I think something we can all agree on is that planning a Walt Disney World vacation is a lot of prep work. First, you have to plan what time of year you’d like to visit. Then, you have to research what resort you’d like to stay at (I wrote an article about that!). And then you have to think about, three months in advance, what you think you’ll want to eat.
Oh, and let’s not forget about what rides to go on. What rides do they even have? I heard about some Star Wars ride I’ve been told I must go on. What’s there to do at Animal Kingdom; it’s just a zoo, right? All very valid questions, and some I’ve been asked while I was on vacation.
After looking at park maps online (Google is great for this) and probably watching videos from Disney influencers, you may be overwhelmed with what rides you absolutely must-do and what rides you should totally skip. I mean, how many videos out there include “MUST DO!” in their title? A lot.
So how do you determine what you must ride and what you can skip? By being honest about your likes and dislikes. Here’s a quick run down of some of the popular “must do” rides at Walt Disney World, and reasons why you may want to pass on them while on your next vacation.
Magic Kingdom
Tron Lightcycle Run
Skip it if: rollercoasters aren’t really your thing.
Ride it if: You should if you can get a virtual queue for it.
Seven Dwarves Mine Train
Skip it if: the line is insanely long. Your kids don’t like rollercoasters.
Ride it if: your kids loved Goofy’s Barnstormer and want to try something a little more thrilling. Or it’s immediately at park opening or just before park closing.
EPCOT
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Skip it if: You don’t like rollercoasters. You don’t like spinning rollercoasters. You have no idea who Guardians of the Galaxy are.
Ride it if: You love rollercoasters. You’re a fan of Guardians of the Galaxy.
Frozen Ever After
Skip it if: “if I hear ‘Let It Go’ one more time….”
Ride it if: you sing along to “Let It Go”
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
Skip it if: you haven’t seen the movie and don’t know who this rat is.
Ride if if: you’ve seen the movie or you like fun all-ages rides.
Soarin’
Skip it if: flying simulator rides make you queasy
Ride if if: flying simulator rides are fun. (it also has smell-o-vision!)
Mission: Space
Ride it if: you have The Right Stuff, astronaut.
Skip it if: too many reasons to list. The cons outweigh the pros here.
Hollywood Studios
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance or Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run
Skip it if: You’re not a Star Wars fan.
Ride it if: You are a Star Wars fan.
It’s really that simple! This ride is extremely popular, but also has a tendency to break down, so if you’re not a fan of the Star Wars franchise, skip it!
Rock ‘n Rollercoaster featuring Aerosmith
Skip it if: as the name implies, it’s a rollercoaster. with multiple inversions.
Ride it if: reading the above line makes you giddy with excitement.
Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Skip it if: Drop rides freak you out.
Ride it if: Drop rides are great!
Animal Kingdom
Avatar Flight of Passage
Skip it if: flying simulator rides make you queasy
Ride it if: you enjoy flight simulator rides
Note: you don’t need to be familiar with the Avatar movies to enjoy this.
Expedition Everest
Skip it if: You don’t like rollercoasters, especially if they travel backwards.
Ride it if: If you like rollercoasters, you’ll want to ride this.
Dinosaur
Skip it if: Yes, you should skip this.
Ride it if: You shouldn’t. You’ll throw your back out.
Hopefully this gives you a good jumping off point for planning rides for your next vacation. Clearly, not every ride has been mentioned, but I tried to include many of the most recent or popular thrill rides.
Of course, you don’t have to take my suggestions. If you really want to go on any of these rides, then go for it! It’s your vacation, after all. I’m just trying to give you a head’s up about some key rides you may want to pass on so you can spend more of your time going on rides you really want to go on.
Disney Rover 