My Top 5 Rides in Walt Disney World
There are many, many rides in Walt Disney World, but you’ve got to have your favorites. Having lived near the parks for most of my life, I have gotten to ride everything countless times. I will come out with a top 5 kids’ rides another time, but here are my all-time favorite rides at Disney World…
5. Pirates of The Caribbean (Magic Kingdom)
The Pirates of The Caribbean ride in Magic Kingdom makes my top five because I, like many, think pirates are pretty cool. Not too much of this ride has changed since I first rode it in ’97. Everyone piles into a boat and it glides off into the darkness. There is a short dip that splashes the first row. When you come out on the other side your boat gets caught between a battle with a pirate ship and men on the mainland. As the boat floats ahead there are pirates plundering and chasing women. After the Pirates movie came out Captain Jack Sparrow and other characters from the movie were placed into the ride to update it a bit. This ride says to me “Classic Disney World” because of all of the detailed animatronics.
4. Splash Mountain (Magic Kingdom)
Speaking of classic Disney World, Splash Mountain is probably the most quintessential Disney World ride. You wait in a line that curves around through caverns. Old folky music plays as you inch towards the floating logs that take you through the Briar Patch, and then down a steep drop straight into the water, making it splash and soak not only the passengers, but the people standing on the bridge watching the faces the riders make as they plummet down the hill. Splash Mountain is one of those rides that you just can’t skip in order for your Disney trip to be complete.
3. Rockin’ Roller Coaster (Hollywood Studios)
Stepping away from Magic Kingdom for a little bit, lets head over to Disney’s Hollywood Studios for a ride where you go from zero to sixty miles per hour in less than three seconds. You are personally invited by the band Aerosmith to go with them to a concert they are late for. You sit two by two in a “limousine” and speed through the dark, doing sharp turns and loops, while listening to a rockin’ Aerosmith soundtrack. I picked this rollercoaster over Everest in Animal Kingdom because aside from the coaster falling backwards unexpectedly on Everest, Rockin’ Roller Coaster is more thrilling with its speed and loops and flashy road signs.
2. Space Mountain (Magic Kingdom)
The last roller coaster on my list will always be ahead of the times—it’s out of this world! On Space Mountain you sit in a single-file capsule and speed off into the darkness. It is an older coaster and as you fly through space, it feels like you might get your head knocked off by another part of the track, as you loop through in the dark. Space Mountain is one of the original rides in the Magic Kingdom’s TomorrowLand. I cannot go to that park without riding this classic. Luckily these days there are “fast passes” so you don’t have to stand in line for hours like you had to years ago. This is another one of those “don’t skip” Disney rides.
1. Kilimanjaro Safari (Animal Kingdom)
The Kilimanjaro Safari Ride at Animal Kingdom is my number one pick! I cannot get enough of this ride. Guests scoot into a safari truck and are brought through an animal sanctuary. There is a sign in the truck that tells you what kind of animals you are looking at. The very first ones you encounter are giraffes. There are also lions and lionesses, elephants with babies, hippos, crocs, pink flamingos, all kinds of African animals. It’s a two week safari squeezed into a fifteen minute ride. Anyone who is an animal lover like me would go nuts over this ride. A hint: the best time to see the animals is around feeding time. Whether you are five or seventy-five, this ride is enchanting. Contact our friends at MickeyTravels to book your next trip and experience these amazing rides!
What are your favorite Disney rides?
Special thanks to Emily Shannon for writing this article. Emily Shannon lives fifteen minutes from the happiest place on earth. She grew up going to the parks and has loved Disney all her life.