By Chris Loechel
When at a Walt Disney World theme park, time is of the essence. It’s often hard to experience everything a park can offer in a single day, so tough choices must be made! It is of the utmost importance to understand your group’s goals and wishes for the day to set your course for the best day you can have, but if you’re looking to know what the best three thrill rides are at each park, we’ve got you covered!
This list can be particularly valuable when determining your strategies and prioritization for your selections for Disney Genie+.
Magic Kingdom
1. TRON Lightcycle Run (est. 2023) – the latest thrill ride to hit the Magic Kingdom and this one doesn’t miss! Disney did a fantastic job theming this after the Tron movies and the queue experience gets you energized and excited for the ride experience. The restraints for this ride will mimic riding a bike and take a little getting used to, but it didn’t bother anyone in our party. The ride starts off with a bang making you aware of the raw speed that this ride reaches. Definitely make sure to plan ahead to catch this one!
2. Space Mountain (est. 1975) – An oldie but a goodie. This iconic classic ride has old school charm to go with big time thrills. From the queue to the ride vehicle, you know that you’re signing up for a legacy coaster experience. The theming is outer space travel which is abundant throughout the experience. The ride itself is a classic coaster that is entirely indoors and pitch black for the majority of the ride. While there is no big drop on the ride, the lack of ability to anticipate the dips and turns ahead due to darkness can make this ride feel more intense for some.
3. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (est. 1980) – Big Thunder is another classic coaster. With the luxury of having more space to operate than Space Mountain, you get more of a classic coaster experience with multiple chain climbs and subsequent drops. The character and nuance in the track’s dips, dives, and slants makes for a thrilling experience that begs you to throw your arms in the air. Each row of seating has a single lap bar which allows you to fit up to 3 people across (typically one adult with a couple of small kids) should you so choose, but this ride is typically most comfortable 2 people per row.
EPCOT
1. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind (est. 2023) – This is the newest of all the WDW attractions and may just be the best! Disney spared no expense is the repurposing of the old Ellen Degeneres Dinosaur ride. Without spoiling the ride, expect the unexpected on this ride. This is on a roller coaster track, but with the ability for each individual car to rotate, combined with the extraordinary Guardians of the Galaxy Theming and with a rockin’ rotating soundtrack, you have a hit that will likely to be the top attraction for years to come.
2. Mission Space (Orange) (est. 2003) – This ride stands alone as you compare it to other thrill rides at any WDW theme park. It is not a roller coaster, but rather a flight simulator built on a centrifuge. This allows the ride to simulate G-Forces by virtue of manipulating the speed with which it spins. As you might expect, this can AND does effect some people with motion sickness. Some of the most fervent roller coaster enthusiasts derive no enjoyment from Mission Space. So, tread carefully and pack your ginger drops if you plan to give this one a try! (For those not interested in the intense experience, they do have a variant which does not spin, green.)
3. Test Track (est 1999) – This experience is a fun concept – you get to design your very own concept car and then test it through a rigorous series of street tests before finishing with a top speed test in open air.
Hollywood Studios
1. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (est. 2019) – “Absolutely breathtaking” is the only way to describe this ride the first time you experience it. An unrivaled blend of theming, rider immersion, and compelling story make this the top experience at Hollywood Studios. I remember getting off the ride the first time and just wondering how in the world they were able to pull off all the special effects experienced throughout. Prepare to be amazed!
2. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (est. 1999) – What this ride lacks in a modern theme (It’s themed for Aerosmith), it makes up for with coaster intensity. A launch start takes you from zero to fun in an instant. Fun LA freeway theming and rockin’ music takes you the rest of the way on a ride that you won’t forget.
3. Twilight Zone Tower of Terror (est. 1994) – A fantastic and unique experience designed by the Imagineers. This one immerses you into the Twilight Zone theming by placing you on a freight elevator. What happens then is an elevator ride you’ll never forget fully equipped with optical illusions, a traversing elevator carriage, and then an elevator that can’t decide if it wants to climb or free fall.
Animal Kingdom
1. Expedition Everest (est. 2006) – Somewhat of a hidden gem that doesn’t have the reputation it deserves as one of the best rides at Walt Disney World. This class long-car coaster delivers big drops and big surprises as you evade the yeti through and around mountains. Make sure you plan to hit this ride twice during your Animal Kingdom stay! (If travelling with adults or older children, there is a hidden single rider line to the right of the attraction for a shorter wait)
2. Avatar Flight of Passage (est. 2017) – Another big win for the Disney Imagineers! In this 4D simulator, they make you feel like you’re riding a Banshee and have the theming and backstory to immerse you into believing it. The ride vehicle is unique and somewhat like riding a bike with a restraint that rests on your back during the ride. It can take some getting used to but is not uncomfortable. 
3. Dinosaur (est. 1998) – What was once a cutting-edge ride experience is now something better classified as a cult classic with older generation animatronic dinosaurs and Disney’s first autonomous vehicle ever implemented into a ride. Even so, this is a ton of fun! The theme takes you back in time to retrieve a dinosaur and experience Murphy’s Law every step of the way to finding it. What this ride lacks in top speed, it makes up in starts and stops, bounces and bumps.
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