Walt Disney world is a popular family vacation destination for all ages due to its wide variety of attractions. The park opened October 1st, 1971, originally having only one park, which was Magic Kingdom. This park is famous for its big castle. Exactly 11 years later on October 1st, 1982, the second park, Epcot, opened. This park is best known for its giant Epcot ball. A short few years later in 1989, the 3rd park, Hollywood Studios, opened. This park mimics real Hollywood with a sign high up on the hill. Then on April 22nd, 1998, the 4th and final park opened, named Animal Kingdom. This park is full of different animal themed things like a safari to see real animals, a bird show, dino land, and many other popular attractions. Despite all of the rides being magical and thrilling, ten in particular stand out:

1. Tiana’s Bayou Adventure

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is a log flume ride with small hills that eventually comes out to a huge drop, ending with a splash. It is based on the classic Disney movie, The Princess and The Frog. This is the newest ride at Walt Disney World as it came out June 28, 2024. It replaced the old ride, Splash Mountain, which was based on a 1946 movie Song of the South. Even though lots of people loved the ride, they refurbished it since the movie it was based on got lots of criticism for possible racial stereotypes. The tracks of the ride are still the same, it’s just the decor and animatronics that they rethemed to Tiana.

2. Journey of the Water

Journey of the Water is not a ride, but a new walk through attraction based on the movie Moana. It opened in October of 2023 in Epcot. It contains beautiful greenery and scenery to look at and explore, even having a path where water is sprayed at you. At night, it gets lit up blue and green, providing mesmerizing views. It also has interactive activities with water to teach people about the water cycle, water treatment, and other things. They decided to put this attraction in because of how popular Moana was, especially since Moana 2 is coming out soon.

3. Tron Lightcycle/Run

Tron is a fast-paced rollercoaster where the seats look like motorcycles. It opened April 4th, 2023 next to Tomorrowland in Magic Kingdom. It is based on the movie Tron: Legacy, which is about someone getting stuck in virtual reality. The motorcycles in the ride look a lot like the movie because of their blue glow and fast pace, causing them to look like bolts of light. The movie has amazing animations where the virtual reality world is dark with a blue glow, and when you’re in the ride you really feel like you’re in the movie.

4. Guardians Cosmic Rewind

Guardians Cosmic Rewind is also a fast paced roller coaster located in Epcot. It opened May 27, 2022 and is based on the film Guardians of the Galaxy. It is the first attraction that was loosely based on a marvel comic. On top of that, it is also the first roller coaster to enter Epcot and the first Disney roller coaster to launch backwards. This coaster also plays super upbeat music and there are multiple different songs that can play when you ride it, so each time you can have a different experience. The ride is also very dark so while you don’t go upside down it is hard to tell what direction you are going in with all the twisting and turns.

5. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure

Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure opened in the France section of Epcot in October 2021. It is based on the popular movie Ratatouille about a chef rat. It was the first trackless dark ride to come to Epcot and still the newest ride in the world showcase since the other new rides aren’t located in any of the represented countries. It is also a 3d ride where you have to put on glasses that have cute mouse ears on it and you get spun around to different projection screens where air and things can get blown at you to make it seem like the projections are happening right in your face.

6. Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway

This ride came to HollyWood Studios March 4th 2020. It replaced the Great Movie Ride. They got rid of the original ride because they wanted something more innovative with more modern animatronics and features. The new runaway railway takes you in a train through Mickey’s world until eventually the train “runs away” and the conductor goofy loses control of you and the train car runs through different places. It does not go fast and is very fun and kid friendly as it has Mickey Mouse and all his friends in it.

7. Rise of the Resistance

Rise of the Resistance got added to Star Wars land in Hollywood studios December 5th 2019. It is of course based on Star Wars and puts riders into the middle of a battle between the Resistance and the First Order. Walking into the ride even looks like you’re walking into a Star Wars space ship. The ride has a combination of trackless, walk through, and a drop ride system all in one. Even though the ride has been around for almost 5 years there is still a high demand for it because everyone loves Star Wars.

8. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run

This ride opened along with the opening of Star Wars Galaxy Edge in Hollywood Studios on August 29th 2019. Star Wars Galaxy Edge is the Star Wars land that now holds the 2 Star Wars rides. The ride is based on the whole Star Wars series and also puts you on a journey through a smuggling mission. It is a flight simulation ride so it’s like you are flying through space. The visuals are very intense, loud, and you get jerked around a little. It’s a fun ride for people because in the Star Wars movies the millennium falcon is known for being the fastest spaceship. The ride isn’t the fastest ride ever, but it does go fast.

9. Slinky Dog Dash

Slinky dog dash came with the opening of Toy Story Land on June 30th 2018, also in Hollywood Studios. It is based on the slinky dog from Toy Story. It is a kid friendly rollercoaster, and the cart is in the shape of a dog as it goes across an outdoor track. There are some statues of other characters from Toy Story around that you can hear speak as you walk by or even ride the ride. It doesn’t jerk you around very much and is an appropriate speed for kids.

10. Alien Swirling Saucer

This opened the same day as Slinky Dog Dash in Toy Story Land at Hollywood Studios. It is a spinning ride kind of like a teacup ride at a fair, except it is themed to the aliens and you are in their little spaceships. It is fun and kid friendly unless you don’t like getting dizzy, then I don’t recommend it. These little aliens from Toy Story have an obsession with a claw, and the point of the ride is that they are going crazy and spinning you around to try to get to it.

While none of these top ten rides are located in the Animal Kingdom park, they have big future plans for it. They are planning to make a new area in Animal Kingdom with an Encanto attraction and an Indians Jones ride. They are also going to make changes to their already existing DinoLand and improve some of the rides there. As well as changing the old  Bug’s Life attraction into a Zootopia one to make it more modernized and keep it fresh for visitors to experience.