Pick Two Rides at Every Disney World Park
Sometimes, I feel like starting a fight, and today is one of those days.
Let’s say that you can only pick two rides from each Walt Disney World theme park.
What would you select for this double Mount Rushmore?
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
I think we can all agree that Animal Kingdom requires the least amount of fighting.
This park offers fewer attractions than the other three locations we’ll discuss.
Similarly, there’s a clear pecking order for the rides. Like, nobody is going to pick TriceraTop Spin as one of their two.
I’m a DINOSAUR enthusiast, but even I couldn’t honestly say that if I could only choose two rides at Animal Kingdom, it’d be one of them.
That’s the other thing I should acknowledge. I’m evaluating this list according to what I think other people should say instead of stating my personal preferences.
If I were picking, I’d upset some people by naming Na’vi River Journey as one of my two.
As usual, mine is a minority opinion, as it’s my preferred ride at Pandora – The World of Avatar.
Realistically, everyone knows the best two rides at Animal Kingdom, though.
If we polled a bunch of Disney fans, a consensus opinion would form that Avatar Flight of Passage is the park’s most engaging ride.
Meanwhile, Kilimanjaro Safaris reflects the heart and soul of Animal Kingdom.
The attraction represents the incarnation of the theme park itself.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
With the easy park out of the way, we’re now switching the game setting to Hard Mode.
At Hollywood Studios, guests frequently stand in line for more than an hour for seven different attractions.
Nobody waits an hour for a ride unless it’s spectacular.
So, the first thing we need to do is create a shortlist.
I think most people would include these rides in a discussion about the best of Hollywood Studios:
- Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- Toy Story Mania!
- Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster’s length holds it back compared to some of the other options, while Toy Story Mania! has had its time in the sun at Hollywood Studios.
Similarly, I’m going to exclude Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run, as I don’t believe that most people perceive it as being on the same level with Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
So, let’s just go ahead and agree that Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is the alpha attraction at this park.
Debating the second ride proves much more challenging.
Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway embodies the best of Disney Imagineering.
Slinky Dog Dash’s long lines reinforce its sustained popularity. Twilight Zone Tower of Terror represents theme park royalty.
I can make an argument for any of them, but I’m going to exclude Slinky Dog Dash due to its length.
As much as I hate not selecting THE Mickey Mouse ride at a Disney theme park, I fervently believe Tower of Terror is synonymous with Hollywood Studios.
EPCOT
The choices don’t get any easier at EPCOT.
Disney has recently updated this park with several E-Ticket attractions, but it also offers some Disney classics that are park exclusives.
I’m just going to go ahead and say right now that Spaceship Earth must be one of the two selections.
It’s more closely associated with EPCOT than any other ride with any other theme park.
Having clarity on that topic doesn’t make the assignment any less challenging.
Now we’ve got only one spot and the following worthy attractions.
- Frozen Ever After
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
- Mission: SPACE
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- Soarin’ Around the World
- Test Track
Some of you may take issue with the absence of Journey Into Imagination with Figment or The Seas with Nemo and Friends.
Please don’t think I’m casting aspersions, but you should compare those attractions with any on the list above. You know they’re not up to that level of quality.
Mission: SPACE and Soarin’ won’t win for very different reasons.
I simply don’t see Mission: SPACE as having the same quality as the others, while Soarin’ is more closely associated with Disney California Adventure.
Using that same logic, Remy’s Ratatouille drops off because it’s a Disneyland Paris attraction first and foremost.
Now, we have three of Walt Disney World’s best rides, but we can only pick one.
As an EPCOT fanatic, I want to pick Test Track due to the World of Motion pavilion tie-in, but Disney recently announced plans to upgrade this ride.
So, park planners think it’s not on the level with the others, and who am I to disagree?
Thus, I’m choosing Anna and Elsa over Marvel.
To me, Frozen is more Disney than this Guardians of the Galaxy ride.
If you disagree, I fully understand.
Magic Kingdom
Now, I’ve trapped myself in a corner.
I can only pick two rides at the World’s most popular theme park.
Just to be clear, picking the top 20 rides would be a challenge.
I’m not going to beat around the bush. Instead, I’ll just tell you what made my shortlist and risk your ire.
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Haunted Mansion
- It’s a Small World
- Jungle Cruise
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Space Mountain
- TRON Lightcycle / Run
- Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress
That’s ten attractions for only two slots, and that’s AFTER I’ve made some brutal cuts. So, I’m not going to mess around.
I’m tossing out these attractions because I more closely associate them with Disneyland:
- It’s a Small World
- Jungle Cruise
- Peter Pan’s Flight
We’re also tossing Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress despite its historical significance. It’s an important ride, but it’s not a legitimate option if you can only pick two.
I view these selections as the absolute best of Disney, and I’m considering how much they connect to their park.
For this reason, TRON won’t be one of my picks because it’s too new.
Similarly, I’m tossing Big Thunder Mountain because it’s not as impactful.
That leaves us with a final four of Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and Space Mountain.
Here’s where I lose some of you.
Objectively, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train has been the alpha at Magic Kingdom for the past decade and, therefore, deserves a spot as one of the two.
Now we’re left to pick among three of Disney’s most famous attractions.
While I badly want to pick either of the other two, Space Mountain’s heritage differentiates it.
The two I pick at Magic Kingdom are Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Space Mountain.
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