If you’ve ever been curious about how your favorite Walt Disney World attraction stacks up next to its competition (in the eyes of fans of the resort), you don’t have to wonder any longer.
Tens of thousands of readers have taken the time to rate and review attractions listed in our free theme park guides (over 3,500 rides and shows are listed in total, at theme parks all over the world). We track the highest-rated attractions over in the TPT100 list, which is updated whenever a reader adds a rating. We thought it would be fun to highlight some of your favorites – starting with those at the world’s most popular theme park resort.
As of right now, here’s a countdown of the 10 best attractions at Walt Disney World, based on readers’ votes. And remember, if your favorite attraction is missing…just head on over to the guides and add a rating!
10. Kilimanjaro Safaris
TPT100 Ranking: No. 48 (full ride details)
This 18-minute excursion into the Harambe Wildlife Reserve lets guests view real animals in their natural habitats, and it’s a favorite of many of our readers. Here, you can glimpse 34 different species, from antelope to zebra, in a space that’s actually equal to the size of the entire Magic Kingdom. And fans of this attraction are in luck: As the park extends its hours into the evening when the new Rivers of Light evening spectacular starts, an after-dark version of this ride will be available. Special lighting will be added to the landscape to simulate sunset, and the vehicles will reportedly travel a different route and make longer stops so guests can view the nocturnal animals.
9. Space Mountain
TPT100 Ranking: No. 46 (full ride details)
Guests zoom through an energy tunnel before blasting off into space on this coaster in the Magic Kingdom. Riders ascend a mountain that’s 180 feet tall before coming down with unexpected twists and turns — in the dark — while seeing comets shoot across the sky and hearing futuristic sounds (along with more than a few screams). The ride opened with the help of a special consultant: Astronaut Gordon Cooper, who wanted to make sure the attraction felt like a real space flight. His efforts were successful, as the ride is now featured in all of Disney’s theme parks around the world.
8. Toy Story Midway Mania!
TPT100 Ranking: No. 39 (full ride details)
This attraction opened nearly 10 years ago and it still has some of the longest wait times of any ride at the entire Walt Disney World resort. Guests can’t resist trying their hand at classic midway games that feature beloved “Toy Story” characters. The 4D shooting gallery features five games of skill and each one has its own “Easter egg” that can change the gameplay and provide more targets. For example, a water balloon may actually squirt water when it’s hit. And while Disney’s Hollywood Studios is about to undergo a big renovation, fans of this attraction don’t have to worry about it going anywhere. In fact, the ride is scheduled to get a third track later this summer to accommodate more guests and finally cut down on some of those wait times.
7. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
TPT100 Ranking: No. 36 (full ride details)
The “wildest ride in the wilderness” is built into a 200-foot mountain in the Magic Kingdom’s Frontierland. But it’s not all rock: The mountain is actually built with 4,675 tons of “mud” and 6,500 tons of steel.
6. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
TPT100 Ranking: No. 26 (full ride details)
This is the fastest roller coaster on Walt Disney World property and it takes guests from zero to 60 miles per hour in a minute before sending them upside down three times. The ride at Disney’s Hollywood Studios also features nine different Aerosmith songs, and the license plates on the “super stretch limos” that guests board include unique messages that read UGOGIRL, BUHBYE, H8TRFFC, 1QKLIMO and 2FAST4U. The plates also each sport a hidden Mickey as well as the birthdates of Imagineers.
5. Haunted Mansion
TPT100 Ranking: No. 25 (full ride details)
Tons of “foolish mortals” have been entranced by this spooky attraction since it opened at the Magic Kingdom in 1971, but did you know that it wasn’t always planned to be a ride? Original plans called for it to be a walk-through attraction with maids and butlers leading guests through the grounds while telling them the tragic tale of a sea captain along with his bride. Then, it was planned to be a museum featuring strange creatures and odd illusions. The cost to develop and build the original ride wasn’t cheap either: It cost $7 million for Disneyland’s version in 1969, which translates to a whopping $45 million today.
4. Fantasmic!
TPT100 Ranking: No. 19 (full show details)
The next entry on the list isn’t a ride at all, but a beloved 30-minute show at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. The show features laser lights, projection, pyrotechnics and 1 million gallons of dancing water, and it even has its own line of merchandise to make the experience even more special. Guests can purchase a Minnie Mouse Headband that shines along with the show, a Mickey Mouse Glove that provides colors with a swipe of the hand and a Sorcerer Mickey Wand that changes the color patterns of the other items. Near the end of the show, when Steamboat Willie and up to 26 other characters appear on a boat, they’re on a vessel that’s actually bigger than the Nina, Pinta and Santa Maria that belonged to Christopher Columbus!
3. Splash Mountain
TPT100 Ranking: No. 14 (full ride details)
The stars of Disney’s “Song of the South” are featured in this log flume ride that has three dips and a five-story splashdown. The attraction’s original name was “Zip-a-Dee River Run,” but then-Disney CEO Michael Eisner wanted the name to promote “Splash,” the movie starring Tom Hanks and Darryl Hannah. Somehow, that name ended up sticking. And one of the ride’s Imagineers managed to find a way to pay tribute to his alma mater too. One of the gophers in the ride who sounds like he’s sneezing is actually saying “FSU” — for “Florida State University.”
2. Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
TPT100 Ranking: No. 4 (full ride details)
It’s back to Disney’s Animal Kingdom for the next ride on the list. And the mountain for this one is actually the tallest out of all of the 20 Disney mountains all over the world, at 199 feet, though it’s not the tallest mountain in Florida (that distinction goes to Walton County’s Britton Hill). It’s also the most expensive, costing $100 million, and the ride is Disney’s first to have trains that travel forward and backward. Some fans may not be aware that the Yeti in the ride, which is Disney’s largest-ever Audio-Animatronic, used to move. But the Yeti is so big that his concrete foundation cracked, causing real movement to no longer be possible. Now, in an attempt to simulate movement, a flashing light glows behind him, earning him the nickname “Disco Yeti.”
1. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
TPT100 Ranking: No. 1 (full ride details)
This thrilling ride into another dimension is the top choice for many of our readers — and with good reason. Guests are whisked into the glamorous Hollywood Tower Hotel, which, as the story goes, served the rich and famous until a mysterious incident closed the site on Halloween night in 1939. As the elevator went up, lightning struck and suddenly sent it falling down to the ground floor. Now, riders can experience the same thing, with a series of drops that are randomly generated. The preshow features “Twilight Zone” host Rod Serling, whose voice is mixed with impersonator Mark Silverman’s to narrate the scene, and many references to the show are sprinkled in the attraction, like the broken glasses from the infamous “Time Enough at Last” episode. And the same effect that shows five apparitions trapped in the Fifth Dimension coming toward the elevator is also employed in the Haunted Mansion’s ballroom scene. The mirrored effect called “Pepper’s Ghost” helps create the illusion of translucent 3D figures.
So there you have it — 10 Walt Disney World attractions that earn high marks from our readers. If your favorite attraction didn’t make the top 10, head on over to the Park Guides and cast your vote!
