The best Disney World rides you need to experience

The Wildest Ride in the Wilderness. Big Thunder Mountain is fast, has sharp turns and good drops that aren’t too intense, and everyone on this ride will always be hootin’ and hollerin’. You can usually ride with little wait time when the park first opens (most guests are in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland in the morning) or during the fireworks. Pro-tip: If you’ve already seen the fireworks properly in front of the castle, try to ride during the fireworks. Get in the standby line, based on the wait time, or book a Lightning Lane Multi Pass window. The fireworks are launched from behind the Magic Kingdom, and you’ll be closer to the action.

Rise of the Resistance meets expectations and then some, even if you’ve never seen a Star Wars movie. It’s one of the longest attractions, running about 18 minutes from the first pre-show until unloading. In it, you become rebel spies sneaking around a star destroyer in a trackless ride system that even goes up an elevator. The cast members on this ride get to show off their acting chops, a call-back to some of the more show-like fan favorites from the past. Recently, they’ve started testing a single-rider option for those who want to ride it on repeat. Lightsabers crossed they make this permanent.

Some of my favorite chill rides are at EPCOT (Hi, Figment!), but Cosmic Rewind has helped this park massively. It needed a big thrill. I say it’s worth budgeting for the Lightning Lane Single Pass, as the virtual queue wait can be extremely long. The coaster is all inside and features a unique system where your car rotates throughout the ride, creating a whole new roller coaster experience. I don’t think anyone has gotten off and said “meh.” Cosmic Rewind also features six songs, and you never know what you’ll get. My faves are “September,” “Disco Inferno,” and “Conga.”

Animal Kingdom might be the park that guests may skip if they have limited time (sorry, AK). If you do make it, just as important to your visit as a safari, exploring Pandora or seeing The Festival of the Lion King, a must-do is Expedition Everest. This thrilling coaster through the Forbidden Mountain (next to the famed Mount Everest) has you going forward, backward, outside, and inside—and ends with an 80-foot drop. It is a ride that makes you wish Disney had a few more coasters like this... a boy can dream. Looking to do it more than once with little wait? Utilize the single riders’ line.

After nearly 50 years, Space Mountain still packs a punch. This is the original coaster in the dark at WDW, with loud music, sharp turns, sudden drops and a few bunny hops. Fellow Disney nerds will appreciate the building's innovative design versus today’s rectangular boxes painted in “Go-Away Green” and “Blending Blue.” During Christmas, they’ll do a holiday overlay with green and red lighting inside that lets you see more of the track with rock-n-roll-style holiday music. They only do this for the ticketed Mickey’s Very Merry Christmas Party, and usually during Christmas week, it’s on offer to all guests.

There was a ride for many years called Splash Mountain. While it was beloved by many, including this guy, it was time for a change. Enter its replacement, a rethemed ride that opened at the end of June 2024. The premise is that you’re heading down the bayou with Tiana and Louis (the trumpet-playing alligator) to find a critter band for a Mardi Gras celebration. On a recent visit, my whole log was singing along to songs from Princess and the Frog, enjoying the new animatronics and the 50-foot drop with a view of the Magic Kingdom—which is one of the best moments on any Disney ride.

This is the first Mickey Mouse-themed ride to exist at Disney Parks. We may have seen him in a show (as a costumed character or animatronic), but now we have him immortalized in a ride. Because of that, I had to add this to the list. What I love about Runaway Railway is that it brings back some classic Disney Imagineering, including an original earworm of a song (IYKYK), a cute side character (Chuuby the bird), and just the silliness you expect from Mickey, Minnie and the crew.

I’ll always pay respect to the OG Star Wars ride. Before movie theaters did 4XD, there was Star Tours, a motion simulator that throws you around as you jump to hyperspace to avoid the First Order, who are looking for a rebel spy. If I have it correct, if you snag a seat in the top row on the left (the last people to board that row), you’ll be in for the “roughest” ride. They’ve updated this over the years to play into the expanded Star Wars universe and now there are around 250 storyline variations, encouraging you to become a repeat rider.

Virtual carnival games, 3D glasses and Toy Story—together these things make for one of Disney’s most memorable rides. It takes what we love about Toy Story and combines it with classic carnival games; you’re in for a real treat. You enter Andy’s room and board a carnival-themed ride car that moves around to different screens where you shoot and aim for a high score—think balloon darts (with Rex and Trixie), ring toss (with the Aliens), smashing plates (with the Green Army Guys) and other sequences. My nephew loves this ride so much that he created a 3D-printed a mini ride vehicle.

This has become my favorite family-friendly roller coaster across the parks. After leaving the loading station, you’re launched into the first drop. Midway through the ride, you’re launched again, which feels like Slinky Dog has been pulled back and let go, just as we tormented our slinkies as kids. You’re then high up in the sky, with views of Hollywood Studios and Expedition Everest, and EPCOT in the distance. If you can, make this your first Lightning Lane Multi Pass selection for Hollywood Studios. If not, rope dropping or waiting until the end of the night will be your best bet for minimal wait.

I’ll always do Tower of Terror, no matter what. Having your stomach leave your body is a thrill we need occasionally. Each elevator fits 21 people who are either ardent fans or can’t wait for it to be over. That is what makes it so enjoyable: the collective experience you’re about to have (and the ride photo that captures the moment). Each ride sequence is unique, throwing you up and down in random spurts, never knowing exactly when you’ll drop and when you’ll be shot back up to the top. The reward: a nice, air-conditioned gift shop and a coffee cart outside.

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster might be a bit dated in its theming, but the launch from 0 to 57 mph in 2.8 seconds with Aerosmith blasting in your ears is what puts this ride on the list. If the line at Starbucks on Hollywood Blvd is too long, this will wake you right up in the morning. Another all-indoor coaster, you’re zipping through Hollywood in a “limo” to get to Aerosmith’s show, which includes three inversions—making this the only coaster at Disney World that goes upside down. You have three options to ride: standby, Lighting Lane Multi Pass, and single riders (which is slower than most single-rider lines but quicker than standby).