There are so many blogs out there about Disney World. You can find what to wear, see, do, and eat with a basic search. Information about the rides is readily available, but when my friends & family come to town they ask me which rides I recommend. So I decided to list my favorite rides at Disney World by each park! Here are my picks & why:
Animal Kingdom
Kilimanjaro Safaris:
Since I’m an animal lover this shouldn’t be a surprise, and of course, there are giraffes! On this ride you get into safari bus and go on a tour of the savannah. You can see Okapi, various birds, hippos, rhinos, giraffes, gazelle, monkeys, elephants, and more! Even once you’ve been on the safari no ride is the same, the next trip you may see an animal you haven’t seen before. I recommend going first thing in the morning or around dusk since the animals are more active. Animal Kingdom now has a night ride for the safari, but if you go after dark you aren’t going to see much!
Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain:
This is my favorite coaster at Disney. It’s fast, but doesn’t go upside down, although it does go backwards! No water, so you won’t get wet.
Shows:
Festival of the Lion King is my favorite show at Disney. It’s interactive and entertaining. The new light show on the Tree of Life Awakenings show is great too, I love watching it. There are different videos so stick around and watch a few. I’m not a huge fan of the new night show, The Jungle Book: Alive with Magic. I am still waiting for the Rivers of Light to be released!
Epcot
Soarin’:
Everyone loved the old Soarin’ ride that took you around California, but now it’s even better! This ride takes you around the world. You sit in a ‘glider’ that lifts you up to see the screen. It feels like you are soaring through the skies, seeing all the sites below.
Spaceship Earth:
I love this ride. It’s so relaxing and neat. The end is my favorite. You just sit down while the ride takes you around and shows you the progression of the ages. No loops or spins, just a slow ride. Plus, it’s iconic.
Epcot is my favorite park and this is mainly because I love to drink and eat around the world! My favorite food spot is the bakery in France and my favorite spot to grab a drink (Oktoberfest) is in Germany.
Be sure to visit inside Mexico, that’s one of my favorite areas (and the inside boat tour is fun, too: Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros).
Another reason Epcot is my favorite is because this park hosts the Food & Wine Fest in the fall and the Flower & Garden in the spring.
New Year’s at Epcot is amazing, too: each country has their own sort of celebration and when they have fireworks at the end, each country shoots off fireworks before the main show begins.
Hollywood Studios
Star Tours – The Adventures Continue:
You sit in a simulator and go on a mission, it’s a very cool ride. The ride is different each time since there a numerous options for each part of the mission, so you will get different combinations each time you ride it. It’s a little bumpy, but worth it!
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith:
A coaster that goes from 0 to 57 mph in the first 3 seconds! The ride also loops a lot. I love it because it’s dark inside so you can’t see the tracks and don’t know what to expect.
Toy Story Mania!:
This is an interactive game. You sit and shoot at different objects to try and get points! My family is very competitive, so we’re always trying to beat one another’s scores. This ride is always busy.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror:
The dreaded elevator ride! You sit in an ‘elevator’ and you’re dropped over and over. Don’t go on this right after you eat!
Magic Kingdom
Peter Pan’s Flight:
A very unique ride. You get into a flying boat and soar over different scenes from the story. It’s a slow ride & it’s relaxing, but I really enjoy it.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad:
My favorite ride in Magic Kingdom. You get into a mine train and go around the mountain. It goes inside and outside the mountain and has fast turns and drops, but doesn’t go upside down.
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin:
Similar to the Toy Story ride at Hollywood Studios: you sit and shoot at different targets to try and get points. You get to control which direction your cart faces and you can even spin all the way around. My family and I will go on this ride the most out of all of the others at any park.
If you’ll notice, there are no water rides on my list! I don’t like walking around the parks soaking wet. Some rides you may only get a little splash of water, but it depends on where you sit, so I don’t risk it. My friends ask me when to go to the parks and I always suggest January or February since the parks aren’t very crowded and it’s not too hot outside. My favorite time to go to the parks is at Christmas since I love all of the decorations. I will be writing a post on this, so stay tuned!
