Any guesses for the top 10? For a while now, we’ve been tracking our readers’ favorite rides and attractions thanks to our live-updating TPT100 countdown. Whenever our readers rate an attraction in one of our free-to-download Park Guides, the TPT100 page updates in real time, re-adjusting ride rankings according to YOUR votes!
We’ve already used the TPT100 to post YOUR list of the 15 Best Dark Rides and the 15 Best Roller Coasters. We’ve got a few more “awards” to give out, though, so today we’re highlighting the 20 Best Disney Rides as determined by your votes!
A few reminders and rules before you read the list:
- If your favorite attraction is missing, it may be that it doesn’t have enough votes. Rides have a set minimum number of ratings needed before they can appear on the TPT100 (and thus, this list).
- We’ve eliminated extraneous duplicates. For our purposes, there is no reason to list separately each Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Instead, we’ll feature the highest-ranking, and note any sister rides therein. If each got its own entry, the top 15 would be almost entirely Towers of Terror, Haunted Mansions, and Pirates. As it is, you can click each park name under the ride’s image to rate each individual park’s version of the ride.
- If you disagree with a ride’s standing, don’t blame us! This list is not determined by the staff of Theme Park Tourist, or exclusively by Disney fans. It’s determined by the live rankings on our TPT100, which come entirely from readers who rate the rides on that page or in our Park Guides. That means: Disney fans, parents, grandparents, roller coaster fans, dark ride fans, even children.
So if you disagree with a ranking, visit the TPT100 and rate accordingly! It won’t update the listing here, but we think that this is a good representation of the best Disney rides in the world as of the publication date! Tell us what you think by rating rides and updating the TPT100!
20. World of Color
Image: Disney
Location: Disney California Adventure (TPT#57)
It’s fairly uncommon for a show to crack the top 100 attractions in the world, but guests who have seen World of Color at Disney California Adventure will understand why. The magnificent show is presented nightly on the still waters of Paradise Bay (with the picture-perfect backdrop of Paradise Pier’s 1910s Victorian boardwalk as its backdrop) under the watchful, pie eyes of Mickey Mouse. The 160-foot tall Fun Wheel is equipped with its own LED lighting package that blends seamlessly into the show.
There, guests stand in the tiered gardens of Paradise Park and watch as 1,200 water fountains equipped with LED light rings combine with flames, mist, lasers, and a single, continuous, 380-foot long water screen to bring Disney moments to life in stunning color. The show has received its share of criticism for the non-linear storytelling that serves mostly as a “best of” collection of classic animated moments, but the larger-than-life show absolutely surrounds you and has been known to earn at least a few tears in its emotional 27-minute runtime.
World of Color’s next-generation storytelling (with no costly fireworks to reset daily or smoke-billow pyrotechnics) will be the technological basis for the new Rivers of Light show at Disney’s Animal Kingdom in Florida, too.
19. Toy Story Midway Mania
Location: Disney California Adventure (TPT#54), Disney’s Hollywood Studios (TPT#55), Tokyo DisneySea
Sometimes, small (or large) tweaks in Disney rides divide fans on either coast. That’s not the case with Toy Story Midway Mania, apparently, since the Disney California Adventure version and Disney’s Hollywood Studios version come in at numbers 54 and 55 on our TPT100, respectively, making them both firmly the 19th best-rated Disney ride on the countdown.
The technological ride sends guests into a toy-sized board game where the Toy Story characters put their own twist on midway classics like Break-a-Plate and Pop-The-Balloon. The twisting ride pulls up to virtual screens where guests armed with pop cannons earn points and trigger events. It’s a lot of fun, and one of Disney’s most unique attraction designs. It’s no wonder that, even years later, it earns multi-hour waits, particularly at Hollywood Studios.
18. Test Track – Presented by Chevrolet
Location: Epcot (TPT#52)
Test Track had been a headlining attraction at Walt Disney World’s Epcot since its opening in 1999. The ride – much delayed due to its technical complexity – is basically a giant slot-car ride, wherein guests in six-person cars are put through the paces, ending in a 65-mile-per-hour speed blast out of the dark ride’s showbuilding and around a curving outdoor circuit. Its original incarnation was designed to resemble an automotive testing facility, filled with orange cones, cutouts, spotlights, and traffic signs.
Even though the ride was still one of the resort’s most popular, Disney “plussed” it in 2012. After a closure of nearly a year, it re-opened as Test Track – Presented by Chevrolet. In the new ride (which has almost nothing in common with its predecessor), queuing guests use interactive consoles and their MagicBand to create their own custom vehicle, then test the car they’ve made in the stunning TRON-style simulated world of 21st century dark ride style. The cars undergo tests in capability, efficiency, responsiveness, and power, with guests getting live feedback after each test for how their specific creation fared compared to their fellow riders’.
17. Journey to the Center of Earth
Location: Tokyo DisneySea (TPT#49)
Exclusive to the unbelievable Tokyo DisneySea park in Japan, Journey to the Center of the Earth is considered by many to represent the pinnacle of Disney storytelling and design. Contained entirely within the park’s 180-foot tall volcanic icon, Mount Prometheus, the headlining ride actually uses a second generation of Test Track technology to send guests into the dark and mysterious core of the planet as depicted in Jules Verne’s novel of the same name.
With stunning settings, indescribably brilliant use of space, and one particularly awe-inspiring Audio Animatronic (easily the most elaborate and impressive animatronic in the world), Journey to the Center of the Earth is a marvel. Like Test Track, it ends with a rapid and unexpected acceleration, blasting guests out of the side of Prometheus in a moment of dizzying airtime.
16. Mickey’s Philharmagic
Location: Magic Kingdom (TPT#48), Tokyo Disneyland, Hong Kong Disneyland
There’s some good, old-fashioned fun happening at Mickey’s Philharmagic, an astounding 3D show presented in Fantasyland at Magic Kingdom, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Tokyo Disneyland. The show uses one of the world’s largest 3D screens to follow the misadventures of Donald Duck, who “borrows” Mickey’s magical sorcerer hat and is sucked into the animated worlds of Beauty and the Beast, The Little Mermaid, Aladdin, Peter Pan, and more. The attraction includes incredible 3D audio as well as in-theatre smell and lighting effects that make it one of the best 3D amusement park films in the world.
15. Pooh’s Hunny Hunt
Location: Tokyo Disneyland (TPT#47)
Not to be confused with the classic dark-ride style attractions in Orlando, Anaheim, and Hong Kong, Tokyo’s version of a Winnie the Pooh ride diverted from the norm and was created to be an E-ticket attraction. It succeeded. The ride was the first to use Disney’s ingenious LPS-guided ride system, so guests ride in “hunny pots” with no track in the showbuilding.
Instead, four pots at a time enter into a storybook and through fully constructed scenes with complete Audio Animatronics. Because there’s no track, the vehicles can line up, fan out, split away from each other, spin, back up, and dance in choreographed patterns coming within inches of each other. Though it may be hard to believe based on the American alternatives, Tokyo’s Pooh ride is one of the park’s main draws and a true victory for Imagineering.
14. Disney’s Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular
Location: Disney California Adventure (TPT#45)
Note: This show closed forever in 2016 to make way for Frozen: Live at the Hyperion
When Disney California Adventure opened in 2001, it received chilly reception from fans, visitors, locals, and travelers. The park was short on things to do, well-designed lands, and (worst of all) Disney characters! Take the park’s Hollywood Pictures Backlot land, which was themed to a modern Hollywood set… depicting Hollywood… despite the real Hollywood being a few miles north. It contained the massive Hyperion Theatre with 2,000 seats in orchestra, mezzanine, and balcony sections with professional lighting and sound systems. A series of fly-by-night shows made little impact and the Hyperion (and all of the Backlot land) were a dead space.
That changed when Disney’s Aladdin – A Musical Spectacular opened in 2003. Despite convention saying that theme park shows should be short and simple, Aladdin is 50-minutes of (and we’re not kidding here) Broadway-style sets and musical numbers. Now in its 11th season, the show still plays to sold-out crowds at every single showing (usually five per day) as even the intensely annual-passholder base of Disneyland Resort just sees the show again and again and again.
Aladdin shows no signs of slowing, either. In 2009, Disney officially announced that the show would be replaced by Toy Story: The Musical. So many folks rioted against the idea that it was cancelled, and Aladdin continues to play. The most recent rumors suggest that the theatre would be ideal for a Frozen musical. That’s true, but we’ll see if Disney can convince fans to send the Genie back to his lamp this time…
13. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
Location: Disney’s Hollywood Studios (TPT#25), Walt Disney Studios Park (TPT#44)
Disney’s first sincere attempt at entering the white-knuckle-coaster market, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster has the dubious distinction of being Disney’s first American coaster to go upside down. Apparently undaunted by the challenge, it goes upside down three times, making it the most thrilling coaster at its respective resorts by far. If the inversions don’t care you, maybe the launch will. Traveling from a stand-still 0 miles per hour to 57 miles per hour in less than 3 seconds, it’s also among Disney’s fastest.
The Floridian version of the ride depicts a white-knuckle race through Los Angeles en route to a Hollywood movie premier. The ride darts past blacklight comic-book style palm trees and highway signs. The Parisian version is more abstract, placing guests into music thanks to a really astounding lighting package that brings the ride to life in a really unusul way! Both versions are set to custom music by Aerosmith.
12. Phantom Manor
Image: Disney
Location: Disneyland Paris (TPT#24)
When Imagineers designed Disneyland Paris, they were given unprecedented budgets and tasked with giving the Disneyland-style park a European makeover. That meant classic rides presented in new ways. Enter Phantom Manor, a completely original take on Disney’s classic Haunted Mansion. Forget the red-brick New England manor of Magic Kingdom or the stark white plantation house of Disneyland. Here, the Haunted Mansion looks haunted. A dilapidated, ramshackle wooden manor in Frontierland, Phantom Manor is given an intricate backstory that blends into the land, telling one giant tale of the town of Thunder Mesa.
The miserly Mr. Ravenswood struck it rich when he discovered gold in Big Thunder Mountain and developed the Big Thunder Mining Company. With his riches, he built an elegant manor up on Boot Hill for himself and his daughter Melanie. But when Melanie fell in love with a lowly miner from her father’s company, Mr. Ravenswood was furious. On their intended wedding day, the groom to be was hung from the rafters and a mysterious phantom was seen cackling in victory. Now, locals say that Melanie’s ghost is still up there, waiting for her beloved…
In addition to new and original scenes and a re-worked score, Phantom Manor features all of your Haunted Mansion favorites but gives them new meaning. The unconnected vignettes of Haunted Mansion work, but given the new backstory, the hanging man in the stretching gallery, the celebration in the banquet hall, and the bride in the attic all take on new meaning… And it’s actually much scarier than Haunted Mansion, too!
11. Fantasmic!
Image: Disney
Location: Disneyland (TPT#23), Disney’s Hollywood Studios (TPT#27), Tokyo DisneySea
The other famous Disney nighttime spectacular, Fantasmic! is simply a classic. Opening at Disneyland in 1992, the nighttime show combines fountains, flames, fireworks, live action characters, groundbreaking mist screens, puppets, animatronics, and a rousing and unforgettable musical score into one magnificent show. Even after two decades, folks camp out for hours for a front-row view of Fantasmic at both Disneyland Park (where it’s presented on the Rivers of America) and Disney’s Hollywood Studios (where it has its own permanent, dedicated amphitheater). The show is astounding and well-loved by most all Disney fans.
Disneyland’s edges ahead in our countdown, probably for a few reasons. First of all, it features more “classic” characters (like Pinocchio, Jungle Book, and an unbelievable Peter Pan scene using the park’s very real, full-sized pirate ship) whereas Walt Disney World’s version hoped to capitalize on 90s successes (like Pocahontas and Aladdin). Secondly, Disneyland’s was upgraded tremendously over the last few years, ending with a brand new and unforgettable Maleficent dragon Audio Animatronic of unparalleled size and scope.
10. Space Mountain
Location: Disneyland (TPT#22), Magic Kingdom (TPT#35), Tokyo Disneyland
Even though Magic Kingdom’s was the original, it’s Disneyland’s Space Mountain that has the highest spot on our TPT100. There are probably a few reasons for that. First of all, Disneyland’s was re-built from scratch in 2005 to prepare for the resort’s 50th Anniversary celebration. That re-build came with updated 21st century effects on the ride, and a perfectly-synchronized on-board audio track that adds immeasurable excitement and intensity to the ride.
Also, despite the identical names, Space Mountain is very different in California than Florida. Florida’s is actually made up of two coasters, mirror-imaged and set next to each other. Both are actually modeled after Disneyland’s Matterhorn. Magic Kingdom’s version has its own cult-like following (and deservedly, with its retro-70s theme and inspired queue) but it’s Disneyland’s blueprint that’s been borrowed at subsequent recreations of the ride.
9. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Location: Magic Kingdom (TPT#20)
When a complete rebuild of Magic Kingdom’s Fantasyland was announced in 2011, fans noticed a very unfortunate lean. Most of the new land would be dedicated entirely to character meet-and-greets, and all of those meet-and-greets would be with fairies, princesses, or mermaids. Fans rightfully called out the resort for its bias, and plans were reversed. An entire sub-land dedicated to Tinker Bell and her fairies became the charming Storybook Circus. Meanwhile, separate large-scale meet-and-greet attractions for Cinderella and Aurora were eliminated entirely.
Instead, the royal gals would cohabitate, combined into a new Princess Fairytale Hall that would – unfortunately – have to replace Snow White’s Scary Adventures, one of the park’s original opening day dark rides.
The good news is that the ride’s sacrifice to relocate the princesses would open up a large plot of land in which to build the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, allowing Snow White’s story to live on. The ride got lukewarm reception upon its announcement, but has since become a new classic. With swinging vehicles, some of the most advanced animatronics in the world, and a cheerful testament to the past, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is already beloved, and a piece of Fantasyland that we never even knew was missing.
8. Big Thunder Mountain
Location: Disneyland Paris (TPT#15), Disneyland (TPT#30), Magic Kingdom (TPT#41), Tokyo Disneyland
When it comes to Disney’s classic coasters, it gets no better than Big Thunder Mountain. With similar (but slightly different) versions at Magic Kingdom, Disneyland, Disneyland Paris, and Tokyo Disneyland, the ride is simply a fan favorite. Themed after a wild runaway mine train through an active (or in some cases, rusted out) gold mining operation, the ride features bounding hills, surprising turns, and smile-inducing family thrills as it races around the red rock bluffs of the American Southwest.
It’s Paris’ version of the ride that scores highest on the TPT100, thanks to its incredible location (surrounded by the Rivers of the West, basically taking Tom Sawyer Island’s spot). Then comes Disneyland’s version, and probably for the same reason that its Space Mountain did: it was entirely rebuilt from scratch in 2013, re-opening after a full year in 2014 with renewed effects, fresh track, and an explosive new finale that uses Disney’s projected texture mapping technology to outstanding effect.
7. Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Forbidden Eye
Image: Disney
Location: Disneyland (TPT#16)
When Temple of the Forbidden Eye opened in 1995, its reach was astronomic. Inside Disneyland, it necessitated an identity shift in the park’s Adventureland, all of which was united until its rusted 1930s jungle outpost theme. On a bit larger scale, the ride put Disneyland on the map for its technological advancement. Even larger, the ride kick-started a new generation of dark rides that redefined a guest’s role in a story and turned up the expectations of rivals. (Universal designers whole-heartedly admit that Indiana Jones Adventure is what inspired them to turn The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man from a traditional Omnimover dark ride into the stunning 21st century creation it became).
The ride places guests aboard off-roading WWI troop transports for a tour of the recently-discovered Temple of the Forbidden Eye, where an ancient lost god named Mara promises all visitors to his temple one of three gifts: timeless youth, earthly riches, or visions of the future. Facing three locked doors, Mara peers into the soul of guests and opens one, ushering them in to receive their reward in the Chamber of Destiny. Oh, before we forget to mention: don’t look into his dark and corroded eyes. Doing so just might signal the temple’s collapse…
Indiana Jones Adventure is stunning, with more special effects than most fireworks shows, outstanding animatronics, and a compelling, dark, genuinely unsettling storyline that proved Disney’s ability to think outside the fairytale box. Even today, Temple of the Forbidden Eye is considered by many to represent the height of Disney Imagineering. We even listed it among our countdown of the Seven Modern Wonders of the Theme Park World!
6. Splash Mountain
Image: Disney
Location: Magic Kingdom (TPT#10), Disneyland Park (TPT#21), Tokyo Disneyland
“How do you do? Mightly pleasant greetin’! Fine, how’re you? Pretty good, sure as you’re born!” Over 100 Audio Animatronics creatures populate the laid-back community nestled into the prickly briarroots of Chickapin Hill. One of those critters is Br’er Rabbit, who’s sick of workin’ all day. Br’er Rabbit hears tales of the Laughin’ Place, where everything’s great and nobody works – you just sit all day and tell stories and dance and sing. So ole Br’er Rabbit packs up his knapsack and heads for the Laughin’ Place. Little does he know that the wily Br’er Fox and Br’er Bear are hankerin’ for a pot of Rabbit Stew, close in pursuit…
Splash Mountain is one of the most ambitious projects ever undertaken by Disney, incited by Michael Eisner’s coming on-board and his desire to market more to thrill seekers and teens. Most of the 103 animatronics in Disneyland’s ride were re-purposed from the America Sings animatronic show that had itself replaced Carousel of Progress in Tomorrowland. Re-dressed in southern duds, the critters look right at home in Splash Mountain, singing along the winding watery route of the 10 minute dark ride. The big finale is a five story plunge into the briars and a Zip-a-dee-doo-dah reunion.
While most guests probably assume that Br’er Rabbit and his pals are original characters created for the attraction, the characters and story are actually borrowed from Disney’s 1946 film Song of the South, which has never been released in its entirety on home video or DVD due to its unclear time frame in relation to the Civil War. The result is a hundred-million-dollar ride based on a little known film! It works, though, and Splash Mountain is a fan favorite.
5. Radiator Springs Racers
Image: Disney
Location: Disney California Adventure (TPT#7)
“Welcome to race day in Radiator Springs! Now get out there and do us proud!” The anchor attraction of the impossibly cool Cars Land at the re-built Disney California Adventure, Radiator Springs Racers sped to the front of most fans’ dark ride countdowns. The attraction uses a third generation of Test Track technology, but is built around a highly-immersive dark ride full of outstanding Audio Animatronics. Even better, the ride’s finale is a side-by-side race through the stunning and unimaginable Ornament Valley, which we count as one of the Seven Natural Wonders of the Theme Park World.
A perfect blend of classic Disney storytelling, awesome scenes, crazy animatronics, and just-right family thrills, Radiator Springs Racers will no doubt go down in history as one of the most beloved and celebrated Disney rides of all time, essentially reminding fans that Disney’s still got it!
4. Pirates of the Caribbean
Location: Disneyland Park (TPT#6), Disneyland Paris (TPT#31), Magic Kingdom (TPT#61)
Was there any doubt that Pirates would make the top 5? It was the last attraction that Walt Disney took complete creative control over (though he passed away shortly before its opening). Specifically, the Pirates of the Caribbean at Disneyland is considered by many industry fans (not just Disney fans) as the best dark ride in the world. Clocking in at an unbelievable 16 minutes, the Californian version is twice as long as any other, featuring quite a few additional scenes, including an incredible Blue Bayou introduction, two drops, a rising waterfall, and haunting grottos.
To the tune of “Yo Ho (A Pirate’s Life For Me),” riders pass through ancient caverns, under a magical waterfall, past pirate loot, and into an active battle between a pirate ship and a fort town. Inside the city, dozens of animatronic pirates and animals populate one of the world’s most impressive animatronic casts. The ride is simply a shining example of storytelling, mood-setting, technology, and fun.
Interestingly, Disneyland Paris’ version of the ride scores very high on the TPT100 too. That’s got to be because Paris’ version is a completely new take on the classic, essentially presenting the ride backwards as compared to its counterparts. The Paris Pirates is one of seven classic Disney rides that look a WHOLE lot different overseas. Click here to read our feature on the rest!
3. Haunted Mansion
Location: Disneyland Park (TPT#7), Magic Kingdom (TPT#13), Tokyo Disneyland
The stately white plantation house of the Haunted Mansion appeared in Disneyland’s New Orleans Square (just down the street from Pirates) in 1963. Believe it or not, it wasn’t until six years later that the gates were swung open. That’s because Walt Disney passed away during the early stages of the ride’s design, leaving its future in limbo. Many ideas for the Mansion had been passed by Walt, and he seemed like elements of them all. Specifically, two Imagineers with competing visions had to decide what to do, suddenly without Walt as a tiebreaker.
One of Walt’s protégés imagined the ride as a legitimately frightening, dark tour of a murderous sea captain’s home where he’d killed his fiancée then hung himself. Another design had the Mansion as a sort of fun-house style walkthrough of sight gags and spooky-but-funny narration. In the end, the two styles were combined and connected by the groundbreaking Omnimover style ride technology to create what is today recognized as one of the world’s leading dark rides and a staple of Disney storytelling.
Today, the three Haunted Mansions in the world are all a bit different from each other thanks to renovations and updates at different times. The ride also spawned two “spin-offs” in Paris’ Phantom Manor and Hong Kong’s Mystic Manor. If you consider all five “versions” of the Haunted Mansion, the ride has the unusual distinction of being located at all five Disney resorts, but located and themed to a different land in each!
2. Expedition Everest
Image: Disney
Location: Disney’s Animal Kingdom (TPT#2)
When it came time to beef up Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Walt Disney World went big. Really big. Expedition Everest is perhaps Disney’s most well-themed roller coaster ever, taking the snowy peak of Disneyland’s Matterhorn and super-sizing it with an incredible forwards / backwards roller coaster of unprecedented height and speed in Disney’s realm.
The ride’s queue passes through the meticulously detailed Yeti museum of the Himalayas before guests board their own Everest-bound Sherpa train for a ride to the summit. But when the malevolent Yeti uproots the train’s track and sends it spiraling back into the dark Forbidden Mountain, it’s a race to escape from the snowy caverns where the ever-present creature is ready to strike.
Everest is widely considered Disney’s best roller coaster, and certainly one of its best rides period. The attraction is beautiful, well designed, and adventurous from beginning to end.
1. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Location: Disney’s Hollywood Studios (TPT#1), Walt Disney Studios (TPT#11), Disney California Adventure (TPT#38), Tokyo DisneySea (TPT#85)
The reviews are in, and the winner is clear (if only by a minute decimal point difference). According to our readers, reviewers, and guests, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is the best Disney attraction on Earth. Specifically (and unsurprisingly), the original version at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida comes out on top, as the best Disney ride (and the #1 ride period) on our TPT100. Developed in the 1990s when ambitious, groundbreaking, and dripping-with-detail rides were the norm from Disney, Tower of Terror is incomparable in most every way.
As expected, the ride’s story is nothing short of cinematic, with the once-glamorous Hollywood Tower Hotel losing a bit of its fame on that fateful Halloween night in 1939 when a mysterious bolt of lightning made one of the hotel’s wings flat-out disappear, along with an elevator carrying five people. Now, the condemned and dilapidated hotel – its grand lobby and library covered in dust and cobwebs – is open for tours. But beware… what happened here to dim the lights of Hollywood’s brightest showplace is about to unfold once again, but this time… it’s happening to you.
Whatever you expect a properly functioning elevator to do, the ones inside the Hollywood Tower Hotel just refuse to do it. Still, your harrowing journey through the hotel’s floors is accompanied by a dark ride that’s truly good enough to stand on its own without the 13-story-freefall that follows.
The ride has been re-created to much fanfare in California, France, and Tokyo (where it was given its own unique twist on the story with no Twilight Zone or lightning strike in sight), but using a more efficient (and cheaper) ride system that necessarily skips the surprise moment in Florida’s that’s so shocking and dismaying to first-time riders and also re-configures the hotel’s exterior to look a little less intimidating and frightening. Ah well. While Florida’s is number one, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is a near-perfect ride no matter where you ride it.
