There are so many great rides in Walt Disney World it can be hard to say what your absolute favorite one would be! For this post I have narrowed down my favorite by park. You could pick by type of ride or new vs. old but today I am walking you through my favorite ride in each park. A little history of each one and why it’s my favorite to hopefully make you feel like you’re there and riding along!
Magic Kingdom
There are so many good rides here in Magic Kingdom and I truly do love just about all of them. I could tell you about 100 reasons why each one could be my favorite. The nice thing in this park if you have kids especially is that most of the rides here are family friendly and do not have height requirements. But even if you like a thrill there are some for you too! But my all time favorite ride in Magic Kingdom is definitely the Haunted Mansion.
The History of the Haunted Mansion
Walt Disney purposefully wanted the Haunted Mansion in both parks to stand out against the perfectly pruned and clean Magic Kingdom parks. But he did not want run down old building in the middle of the parks either. Walt visited the Winchester Mystery House in San Jose, CA and was inspired to make the attraction an old stately mansion instead. He wanted it to look old and spooky without looking junky. Originally this was going to be a walk through attraction, almost like a haunted fun house. But after Walt’s death the Haunted Mansion was reimagined to use the new Omnimover system with the “doom buggy’s” we ride in today. There are iterations of the Haunted Mansion in all the Disney parks throughout the world except Shanghai due to the Chinese cultures sensitivity to ancestral spirits and ghosts.
The Walt Disney World version opened on October 1st, 1971 as an opening day attraction. One other fun fact I love about this ride is that Madame Leota really is Madame Leota! Leota Tombs was an imagineer that worked on the Haunted Mansion attractions and she is the head you see floating in the crystal ball during the seance scene! There are even three different Haunted Mansion themed movies if you are so inclined to watch them, one older silly one starring Eddie Murphy, the newest one that is really well done and of course the Muppet’s Haunted Mansion that is fantastic too.
Why is it my favorite?
This ride has been my favorite since I was kid. I remember changes made throughout the years, especially the attic scene with the ghost bride. It was a ride I looked forward to riding every time we went. I remember they used to have “ghost dogs” outside the gift shop you could buy and I had to have one! These were a wired dog leash in the Haunted Mansion green and black that would stay up while you were walking like there was a ghost dog leading the way. I also remember that every time we would get to the part where you fall out of the attic into the graveyard my brother would lean forward and smack the back of the doom buggy in front of him and scare the mess out of them (usually me). Now the boys still do this, don’t worry we only do it to each other not strangers enjoying the ride. But it makes me so happy that the tradition is living on with the boys.
EPCOT
EPCOT has gotten a bad rap over the years for not having enough rides or not being good when you have kids. It may have been true years ago but it is definitely not true now! There are so many great rides in this park and especially during a festival there are tons of things for kids to enjoy. Just like in Magic Kingdom, I could name a lot of rides as my favorite for different reasons but I have to say that my overall favorite in EPCOT is Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.
The History fo Cosmic Rewind
There is not a long fun history for this ride like Haunted Mansion since it is so new. Cosmic Rewind just opened May 27th, 2022 and it is the only one out there! There are no other Cosmic Rewinds in any other Disney parks, it’s a one of a kind. The ride is based on the Guardians of the Galaxy characters and movies and if you haven’t watched them you absolutely should! The characters are endearing and hilarious, even if you are not a super hero/fantasy fan you will still love it. BUT, you do not have to know the characters to love this ride.
Why is it my favorite?
This ride is totally one of a kind, I have never been on another like it or even heard of another like it. It’s thrilling without being too much and has all the things I love about Guardians of the Galaxy. The music is awesome no matter which song you get, it is smooth and an instant serotonin boost. The pre show is fun and even though I know what’s gonna happen every time I still get excited and surprised when the room goes dark and then you are all of a sudden on the Nova ship looking at space. This ride can brighten my day no matter what is going on and is just an instant mood booster!
Hollywood Studios
Once again, this is a tough one because there are a lot of different rides in this park and any one of them could be my favorite. And honestly, this was my favorite park as a kid when it didn’t even have a ton of rides. I always loved this park because the old Hollywood feel is such a vibe and I wish I could experience that, this is as close as I get though. My favorite in this park has to be Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
The History of Tower of Terror
Tower of Terror opened on July 22nd, 1994, five years after the park had opened. The ride is based on the multiple episodes of the Twilight Zone series and the queue line features props from the shows. There is a spooky pre show that tells you the story of a family of movie stars disappearing when their service elevator was struck by lightning and that they entered the Twilight Zone. You go through journey through space and sound that concludes with some crazy drops in that service elevator and you never know how many you will get. But that is not how it was in the beginning! It used to only be one drop, then it was increased to two, then three and finally in 2002 Disney added the randomized drop sequences we have today, making it nerve wracking for multiple reasons instead of just falling down an elevator shaft!
This was a modern marvel of it’s time when it comes to rides. Most drop rides did just that, drop but this one was one of the first to be able to leave the elevator shaft and take you on a journey through the Twilight Zone before dropping you. This is called an Autonomous Guided Vehicle. Last fun fact here is that the color of the Hollywood Tower Hotel is not just a style choice, it is the same color as the Morocco pavilion in EPCOT. This is because when you look across World Showcase Lagoon, Tower of Terror fits right into the building structure and you can hardly even tell it is not part of the pavilion.
Why is it my favorite?
As I said, I have always loved the old Hollywood vibe of Hollywood Studios, this ride has all of that! Plus it’s spooky and I love that too. I love the music that plays throughout the queue line, the architecture of the building inside and out and all the old items in the lobby and library. I want to live in here! I remember when this was being built and the anticipation I had as a kid to finally get to ride this ride. I hate that they took down the Tower of Terror sign that I was so excited to see every time we came to Disney World when I was a kid, it was always one of those “look at that when are we riding that” moments.
Animal Kingdom
There may not be as many rides in this park as the others but they are all fantastic! The best part of this park to me is the style of it all. You really feel like you have been transported to another place in all the different areas. I would love to go to these places in real life but I do love that I can visit them in Animal Kingdom. Although there are lots of good rides here, my favorite has got to be Expedition Everest!
The History of Expedition Everest
Expedition Everest opened on April 7th, 2006, 8 years after Animal Kingdom opened. It was modeled after the northwest face of Mount Everest and geological elements found in Nepal and Tibet. The queue to this ride is an attraction all it’s own. Most of the artifacts found here were actually imported from Asia. The Buddha statues, coke bottles, desk phone and computers just to name a few. A lot of these items came from the actual base of Mount Everest! Expedition Everest is also the tallest Disney mountain in the world. It is 200 feet high and the layout makes a giant Mickey head!
Why is it my favorite?
I was older when Animal Kingdom opened and I remember how exciting it was to see this park for the first time. Expedition Everest was another ride I eagerly awaited to ride for the first time. It never matters to me how long the wait is for this ride because I love the queue line so much and I always discover different things while I’m in there. This is always a fun one to ride with the boys, they are so excited every time and that makes me so happy. The best part is getting to the tippy top where you can see all the way across Disney World!
Conclusion
I could literally go through every ride in Disney World and tell you at least three reasons each ride is my favorite. I love them all for different reasons. But when I really think about it and narrow them down by park I looked at what I had to ride most and these were the ones. These are the rides that I automatically think “I have to ride” when I am going to that park. They also each hold a special place in my memories for one reason or another as well. I hope this gave you a little escape to the parks and let you imagine riding these rides in each park. Thank you for reading along this week and have a magical day!