Ranking American Disney Parks by Their Rides
Which American Disney theme park hosts your favorite rides?
There’s no wrong answer here, as all Disney theme parks overflow with excellent attractions.
That’s the exciting aspect of the debate. What you love isn’t necessarily what I love and vice versa.
Still, we can objectively determine which parks differentiate themselves from the rest.
So, here’s how I would rank the American Disney theme parks based solely on their rides.
Note: I am NOT considering show-based attractions at all. If there’s no movement in the attraction, it’s ineligible!
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
I perceive a clear divide in these ratings, with a gap between number four and number five and another between two and three.
Overall, deciding which park hosts the deepest roster of attractions borders on a math exercise.
First, we can count how many rides the various parks offer. Then, we can identify the ones that are superior.
Disney refers to those rides as E-ticket attractions. Literally every Disney theme park owns and operates at least a couple of them.
At some parks, seemingly everything they offer is E-Ticket quality, which makes them a bit more challenging to evaluate.
For example, I’ve previously argued that Animal Kingdom needs a new attraction the most.
Those rankings aren’t quite the same as what we’re doing today, but the philosophy proves similar.
Animal Kingdom hasn’t added anything major since 2017. So, its seven rides appear a bit shallow on their own.
Then, we have the discussion about the underlying quality of rides like TriceraTop Spin.
I suspect most people would agree that Animal Kingdom’s a park where you visit for the experience as much as the rides.
Pandora: The World of Avatar certainly helped with that perspective, though.
Disney California Adventure
Similarly, Disney California Adventure probably would have finished last on this list if we’d done it (or existed) in 2011.
Since then, Disney has added the miraculously spectacular Radiator Springs and the ideally themed Avengers Campus.
Now, DCA hosts plenty of rides of wildly divergent quality.
I’d be reluctant to praise something like Jumpin’ Jellyfish or Silly Symphony Swings, which are glorified carnival rides.
However, the jaw-dropping quality of Radiator Springs Racers and Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! counterbalances such criticism.
On the whole, I would argue that DCA hosts 11 can’t-miss rides, plus a handful of others.
We could split hairs on how good something like Jessie’s Critter Carousel is, but it’s at least on a par with TriceraTop Spin
EPCOT
Here’s where the conversation grows dramatically more challenging.
While the perception of EPCOT is that it’s more of an experience than a haven for E-Ticket attractions, the math suggests otherwise.
EPCOT offers 11 rides of its own, but their overall quality surpasses what you’ll find at DCA.
I’m not sure I would have said that a few years ago, but EPCOT has added several E-Ticket attractions since then.
We’re talking about Frozen Ever After, Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, and Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
Each of those would be in the conversation for the best ride at DCA or Animal Kingdom.
Those attractions have augmented the classics that provide the backbone of an EPCOT visit.
So, this park combines long-standing classics like Spaceship Earth and Journey into Imagination with Figment with newer content.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
Then again, that statement applies to Hollywood Studios more than any other park.
If I’d created this list in 2017, Hollywood Studios would have finished last because the park was on life support at the time.
Once The Great Movie Ride closed, Hollywood Studios turned into a ghost town…and not because of any theming.
Thankfully, Disney aggressively attacked the problem which has led to a top-heavy theme park brimming with E-Ticket rides.
I would argue that Hollywood Studios currently offers seven of them. Here’s the list:
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- Toy Story Mania!
- Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
I know that many fans agree with me because the wait for these attractions often surpasses 60 minutes.
That’s a lasting tribute to the popularity of each one, but it also underscores why Hollywood Studios doesn’t rank higher.
I would argue that its top-tier attractions rival any other Disney park in America.
However, Hollywood Studios lacks the depth of the top two parks, which isn’t a surprise. They’re decades older!
Magic Kingdom
I may have just lost a lot of people, but I contemplated this from every angle.
The reality is that Magic Kingdom’s best standalone attraction, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, isn’t as iconic as the winner’s top rides.
I’m having to split hairs, though. When I compared the two parks, I was somewhat astonished by how similar they are.
At Magic Kingdom, I could argue that Disney hosts more than 20 great rides.
Even when using the most discriminating criteria, the total is at least 12.
That divide matters in that Magic Kingdom provides tourists with quality AND quantity.
I fully understand why Magic Kingdom is the most popular theme park on the planet.
However, I care about Disney history, which means I have to choose…
Disneyland
You probably guessed the top two, but the order may have surprised you.
Here’s my thinking. I just mentioned the 20 great rides at Magic Kingdom. Well, most of them debuted at Disneyland.
Which is better, having the original version or the improved one that came much later?
You can argue either way, but I’m a historian and revere the holy land that is The Happiest Place on Earth.
At Disneyland, I count as many as 25 rides. Using the same criteria as earlier, the total reaches at least 15.
While I love Seven Dwarfs Mine Train an unhealthy amount, it cannot compete with Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge.
Similarly, Disneyland exclusives like Matterhorn Bobsleds, Snow White’s Enchanted Wish, and Indiana Jones Adventure differentiate it.
While I spend most of my time at Magic Kingdom, the reality is that Disneyland claims a longer, deeper list of great rides.
You really can’t go wrong with either one, though, or, for that matter, any of the other Disney parks on this list.
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