Disney World Rides

One of Disney's most popular rides since 1994 the Hollywood Tower of Terror is an amazing example of how a story and an attraction can be combined to produce such an innovative attraction.

As you approach Disney's Hollywood Studios you will notice a huge and imposing building in the distance. The 199 foot tall Hollywood Tower of Terror can be seen for miles around.

The theme is based around the television series The Twilight Zone. The Disney Imagineers watched all 156 episodes so that they could get the atmosphere and theme just right. According to Disney Imagineer Legend the Hollywood Tower Hotel dates back to 1917. Located in Hollywood the movie capital of the world it soon became famous for welcoming it's film star guests.

But then tragedy strikes on October 31st 1939. The Tower is struck by lightning and part of the building is destroyed including 2 wings and 2 elevator shafts. Five guests have just boarded the elevator. The guests are a child star with her nanny, two young stars and a bellhop - you may see them again somewhere......

After walking through brilliantly themed areas in the waiting area guest board an elevator. The fun is about to start as you glide past ghostly images through scary hotel passageways. The doors open and you get a brief glimpse out over the park and beyond. The doors shut again and you are plunged into darkness before falling 13 stories to the ground. You will experience several elevations and drops before the ride comes to an end.

No one experience is the same as the ride uses technology to produce a random ride sequence. So no matter how many times you ride the Tower of Terror you never know what is going to happen next.

Use the Fast Pass or Single Rider system and you will cut down your wait time considerably. Try and ride Tower of Terror in the dark too as this just adds to the experience. You do have to be 40"tall to ride.

This list isn't in any particular order but if I had to choose my Number 1 Disney World ride then Epcot's Test Track ride would win hands down.

What is Test Track? Well the idea is that it is a testing facility for vehicles. You board a 6 passenger vehicle and travel around the test facility. You experience various tests including the handling test and braking test. These stages are fun but what you are really waiting for is The High Speed Test. Here you will travel at speeds of up to 65 mph on a huge outside track. This part is what makes Test Track one of the best Disney World rides.

Any downsides? The line. As well as it being my favorite it is pretty much the most popular ride in the park. Lines form early in the morning. So if you want to get ahead then get to the park early. Aim to arrive at least 30 minutes ahead of opening time and then as soon as you get into the park run! Head for Spaceship Earth and turn left at the fountain. Just follow everyone else and you will see where it is!

Don't like the idea of an early morning sprint? Fast Passes are available. Get to the attraction early on in the day. At busy times even the Fast Passes run out if you leave it too late. Evening at less busy times can also be a good time to try. Most guests will be in the World Showcase part of Epcot so you may get lucky and find shorter lines.

Be aware too that as this is one of the most technologically advanced rides at Disney World it also tends to break down quite a bit. The down time tends to be short but when it happens it can be frustrating.

How tall do you have to be to ride on Test Track? There is a 40" minimum height requirement.

Of course I had to include It's A Small World. Yes I know that once you have heard the song you will never be able to get it out of your head but this is truly a Disney classic ride.

It's a Small World is one of the original Disney World rides. Originally debuting at the World's Fair in New York in 1964 it was a Disneyland favorite too.

You will board a boat for your almost 11 minute ride and be taken through many different lands to be entertained by 289 audio animatronic dolls representing many of the countries of the world.

The lines for It's A Small World do build up pretty fast and unfortunately no Fast Pass is available. The lines move along quickly. Should you choose the left or the right hand line? I have tested out this theory a lot and you do still tend to get a bit of a head start if you try the left.

Best time to ride It's A Small World? It is a good place to escape the heat so ride in the middle of the day or whenever you see the line is less than 30 minutes. My husband loves this ride as it gives him a great chance to close his eyes and have a rest!

The outstanding thing about any Disney World attraction is the attention to detail. And here at Expedition Everest you will find so much more than a thrill ride. The Disney Imagineers spend 6 years researching this ride and it most certainly shows.

This pretty intense ride is Disney's newest roller coaster. Expedition Everest is based around the legend of the Yeti. You will board the Anandapur Rail Service train which is supposed to take you to the foot of Everest. The journey begins gently enough but of course there is a surprise around the corner. The Yeti has torn up the rail track and your journey is about to get much more interesting........

This is a popular ride so if you want to avoid the lines then the best approach is to get a Fast Pass. Very early in the morning is a good time before the lines build up. Or try this ride at night - it adds even more to the atmosphere.

There is a height requirement of 44" for Expedition Everest. Be aware that this is a pretty intense ride. Whilst in some ways it may look like Big Thunder Mountain really it is a much more scary ride.

So much of the enjoyment of Disney World it tied in to your enjoyment of Disney movies. It is difficult to put into words but it just feels like you are experiencing the movie magic too. This probably wouldn't be in most guests Top 10 but personally I love this Nemo ride at Epcot.

Finding Nemo is one of my favorite Disney movies and I think that this ride is so well done. You will find Nemo in Future World in the Living Seas Pavillion. This attraction has breathed new life into this once forgotten Pavillion at Epcot. Disney realized it had to move with the times and added this attraction and renamed the pavillion The Seas with Nemo and Friends.

Disney guests ride in clammobiles for a journey of discovery through the aquarium. Very clever Disney technology makes you feel as if you are swimming with Nemo and his friends. When the ride ends you find yourself in the viewing area for one of the largest salt water aquariums in the world.

As with many Disney attractions one of the overwhelmingly great features of this attraction is the music. Relax as you find yourself emerged in Nemo's world. You will find all your favorites here. Nemo, Dory and of course Crush.

Yes lines can be long here - but usually not too bad. There is no Fast Pass. This is one of the rides that everyone can enjoy. No height requirement and it is suitable for any age.

Want to experience more G's than astronauts do on a shuttle launch? If that sounds like your idea of fun then Rock N Roller Coaster is going to be your kind of Disney ride. This is my very favorite Disney roller coaster.

You will find the Rock N Roller Coaster in Disney Hollywood Studios right next to the Tower of Terror on Sunset Boulevard. This 80 foot tall 2 minute 2 second indoor roller coaster accelerates from 0-57 mph in a staggeringly fast 2.8 seconds.

But as with all Disney World attractions this is more than just a roller coaster. It is an experience with a back story. Here the theme is Aerosmith. You have been given a back stage pass but everyone is late for the concert. So you have to get there fast. You board the stretch limo and set off on one of the most cutting edge thrill rides ever created. The feeling of the initial launch just has to be experienced to be believed.

So of course this ride it popular and the lines do get long. Arrive early or get a Fast Pass. My tactic for arriving at Disney Hollywood Studios is to get there before official opening time so I am there for the initial rope drop.Then I head quickly down Hollywood Boulevard and take a right down Sunset. Quickly get a Fast Pass for Tower of Terror and then go and ride Rock N Roller Coaster.

Another thing to remember is that Rock N Roller Coaster has a single rider line and this can move pretty quickly. So if you don't mind not choosing who you ride with this is a good option.

This is a full blown roller coaster so it does have a height requirement of 48" and children younger than 7 must ride with an adult.

The exterior of Spaceship Earth at Epcot is one of the most recognized structures and symbols of Disney World - the huge geodesic silver dome. So I decided for a change that you may want to see a picture of what is actually inside. The picture shows one of the new updated scenes from this Disney classic ride.

So what exactly is Spaceship Earth? Guests board time vehicles to be taken on a spiraling journey through time from the prehistoric age to the present day. You will travel slowly past scenes using audio animatronic scenes which explores how human communication has helped mankind make advancements through the ages.

Spaceship Earth has always been one of my favorites from the very first time that I visited Disney World. It is a great mix of education, entertainment and it really is thought provoking. The technology used is amazing and the structure is an excellent achievement of engineering. I was fortunate enough once to see Space Ship Earth with all the lights on when the ride broke down and it was interesting to see the huge structure.

Spaceship Earth is right at the entrance to Epcot. It is the first ride that guests see when they arrive and this causes big lines in the morning. My tip is that if the line is over 15 minutes long at this point then skip it and come back late morning or early afternoon. By then most guests will have arrived and moved on further into the park so there may not be much of a line.

There is no height requirement for this ride and it is suitable for all ages. It is pretty dark at the start though so if you have particularly nervous young children then prepare them for this - it gets lighter a short time into the ride.

The Pirates of the Caribbean ride has been entertaining visitors to the Disney parks since it first appeared at Disneyland in 1967. It has always been a popular ride but there has of course been renewed interest since the very successful Pirates of the Caribbean movie. Now you will find Captain Jack Sparrow himself has joined the animatronic characters. This classic ride is located in the Frontierland part of Magic Kingdom.

Guests board a boat and sail along for an eight and a half minute pirate themed ride. Be aware that there is a small drop in the dark at the start of the ride. The anticipation is always worse than the reality! The ride can be frightening to some young children. I have personal experience of this as at the moment my 7 year old refuses to ride. It is a pirate theme and some of it's imagery is pretty scary.

Walt Disney himself first had the idea for a pirate themed ride in the 1950s. But it took over a decade until the technology was available to realize his vision of the ride.

Lines can get long and there isn't a Fast Pass. But the line area is brilliantly themed and has the advantage of being indoors so can be a welcome break from the Florida sun. The Pirates of the Caribbean is a fast loading ride so at least the line keeps moving.

Located in Tomorrowland in Disney's Magic Kingdom this is a popular ride for good reason. Board your car built for 2 and travel with a mission to save the universe from the Evil Emporer Zurg.

The appeal of Buzz Lighyear ride, aside from all it's flashing lights and Toy Story theme is that it is interactive. You control the spin of your car whilst you shoot your laser canon at the targets.

The Buzz Lightyear ride appeals to the competitor in everyone. Once you have ridden once you want to go on again to improve your score. At quiet times my family has been known to finish the ride and get straight back on again.

It is popular of course and the lines can get long at busy times. Once again getting a Fast Pass really is the way to go unless you want to spend time in line.

Space Mountain was actually the very first Disney roller coaster which I ever rode. Like most guests I went to Magic Kingdom first and had to ride this 'must see' attraction.

I have no idea how many times I have ridden Space Mountain but I still go back again each time I visit. It truly is a Disney classic and has to be experienced.

Walt Disney himself had the idea for a space age attraction. Tomorrowland was Disney's vision of the future and he wanted a major attraction for this part of the park. What is the appeal of Space Mountain? It is certainly not the fastest - at top speeds of 28 mph it really isn't going to break any speed records. The appeal of Space Mountain is it's use of lighting. It is essentially a roller coaster in the dark but with brilliant lighting effects. Sure it is pretty dated and can be quite bumpy but it is still a favorite.

The height requirement for Space Mountain is 44". It is a popular Disney World attraction so you have to expect lines. Try and ride it first thing in the morning or later in the evening. A good time of any popular attraction in Magic Kingdom is to ride during the parade. But if you don't want to miss the parade then your best bet is to get a Fast Pass.