5 Best Rides at Disney World

As a SoCal native, I have always been a frequent guest at Disneyland. But recently, I got to travel to Disney World and I have to say there are some amazing rides there that I wish we had. Here are my Top 5 favorites!

1. Expedition Everest

One of my favorite rides at Disney World! This ride is the perfect amount of thrill and fun. There are no loops, however you do go backwards in the dark at one point and there is a pretty steep drop. It feels pretty short but it’s definitely one of those rides you can go on again and again. The story and intricate detail with the theming on this ride also makes it one of the best.

2. Mission Space

This is going to be an unpopular opinion and I know a bunch of people are going to disagree with me, but I love this ride. I had heard and seen all sorts of opinions online before riding and I was so scared to ride since this is one of the most controversial rides at Disney World (actually probably at Disney in general!). It is located at EPCOT and was created through a partnership with NASA. The ride is meant to make you feel like you are training for a mission to Mars. When the ride first opened there was only one level that you could ride on. However, many people had issues with it being too intense so Disney decided to make one side less intense (Green) and the other stayed as the original (Orange). For me, the green side was pretty boring and didn’t really feel like much of a ride at all so I opted to try the orange side next. It was unlike any other ride I have ever gone on and that’s what made the experience so amazing.

3. Slinky Dog Dash

This ride may not look like much from the outside but once you’re on it, it definitely takes you on a ride. Right from the get go, there is a launch as soon as you exit the loading area and it doesn’t have the usual pause that you may expect from a launch coaster, which really adds to the fun and unexpectedness. After the first part of the ride, you may think it’s close to being over but then the ride stops and you are once again launched into a whole second part. I couldn’t stop laughing the entire time I was on this coaster. It was a blast!

4. Rise of the Resistance

The ride that everyone’s been talking about recently and for good reason! This ride truly is one of the most immersive experiences of all time. The Imagineers took themed entertainment to a different level here and really make you feel like you are part of one of the Star Wars movies. You also don’t need to know anything about Star Wars to enjoy the ride. I’m not going to give anything away, since it is definitely a ride you have to experience for yourself, but you really feel as though you are part of the Resistance (those are the good guys) and have an important role to play.

5. People Mover

OK, I know this may not be the most thrilling ride, but as a Disneyland native I love that I’m able to ride this somewhere since it was a classic. I think it is such a great way to see the parks while also relaxing. It is fun that it goes through Space Mountain and you get to see that ride from a different perspective than you do when riding it.

Honorable Mentions

Carousel of Progress

This is a classic Disney ride that was created by Walt Disney himself for the 1964 New York World’s Fair. The jokes are still funny to this day and the ride still feels very unique. It is so impressive to watch the theater you’re in spin around to take you to the next scene, all while not hearing any of the scenes before or after you. It’s also a fun way to see just how much life has changed in such a short period of time.

Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway

This is one of the newer rides at the parks and I had no idea what to expect. I was pleasantly surprised with how fun this ride was. I don’t want to give too much away here either because I think being surprised the first time you ride is really important. I will just say that I can’t wait until this ride is at Disneyland and I can ride it as many times as I want!

Kilimanjaro Safaris

A must do ride at Animal Kingdom! This was the first ride at the park and it makes the park so different from any other amusement park. Going out onto the reserve, and seeing all the different animals, really makes you feel like you are on some exotic vacation and not at a Disney theme park. Pro tip: Go in the morning to get the best view of the animals before it gets too hot. We went first thing when the park opened and had an amazing experience! The animals were very active (I mean antelope jumping in the air and giraffes running around with them). It is truly amazing and the epitome of what makes Animal Kingdom so great.

What are your favorite rides at Disney World? Let me know in the comments!