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I am currently working on ride reviews for each park. I've mainly focused on rides and not play areas. Bookmark this page (Control- D) and check back often for updates. MAGIC KINGDOM Frontierland- Splash Mountain- TOP PICK- This is 1 of the 3 mountains in the Magic Kingdom. It is one of the longer rides at 11 minutes and can be very relaxing. There are several "scenes" that the log drops into before you get to the final drop, which is approximately 50' at just over 40mph. After the drop you coast through 1 more scene before disembarking. My 5 y/o loved it. The drop comes up really quick and is over even quicker. I always fast pass this ride. Although they just added a 3rd loading area which may reduce wait times. When approaching the top, say cheese, your "Drop" picture will be waiting for you at the end.
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad- Is one of the 3 mountains in the Magic Kingdom. The story line of an old mine train gone out of control. There are no loops but plenty of twists, turns, and bumps to give a pretty good thrill. The pace is quick and is a great family ride. We were able to squeeze mom, dad, and child in 1 seat. I like to fast pass this ride to avoid the lines. Even with a fast pass, plan on 10 minutes or so in line.
- Tom Sawyer Island- There are no rides on the island, except the raft ride over to the island. Once there you can walk the paths and through caves. This is especially fun for the kids who love to climb and explore.
- Country Bear Jamboree- Is an animatronics show featuring the Country Bears. It's cute, a good place to rest your feet and cool off. The sound quality makes it difficult to hear at times, but it is a classic and worth checking out.
- Frontierland Shootin' Arcade- Your classic "Shoot Em Up" arcade. It does cost money to play so beware before you check it out. Is it worth it? I usually walk right past it. Sorry Walt :(
Fantasyland- It's A Small World- This is a non-thrill boat ride. You gently drift along watching the children of the world dance to "It's A Small World". Moms love it and kids are mesmerized by the bright colors. This line, even when long, seems to move pretty quickly.
- Peter Pan's Flight- Get whisked away in a flying sailboat, flying into the night and off to Neverland with Peter Pan. This is a dark ride that is primarily lit with black lights and you are suspended about 8-10 feet off the ground, and you get the entire story in about 90 seconds. The line here can be long, I recommend early in the day or later in the evening.
- Mickey's PhilharMagic- VERY COOL 3D MOVIE. The visual, audio, and smell effects are stunning. I love to watch both kids and adults grabbing into thin air trying to touch the on screen characters. The theater is large so lines move quickly.
- Snow White's Scary Adventures- See the story of snow white in 90 seconds. This is primarily a dark type ride and the scary side may elevate your child's heart rate, but not give them nightmares. Fun for the kids. The line here can be long, I recommend early in the day or later in the evening.
- Cinderella's Golden Carousel- I am amazed at how big this carousel is. It is your typical carousel and a classic ride that everyone should try. The line usually moves pretty quickly.
- Dumbo The Flying Elephant- This line moves VERY slow. If you are doing Magic Kingdom first thing in the morning and aren't planning to do thrill rides right away, get this one done quickly. Even though the line looks short, it can take 30 or more minutes to ride. Kids love it because they can control up or down movement.
- The Many Adventures of Winnie The Pooh- High on the cute meter. You ride in little jar-like cars of honey. My son LOVES this ride, even to this day. The line here can be long, I recommend early in the day or later in the evening.
- Mad Tea Party- If you have a weak stomach, skip this one. It's a classic and worth the wait, but it can spin hard and fast. You control the spinning however, so if you're with someone who cares about you, maybe they won't spin too much!
Mickey's Toontown Fair- The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm- GREAT STARTER ROLLER COASTER. It's small and quick. So if your little one doesn't like it, the ride is usually over before they know it. Also a great ride for parents who don't like roller coasters. My mother-in-law actually rode it with my son the last time we went! Two to a car on this ride.
Tomorrowland- Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor- TOP PICK- The audience participation is cutting edge. To start, you can text a joke in the cue room (not to be confused with the cue line which is first). Text using the number provided and put the code in the subject. My son had one read on the screen: What has 4 wheels and flies...A Trash Truck. Once inside, it's a movie that interacts with the audience. You maybe asked a question by one of the characters and they will respond back to you. VERY COOL.
- Tomorrowland Indy Speedway- These are Go-Carts that ride on a rail so your little one, or you if you're a horrible driver, can "Steer" without crashing. You control the speed by pressing the gas peddle and bumping is encour...er discouraged
. The line does keep moving, but it can take some time. This isn't a bad ride to seek out during a parade. - Space Mountain- The last of the 3 mountains in the Magic Kingdom. It's an indoor roller coaster with lots of twists, turns, and sudden drops, all in the dark. You sit 3 to a car, with 2 cars attached to each other, and each person is in their own seat single file. The line for this gets long fast. My suggestion is to fast pass this first thing in the morning if your plans are to hit fantasy land early.
- Astro Orbiter- I hadn't ridden this ride in almost 10 years because the line always seems so long. You have to take an elevator to the actual ride platform. But, the line, while slow, wasn't too bad and the wait was more or less worth it. Especially to see the Magic Kingdom all lit up at night from this high spot in the park. Just like Dumbo, you can control vertical movement with a control in the rocket.
- Tomorrowland Transit Authority- I don't know why, but this is one of my favorite relaxing rides. The line is always short. You do get an inside look of Space Mountain and Buzz Lightyear on the tour of Tomorrowland. The cars easily fit 4 and can squeeze maybe 2 more. But it cruises along on a fairly smooth track without any drops hills.
- Walt Disney's Carousel of Progress- This is one of Walt's Original rides. There are several scenes taking you back to a time before electricity up to the house of the future. Unfortunately, the ride is once again dating itself as the future came and went on the final scene about 10 years ago. Nonetheless, it's a great relaxing ride in air conditioning where the audience rotates around the scenes and you will leave humming the theme song, "Oh there's a great big beautiful tomorrow".
- Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin- TOP PICK-GREAT ride. The line moves rather quickly because the cars, like the haunted mansion, are on a slow continuous loop. Two to a car, although 3 can fit, but only 2 can play the laser game. User you laser blast to blast Zorg and his enemy robots. Use the joystick to rotate the car in a circle to better aim at the enemy. At the end, tally your score and find your rank. This ride is lit in black lights and the fluorescent paint really pops through the whole ride. When blasting Zorg, be sure to look up and say cheese.
- Stitch's Great Eascape!- This has been converted over from Alien Encounter. The premise of the ride is you are going to transport a "being" from one planet to another when something goes terribly wrong. Stitch escapes and causes chaos within the holding area. Get ready for him to breath on your neck and smell what he ate for lunch (cool effect). Not as good as Alien Encounter, but impressive the first couple of times you ride it. No motion here, just darkness.
Liberty Square- The Hall of Presidents- See each of the presidents of the USA come to life in the animatronics marvel. Great opportunity to teach your kids a little history, if they are willing to learn during your stay. The nice part is that your are inside and it is air conditioned. Great place to take a quick break if it's hot.
- Liberty Square Riverboat- Ride this classic steamboat around Tom Sawyer Island.
- The Haunted Mansion- TOP PICK- A classic and a favorite. The ride cars, or Doom Buggies, are on a continuous loop. No fast drops, just "999 Happy Haunts". This was recently updated and the imagineers did a great job breathing new life into this attraction. Some of the effects, while primitive by today's standards, are still very effective. Overall, nothing too scary here and I would recommend it for little ones.
Adventure Land- The Magic Carpets of Aladdin- This is just like Dumbo and Astro Orbiter, only you can also control tilt of the carpet forward and backward. The line typically moves pretty quickly.
- The Enchanted Tiki Room- This is similar to Country Bear Jamboree on with birds. It's funny and a great place to relax in air conditioning.
- Jungle Cruise- The guide is the real entertainment here. They are witty and tell a lot of real cheesy jokes, but I like that. The ride itself is on a jungle boat that takes you along the great jungle rivers of the world. Take cover when you see the elephants, don't want to get too wet!!
- Pirates of the Caribbean- Recently updated and worth going to see. For a while you could walk on this ride, but with the update and the movies, it has become popular again. Like It's A Small World, you ride in a boat that holds about 12 peoples. The special effects are cool, especially Davy Jones at the beginning. There is 1 small drop and then you are in Pirate territory. See how many different places you spot Captain Jack Sparrow.
Epcot Future World- Spaceship Earth- Recently updated, this is a slow moving continuous ride through time. I have not been on this ride since the update but I will review it once I do. I can tell you that it's another great ride to rest the legs and cool off on a hot day.
- Ellen's Energy Adventure- Ellen DeGeneres learns about where energy comes from and energy conservation with the help of Bill Nye "The Science Guy". The majority of this attraction is seated in large slow moving ride vehicles that takes you back to the age of the dinosaurs. Generally there is very little wait for this attraction because the ride cars carry a lot of people.
- Mission Space- TOP PICK- Especially since Disney responded to its super intense nature by adding a less intense experience. I highly recommend the less intense line first. It is suitable for children of all ages who meet the height requirement. It is nothing more than a motion ride for 4 people during less intense training. The intense version gives some pretty heavy duty G forces and I would only recommend it for those who have strong stomachs. The execution of this ride is truly amazing. The last two times I've been, the less intense line has had a 10 minute wait all day.
- Test Track- TOP PICK- Great ride. Expect to wait 60 minutes or more unless you can get fast passes, which sell out usually by mid afternoon. Up to 6 people ride in the car as engineers take you through some "real world" tests like uphill, suspension, braking, summer, winter, and the climax which is a high speed outside test run.
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends- Cute ride on a continuous, slow moving ride vehicle (Clam Mobile). Help keep an eye on Nemo as he darts in and out of the live fish tank. It's a cute ride and kids love it. The line can be a little long, but it does move right along because of the continuous ride vehicle.
- Soarin- TOP PICK-I could ride this all day and not get bored. Unfortunately, I'm not alone. Get a fast pass as soon as you get to the park or plan to be first in line and run to the Land Pavilion. If you wait, lines will quickly increase to 90 minutes or more. You sit about 10 across on 3 levels. The front row goes the highest. Once in the air, like an IMAX movie where the seats move only slightly to give you the sensation of flying. Those who don't like heights will be fine, I promise.
- Living With The Land- This is a little boat ride that talks about how agriculture. Sorry Walt, ZZZzzz. You may like it, especially if you have a green thumb.
- Journey Into The Imagination With Figment- TOP PICK-Kids LOVE this ride. Figment co-stars with Dr. Nigel Channing to test your senses. The ride cars are similar to Fantasyland attractions. It's silly fun.
- "Honey, I Shrunk The Audience"- 3D Movie based on the original movie. This can be scary for little ones as there is a snake that takes a 3D snap and a dog that sneezes. Disney takes advantage of not only sites and sounds, but also smell and touch, like in Mickey's Philharmagic.
- Turtle Talk with Crush- Like Monsters, Inc., this is an interactive chat with Crush, the turtle from Finding Nemo. Kids ask questions, Crush swims around and answers. Beware, your child may start interjecting "Dude" and "Sweet" after they leave.
World Showcase- Maelstrom- A boat ride into a storm that culminates with a backwards ride down a river. Not a bad ride. I suggest getting a fast pass while exploring the other countries.
Hollywood Studios (Formerly MGM Studios)Backlot- Lights, Motor, Action! Stunt Show- This isn't a ride, but a really cool show. The outdoor theater seats about 5000, and it is usually full for every show.
- Muppet Vision 3D- A cute 3D movie featuring the Muppets. FUN FACT- as soon as you enter, turn to the right and notice the sign that says something about the key being under the mat. Lift the mat and the key is there!!
- Star Tours- A motion ride featuring simulated space travel. The robot pilot has his fill of short comings resulting in some surprising wrong turns and mishaps. This is a fun ride the whole family can enjoy.
- Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular- Another stunt show where a few lucky audience members are chosen to participate.
Mickey Avenue Animation Courtyard- Studio Backlot Tour- This is more of an informational ride than anything, but does have some neat facts about Disney as a production company. You will also see Walt's personal airplane which is still registered to this day and as long as it's airworthy, could fly.
- Voyage of The Little Mermaid- A live stage show featuring an abbreviated version of the Little Mermaid. Disney incorporates some really neat effects to give you the feeling of being underwater.
- Playhouse Disney Live- Kids love this show. Get up close with some of your favorite playhouse Disney characters. They are constantly changing it but Bear in the Big Blue House and Winnie the Pooh are consistent characters in this show. The line tends to fill quickly, so be sure to plan some time for waiting in line.
Hollywood BoulevardSunset Boulevard- Rock 'n' Roller Coaster-
- Tower of Terror-
- Fantasmic-
Animal Kingdom |