Check Out the Longest Rides at Walt Disney World!
Sometimes, your goal at Disney isn’t just to experience the finest attractions. You also want to get off your feet for a while.
During a busy park day, you may want a break, but you probably don’t want to leave the premises.
Instead, you’re looking for attractions that will provide a brief respite.
Obviously, show-based attractions work well, but let’s assume you’d prefer to ride something.
Here are some of the longest rides at Walt Disney World.
Jungle Cruise – 9 Minutes, 30 Seconds
I’ve taken a straightforward approach in ordering these. I’ve gone to the film for answers.
For example, here’s the video I used for Jungle Cruise:
You’ll notice that the ride portion starts at the 25-second mark and lasts until 9:55 of the clip. That’s exactly nine and a half minutes of ride entertainment.
Obviously, we’ll have some wiggle room here in how we define the start and end of an attraction.
Also, some of the rides, like Jungle Cruise, provide enjoyment before the boat even moves, as we’re all in it for the Skipper spiel, right?
My point here is that we’re generalizing with some of these. Please don’t get too stressed if you disagree with some of the calculations!
Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover – 11 Minutes
Let’s be honest. The PeopleMover is the attraction we’re all most likely to pick when we want a break.
Imagineers thought of everything in designing this attraction, which overlooks the entirety of Tomorrowland.
During the transit experience, you’ll spend roughly ten minutes staring inside and outside Tomorrowland attractions.
You’ll also gain a glimpse of Cinderella Castle and other landmarks. Even better, this ride tears up a lot.
While that may sound like a bad thing, you’ll sometimes see something like the interior of Space Mountain from a new perspective.
Best of all, PeopleMover lines are rarely long. When you’ve had a full day and are just plain done for a while, you can ride this one on a loop.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance – 12 Minutes, 30 Seconds
Here’s the most challenging attraction on this list.
I say this because a group of people would struggle to reach a consensus on when the ride experience starts.
The line blurs between the attraction queue and the start of the ride.
I evaluated this clip:
Ultimately, I decided to start after the first room where you meet Rey and BB-8. Instead, I prioritized the start of the physical ride.
However, I included everything else after that, not removing the walking parts from the timer.
So, while the full Star Wars experience takes much longer, the “ride portion” covers a maximum of 12 minutes and 30 seconds.
Realistically, it’s closer to eight minutes, but that strikes me as nitpicky.
Spaceship Earth — 14 Minutes
I performed the same check with Spaceship Earth as I had with It’s a Small World.
To my complete shock, the time for this attraction has remained the same for at least a decade.
Because I love Spaceship Earth – it’s my favorite! – I always think of it as lasting longer than this.
Still, I clocked it several times across a decade. It was always right around 14 minutes unless the ride broke down.
You really get your money’s worth for these 14 minutes, though!
Half the ride reveals the history of civilization, while the other half is an interactive game of planning your future.
I love Spaceship Earth so…
Living with the Land – 15 Minutes, 45 Seconds
Here’s an attraction that I’d argue feels even longer than it is. I probably say this because it’s my go-to nap spot.
We should be honest that a quick nap plays a factor in this conversation, as you may want to rejuvenate a bit.
You can definitely do that, as this video demonstrates:
You can quibble about 15 seconds on either side of my calculation, but it’s clearly a long ride whose infotainment part…grows dull with repetition.
I quite like the agricultural section and typically awaken in time for it. Still, I loooove the dark room moments at the start of Living with the Land!
It’s a Small World – 16 Minutes
Here’s the most recent ride video for It’s a Small World:
Those of you who have ridden this one for a while aren’t imagining things.
Disney has slowed down the boats a bit in recent years to stretch the ride.
The 2023 version of It’s a Small World lasts almost exactly 16 minutes. Contrast to this ten-year-old video:
Yes, this ride only lasted for 11 minutes and 30 seconds a decade ago. So, Disney has sneakily improved It’s a Small World.
When you’re tired at Magic Kingdom, this is one of the best options. For whatever reason, the attraction doesn’t have that perception, though.
Walt Disney World Railroad – 18 Minutes
Toward the end of 2022, the Walt Disney World Railroad reopened for the first time in four (!) years.
Disney had to modify the attraction so that the new Tron roller coaster didn’t interfere with the tracks.
This new layout requires about 18 minutes to complete a full lap. However, you can ride it for half that time…or as long as you like.
The railroad makes a couple of stops along the way. You’re welcome to exit whenever you want, or you can catch your breath by riding indefinitely.
In case you’re wondering, the old track layout only lasted for approximately 12 minutes. Here’s video proof:
Liberty Square Riverboat – 19 Minutes
I could have created a “no transportation” rule, which would have taken out a different ride in a bit.
However, if I’d done so, a fair critique would have eliminated the PeopleMover. Without that one, this list wouldn’t be valid.
So, I compromised and added the riverboat ride. It’s about 19 minutes from the first to the final movement.
Kilimanjaro Safaris — 20 Minutes (Or More)
Here’s one of the most challenging attractions to evaluate…but only if you’re nitpicky!
You know when you board Kilimanjaro Safaris that you’ll spend a great deal of time watching the wildlife that lives at Animal Kingdom.
The catch is that ride lengths vary depending on myriad factors such as weather, park traffic, road status, and animal behavior.
For example, an animal should never theoretically block the road, but I suspect frequent Disney guests have witnessed it at least once. I know I have.
So, the variance for this ride is more significant than anything else discussed today. Still, most safaris last at least 20 minutes.
I used this video for my calculations:
There are substantially longer clips on YouTube, though. Kilimanjaro Safaris always delivers a long ride. The only question is, “How long?”
Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress – 20 Minutes and 30 Seconds
When you want to take the longest break at the parks, you can’t do any better than the Carousel of Progress.
I say this because the line for this attraction is rarely more than five minutes. Meanwhile, it doesn’t come with the unpredictability of Kilimanjaro Safaris.
Of course, we’re stretching the definition of “ride” here, as this attraction is really a show.
However, the underlying tech is that of a carousel. Thus, the name. So, I can’t very well exclude it.
Presuming you don’t mind the caveat, this “ride” represents your best strategy for catching your breath at Magic Kingdom, at least theoretically.
I’d still hop on the PeopleMover and ride it until they made me leave, though.
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Feature Photo: Disney