Whether you are only visiting the Disney theme parks for a few days, or you are experiencing long lines and realizing you won’t make it to everything, it is hard to be able to experience every ride and attraction in all four Disney parks.
Over years of visiting Disney’s theme parks, and working as Cast Members, we have found that there are some things that are worth skipping in order to enjoy the rides and attractions that may be more fulfilling for your experience.
Today, we’ve compiled a list of 12 rides to skip on your next trip to Disney World. (And not feel bad!)
12 rides to Skip at Disney World If You are Short on Time
- Dumbo the Flying Elephant or The Magic Carpets of Aladdin (Magic Kingdom): Dumbo the Flying Elephant and The Magic Carpets of Aladdin are essentially the same ride. On both rides, you climb into a ride vehicle and you are spun around in circles as the vehicle moves up and down. Both are a fun experience, but if you are trying to fit in as many attractions as possible it’s best to skip one of these to save time. Personally, we prefer to ride The Magic Carpets of Aladdin as the line for this attraction tends to be much shorter than Dumbo.
- Astro Orbiter (Magic Kingdom): The Astro Orbiter is another spinning ride similar to Dumbo the Flying Elephant or The Magic Carpets of Aladdin. However, it is located at the top of a building, and it spins faster than the other two attractions. Unfortunately, the line for the Astro Orbiter moves slow. For this reason, it’s on our skip list.
- The Hall of Presidents (Magic Kingdom): Located in Liberty Square, The Hall of Presidents is an attraction that is never on our high priority list. In this attraction, you’ll sit in a theater and watch animatronics of all the presidents of the United States. You’ll hear famous speeches and learn history facts. It is an interesting and teachable experience, but unless you really love history this attraction can be boring.
- Prince Charming’s Regal Carrousel (Magic Kingdom): Prince Charming’s Regal Carrousel is on the bottom of our must rides list. While it is cute, you’ve probably been on a carrousel before. Unfortunately, Prince Charming’s Regal Carrousel isn’t much different than any other carrousel. The only exception we will make to ride Prince Charming’s Regal Carrousel? If you’ve got a young princess dressed as Cinderella, take her on the carrousel and let her ride Cinderella’s horse. (Psst! It’s the one with the gold ribbon tied around the tail.)
- It’s a Small World (Magic Kingdom): While it is iconic and a true classic dark ride, It’s a Small World is one of many ride through attractions at Disney World. However, it is similar to both Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion – which are both worth your time. And, by skipping It’s a Small World, you won’t get the catchy song stuck in your head all day.
- The Barnstormer (Magic Kingdom): The Barnstormer is a fun roller coaster for kids. But, it won’t keep the attention of many adults. If you are someone that loves thrill seeking rides and attractions, this one is one that you can skip and not feel like you’re missing out on anything. The Barnstormer is a mild roller coaster that lasts just under a minute.
- Tomorrowland Speedway (Magic Kingdom): While driving a race car sounds like fun, trust us when we say this one is definitely a skippable experience. The Tomorrowland Speedway ride vehicles are difficult to drive for adults and children and they don’t go too fast. Pair that with the noise and the diesel smell of the race track and it’s just an overall unappealing ride that we typically don’t bother with.
- Kali River Rapids (Animal Kingdom): If you’re looking to stay dry, avoid Kali River Rapids in Animal Kingdom at all costs. While you may think that a splash of water will be enjoyable and a nice break from the hot Orlando sun, it is nearly impossible to avoid getting soaked head to toe when riding Kali River Rapids. Trust us, walking around in wet clothes and squishy shoes for a few hours isn’t pleasant.
- Gran Fiesta Tour (Epcot): Gran Fiesta Tour is a gentle boat ride located inside the Mexico pavilion. Guests board a boat and take a ride through various scenes, several that feature The Three Caballeros. The ride is based on a 1944 movie that most kids (and adults) aren’t familiar with. Instead of waiting in line for Gran Fiesta Tour, consider riding Living with the Land in the Land pavilion instead.
- Muppet Vision 3D – Grand Avenue (Hollywood Studios): In this attraction you can enjoy a 3D show filled with jokes and humor featuring Muppets like Miss Piggy and Kermit the Frog. For some reason when we think of Disney, the Muppets just don’t cross our minds at all. Because of this, we tend to forget that the Muppet Vision 3D attraction even exists making it highly skippable on our agenda for Hollywood Studios.
- Swiss Family Treehouse (Magic Kingdom): While Swiss Family Treehouse isn’t a ride, it is an attraction that you won’t feel bad about skipping. Swiss Family Treehouse requires guest to climb stairs up a manmade tree to view the Swiss Family Treehouse. Once you get to the top, you walk back down the stairs. It’s a lot of stairs up and down with nothing much to see at the top. Don’t feel bad about skipping it.
- Mission: SPACE (Epcot): While space is truly amazing and the opportunity to experience what a blast off to Mars would feel like sounds like something you wouldn’t want to miss, it’s definitely skippable for us. There are two options to choose from when you board Mission: SPACE, one (Orange Mission) is more intense and jerkier (most similar to an actual space ship blast off sequence) while the other (Green Mission) is a gentler version of the experience. We have found both experiences can be a bit nauseating and can be a struggle to enjoy for those that struggle with dizziness or motion sickness.
4 Can’t Miss Attractions at Disney World
Now that we’ve shared attractions to skip, we thought we would share a few of our absolutely can’t miss experiences. Because the focus of this article is more on the rides you can live without, we have narrowed down the attractions that we can’t live without to simply one attraction per park.
Magic Kingdom: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train – If you ask probably most anyone what is the most popular ride at Magic Kingdom, we would be confident that most people would select Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. The line for this attraction is always long and for good reason, it is a can’t miss attraction! Climb aboard a mine cart and race through the diamond mine where the beloved dwarfs we all know and love work from the Disney classic Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs.
Epcot: Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind – One of the newest attractions to be added to Epcot and has quickly become a fan favorite (including us) is the Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. Experience Disney’s first ever reverse launch roller coaster as you soar through the stars on a mission to save the galaxy with your favorite guardians. This roller coaster is truly a one-of-a-kind experience, not only do you have the reverse launch but the coaster also rotates a full 360 degrees throughout the attraction to fully immerse you in the experience. If you’re visiting Epcot, we highly recommend making this attraction a priority.
Hollywood Studios: The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror – One of our all-time favorite rides on Disney World property has always been The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios. Stepping into the 5th dimension and viewing scenes from the classic tv hit show, The Twilight Zone all while plunging up and down on a haunted elevator. We truly love this experience because no matter how many times we ride, it truly never gets old. Every time we visit Hollywood Studios, we make it a point to experience this ride at least once (maybe twice if we get lucky!).
Animal Kingdom: Avatar Flight of Passage – If you’re looking for one must ride attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, it is definitely Avatar Flight of Passage. This attraction has guests climb onto the back of a banshee and get the ride of their life through Pandora. One of the first times we experienced this ride, a child next to us got off the ride smiling and stated, “This was one of the best rides at Disney World.”
We have to say, there truly are no bad rides or attractions at any of the Disney World Parks, there are just some that are more appealing than others. While I’m certain that there are not any rides that you will dislike, the truth is when it comes to managing time it is just truly impossible to experience every single thing at all the parks in a reasonable amount of time and because of this, you simply have to pick and choose what you would like to experience.
Which Disney rides and attractions do you find are skippable when you visit the parks?
Before you go, we’ve got more articles about theme parks.