Walt Disney World Rides, Ranked From Best to Skip-It
Four parks, 33 rides, one very long debate. Walt Disney World has everything from gentle boat rides your grandma loves to a trackless Star Wars attraction that cost a fortune and feels like it.
We went through what fans and critics actually say across forums, podcasts and ride reviews, then settled the close calls ourselves. Disagree? Good, that's half the fun of a tier list. Ride 'em yourself and see if you'd flip any of these.
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SS Tier: The headliners worth the whole trip
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Three ride systems in one attraction, a Star Destroyer hangar you walk through, and a trackless finale that still makes first timers gasp. It's the closest Disney has come to a theme park attraction with a plot and stakes.
About Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
A trackless dark ride in Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Hollywood Studios, opened in December 2019, that puts riders in the middle of a battle between the Resistance and the First Order.
- Park
- Hollywood Studios
- Opened
- 2019
Avatar Flight of Passage
The motorbike seat syncs to the screen so well that people swear they can feel the banshee breathing under them. Pandora at night, the queue's bioluminescent root system, all of it builds to a flight that still has the longest standby line in Animal Kingdom for a reason.
About Avatar Flight of Passage
A flying simulator in Animal Kingdom's Pandora: World of Avatar land, where riders mount individual banshee-like seats to soar over the moon of Pandora.
- Park
- Animal Kingdom
- Opened
- 2017
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
A family coaster that swings side to side through the mine, with a finale room full of singing dwarfs that somehow doesn't feel corny. Short line-up height requirement, huge crowd pull, and it never really gets old.
About Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
A family coaster in Magic Kingdom's Fantasyland that swings through a mine inspired by Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
- Park
- Magic Kingdom
- Opened
- 2014
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Reverse launches, a rotating omnimobile vehicle, and a Peter Quill mixtape blasting the whole time. EPCOT needed a thrill ride for decades and this one actually delivers, launch after launch.
About Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
An indoor launch coaster in EPCOT using rotating vehicles, themed around a Guardians of the Galaxy story with a classic rock soundtrack.
- Park
- EPCOT
- Opened
- 2022
AA Tier: Ride these every visit
Haunted Mansion
Doom buggies gliding past the stretching room, the ballroom dance, Madame Leota's floating head. It's slow, it's a little creaky by design, and that's exactly why people ride it every single trip.
About Haunted Mansion
A classic dark ride through a haunted estate in Magic Kingdom's Liberty Square, featuring doom buggies and a famous ballroom scene of dancing ghosts.
- Park
- Magic Kingdom
- Opened
- 1971
Expedition Everest
A coaster that runs backwards through a broken track section while a giant animatronic yeti reaches for your train. The mountain itself is one of the best fake landscapes Disney has ever built.
About Expedition Everest
A roller coaster at Disney's Animal Kingdom that sends riders on a train journey through the Himalayas, featuring a close encounter with the Yeti and a thrilling backwards section.
- Location
- Disney's Animal Kingdom
- Opened
- 2006
- Type
- Roller coaster
Slinky Dog Dash
Built from a giant toy's parts and launched out of a box, this is Toy Story Land's best coaster, with two launches and surprisingly punchy airtime for a family ride.
About Slinky Dog Dash
A family friendly outdoor roller coaster at Toy Story Land in Disney's Hollywood Studios, themed as Slinky Dog's extendable coiled body winding through Andy's backyard toys.
- Location
- Disney's Hollywood Studios, Toy Story Land
- Opened
- 2018
- Type
- Roller coaster
Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway
The first ride to put you inside a cartoon, and the 2.5D animation trick genuinely works. Falling through a cartoon hole in the floor shouldn't feel this fun, but it does.
About Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway
A trackless dark ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios that pulls guests into a cartoon world alongside Mickey and Minnie, using 2D animation style visuals blended with physical sets.
- Location
- Disney's Hollywood Studios
- Opened
- 2020
- Type
- Trackless dark ride
TRON Lightcycle / Run
You lean into a motorcycle, the gate drops, and then it's a fast, loud launch coaster under a glowing canopy. Short ride time, but it's the quickest, sleekest thing in the Magic Kingdom.
About TRON Lightcycle / Run
A high-speed motorbike-style roller coaster at Magic Kingdom, themed to the Disney film Tron. Riders straddle individual Lightcycle vehicles and race through a glowing, futuristic digital landscape inside and outside an illuminated canopy structure.
- Location
- Tomorrowland, Magic Kingdom
- Opened
- 2023
- Based on
- Tron
- Type
- Launched roller coaster
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
A runaway mine train through a crumbling canyon, with bats, a flash flood, and one of the best soundtracks of any Disney coaster. It's not the biggest thrill in the park, but it's one of the most rewatchable.
About Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
A runaway mine train roller coaster themed as an old mining town in the American Southwest, known for its moderate thrills, twists, and scenic desert theming.
- Location
- Frontierland, Magic Kingdom
- Type
- Roller coaster
Pirates of the Caribbean
Barrels over waterfalls, a burning town, Jack Sparrow popping up in a treasure hoard. The boat ride that launched a movie franchise still earns its long line.
About Pirates of the Caribbean
A boat ride through scenes of pirates, treasure, and battles, featuring audio-animatronics and the famous theme song. It later inspired a major Disney film franchise of the same name.
- Location
- Adventureland, Magic Kingdom
- Opened
- 1973
- Type
- Boat ride
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
A random drop sequence in a haunted hotel elevator that still gets screams even on the hundredth ride. The Hollywood Tower Hotel's queue, full of dusty props and a working boiler room, is one of the best in Disney World.
About The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
A drop tower attraction themed to the Twilight Zone television series, set in the haunted Hollywood Tower Hotel at Disney's Hollywood Studios, featuring randomized drop sequences.
- Location
- Disney's Hollywood Studios
- Type
- Drop tower
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster
A launch from zero to 57 mph in 2.8 seconds, with Aerosmith blasting through speakers at every headrest. It's loud, it's fast, and the inversions are a rare thing at Walt Disney World.
About Rock 'n' Roller Coaster
An indoor launch roller coaster at Disney's Hollywood Studios themed around a wild ride to an Aerosmith concert, featuring a fast launch and inversions set to rock music.
- Location
- Disney's Hollywood Studios
- Type
- Launch roller coaster
Remy's Ratatouille Adventure
You get shrunk down to rat size and chased through a Parisian kitchen on a trackless ratmobile. Smell effects, a giant Chef Skinner, and genuinely clever scale tricks make this one of EPCOT's newer standouts.
About Remy's Ratatouille Adventure
A trackless dark ride at Epcot's France pavilion that shrinks riders down to the size of a rat to scurry through Gusteau's restaurant alongside Remy. Based on Pixar's Ratatouille.
- Location
- Epcot, France Pavilion
- Opened
- 2021
- Type
- Trackless dark ride
BB Tier: Solid, reliable, no regrets
Jungle Cruise
Corny jokes from a skipper who's clearly having a great time, animatronic elephants, and a backside-of-water moment that's become a running gag. It's silly on purpose and that's the charm.
About Jungle Cruise
A slow-moving boat ride through artificial rivers representing the Amazon, Nile, Congo, and Mekong, led by a guide who delivers scripted comedic narration. It is one of the original attractions that opened with Magic Kingdom.
- Location
- Adventureland, Magic Kingdom
- Opened
- 1971
- Type
- Boat ride
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
You actually pilot the Falcon, choosing pilot, gunner or engineer, and the cockpit detail is incredible. The ride itself is a short simulator hop, good but not quite the event its queue promises.
About Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
A Star Wars attraction at Galaxy's Edge in Disney's Hollywood Studios that puts guests in the cockpit of the Millennium Falcon as pilots, gunners, or engineers on a smuggling mission.
- Location
- Disney's Hollywood Studios, Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge
- Opened
- 2019
- Type
- Motion simulator
Tiana's Bayou Adventure
A new log flume layout with a zydeco soundtrack and a final drop that still gets you wet. It's a worthy reuse of the old Splash Mountain track, with a warmer story and a genuinely fun finale scene.
About Tiana's Bayou Adventure
A log flume style ride that reimagines the former Splash Mountain attraction, themed to Disney's The Princess and the Frog and featuring Princess Tiana and music inspired by the film.
- Location
- Magic Kingdom
- Opened
- 2024
- Based on
- The Princess and the Frog
- Type
- Log flume ride
Toy Story Mania!
A 4D shooting gallery where everyone in your car argues about whose score is real. The 3D games and spring-loaded shooters make it one of the better interactive rides in any Disney park.
About Toy Story Mania!
An interactive 3D shooting gallery ride at Disney's Hollywood Studios where riders use spring-loaded cannons to rack up points across a series of carnival style games themed to Toy Story.
- Location
- Disney's Hollywood Studios
- Type
- Interactive dark ride
Peter Pan's Flight
Flying pirate ships over a glowing model of London, then into Neverland's pixie-dusted night sky. Gorgeous to look at, but the line is almost always longer than the ride deserves.
About Peter Pan's Flight
A gentle dark ride that sends guests soaring in pirate ship vehicles over a miniature London and Neverland, based on Disney's 1953 film Peter Pan. It is known for its long wait times despite being a short, family-friendly ride.
- Location
- Fantasyland, Magic Kingdom
- Opened
- 1971
- Based on
- Peter Pan (1953 film)
- Type
- Dark ride
Na'vi River Journey
A slow boat ride through bioluminescent Pandora, ending at an animatronic Shaman of Songs that's one of the most advanced figures Disney's ever built. Beautiful, if you don't mind a ride with basically no plot.
About Na'vi River Journey
A gentle boat ride through the bioluminescent rainforest of Pandora at Disney's Animal Kingdom, culminating in an encounter with the Na'vi Shaman of Songs animatronic.
- Location
- Disney's Animal Kingdom, Pandora: The World of Avatar
- Opened
- 2017
- Type
- Boat dark ride
Star Tours
A motion simulator that randomizes destinations and dialogue, so no two rides are quite the same. It's dated in spots but the random-sequence trick keeps regulars coming back.
About Star Tours
A motion simulator attraction themed to Star Wars, taking guests on a randomized starship journey through scenes from the films. Located at Disney's Hollywood Studios.
- Location
- Disney's Hollywood Studios
- Type
- Motion simulator
Soarin'
Hang gliding over the Eiffel Tower, the pyramids and Cinderella Castle, with scent effects timed to orange groves and pine forests. A little slow-paced, but the screen and seat combo still sells the illusion of flight.
About Soarin'
A hang gliding simulator attraction at Epcot that lifts riders in front of a large projection dome to soar over famous landmarks and landscapes.
- Location
- Epcot
- Type
- Flying theater simulator
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
A laser-blasting dark ride where your score actually matters, if you can find the hidden high-value targets. Simple fun, and one of the better rides for kids who want to feel like they're winning something.
About Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin
An interactive dark ride at Magic Kingdom where guests join Buzz Lightyear to battle Emperor Zurg, spinning their vehicles and shooting targets with laser cannons to rack up points.
- Location
- Magic Kingdom
- Type
- Interactive dark ride
Frozen Ever After
A boat ride through Arendelle set to Frozen's hits, with Elsa's ice palace as the big finale reveal. It's basically Maelstrom's old track with a new coat of paint, and the wait times are often brutal for what it delivers.
About Frozen Ever After
A boat ride through the world of Arendelle at Epcot's Norway pavilion, featuring scenes and songs from Disney's Frozen. It replaced the former Maelstrom attraction.
- Location
- Epcot, Norway Pavilion
- Opened
- 2016
- Type
- Boat dark ride
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
A gentle, bouncy ride through the Hundred Acre Wood with a blustery wind storm and a honey-pot dream sequence. Short and sweet, exactly what it's supposed to be for the preschool crowd.
About The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
A gentle dark ride at Magic Kingdom that takes guests through the Hundred Acre Wood in a honeypot vehicle, featuring Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore and friends.
- Location
- Magic Kingdom
- Type
- Dark ride
Kali River Rapids
A rapids raft ride through a deforested jungle with a genuine environmental message buried in the theming. You will get soaked, possibly to the bone, so plan your day around it.
About Kali River Rapids
A whitewater raft ride at Disney's Animal Kingdom that takes guests down a jungle river past scenes of rainforest destruction, with a high chance of getting soaked.
- Location
- Disney's Animal Kingdom
- Type
- River rapids ride
Spaceship Earth
A slow climb through human communication history inside EPCOT's giant geodesic sphere, narrated version after version by a new voice. It's a mellow, nostalgic ride more than a thrill, and that's fine, it's meant to be EPCOT's icon.
About Spaceship Earth
The iconic geodesic sphere ride at Epcot that takes guests through a slow-moving tour of the history of human communication, from cave paintings to the digital age.
- Location
- Epcot
- Opened
- 1982
- Type
- Dark ride
Test Track
You design a concept vehicle, then take it for a high-speed lap around the test track, hitting a real top speed outdoors. Fun once you're moving, but the design-your-car intro drags for anyone who's done it before.
About Test Track
A high speed thrill ride at Epcot sponsored by Chevrolet, where guests help design a virtual concept car and then test it on a fast outdoor track.
- Location
- Epcot
- Type
- Thrill ride
CC Tier: Fine once, skip if the line's long
Dumbo the Flying Elephant
Flying elephants going in a circle, basically unchanged since Disneyland in the 1950s. Pure nostalgia for small kids, a short photo op for everyone else, and the indoor queue playground at least keeps the wait bearable.
About Dumbo the Flying Elephant
A classic family ride at Magic Kingdom where guests circle in spinning elephant vehicles that can be raised and lowered, themed to the Disney film Dumbo.
- Location
- Magic Kingdom
- Type
- Spinning ride
Mission: Space
The green track is a tame simulator ride, the orange track actually spins you and has made more than a few riders regret breakfast. Fans are genuinely split here, we land on it being more of a novelty than a must-do these days.
About Mission: Space
A simulated space flight attraction at Epcot that uses centrifugal force to create the sensation of G-forces and liftoff. Riders choose between a more intense orange mission or a calmer green mission.
- Location
- Epcot
- Opened
- 2003
- Type
- Simulator/centrifuge ride
Mad Tea Party
Spinning teacups that you control, which mostly means letting your little cousin spin you until you regret it. Classic carnival fun, nothing more, nothing less.
About Mad Tea Party
A classic spinning teacup ride at Magic Kingdom inspired by the unbirthday party scene in Alice in Wonderland, letting riders spin their own teacup as fast as they like.
- Location
- Magic Kingdom
- Type
- Spinning ride
It's a Small World
A boat ride past hundreds of animatronic dolls singing the same song in different languages, on a loop that never leaves your head. People either find it charming or want to throw the soundtrack into the sea, there's not much middle ground.
About It's a Small World
A slow boat ride through scenes of audio-animatronic children from around the world singing the titular song, originally created for the 1964 New York World's Fair by Walt Disney and his Imagineers.
- Location
- Fantasyland, Magic Kingdom
- Opened
- 1971
- Type
- Boat ride
FF Tier: Reputation outpacing the ride itself
Space Mountain
A genuinely fun indoor coaster in the dark, but decades of patchwork refurbishments have left the track rattly and rough in a way that feels more uncomfortable than thrilling now. It still pulls huge crowds on reputation alone, but the ride itself has aged worse than almost anything else on this list.
About Space Mountain
An indoor roller coaster set in darkness meant to simulate a rocket flight through space, one of Magic Kingdom's signature thrill rides and part of the Tomorrowland lineup.
- Location
- Tomorrowland, Magic Kingdom
- Opened
- 1975
- Type
- Indoor roller coaster
How we ranked them
We weighed story and theming, ride system and technical ambition, rewatchability (how good is it on lap three?), and how it holds up against the wait times it pulls. Consensus from fan communities and critics drove most placements. Where the fandom is genuinely split, like Mission: Space or Small World, we say so and pick a side.
Think we got it wrong?
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Rank these yourselfFAQ
What is the best ride at Walt Disney World?
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is the consensus pick, with Avatar Flight of Passage close behind for sheer technical spectacle.
What is the most underrated ride at Disney World?
Remy's Ratatouille Adventure. It opened quietly next to bigger EPCOT rides but the shrinking effect and trackless ratmobiles are genuinely clever.
Is Space Mountain still worth riding?
Opinions are split. It's a fun layout in the dark, but a lot of riders find the track rough compared to newer coasters like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train or TRON.
Which Disney World ride has the longest wait times?
Avatar Flight of Passage and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train routinely post some of the longest standby waits in all four parks.
Is Tiana's Bayou Adventure the same ride as Splash Mountain?
It uses the same log flume track and drop as the old Splash Mountain, but with a new story, scenes and soundtrack based on The Princess and the Frog.
What replaced Maelstrom in EPCOT?
Frozen Ever After, which reuses the old ride's layout and show building with a new Frozen-themed story and animatronics.
More rankings
Image credits
- Star Wars: Rise of the ResistancePhoto: Bluesnote, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Avatar Flight of PassagePhoto: Freddo, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Seven Dwarfs Mine TrainPhoto: Josh Hallett from Winter Haven, FL, USA, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic RewindPhoto: Jedi94, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Haunted MansionPhoto: Benjamin D. Esham (bdesham), CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Expedition EverestPhoto: Benjamin D. Esham (bdesham), CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Slinky Dog DashPhoto: elisfkc from Orlando, FL, United States, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Mickey & Minnie's Runaway RailwayPhoto: Benoît Prieur, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- TRON Lightcycle / RunPhoto: BallofyaRn, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Big Thunder Mountain RailroadPhoto: HarshLight from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Pirates of the CaribbeanPhoto: HarshLight from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- The Twilight Zone Tower of TerrorPhoto: Jedi94, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Rock 'n' Roller CoasterPhoto: HarshLight from San Jose, CA, USA, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Remy's Ratatouille AdventurePhoto: Paigeboyd02, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Jungle CruisePhoto: SolarSurfer, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers RunPhoto: Benoît Prieur, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Tiana's Bayou AdventurePhoto: Contributor19, CC BY 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Toy Story Mania!Photo: Benoît Prieur, CC0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Peter Pan's FlightPhoto: Carterhawk, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Na'vi River JourneyPhoto: Steve Wise, CC BY-SA 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Star ToursPhoto: Jedi94, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Soarin'Photo: Patrick Pelletier, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger SpinPhoto: rickpilot_2000 from Hooksett, USA, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Frozen Ever AfterPhoto: Theme Park Tourist, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the PoohPhoto: Liauzh, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Kali River RapidsPhoto: Yiftachsam, Public domain (Wikimedia Commons) · Source
- Spaceship EarthPhoto: Jedi94, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Test TrackPhoto: Theme Park Tourist, CC BY 2.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Dumbo the Flying ElephantPhoto: Hoifosuhetaizhu, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Mission: SpacePhoto: Jedi94, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Mad Tea PartyPhoto: Ellen Levy Finch, CC BY-SA 3.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- It's a Small WorldPhoto: Freddo, CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source
- Space MountainPhoto: Benjamin D. Esham (bdesham), CC BY-SA 4.0 (Wikimedia Commons) · License · Source