The Five Best Rides at Magic Kingdom (And the Five Worst!)
While we’ve already ranked the lands at Magic Kingdom by their snacks (just for kicks), we thought it would be an equally entertaining (and slightly torturous) undertaking to figure out which Disney rides are the BEST!
Magic Kingdom
Admittedly, we ADORE Disney World’s attractions almost as much as its FOOD! It’s almost impossible for us to choose only a few favorites! But alas, if we were all in a burning house and we could only save five of ’em from the fire, here are the Magic Kingdom attractions we’d choose — and which ones we’d sacrifice to the flames!
Magic Kingdom’s Top Five Attractions
These are in no particular order (we’re not monsters!).
1. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train or Peoplemover
Soooo, remember that indecisive streak we told you about? Well right off the bat, we have a tie. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train in New Fantasyland is a pretty dope ride (and NOT because Dopey’s IN it)! It’s not only a roller coaster but also moonlights as a classic Disney dark ride, too! Its highest drop is 39 feet — which (believe it or not!) is even higher than Space Mountain’s (which you’ll see in a sec!).
Sever Dwarfs Mine Train
And while we’re always up for some Seven Dwarf-antics when we ride through their mining operation (soooo many SPARKLY gemstones!!) Tomorrowland’s Peoplemover is more our speed! This ride in an OG and 100% zen.
Peoplemover Passing Through Tomorrowland
We love how Peoplemover takes us all the way around Tomorrowland — and even inside some of the rides! And unlike Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, you don’t need to score a FastPass reservation MONTHS in advance to take a ride! There’s usually, at most, a 10-15 minute standby wait time to ride Peoplemover unless it’s an especially crowded day.
Click here to read our survival guide for the busiest days at Disney World!
2. Haunted Mansion
The Haunted Mansion might be the most-perfect ride Disney has ever made (it certainly is to a large number of fans of the ride!). This iconic attraction stationed over in Liberty Square delivers wall-to-wall creeps and hot and cold running chills every time. We love the Ghost Host narrator with his deep, spooky voice throughout and Madame Leota’s seance room, but there are too many great scenes to name.
Haunted Mansion
Even if you’re not a fan of “spookier” rides, Haunted Mansion is much more playful and humorous than a traditional haunted house, making it well suited for children and adults alike. Plus you get to ride in a Doom Buggy and take home a hitchhiking ghost — what could be better than that? This whole ride is immensely quotable for a reason — it’s a true classic!
Read about 6 Disney World vacation planning tips everyone always forgets here!
3. Space Mountain or Splash Mountain
UGHHH! We’ve got another tie on our hands but between Space Mountain and Splash Mountain, we’re truly torn over these two TOO! Space Mountain is just such a CLASSIC and delivers the perfect blast of adrenaline as we’re being rocketed through outer space. Believe it or not, the two and a half minute attraction reaches peak speeds of 28 miles per hour and its highest drop is only 23 feet! It WAS also your runner up as favorite of ALL the Disney World rides!
Space Mountain
However, Splash Mountain delivers a slightly different but equally enjoyable thrill. It’s just a matter of preference! There’s just something about being outdoors, then indoors, then outdoors, and getting sopping wet that can be really fun — when that’s what you’re in the mood for.
Splash Mountain
This Frontierland attraction has all the hallmarks of a traditional log flume ride except it’s packed full of crazy animatronic animals and has a giant 49-foot plunge into the briar patch BELOW! The ride is being re-imagined as a new Princess and the Frog attraction soon, so fans of the original ride might want to plan to take a trip down to the Briar Patch SOON! Maybe Princess Tiana will be the tie-breaker we so desperately need!
Click here to learn more about Splash Mountain’s Reimagining!
4. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Another classic for good reason is Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Frontierland. There’s a reason this is the ride often featured in so many Disney World commercials! It’s thrilling but easily approachable by young and old alike, it’s fast and silly, and just generally an all-around fun experience!
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Disney World’s Magic Kingdom
It’s definitely “the wildest ride in the wilderness” as it so boastfully claims, reaching speeds of up 36 miles per hour while its highest drop is 35 feet! You’ll whizz through caverns, gulches, and even the rib cage of a DINOSAUR! Why it’s there, we’re not really sure!
5. Pirates of the Caribbean
Our last top-five favorite attraction at Magic Kingdom can be found in Adventureland, and we always have to ride it multiple times ’cause once is never enough! Of course, we’re talking about Pirates of the Caribbean!
©Disney
The song always gets stuck in our heads and we can always sense whenever our favorite scenes are getting close like the “Here Kitty, Kitty” pirate or the plundering pirate who’s pillaged nothing but HATS! Of course, we always have to look up as soon as we sail underneath the pirate on the bridge to admire dirt-stained (HAIRY!) legs hanging over the ledge right over our heads!
Plus, we can never turn down a chance to smell that musty scent of pirate water permeating the attraction. They even added whiffs of fruity scents in the village scenes a few years back to really make this an experience for your olfactory system AND your eyes and ears!
Click here for everything you ever wanted to know about Pirates of the Caribbean!
OK, OK, we know, we know. Where’s Jungle Cruise?! it’s a small world?! Where’s Mad Tea Party? Where’s Little Mermaid? Tomorrowland Speedway? POOH? BELLE’S MAGIC HOUSE?!???! Listen, this article is about the five best and the five worst. So that’s all we’re able to cover (plus those bonus tie ones above whatever it’s REALLY HARD TO DECIDE!!!). But that doesn’t mean we don’t LOVE the rest of those attractions. They’re all special snowflakes, and you can share your top five in the comments below! <3
Those were the best, now let’s get to THE WORST!
Magic Kingdom’s Bottom Five Attractions
Again, in no particular order! You wouldn’t ask us to pick a favorite child, so don’t expect a LEAST favorite ride! Use your imaginations to determine our true least favorite. 
1. Astro Orbiter
Astro Orbiter is a spinny ride that allows you to pilot your own rocket high above Tomorrowland!
Astro Orbiter Atop The Peoplemover
While that sounds like a pretty swell description, and the views can be amazing, the actual ride itself isn’t very exciting. “Spinny rides that go up and down” seem to be a dime a dozen in Disney World so this isn’t particularly unique. Plus, the attraction’s loading process is notoriously slow and you’ll have to board an elevator to get up to the Astro Orbiter’s platform. For all the extra effort it takes to ride Astro Orbiter, we’ll just ride Peoplemover a few times instead or take a few similar trips on Dumbo the Flying Elephant!
2. The Barnstormer
Storybook Circus is such a cute addition and an area of the park you should definitely visit but The Barnstormer roller coaster is definitely more of a kiddie ride. Any mom or dad who’s been through the “Barnstormer phase” with their littles knows exactly what we’re saying here. Yep, the “Barnstormer phase” is when you get to ride this coaster over and over and over again…AND then use up your fastpasses for it. LOL!
That said, this IS a solid “first coaster” experience for younger kiddos. If you can convince your kiddo to try a bigger a coaster, take them on Seven Dwarfs or Big Thunder instead.
The Barnstormer
If you’re more of a coaster aficionado, you’ll likely be incredibly underwhelmed by the small coaster. Even though we’re totally charmed by this part of the park, spend your time and energy chowing down on Caramel Corn at Big Top Treats next door instead!
3. The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
Remember what we said about spinny rides like Astro Orbiter? Yep, we got another one. Did you ever realize Magic Kingdom has a bunch of spinny rides that all basically do the SAME thing like this? The only spinny ride worth our time is Dumbo the Flying Elephant since it’s historically significant to Disney and a rite of pachyderm passage for many!
Aladdin!
Magic Carpets of Aladdin just feels a bit redundant to us. Yea, the spitting camel is fun but not enough to land it on our good list. Sure the theme is cute and all, but since this ride is also very slow loading, we’d rather allocate the time to enjoying something more unique. There are better spinning rides to devote some of your Magic Kingdom park time!
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4. Stitch’s Great Escape
We gotta say, unless you’re a die-hard Experiment 626 fan, Stitch’s Great Escape might be a bit much for you. There’s a lot of hijinx including sprays of water, “interesting” smells, and other sensory effects. The attraction has more recently only operated seasonally (meaning when the park is at it’s absolute busiest and needs more rides to spread people out). And it looks like this ride may finally be taken out to pasture soon, as it’s reportedly set to close permanently!
Stitch’s Great Escape
Maybe the location is just bad luck? The show building where it sits has been used for many attractions including ExtraTERRORestrial Alien Encounter, Mission to Mars, and Flight to the Moon — all of which have closed. Maybe it’s not all Stitch’s fault — this location seems to have a tough time making things stick.
Click here to learn more about how Stitch’s Great Escape could be going the way of the dodo!
5. Prince Charming’s Regal Carrousel
Now wait a minute. Before you freak out, all we’re saying is that if you’re figuring out where your Magic Kingdom time is going to go, this ride probably wouldn’t be the first one you’re running to at rope drop, OK? Ya gotta give us that.
Formerly known as Cinderella’s Golden Carrousel, Prince Charming’s Regal Carrousel was originally built in 1917, LONG before the Magic Kingdom was even an idea in Walt Disney’s head! We love the ambiance the carrousel’s music provides and the Cinderella-themed murals are spectacular to look at. We can’t image Magic Kingdom without this iconic feature, but as far as rides go…it’s only a two-minute merry go round.
Prince Charming’s Regal Carrousel
Unless you’re wanting to take some memorable family photos or kill some time until Anatasia and Drizella wander by, you might want to ride something else. Prince Charming’s Regal Carrousel usually has really short wait times though, so if you’re wanting to go for a spin, you can usually hop right on!
Overall, we realized our most-favorite attractions are the ones we can’t imagine going to the parks and NOT riding, while some of our bottom five attractions we haven’t been on in years. Maybe it’s time to give them another try and see if we’ve changed our minds! What will happen when TRON Lightcycle Run is completed? We’ll have to wait and see!
What are your top five and bottom five rides at Magic Kingdom? Let us know in the comments below!
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