What is Walt Disney World’s Best New Ride?
Since the start of 2018, Walt Disney World has introduced eight new attractions, most of which merit the E-ticket designation.
Yes, the past five years have proven an embarrassment of riches for Disney fans…but only one of these attractions is better than the others.
Photo:visitorlando.com
So, what’s the best Disney ride of the past five years? I have thoughts…
Note: Because the year just started, I’m including Pandora – The World of Avatar’s attractions.
Photo: Disney
Alien Swirling Saucers
Pros: Lots of fun, child-friendly
Cons: The Worst Attraction at Toy Story Land
Photo: Disney
I will die on the hill that Alien Swirling Saucers provides tremendous bang for the buck.
This attraction requires one of the shortest waits at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. When guests ride it, they often experience genuine belly laughs. It’s pure joy.
Photo: Steven Diaz
Still, we should be honest about the fact that if we were ranking Disney’s newest rides, this is the worst one. And I love it. So, this is a remarkably strong list overall.
Avatar Flight of Passage
Pros: Achingly beautiful, immersive, and intense
Cons: Miserably uncomfortable ride cart, long wait times
Photo: Theme Park Tourist via Wikipedia
This attraction didn’t become the most popular offering at Disney’s Animal Kingdom by accident.
Cast members gleefully describe the ride as “Soarin’ on steroids,” and that’s an apt description.
Credit: Disney
Disney takes the Soarin’ ride structure and then dips it in a 4K coat of James Cameron’s finest paint.
The resulting attraction is an all-encompassing piece of Imagineering escapism.
Flight of Passage
Believe the hype. Avatar Flight of Passage exemplifies Disney storytelling excellence.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Pros: Gripping roller coaster marries MCU quips with classic rock tunes
Cons: A genuine vomit comet with a bizarrely empty room in the line queue
Photo: Walt Disney Company
I’ve ridden Cosmic Rewind enough by this point to have strong opinions here.
On the one hand, this attraction legitimately feels like a Marvel cinematic experience. In fact, you could argue it’s the most realistic one yet.
Photo: Twitter/Scott Gustin
Guests learn about the impending conflict via the Guardians of the Galaxy during a pre-show. And they also meet the menacing Celestial, who wants them dead.
Getting to the point comes with some aggravation, though. You enter three different rooms before the final attraction departure area.
Cosmic Rewind
One of those rooms is eerily empty, making it feel like a prison’s holding cell rather than a Disney ride.
Then, there’s the uncomfortable truth that a handful of guests suffer protein spills after riding Cosmic Rewind.
Cosmic Rewind
For this reason alone, I cannot name it Disney’s best ride, at least not yet. If park strategists uncover a solution, it’s back in the running. After all, the storytelling is top-notch!
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Pros: An attraction Uncle Walt would have loved, offers tremendous repeat value
Cons: Came at the expense of The Great Movie Ride.
Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Yes, that’s a nitpicky criticism. Disney chose to reinvigorate the front of Hollywood Studios by adding the world’s first Mickey & Minnie Mouse ride.
The results speak for themselves, as Runaway Railway borders on a perfect experience.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway in Hollywood Studios
You’ll enter a madcap cartoon universe where anything is possible. Even better, the active digital walls ensure that something is always happening.
I’ve ridden this attraction more than 10 times, yet I’m still finding new aspects of each ride area.
Photo: Disney
The 360-degree experience adds to the repeat value.
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
Pros: Arguably Disney’s best line queue AND Audio-Animatronic, possesses high repeat value
Cons: A repackaged Star Tours, some roles like Engineer aren’t nearly as fun
Photo: Disney
Imagine living out your own Star Wars adventure. That’s what happens on Smugglers Run, an attraction with the strongest gamified element at Walt Disney World.
You’ll either fly the Millennium Falcon, take aim at enemy starships, or repair the ship during your journey.
(Abigail Nilsson)
Two of those job assignments provide gleeful laughs. The other one is…just kinda eh.
Also, once you pay attention to the ride structure, you’ll realize it’s just a modern update of Star Tours, one set in a cockpit.
Galaxy’s Edge
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Pros: You will genuinely believe you are a rat trying to survive a kitchen run
Cons: 3D Glasses are slightly awkward on this ride, and some parts are easy to miss
Photo: Disney
For many years, American Disney fans felt envy toward Disneyland Paris’ best attraction, Ratatouille.
Now, we can ride the EPCOT version, which lives up to the hype. It’s a frenetic, almost desperate struggle to survive.
(Matt Stroshane, photographer)
Despite the life-or-death stakes, everyone has a terrific time since it’s so silly and well-intended.
I would describe Ratatouille as the most Pixar ride to date, and I mean that in the best possible way.
Photo: Josh D’Amaro on Instagram
Slinky Dog Dash
Pros: Makes learning fun, offers the best bunny hops in Orlando
Cons: Incredibly short ride experience, not Disney’s best roller coaster
Slinky Dog Dash feels like a dizzying first kiss. It’s over quickly, but the memory lingers long after it’s done.
Slinky Dog Dash
This physics-oriented roller coaster demonstrates the fascinating underlying mechanics of the Slinky. You’re learning, but you don’t even know it!
Oddly, the best analog for Slinky Dog Dash is probably Peter Pan’s Flight. Both provide flawless ride experiences.
Photo: TheCoasterKings.com
However, each one usually requires a wait of 60 minutes in line. What do you get for your trouble? The answer is a ride that ends far too quickly.
In a way, Slinky Dog Dash is an exercise in minimalism. I happen to adore it, but I couldn’t rank it as Disney’s best new attraction.
Image Credit: Disney
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
Pros: A full-fledged Star Wars experience set behind enemy lines
Cons: Longest line in Orlando, ride tears up a statistically improbable amount
Image Credit: Disney
When Disney goes full throttle on an attraction, you know it’ll be spectacular.
In the case of Rise of the Resistance, Imagineers took the best ideas from several different kinds of theme park attractions.
Image Credit: Disney
Then, Disney threw the ideas into a blender and came up with a new concoction.
Frankly, when everything goes well, Rise of the Resistance is impossible to beat. It’s not just the best recent Disney attraction. It’s also the most technologically advanced ever.
Photo: Disney
Alas, I still vacillate between this ride and Runaway Railway as Disney’s best of the past five years.
I say this because Runaway Railway is basically flawless. Meanwhile, you can stand in line for Rise of the Resistance for two hours, only for it to close suddenly.
(Matt Stroshane, photographer)
The sheer volume of downtime on Rise of the Resistance breaks a different kind of Disney record…and not one the anybody wants!
So, determining which recent Disney ride is best comes down to your patience level.
Rise of the Resistance
There’s simply no disputing the fact that Rise of the Resistance embodies the pinnacle of Imagineering. Alas, it’s a messy ride to keep up and running.
I’d still vote the Star Wars ride as Disney’s best, but I also believe there’s a strong argument for the multi-faceted but totally reliable Runaway Railway.
Which of these attractions do you deem the best? Let us know in the comments!
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