What’s the most contentious conversation at Walt Disney World? Well, there are certainly a lot of them, but one subject is most likely to turn friends against one another. It’s the question of which Disney attraction is the best. I have my opinions, of course, and long-time readers of Theme Park Tourist have a good idea what they are. The real question is what the consensus opinion is, though.
I’ve accumulated a list of five different rankings to identify the attractions that virtually everyone agrees tower above the rest. I’ve used major media sites such as Travel & Leisure, Thrillist, and Trip Savvy as a baseline, and I’ve included Business Insider since it’s nice to have an outside opinion, too. Finally, I included Disney Tourist Blog because I like the couple that runs it and respect their opinions. Using these five sources, I’ve built a ballot of sorts wherein Disney experts and casual fans alike on voted on the finest attractions at Disney’s four Orlando gates. Here are the best reviewed rides at Walt Disney World.
11. Star Tours – 11 points
Image: DisneyI’ll begin with a couple of general comments. The first is that I’m mortified at some of the results. I used the most current articles I could find, but there was little love for Toy Story Land and a fairly shocking oversight at Disney’s Animal Kingdom…arguably two.
Even Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, the line with the longest wait at any of the four parks, didn’t receive enough support to finish in the top 11, which is maddening to me. Also, my favorite ride at any of the parks, Spaceship Earth, failed to qualify. It did get enough support that I was largely mollified, though. I understand it’s not for everyone.
I say all of these things before announcing that Star Tours is effectively tied for 10th place. It makes me wonder what year this is. While I certainly admire the attraction, it isn’t the freshest of ride concepts. Star Tours has been around since the hair band area and is roughly the same age as Def Leppard’s Hysteria. Yes, Disney revamped the ride in 2011 and has introduced several new scenes since then. I’m just surprised that Star Wars fans have elevated this one to such heights, although it does indicate that Star Wars Land is going to be a blockbuster.
10. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – 11 points
Image: DisneyThe pride of Frontierland is technically tied with Star Tours, but it deserves a higher ranking since it’s listed on more ballots. In other words, more people deem it one of the best attractions at Walt Disney World. It’s an understandable opinion since this roller coaster is one of the most entertaining attractions at Magic Kingdom. You board a runaway train and then rumble into the unknown. Subtle Imagineering tricks cause you to believe that your ride is rickety enough that it may not survive the challenging landscape. It does feel like a trip on haphazard transportation during the final days of the Old West gold rush.
9. Avatar Flight of Passage – 13 points
Image: DisneyI believe that all of the attractions mentioned from this point forward are masterpieces. For this reason, I can’t complain about the positioning for any of them. Even so, I feel like recency works against theme park attractions at Walt Disney World. Slinky Dog Dash deserves a lot more praise than it’s gotten from these lists, while Avatar Flight of Passage is currently the gold standard in theme park attractions. It’s a stunning triumph of Imagineering, as Pandora comes to life right in front of your (augmented reality goggled) eyes. This one should be in the top five at a minimum. People tend to cling too much to the classics (says the guy who loves Spaceship Earth the best).
8. Toy Story Mania! – 16 points
Image: DisneyIn this scoring system, the tenth best ride gets one point while the top attraction receives 10 points. In compiling the votes, several tiers emerged. Eight other attractions received at least some level support while the first three listed here are a bit more popular. We’ve now entered the middle tier, as the next five titles are only separated by seven total points.
Out of all the rides listed here, I think Toy Story Mania! is the only one that’s ranked just about where I’d expect it. Virtually everyone loves this gamified attraction. The lines here were perennially long since its introduction, eventually forcing Disney to build a third ride queue. Now that it has improved throughput by 50 percent, its lines…are still long.
Everyone loves to compete with their friends for the highest score, guaranteeing large crowds and thoroughly entertained guests. At its core, it’s still primarily a carnival game, though. That limits its ability to compete with some of the better reviewed attractions here.
7. Splash Mountain – 18 points
Image: DisneyI demand a recount! Yes, I’m demanding a recount of my own scoring system, but how is this possible? Splash Mountain is better than the seventh best ride at Walt Disney World. I’d pick it as one of the seven best rides in the entire world, probably top five. I think it gets taken for granted since it’s not as “famous” as the two attractions ranked immediately ahead of it. This ranking is a travesty. Splash Mountain is pure joy.
6. Space Mountain – 20 points
Image: DisneyThree of the remaining attractions are iconic classics closely associated with Disney theme parks. The other three are a bit newer; they’re mostly ones you would expect, though. While I’d quibble with a some of them getting listed over Splash Mountain (so, so bitter), my greatest surprise is that Space Mountain didn’t do better. It’s the genre-defining attraction, the alpha that triggered the coaster wars that have come since then. If anything, it’s undersold here, but you’ll quickly appreciate how tough the competition is above it.
5. Pirates of the Caribbean – 20 points
Image: DisneyTechnically, Pirates of the Caribbean is tied with Space Mountain. I gave it higher placement because it received a first place vote on one ballot, something Space Mountain can’t claim. The ride that spawned a multi-billion dollar movie franchise is inexorably linked with Disney theme parks. It’s the epitome of a dark ride and one of the most stylish ever created. Who could argue with Pirates of the Caribbean being one of the best attractions at Walt Disney World?
4. Soarin’ Around the World – 23 points
Image: DisneyI’ll admit it. This one is a surprise to me. While Soarin’ Over California was universally beloved, Soarin’ Around the World has had its fair share of detractors. Some critics lament the IMAX cropping issues at play on the attraction. Guests who aren’t seated directly in the middle of the ride sometimes see a kind of wobble effect. In the most extreme instance, the top of the Eiffel Tower seems to bend. I find the entire conversation overblown and am gratified to read that other analysts agree with me. Soarin’ Around the World delivers a sumptuous sensory experience, simultaneously titillating the eyes, ears and nose. I wouldn’t rank it quite this high, though.
3. Expedition Everest – 31 points
Image: DisneyI would have predicted two out of the top three on this list (and actually did before tabulating results). This one is the surprise. Expedition Everest features the best ride design at any Disney theme park in my opinion. The hypnotic build-up as the rider approaches the peak of the Forbidden Mountain is masterful. Then, the broken tracks heighten the sense of dread. Once the ride zooms backward into the darkness, theme park tourists are screaming at the top of their lungs. Within 15 seconds, this reverse roller coaster hooks everyone. A journey on Expedition Everest is a guaranteed crowd pleaser. I just wouldn’t call it the equal of something like Splash Mountain or Avatar Flight of Passage.
2. Haunted Mansion – 34 points
Image: DisneyYou may have noticed that the point totals spiked when we entered the top three. All five voters agree that these rides are worthy of praise. The only question is how much. In the case of Haunted Mansion, it consistently finished in the top five of ballots, proving that the idea of a haunted house is timeless. The ride’s about 50 years old and has many of the most colorful characters at Disney theme parks.
The lingering appeal of Haunted Mansion is its style. It doesn’t have a ride cart; it has a Doom Buggy. It doesn’t have a narrator; it has a Ghost Host. Perhaps most importantly, it doesn’t have set pieces; it has rooms, the kind a person would expect in a mansion. The ballroom’s a lively place despite the fact that none of the guests is alive. The graveyard seems to host a permanent show. And the attic…well, standard horror rules apply. Never go up into the attic alone.
Disney’s Haunted Mansion is one of the most entertaining attractions ever. It’s actually my wife’s favorite ride to the point where it’s an automatic FastPass during each visit. It absolutely deserves all the praise it receives and would have been a valid choice as the best reviewed theme park attraction. Instead, that honor goes to…
1. Twilight Zone Tower of Terror – 39 points
Image: DisneyThe final answer can’t be a surprise to anyone. By process of elimination, you should have deduced the best reviewed ride at Walt Disney World. Perhaps the only unexpected aspect is the voting total. Twilight Tower of Terror finished about 15 percent higher than Haunted Mansion and 26 percent above Expedition Everest. In other words, this vote was a blowout.
The outcome is difficult to argue. Tower of Terror has everything you’d expect from the best Disney attraction. The theming is precise and immersive. Once you enter the abandoned Hollywood Tower Hotel, the dust everywhere forces you to believe that no one has lived here in decades. By the time Rod Serling provides the narration, you have totally bought into the idea that your fate is sealed, just like those unfortunate souls trapped on the elevator forever.
The ride experience is pure Disney. While drop tower rides are rides are nothing new, Imagineers elevated the concept by moving the entire ride cart. Its ability to advance on a ride path creates a sense of confusion. Once the elevator cart stands bouncing, riders have no idea whether they’re going up or down next. It’s a rare form of terror that lives up to the attraction’s name.
Out of all the rides at Walt Disney World, critics resoundingly agree that Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is the best. Do you think they’re right? Leave a comment about which attraction is your favorite.
