Hollywood Studios
The truth about Smuggler's Run, is that your crew and your job assignment on the ship can make or break your experience on the ride. Bummer for us that we got placed in the engineer job role, with a family of four, while the youngest daughter screamed and cried while her mother tried to soothe her from across the ship. Props to Steve for his long-armed ability to play the role of both engineer and gunner at the same time. We wish we'd had a do-over on this one, but it was still a cool ride experience.
#18 Remy's Ratatouille Adventures
Park: Epcot
Ratatoullie is one of our all-time favorite Disney Films so we were super excited to ride this ride! Remy is a cool trackless 4D ride, that puts you in the perspective of the rats. We loved the story and the 4D elements, but we don't do so well with the 3D screen attractions....maybe we're getting too old for this!
#17 Frozen Ever After
Park: Epcot
If you don't get a little choked up when Idina Menzel does her diva thing, then you won't love this ride as much as Michelle did. The upgraded animatronics of the characters are cool, but what makes this ride great is the way the movement of the boat coincides with the music's crescendos. A great dark ride set to great must? Yes please!
#16 Toy Story Mania
Park: Hollywood Studios
Maybe it's because we're so competitive, or maybe it's because every Toy Story movie made us ugly cry in public, but we absolutely loved this ride. Yes, Steve kicked Michelle's butt, but it was still a lot of fun to try to top each other's scores.
#15 Star Tours: The Adventure Continues
Park: Hollywood Studios
How is this ride still so cool after so many decades? C3PO is still getting into trouble and you never know which storyline you will get, so if ride wait times are low, it's worth riding more than once!
#14 Jungle Cruise
Park: Magic Kingdom
It's cheesy! It's campy! It's a must-ride ride at Magic Kingdom. Your cruise skipper and their humor and timing makes or breaks this ride, but even if you've ridden it 100 times and know all the punchlines, we bet you'll still giggle.
#13 Killamanjaro Safaris
Park: Animal Kingdom
We took around 30 photos and as many videos on our safari. Possibly, the coolest thing about this ride (beyond all the animals) is that it is so clearly a direct descendant of Jungle Cruise and became a real safari! It's mind boggling that so many different animals are cared for in so many varied environments, but Disney does it right. It was the highlight of our Animal Kingdom day for sure and a must-do in our opinion.
#12 Splash Mountain
Park: Magic Kingdom
It's pretty cool that we were some of the last people to get to ride Splash Mountain before it closed on January 23, 2023 to undergo renovations and reopen with a Frog Princess theme. Setting aside the fact that it is based on an incredibly racist old Disney Film, Song of the South, the ride is a nearly perfect ride. The theming is fantastic (and unlike the film, not racist), and the build-up to the drop makes the drop and splash itself so worth it. And if you're lucky enough to be in the front seat like we were, you get the coolest view of Cinderella's Castle right before the boat plunges down the mountain.
#11 Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Park: Magic Kingdom
We put Big Thunder, as the second best roller coaster at Magic Kingdom. Yes it's a little bumpy and jerky and when you're as old as we are, you might feel like you need a chiropractic adjustment after you get off, but it's a great coaster and it has great views of Adventureland as you ride.
#10 Avatar Flight of Passage
Park: Animal Kingdom
We decided to pay for the individual Lightening Lane for Flight of Passage, as we had read that even at Rope Drop, wait times can climb above 45 minutes fast. This is the one ride we individually paid for that we didn't think was worth the price. That being said, Flight of Passage is a great ride. It's visually stunning, and some of the 4D touches make the ride something extra special. It needed to crack our top 10, but we enjoyed the rides above it on the list much more.
#9 Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railroad
Park: Hollywood Studios
This is one of two rides in all four parks that we rode more than once! We Rope Dropped it, which meant that we were able to select it again as an individual Genie+ Lightening Lane. This trackless ride, was joyful, we loved the animation and movie that went along with it, and we kept singing the song all day long.
#8 Slinky Dog Dash
Park: Hollywood Studios
We were warned that Slinky Dog is the first ride to sell out for Genie+ Lightening Lane, but we chanced it and chose Tower of Terror as our first pick. We made the time to stand in line for a brutal 130 minutes. Thankfully, the Army Men Drum Corp came by a few times to entertain the line (dancing feels good when you've been standing for an hour) and we made some friends in line...
It's possible that Michelle struck up a conversation with the oldest daughter via a math lesson estimating how many times Slinky Dog would go past us while we were standing in line....once a teacher, always a teacher. We loved this coaster, and would have loved it even more if it had been just a little bit darker than the dusk we rode it during. Not sure we would stand in line for two hours again, but we're glad we made the time for this ride.
#7 Space Mountain
Park: Magic Kingdom
We both remember loving Space Mountain from our teenage Disneyland visits with family. It turns out, it's still a great coaster, and easily our favorite coaster at Magic Kingdom. It's pretty cool that this ride still stands up after so many years.
#6 Haunted Mansion
Park: Magic Kingdom
Haunted Mansion was easily our favorite Magic Kingdom ride. There are just so many moments throughout the ride, where you just can't figure out how the imagineers (Disney engineers) made those effects work. Not a horror ride exactly, but just creepy enough to make you shiver once or twice, Haunted Mansion hits the perfect notes.
#5 Expedition Everest
Park: Animal Kingdom
Yes that's us taking a selfie while on a roller coaster. We rode Everest early in the morning and our car got stuck heading up the taller peak for about five minutes. This was our view:
Even with that ride mishap, we loved this ride. So much so, that we jumped back in line immediately to ride it a second time. We considered a third, but decided against it. Everest has the most beautiful and amazing queue, so make sure that you ride the ride when you have a chance to enjoy looking at all the authentic Tibetan items.
#4 Rock N Rollercoaster
Park: Hollywood Studios
We both loved this coaster so much! It's definitely the most "intense" roller coaster in all four parks, and the only one that goes upside down. Yes the theme is a bit silly (you're late to a concert and traffic is terrible in LA) and Aerosmith is not the most relevant (yet still iconic) band, but nevertheless, this is a must-ride coaster in Disneyworld.
#3 Tower of Terror
Park: Hollywood Studios
Tower of Terror is a great ride, period. Your anxiety starts to build as the ride itself towers over you as you walk toward it, then you hear all the screams, and then, when you finally hit the inside of the ride, the added creep factor from the Twilight Zone them brings your anticipation to a high point. The fact that, due to a random number generator, you never know how many times you are going to fly up and down and in what order is just icing on this great ride's cake. Plus, how gorgeous is it lit up at night?
#2 Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Park: Hollywood Studios
We bought the individual Lightening Lane for Rise of the Resistance and it was absolutely worth it. There are just so many jaw dropping moments in this ride, and you really do feel like you have become part of a Star Wars movie. We can imagine the shock factor wear off after you've ridden it a few times, but for now, the picture of the full moon in the sky as our ride came to an end will be burned in our memories for a while.
#1 Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Park: Epcot
We tried to score a spot in the virtual queue right at 7 AM and struck out, so we knew we had to by the individual Lightening Lane for this ride. We're only sad we couldn't have bought it over and over. If this is the future of roller coasters then we are here for it! The way Guardians integrates a smooth track ride, with movie plot, and music, makes this an incredibly immersive ride. Our song was "Disco Inferno" and you better believe we were singing "Burn baby burn!" the rest of the afternoon!
So there you have it! Our thoughts about all the rides we rode during our four days in Disneyworld. Do you agree, somewhat agree, disagree, or totally disagree with our rankings? What are your favorite rides and Disneyworld and which are the rides you would stand in the longest queue for? Tell us in the comments!
Rides that we didn't ride on this trip and therefore aren't included in our rankings: TriceraTop Spin, Alien Swirling Saucers, Rafts to Tom Sawyer Island, Wildlife Express, Magic Carpets of Aladdin, Dumbo the Flying Elephant, Astro Orbiter, Mad Tea Party, Under the Sea- Journey of the Little Mermaid, Journey Into Imagination with Figment, Barnstormer, Main Street Vehicles, Mission: SPACE, Prince Charming Regal Carrousel, Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh, Tomorrowland Speedway, Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin, Walt Disneyworld Railroad, Tomorrowland Transit Authority People Mover. If we make it back to Disneyworld again, we will see about adding a few more of these rides to our list!
Comments