top ten favorite rides

For this list, I will be talking about my top 10 personal rides at Walt Disney World and explaining why I love each of these rides so much. Just so I’m clear, I am excluding any attraction that does not move (such as Tiki Room or Country Bear Jamboree) because these will be saved for another list. After being in Disney for five months, I got to experience most of the rides in all four parks and have some great memories from each of them, but first I will have some honorable mentions.

Tower of Terror

Okay, I know this should be in my top ten list, but it’s not because I actually hate this ride. But this ride is so amazing! The first time I rode this I was with my roommates Melissa and Talia and I hated both of them because ToT was my biggest fear, but I’m so glad they made me ride it because the queue line is so immersive and the ride is so scary but I always ended up having the best time on it.

Peter Pan

This one should ALSO be on my top ten list but I struggled placing it because I really only went on this ride two times while I was on the program. Despite this ride being one of the original rides in Disney (aka old) it still brings a sense of wonderment and fun when you ride this ride. I love Peter Pan and I LOVE Neverland. If you’ve never been on this ride, there is always a 60-70-minute wait. I suggest waiting in the queue line. The queue is amazing in and of itself, and if you don’t know why, I won’t spoil it. Definitely check this one out though.

Kilimanjaro Safari     

This is a very unique attraction because it’s not a ride on tracks and it’s not a ride indoors. This ride could be different every single time you ride it, but the reason it’s not on my top ten list is because, while I love animals, I was never in Animal Kingdom at early hours in the morning to ride it (only to work) and so I would never get to see really cool things. This made it onto my honorable mentions because I do love this ride and I think everyone should ride it at least once. You may even get to see a lion roar like I did the first time I did it on my program.

Carousel of Progress

THERE’S A GREAT BIG BEAUTIFUL TOMORROW SHINING AT THE END OF EVERYDAY!! Another OG attraction that really should be on my list but isn’t because I don’t know where to put it. I love this attraction so much. It’s so calming and sweet and I love seeing how everything has changed. Just a classic attraction that really needs more love in this world.

Okay, now onto the list…

10. Spaceship Earth

Y’all I don’t know what it is about this slow moving ride, but I dig it so much. I don’t know how many times I would go to Epcot by myself and ride this. It’s the first thing you see when you walk in, there’s usually not a wait, and you literally get to go through history and see what our world has gone through. It’s relaxing and if you get the seat to yourself, you can stretch out and take a quick nap. Remember how easy it was to learn your ABCs? Thank the Phoenicians. They invented them!

9. People Mover

I don’t know why I love the people mover so much, but every time someone even mentions getting on it, I get excited. It’s weird, but I think a lot of people understand why I’m like this. It’s so relaxing and fun, especially when you’re going through Space Mountain and the lights come on.

8. Soarin

We’re soaring! Flying! There’s not a star in heaven that we can’t reach! This attraction is great for a lot of different reasons. It’s relaxing, the music is great, your feet are swinging in the air, you feel like your hang gliding, and the visuals you see are absolutely beautiful. There is nothing not to love about this attraction. Plus, you get to have Patrick as your Chief Flight Attendant.

7. Haunted Mansion

Welcome, foolish mortals, to the Haunted Mansion. I am your host. Your GHOST host.

I LOVE THIS RIDE SO MUCH. And it’s not just because I slowly learned all of the words the ghost host was saying, but I genuinely think it’s a great ride with so much creative imagination. Every time the ballroom dance scene would play, I would lean as far forward as I could to look at all the ghosts and I swear to you I’d see something new every time- and I rode this ride a lot…

6. Rock and Rollarcoaster

Backstage passes for an Aerosmith Concert? Well… if you insist! It took a solid month to get me to go on this ride. I had been on it once when I was 9 and I LOVED it, but when I came back to Disney in 2011, I refused to ride it. I didn’t know if I was ever going to ride it again, but when I did, it became one of my favorite rides. I don’t even like Aerosmith that much, but it doesn’t matter. Listening to Sweet Emotion while going upside down on a roller coaster would make anyone a fan.

5. Pirates of the Caribbean

“Okay guys, just put your hands up! This drop is as big as splash mountain!”- Me to anyone I was taking on Pirates for the first time. Obviously this one has to be in my top five. This ride is so well done. Everything from the animatronics to the cannonballs that make you get potentially wet (Molly really did get wet by one before and it was hilarious). This one is a classic and a must do for anyone visiting a Disney park. I mean, they made a whole movie franchise off of a ride, that means it has to be something else.

4. Dinosaur

WE’RE NOT GONNA MAKE IT WE’RE NOT GONNA MAKE IT! YOU MADE IT! I knew you would! I may get some hate for this. How is Dinosaur number four? I had a literal panic attack the first two times I went on this ride. After the second time though… I don’t know. Something clicked. This became one of my new favorite rides. Something about huge dinosaurs, bumpy jeep rides, and loud noises makes my adrenaline rush and makes me want to come back for more every time. I loved bringing people who had never been on this ride before, and also quoting the whole ride while we rode it. After one time of doing this, I had the lady in front of me turn around and say, “You’ve done this a few times, haven’t you?” Whoops, sorry ma’am. That’s what happens when you live in Disney for five months. Seriously though, I could go on and on about how much I love this ride. The preshow is funny, I love how vintage everything looks and how it really does feel like you’re gonna catch that dino. Also, I loved seeing the pictures from this ride because it looks like everyone is going to crap their pants, unless you know exactly where the photo is taken. Man, this ride is great.

3. Expedition Everest

The amount of code V’s I heard called over the radio for this ride was actually ridiculous. This ride is so good, especially if you ride it at night. That was my favorite part because you could literally see all of Disney World from the top of Mount Everest. Being chased by a yeti, and almost eaten by a yeti is a really fun experience when you’re going backwards and forwards and down hills and well… it’s really just a fantastic ride that you need to do for yourself.

2. Space Mountain

What is there to say about Space Mountain that hasn’t already been said? This ride is basically perfect. It’s like your flying through space on a rocket ship and you have no idea where you’re going. You could dip or turn at any given moment and that’s only half the fun of this ride. If you don’t think it’s great let me tell you this. When my boyfriend and our friends came to Disney the last day we were there, we decided to wait in line for Space. The wait time said 60 minutes. We waited 90, and it was nearing the end of the day so our patience was wearing thin. They had never even been on this ride before. When we got off, they said it was one of the best rides of their trip and that it was worth waiting that long. If that doesn’t say anything, I don’t know what will.

1. Splash Mountain

What goes up, must come down. This ride is actual perfection, and holds a very special place in my heart. When I was nine years old, my family took me on this ride and after the final drop, I cried. I have no idea why I cried after we went down instead of before, but that was my first experience with Splash Mountain. When we came the second time, I rode the ride but screamed a very obscene word as we were going down the hill. I rode it in Disneyland with my friend Kendall and made her sit in the front so she’d get wet. And when I started my program, I rode it (with a lot of anxiety) but after that I begged and begged to go back on it at any given moment. It became me, Molly, and Brianna’s ride and one time we even got a whole log to ourselves. We would always try to figure out what pose we were going to do for the picture the whole time on the ride, and it was so much fun. This ride really does wrap up what Disney is about. It has a story, catchy songs, and thrill and it’s good for the whole family.