6
Now most of you won’t know this but here at Inside the Magic we have our own private group chat where we discuss ideas for stories, share tips and mostly argue/discuss what are favorite attractions are.
I thought it would be fun to get feedback from many of the team here so we could tally up our top attractions. Everyone below you will see has given three answers with a focus on an all-time favorite. Now what the team doesn’t know, I am scoring attractions mentioned here whereby each mentioned attraction gets a point and the favorite attraction for each person gets 3 points (I have also counted any honorable mentions)! Be sure to read until the end to find out which attraction was crowned the ITM favorite.
Now, onto everyone’s favorite Disney Parks attractions:
Bailee Abell
My favorite Disney attractions are Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Disneyland’s version). Honorable mentions go to Flight of Passage (of course) and Disneyland’s Peter Pan’s Flight.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad at Disneyland has everything I want in an attraction: excellent theming, a thrilling experience, and my very own childhood memories of begging my parents to ride it with me over and over again. Throw in a fireworks view it’s instantly transformed into a completely new ride.
Rebekah Barton
My top 3 attractions are:
- Splash Mountain
- Tower of Terror
- Smuggler’s Run
Splash Mountain is my fave because I love water rides and I love anything Walt dreamed up! I’m also a history buff, so the Song of the South connection intrigues me.
Nathanial Eker
I love the Orlando Rock ‘n’ Rollercoaster because it combines two of my greatest passions: Disney and Hard Rock!
The Paris Tower of Terror just tops its counterparts for me, probably for nostalgic reasons; I just love hearing that pre-amble in French for some reason and the drop always seems more sudden and fast.
Shanghai’s Pirates of the Caribbean is the best in the world, hands down. Combining traditional animatronics, a rotating boat, huge, unique sets, and most of all: 4D backdrops with a specifically made plot; it’s truly something.
Lindsey Paris
Lindsey sent by far my favorite description of her top attraction:
I’ll be your Jungle Cruise Skipper, Lindsey, telling you all about one of my favorite attractions that steer you amongst the bodies of water in Africa, Asia, and beyond! I ADORE the Jungle Cruise Boat ride attraction, for its PUNNY jokes and silly humor.
I always try to sit as close to the skipper as possible, in order to hear all the quick-paced, goofy jokes and giggle my face off. You’ll see animatronic wildlife, Jungle natives, campsites and at least one “natural wonder!”
There is an interior cave with silly treasure-grabbing monkeys and a snake or two, but nothing jumpy or threatening. Just a moment of treasure, tigers, and darkness!
I hope you get to enjoy this attraction in its original design, just like Walt imagined it! Keep your ears peeled for take-home jokes to irritate your kids with… it’s my favorite kind of humor! If you have enjoyed this 7-minute overview of Jungle Cruise, once again, my name is Inside the Magic writer, Lindsey. If you have NOT enjoyed this overview, my name is Kurt.
Now Lindsey also mentions Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean and the Magic Kingdom but compared to The Jungle Cruise I think you can see these don’t come close!
T.j. Muscaro
My favorite Disney World attractions are Space Mountain at the Magic Kingdom, Mission: SPACE at EPCOT, and Kilimanjaro Safaris at Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
I used to have a major phobia for roller coasters and Space Mountain really helped me get over it. Its queue is also the perfect escape from the blistering Florida heat.
Mission: SPACE (Orange Team) lets me pretend to be an astronaut for a few minutes and I love how intense it is.
I love to travel and all the attractions at Disney’s Animal Kingdom help me pretend like I’m on another expedition somewhere, but Kilimanjaro Safaris is on its own level. It mimics a real safari so well and it truly offers an experience that you cannot get anywhere else. Thanks to the animals, Kilimanjaro Safaris is also different every single time I ride it. A theme park attraction that is new every time you ride it is something truly magical.
Kelly Coffey
. Tomorrowland is my favorite land at the Magic Kingdom and I could spend all day sitting there. Kicking back, relaxing, people watching, while getting a tour of Tomorrowland — It is easily my favorite thing to do at Walt Disney World.
My second favorite attraction is the Haunted Mansion. I love a classic Disney ride and being a huge horror fan, it is the perfect combination. My fiance even got down on one knee right outside of Haunted Mansion so now it holds an even bigger place in my heart.
But when it comes to a third favorite attraction, I have trouble deciding. With the Disney Parks being filled with so many fun and unique attractions it is difficult to narrow my favorite down to a third favorite. Toy Story Mania pops into my head thanks to my competitive side. Expedition Everest and DINOSAUR pop into my head thanks to my adventure/thrill side. Pirates of the Caribbean pops into my head thanks to my vintage, classic side. I don’t think I can place a specific attraction into my third spot.
Michael Gavin
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride – I’ve loved this attraction since it first arrived in Florida in 1971. The whimsical and bright adventure is the perfect immersion to Disney’s classic animation featuring the fickle frog. Of course, I was very sad when this delightful jaunt disappeared from the Magic Kingdom, but did have the joy of experiencing the original version in Disneyland ten years ago.
20,000 Leagues Under the Sea thrilled me as a child. From the giant squid to the iconic Harper Goff, steampunk Nautilus, the film first found my favor when it was shown as a 16mm treat in elementary school. Naturally, being able to actually board the very same submarine was a true childhood dream come true. Imagining that the crew and Captain Nemo were actually piloting me and my family to the depths of the oceans was pure magic. Some day I hope to enjoy the walk-through experience in Paris and the Tokyo Disneysea version.
Haunted Mansion is hands down my all-time favorite attraction anywhere. My love for haunted houses stems from this fantastic phantom filled dark delight. Not only has the mighty Mansion, Liberty Square version, fueled my frenzy for all things haunted and spooky, it drove my desire to take fiendishly fun photographs. I think even the peace that a stroll through a historic cemetery brings can be traced back to those grim grinning ghosts coming out to socialize. From working in haunted houses, since age 9, to writing about and giving ghost tours, Disney’s Haunted Mansion owns much of that deep-seeded dark drive I possess (or is that I’m possessed by?)
Kristen Yep
- “it’s a small world”
- Space Mountain
- Big Thunder Mountain and Pirates tie!
On “it’s a small world” taking the top spot, Kristen says:
It’s the nostalgia. I know people don’t like it because of the song but it reminds me of my family especially during the holidays.
Ryan Ogilvie
I saved myself until last purely because picking just a few favorite attractions is an almost impossible task but here we go…
- Spaceship Earth
- The Haunted Mansion
- Crush’s Coaster
Though I will be the first to admit that the overhaul of Spaceship Earth in Epcot has been long overdue, the fact remains, it is one of the most unique attractions in the world. The reason why it sits at my number one spot is that it was the ride that made me fall in love with theme parks from a young age and is also responsible for getting me interested in history and technology!
The Haunted Mansion everyone else has summed up nicely, it’s the quintessential Disney Parks attraction and Crush’s Coaster is easily the best attraction that Disneyland Paris has to offer with a surprisingly intense coaster for something attached to the Finding Nemo franchise.
My honorable mentions go to Big Thunder Mountain in Disneyland Paris (easily the best of any Disney park), Living with the Land, Splash Mountain and Magic Kingdom’s Space Mountain.
The Results…
So with the totals all added together from everyone who contributed from team ITM I can confirm that our top Disney Parks attraction is…
The Haunted Mansion in Walt Disney World!
After The Haunted Mansion, it was incredibly close at the top with Kilimanjaro Safaris taking the 2nd spot and Big Thunder Moutain (Disneyland), Pirates of the Caribbean (Shanghai and Walt Disney World), Spaceship Earth, Tomorrowland Transit Authority, The Jungle Cruise and Splash Mountain all coming close!
Do you agree with our favorite attraction? Let us know your favorite Disney attraction in the comments below!