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Disney World Animal Kingdom Ride Guide
Disney World Epcot Ride Guide

More to come!

Main Street USA is mainly shops and the awesome view up to the castle so there aren't many rides - well there are pretty much none. Even though there are 3 stations altogether on the Walt Disney world Railroad, I have decided to put it just in this section so as not to cause confusion. Main Street is also the most popular place to view the parade - although it does get VERY busy VERY early.

Walt Disney World Railroad

An old-fashioned steam train ride around the outside of the park. This ride takes about 15-20 minutes, is 1.5 miles long, goes about 10-12 mph and has 3 stations. A recorded narration acts as your tour guide. A good tip is to catch the train from the Main Street station as soon as the parks open - with a bit of luck you can get to splash Mountain before the crowds! This ride is suitable for all the family.

Disabled guests must transfer to a regular wheelchair

Adventureland is a pretty cool place, especially for those boys aspiring to be pirates! It's home to the Pirates of the Caribbean ride and you will often find Captain Jack Sparrow lurking around.

The Magic Carpets of Aladdin

This ride is very similar to the Dumbo ride - but obviously with an Aladdin theme! As with the Dumbo ride, the flying carpets are rider-controlled so you can go up and down as you please. Watch out for the camels that 'spit'! It's quite short but the kids will love it and you may find Aladdin and Jasmine nearby if you're lucky.

Disabled guests must transfer to a regular wheelchair

Jungle Cruise

This is a river ride with animatronics as you ride along the Nile, the Amazon, the Congo and the Mekong. You will encounter a variety of animals and natives along the way and it's pretty funny in places. You will pass waterfalls and jets so you might get a little wet. One thing to realise is that the cruise takes 9 minutes - a pretty long ride I think. Young children will probably prefer the cruise during daylight hours but it's pretty cool at night - a little scarier in places though. If your child is the only one on your cruise then the skipper might let them take the wheel!

Fastpasses are available
Disabled guests may remain in their own wheelchair/ECV

Pirates of the Caribbean

This is an indoor boat ride which tells the Pirate's story. It has recently been updated to follow the storyline of the film and the animatronics are amazing - Jack looks like a real person! It is a little scary with some very dark bits and some gun shots but we took a 2 yr old and a 4 yr old (both girls) on it and they were fine. They also often have great children interactions with Jack whilst you wait.

Disabled guests must transfer to a regular wheelchair and then to the ride vehicle.

This is the wild west of the Magic Kingdom and has some of the good thrill-seeking rides. Pecos Bill's is a great place to eat here and there's a meet and greet with Jessie, Woody and Bullseye from Toy Story 2.

Splash Mountain

This is essentially your classic log flume but really it's much more than that! It tells the story of Brer Rabbit as you go around - not to be missed! You can pretty much guarantee that there'll be long queues but it's definitely worth the wait. You'll get pretty wet but you'll soon dry off in the Florida heat - it's a great way to cool down. Oh, and just in case you're wondering - it's a 5-storey drop!

Minimum height - 102cm (rider switch is available)
Fastpasses are available
Disabled guests must transfer from their wheelchair

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

This is a classic runaway train roller coaster is a must-do. It's pretty fast with some great dips and turns. If you fancy trekking over in between the Wishes fireworks and the second SpectroMagic parade (if there are two) then you can usually get on a couple of times with no queue - and it's great in the dark! It's great for those who are a little too scared for Space Mountain but it is fast enough to keep the thrill-seekers entertained.

Minimum height - 102cm (rider switch is available)
Fastpasses are available
Disabled guests must transfer from their wheelchair

Liberty Square is a little taste of America in 1776. There's a great replica of the Liberty Bell to look out for and The Yankee Trader is a really fun kitchenware shop.

Liberty Square Riverboat

This is a steamboat ride round the Rivers of America which takes you around Tom Sawyer Island. It takes about 17 minutes and departs several times a day. One thing to note is that although there are some seated areas, most are standing room only. You can sometimes find Disney characters on the cruise boat - check the park map for times.

Disabled guests may remain in their own wheelchair/ECV

The Haunted Mansion

This is a relaxing drive through the mansion to see dancing ghosts and other special effects. I would consider it a must-do - but then I feel the same about most of these rides! You ride in an egg-shaped "doom buggy" and your "ghost host" explains things as you go around. I think this is one of the best attractions in all of Disney world - although it's essentially a haunted house, it is meant for the whole family. However, parents should note that there are some spooky noises and dark rooms as well as things like spiders, bats, skeletons and tonnes of ghosts! You know your child best so you'll be best to make the decision about whether they'd like it.

Disabled guests must transfer from their wheelchair

Fantasyland is situated just behind Cinderella's Castle and is my personal favourite as a park area. It's got heaps of cool rides for kids (and us big kids too!) and is home to the infamous It's a Small World ride. It's a proper fairytale setting, every little girl's dream. If you're taking little girls with you, I would strongly recommend trying to get a booking for a meal in Cinderella's castle - be warned though, you have to book pretty early so don't tell the kids until you've got a place!

It's a Small World

The classic! It's a must-do for all the family, a slow and gentle boat ride which takes you on a journey around the world through animatronics. The music is great, but once it's in your head it'll be there for days! Suitable for all the family.

Disabled guests must transfer to a regular wheelchair

Peter Pan's Flight

This is a lovely ride - it is almost totally in the dark so may be a little scary for some children but it's not too quick and doesn't move around too dramatically. You ride in a ship, predictably, over London at night and then on to Neverland! This is one of the most popular rides in the Magic Kingdom and the queues form fast! I would strongly recommend using the Fastpass system for this ride to save a lot of queuing.

Fastpasses are available
Disabled guests must transfer from their wheelchair

Mickey's PhilharMagic

This is definitely a must-see attraction; it's not really a ride but more of a show. It's basically a 3D film with added smellovision! It lasts about 12 minutes and is great for all the family to enjoy. The show included loads of the classic Disney characters, particularly Mickey and Donald Duck. The 3D is combined with winds, smells, vibrations, etc. to make pretty much a 4D experience. The movie is projected on a 180-degree screen - it looks pretty awesome, I LOVE this and it's great for if you need a little time off your feet, the seats are really comfy! I would advise going for the left hand door and trying to get in the first 5 rows for the best view. Tiny children might be better watching without the glasses - the 3D effects can be a little TOO real and it's also quite loud in places - just warn them.

Fastpasses are available
Disabled guests can remain in their own wheelchair/ECV

Snow White's Scary Adventures

You travel in diamond mine cars for this ride and follow basically the story of Snow White. The ride is Snow White themed but the Wicked Witch appears throughout - obviously it's got the happy ending though! I wouldn't wait too long for this ride; if it's got a long queue then I'd leave it out. This ride can be VERY scary for young children, especially with the Witch so I would build up to it and see if you think your kids would cope. There is a danger that if you make this the first dark ride you go on, your children may not want to do anymore!

Disabled guests must transfer from their wheelchair

Cinderella's Golden Carousel

The explanation's in the name really - it's the carousel. It is beautiful though and goes slow enough to get some good photos of the kids if you're watching. It's in Fantasyland where there are loads of rides for the little ones all together. If you've got young kids then it's probably a good idea to set up camp here for a few hours - don't bother taking the pushchairs from ride to ride - they're all pretty close together.

Disabled guests must transfer from their wheelchair

Dumbo the Flying Elephant

On this ride you get to fly riding in Dumbo. It spins and you can control whether your elephant goes up or down. It's pretty cool and the kids love it - perhaps not straight after lunch though (although it's a pretty wide circle that it spins on). I'd say that most kids would be fine on this ride; generally they love it and want to ride again and again!

Disabled guests must transfer from their wheelchair

The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh

On this you get to ride in a honey pot - what more can you want! I love this ride and so do kids, it's a storybook ride with all the classic characters; there are some dark bits that are a little scary for the tiny tots but I'd advise taking them on it anyway - they'll love the rest even if they get a little scared in the dark. Also, you bounce like Tigger!

Disabled guests must transfer to a regular wheelchair

Mad Tea Party

The tea cups - I wouldn't advise them straight after lunch! If your child has motion sickness I would advise avoiding this ride though. You may spot characters from Alice in Wonderland near this attraction throughout the day. The lines can also get quite long - try riding early or during the parade times if you've seen them already.

Disabled guests must transfer from their wheelchair

This area of the park is designed for disney's littlest guests and there's tonnes for them to see and do. They can take a look around both Mickey and Minnie's houses, go to lots of character greetings in the Judge's Tent or the Toontown Hall of Fame (be prepared for huge queues in the afternoon) or even ride on a perfectly downsized rollercoaster made especially for kids.

The Barnstormer at Goofy's Wiseacre Farm

This is the only roller coaster in Disney designed specifically for children. It's a great first coaster for a child who wants some excitement. The coaster is themed to be a biplane (a crop-duster) and you finish by safely 'crashing' into one of the barns. It's very short - even with no queue it will probably take you longer to walk through the queue area than it will take to ride it! The queues can get very long so I would advise doing Toontown early in the day - especially if you want to do the character greetings too! I would say that it may be too rough for children under 3, but it depends on the child. Also, you might just find Goofy standing nearby!

Minimum height - 89cm (rider switch is available)
Disabled guests must transfer to a regular wheelchair and then to the ride vehicle

Tomorrowland is a glimpse of the future, with space age rides and places to eat. There's something for everyone here - from Buzz Lightyear to Space Mountain!

Tomorrowland Indy Speedway

These are real gas-powered cars that can be driven by anyone who's tall enough - every boy's dream! Riders are strapped in and travel along a 0.4 mile track (it takes about 5 minutes) - spectators can watch from the observation bridge. The queues can be LONG for this ride so try to go early. Also, children who are not tall enough to drive can be passengers. The cars are quite difficult to steer and do remember that inexperienced drivers may stop suddenly or ram you from the back - it's all fun and games though!

Minimum height to drive alone - 132cm
Disabled guests must transfer from their wheelchair

Space Mountain

On this space-age ride you sit in a 6-perosn rocket in single file. It's a fast (gets to about 28mph) rollercoaster in the dark with many twists and turns - great! The queues can be upwards of 2 hours in peak times so use the Fastpasses or get there VERY early. Some children will love it and others will hate it - let them decide!

Minimum height - 112cm (rider switch is available)
Fastpasses are available
Disabled guests must transfer from their wheelchair

Astro Orbiter

This is pretty much like Dumbo but with flying rockets. It often has a long queue so check out the queue for Dumbo or Aladdin if your kids really want a ride like this and go on whichever is shortest! However, it does have an awesome view at night - definitely worth doing if the queue is not too long.

Disabled guests must transfer from their wheelchair

Tomorrowland Transit Authority

This is a 10 minute journey in and around Tomorrowland with spectacular views. One thing to realise though is that you have to step onto a pretty steep conveyor belt to get to the loading platform. Once you're there though the conveyor moves at the same speed as the vehicles so it's easy to get in. it's also a great place to take a look at the queue lengths in Tomorrowland - if you're not sure what to ride next then hop on, rest your feet and make a decision based on the queues! An added bonus is there's usually no queue!

Riders must be ambulatory

Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin

This ride is great, you ride in twos and you can spin your ship as well as shoot the aliens. At the end you get a grade based on how many points you got - watch out for the secret bulls eye for tonnes of points! It is dark and there's lots of flashing but it's not really scary. If you suffer from motion sickness then try not to spin your ship too much and you should be fine - I was. Little boys will love this one but it's great for all the family. With really little ones, make sure they know how to operate the gun or they won't have much fun.

Fastpasses are available
Disabled guests must transfer into a regular wheelchair

Stitch's Great Escape

This has been adapted from the previous show Alien Encounter to include Stitch and make it more friendly for children. It can pretty much be summed up as it is on the map, a dark, interactive alien adventure. However, all the elements that made it scary are still there - and the harness can be pretty uncomfortable. Children who love Stitch may not be scared but others may be petrified.

Fastpasses are available
May be frightening for children
Minimum height - 102cm (rider switch is available)
Disabled guests must transfer to a regular wheelchair