Top 10 Disney World Attractions
3. Splash Mountain
Loosely on the controversial animated film Song of the South, Splash Mountain excels because of the way it offers a satisfying Audio Animatronics-driven extravaganza, while also providing thrills…and water. There’s really something for everyone in Splash Mountain.
Splash Mountain is one of the top E-Ticket attractions Imagineering has ever created; both a masterpiece and a favorite of pretty much every guest, and rightfully so. At around 13 minutes, the attraction is long; it has faultless sets that are filled with details; Audio-Animatronic critters who actually have character; great and catchy songs in “How Do You Do?, “Ev’rybody’s Got a Laughin’ Place,” “Burrow’s Lament,” and “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah;” even the pacing of Splash Mountain is perfect.
I’ve been on Splash Mountain probably over 100 times at this point, and I still notice new details with each new ride-through. While that’s great, what I really love about Splash Mountain is its incredible, lived-in sense of place. This could be said about a few attractions on this list, but nowhere else do I think it’s truer. From the birdhouses that line the area to the poster for the poster for a Swamp Boys in the outdoor queue, Splash Mountain feels like a real place, with a lot more lore than what’s told on the ride. Even with as much detail and depth as this attraction has, it always leaves me thirsty for more–in a good.
2. Tower of Terror
Although fans might point to more recent additions, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror was the first Walt Disney World attraction to have a land built around it. The experience begins as soon as guests step foot on Sunset Boulevard, seeing the glamorized old Hollywood contrasting with the foreboding Tower in the distance.
The suspense is heightened as guests enter the hotel grounds, and the amount of detail throughout the queue–both indoor and out–is staggering, and all in service of those foreboding visuals. Tower of Terror uses the term twilight zone more in the colloquial sense to suggest that things are not what they should be.
When guests arrive into the hotel’s library, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror’s story is framed within the television series by the same name, and guest suspicions that something is amiss are confirmed. Honestly, by the time I’ve arrived at the boiler room, I’ve had a fully-satisfying experience and that could be “it.”
But, it is not. The hotel, now a permanent fixture of the Twilight Zone, reopens for tours, and bellhops invite guests to explore what happened that fateful night by going aboard a still-operational maintenance service elevator for a spooky, thrilling, and referential experience. All of these things combine to make Tower of Terror the most thoughtful and story-driven thrill ride of all time.
1. Haunted Mansion
If the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is foreboding and suspenseful, Haunted Mansion is…I don’t even know. A cheeky, lucid nightmare? It’s part fever dream, part beautifully imaginative. Since the Twin Peaks revival is all the talk these days, I’ll go ahead and toss out the term “Lynchian” to describe Haunted Mansion.
Haunted Mansion is so interesting because it works on multiple levels. Each of the scenes can be taken at face value for what it offers in terms of spooky and/or humorous imagery, or attempts can be made at deeper analysis. What does it all mean? Why does X occur after Y? How does it all tie together?
Like an especially vivid dream, guests want to make sense of Haunted Mansion. This is likely why so much has been written about the attraction, why there are so many fan theories explaining it all, and why visual elements of Haunted Mansion are so meaningful to so many. It’s an experience that etches itself in your memory, even if you’re not entirely sure why.
Artistically, this is the great strength of Haunted Mansion. So many of the vignettes in the attraction have a memorable, graphic aspect that linger and demand to be revisited. If you asked 10 different people what makes the attraction so memorable and special, you’re likely get 10 different answers. It’s this, coupled with technology that has stood the test of time, that really makes Haunted Mansion resonate with guests.
Again, tough choices had to be made when assembling this list. I tormented myself with a number of these decisions (which should be patently obvious by the glaring omission of Country Bear Jamboree). Regardless, it was fun to give thought to what makes the objectively 10 greatest (current) attractions at Walt Disney World, and how those differ from my personal top 10.
Even if it’s impossible to remove all subjectivity from these rankings, I’m pretty satisfied with this list as the best mix of quality, technical impressiveness, and just flat out fun. Now…I’m fully prepared for you all to rip it apart. 😉
YOUR THOUGHTS…
What do you think are the top 10 Walt Disney World attractions? Not just your personal favorites (we’ll have that list soon), but the ones you think are the actual best. Do you think I missed any rides that should have made the list, or made any poor choices? Any other thoughts to add or questions? Hearing your perspective is part of the fun, so please share in the comments–even if it’s just a top 10 list with no explanation, it’d be nice to read!
No to space mtn and American adventures.
i agrree live land yes
Disney figured it out. They give you an opportunity to hit up your favorite stuff without having to commit too much. If you set it up early enough you can probably hit 3 rides within 2 hours. And then after you use them then you can try to fast pass other stuff. Being organized is the key! Good luck,
Very good list!! Obviously, it’s all opinions, but I really like it!
I continually find that few lists include Star Tours, which puzzles me. Yes, the exterior could use a little work on some of the versions. The queue however, is incredibly detailed, exciting, and engaging with audio animatronics, mechanical systems, and other effects. I’d argue that the queue is almost on par with Tower of Terror. The ride itself is incredibly fun and unpredictable with variations. It has a great story and it engages people with the rebel spy as well.
Could someone explain why people don’t enjoy the attraction? Perhaps people don’t view motion simulators as good rides? Or perhaps because some people get sick?
For me , it’s what you said about motion simulators. I don’t value them as much as “physical” rides. Flight of Passage gets discounted for the same reason for me. It’s as good as a simulator can be (at this point), but if I could only do one I’d still rather ride Tower of Terror.
My top ten:
1. Splash Mountain
2. Pirates of the Caribbean
3. Tower of Terror
4. Expedition Everest
5. Flight of passage
6. Kilimanjaro Safari
7. Haunted Mansion
8. Finding Nemo the musical
9. Country bear jamboree
10. Big thunder Mountain
I think you need a list for thrill rides/roller coaster folks and a list for those who don’t like them, as I won’t or wouldn’t want to ride many on this list. My non-roller coaster top 10 is:
10. Astro Orbiter (pictures of the castle and nearby areas in and outisde the park are the best ever!)
9. People Mover (allows you to get great views of the park, a peek inside Space Mountain, and an overview of several other rides)
8. Carousel of Progress (while it could use diversity and an update, it’s an informative but fun way to learn some history and relax off your feet in the A/C).
7. Peter Pan (while short, the sensation of flying and the details telling the story are quite good)
6. Lion King show (it’s not a ride, but a feel good show, but so is American Adventure)
5. Living With the Land (constantly new plants and seasonal decorations)
4. Toy Story Midway Mania (theme plus competition & inter-activeness)
3. Soarin’ (though I liked the first film more than the second)
2. Spaceship Earth (though I wish they’d add more to it on the downhill side, it’s an amazing history lesson and feels very engaging)
1. Kilimanjaro Safaris (unbelievably feels like a real African safari)
No love for Soarin’ around here? 🙂
My Top 10, in no particular order. My guidelines are “If you didn’t go on these, you wasted a trip to WDW.” 😉
Expedition Everest
Haunted Mansion
Space Mountain
Flight of Passage
Splash Mountain
Soarin’
Spaceship Earth
Kilimanjaro Safari
Toy Story Midway Mania
Big Thunder Railroad
My top10 list
Expedition Everest
Haunted Mansion
Space Mounain
Avatar Flight of Passage
Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
Soarin
Test Track
Kilamanjaro Safari
Toy Story Midway Mania
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
10. Haunted Mansion
9. Toy Story
8. 7D
7. Test Track
6. Big ThunderRailroad
5. Rockin’ rollercoaster
4. Expedition Everest
3. Splash Mountain
2. Space Mountain
1. Tower of Terror
Great list!!!
My top10 list
Expedition Everest
Haunted Mansion
Space Mounain
Avatar Flight of Passage
Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
Soarin
Test Track
Kilamanjaro Safari
Toy Story Midway Mania
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Great list but it should be Buzz lightyear space ranger spin instead of splash mountain
Good choice for number one, Michelly!
Reading this, specifically about the details in the queues, raised an interesting question – how has Fastpass affected some of these rides. We went on our first trip in 8 years last year (first with kids too – little ones) and, for me, it was 15 years before that prior trip, so some memories of details of some rides were fuzzy at best before last year.
Since our children will be 5 and 3 at our upcoming August trip, Fastpass is particularly important in our planning for rides (plus I hate waiting in line – when I was a kid and lived in South Florida, we’d do day trips because my grandfather lived in Orlando, and would go in the fall when the parks used to be empty). Our last trip, we pretty much just made our goal to hit our Fastpass rides, and try to survive with them after that (4 & 2 years old at the time), adding in the 3-4 hour break to bus back to Caribbean each day for naps.
That was a long-winded way of saying that we’re primarily riding the major rides with Fastpass and not going through the same queue in some instances that everyone else is. It’s interesting to think about how this might affect a ride. For example, I have absolutely no idea what the main queue for 7 Dwarfs is like and how much detail it does or doesn’t have, since I went on it 3 times last year, but only through the Fastpass entrance. It’s been 9 years since I rode Everest, and I don’t remember the queue, but will we lose something going through Fastpass?
I don’t know if there’s enough difference in enough of the rides to justify an entire post on rides that are essentially changed through Fastpass, but it’s at least an intriguing thought – do we lose the essence of a ride by utilizing Fastpass and thus potentially missing much of the detail and story written into the ride?
I would love to know this as well – it’s been a few years for my family and I, who are visiting mid-August. By using the fast-pass option, what are we missing in the line-ups? Are there rides you wouldn’t recommend the fast pass on for that reason? I love the lead up to the ride as well, and would hate to miss something wonderful.
We rode Seven Dwarfs through the standby entrance for the first time this fall. It was during the Extra Extra Magic Hours, and we only waited 15 min, but the queue was GREAT. All the kids (14, 7, and 4) loved it–and it added a lot to the ride in my opinion. I wouldn’t wait 90 min to see it, but I’m really glad we had the chance to see it.
I’ll be in WDW Sept 17-21 – Will Splash Mountain be closed for maintenance? Do you have a page that shows what attractions will be open in Sept?
I love your site btw, thanks for all the great tips!
https://www.disneytouristblog.com/disney-world-refurbishments/
These are our (Martin and Jan Horning’s) top attractions and shows:
Top Three Attractions and Rides
3. Test Track
2. Toy Story Mania
1. Avatar – Flight of Passage
Top Three Shows – (We like music)
3. Frozen Sing-A-Long
2. Festival of the Lion King
1. Magic Kingdom’s New Fireworks – ‘Happily Every After’
I rode Splash Mountain (at Disneyland) for the first time and I just don’t get why people like it so much. Yeah it is a long ride and there is the novelty of a water based thrill ride, but I could not figure out what was going on. It was like an Audio-Animatronic filled hallucination.
I am taking my granddaughter (10yr) son and wife to Disney world in Oct…..although I am fairly mobile, is there any ride you would not recommend for a senior with walking limitations. Want to enjoy as much as possible just to enjoy her face will be a treat. Thanks for your response.
Hi Mary. I just wanted to give my feedback. My in-laws recently traveled with us to Walt Disney World to spend time with their granddaughter, who is 11. My father in law is missing a leg, so I wanted to speak to your comment about the walking limitations. There were only a few attractions that he skipped, but he was able to ride most things. I’ll list out what he missed and why, and you can make the choices for yourself. 🙂
1. Kali River Rapids (Animal Kingdom) & Splash Mountain (Magic Kingdom) – Very wet and he didn’t feel safe getting in and out of the raft/log.
2. Gorilla Falls & Pangani Trails (Animal Kingdom) – long walk with no quick ways back. Not a ride, just trails for animal viewing.
3. Tom Sawyer’s Island – uneven ground, rocky, swinging rope bridges
4. Swiss Family Robinson Tree House – LOTS of stairs.
I think that’s it! He was able to ride and experience everything else. I’m sure you’ll have a great time.
Hi Tom! Great list!! I was wondering are you going to do a list of top 10 rides at Disneyland resort, Tokyo Disney resort, and Disneyland Paris resort? Love these top tens and I hope you might do more soon! love you and Sarah’s blog by the way
In Tokyo Disney Sea, don’t miss a big Band Beat. It’s the best show of any Disney Park.
I would also say not to miss Journey to the Center of 5he Earth.
The Sinbad ride is great and never has a line.
Do spend time just soaking up the ambience, especially the Arabian area.
Splash Mountain is my #1 for all the reasons you’ve stated and the sheer joy it brings me each time I ride it. The WDW version is so much better than Disneyland’s (which can’t be said for many rides). Glad it made your top 3.
KCmike