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Credit: Paul Beattie, FlickrIf someone were to ask you, “What is the worst ride in the world?”, what would you say?
For those who like theme parks, there is so much to choose from no matter where you are from. Many ride enthusiasts may have had their start at their local town fair, riding a ferris wheel, spinning in a spaceship that makes you stick to the walls and makes that funnel cake you ate nearly come up, and playing darts on some balloons for a toy that is worth far less than what you paid for the game itself.
Then, you can graduate to your local Six Flags or Cedar Fair amusement park. Here, guests can ride much larger coasters, and start to understand how there are rides that exist that tell stories, all with a history behind the attraction.
When guests do visit Walt Disney World, there are certain areas of thrill for those who like to have their heart rate pump a little extra. Tower of Terror, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, TRON Lightcycle / Run, Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, and Expedition Everest are just a few of the more thrilling rides that Disney has to offer.
If you are headed to Magic Kingdom to experience extreme thrills, it is likely not the theme park for you. However, if you are heading to the theme park so that you can watch one of the best fireworks shows in the world, you are at the right place. At Universal Orlando Resort, you will not be seeing Cinderella Castle, but you will be able to dive into the world of movies, jump into Minion Land, and experience some top-notch thrills.
If guests really want to scream, Universal Orlando Resort has them covered. Both Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure have amazing coasters and thrill attractions that are heavily geared towards adults. That being said, there are also tons of options for children to enjoy, making the theme parks very well-rounded.
If you like Harry Potter and coasters, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter is for you. Both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley possess amazing rides such as Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure and Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts are both coaster-type rides with amazing show scenes that combine speed, thrill, and theming.
VelociCoaster in the Jurassic Park section of Islands of Adventure is the most thrilling coaster in Orlando, with 150 ft massive drops, and two mega-launches.
Overall, Universal thrill rides usually have a very good look, but there are some that should consider potentially shutting down. Some of the older coasters, like The Incredible Hulk, are a lot shakier and less smooth than the newer options.
But when it comes to the worst overall ride in the world, Universal only made the list once, while Disney made it six out of ten times.
Universal Orlando Resort’s Worst Attraction
Watch Mojo ranked the ten worst attractions to have ever been created, and if we quickly take a look at the list, we can see that in fourth place, Fast & Furious: Supercharged at Universal Orlando Resort has been selected. Fast & Furious: Supercharged has been a highly controversial attraction since its inception.
Being able to include current IPs in attractions is something we have seen Universal integrate over the years, and one of those integrations came with Fast & Furious – Supercharged. The attraction replaced Disaster! and Beetlejuice’s Rock and Roll Graveyard Revue, which both were unique offerings, but did not have an as popular IP attached to them. Considering how big the Fast & Furious franchise is, it is not a shocking move to see it become an attraction.
The queue for the ride is great; however, as many have criticized in the past, the attraction itself is not anything to write home about compared to the other attraction technology in the Park. It utilizes screens and a moving ride vehicle similar to Skull Island: Reign of Kong, without the giant animatronic pay off in the end. Some may love the ride, but I am on the side with most, where I know Universal is able to do better. And, shockingly, Universal’s Chief Creative Officer & SVP at Universal Creative, Thierry Coup, agrees.
Coup previously spoke on a panel where he slowly thought about his next sentence and, after giving it some thought, stated, “I wish I had stopped senior management from making Fast & Furious: Supercharged.” Considering the ride can be a heck of a lot more creative if it wanted to be (and perhaps utilize a better ride vehicle, such as a car), this statement makes sense. Still, it was shocking to hear that Universal’s creative team is in agreement, and honestly, it was quite refreshing and great to know that the creative team would want to do more!
Universal Coaster Deemed “Worst” Coaster in Florida
One coaster has gained the title of being the worst coaster in the state. Luckily, this means it is not the worst in the country or the world, but being deemed to be so horrible is not a great look either.
Theme Park Truths took to TikTok to share that Rip Ride Rockit, the coaster that takes over the front half of Universal Studios Florida in the streets of New York, is officially the worst in Florida. The video shares all of the positive aspects of the coaster, like the 90 degree lift hill and drop, and the 167 ft height, but also shares that once it begins, the coaster feels like you are stuck in the middle of a EF5 tornado.
The coaster fanatic noted that the ride is not at all smooth, bangs the head of the rider, and is headache-inducing. Interestingly enough, commenters on the video noted that they think that this explanation of the coaster is an exaggeration and that this coaster is not as bad as described. Many stated that The Incredible Hulk is worse, while others agreed stating that they needed “two back adjustments” to get back into place after riding the coaster. Many did agree that this is the worst coaster in the world.
Rip Ride Rockit is a coaster that allows guests who ride to pick a song that will blast in their ears as they loop through Universal Studios Florida on the rocket red track. One of the things that makes the 167-foot tall steel coaster stand out among other coasters, aside from the fact that it reaches speeds of 65 mph, is that there is an interactive element for guests.
The song list allowed used to allow guests to choose from a variety of 30 different songs from various genres before reaching the tophat on the coaster. Now, that list has been reduced to only five songs for guests, further igniting the rumors that Universal wants to remove this ride entirely.
The remaining song choices for guests to choose from are as follows:
- Classic Rock/Metal: “Welcome to the Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance
- Rap/Hip-Hop: “Humble” by Kendrick Lamar
- Club/Electronica: “Sandstorm” by Darude
- Pop/Disco: “Waterloo” by ABBA
- Country: “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” By Shania Twain
Disney’s Worst Attractions
Now, moving to Disney. This list includes both current Disney attractions as well as defunct attractions that have since been shut down accross multiple theme parks. We will start with those that have closed.
Defunct Disney Rides That Failed
Of course, it is never Disney’s goal to shut down an attraction years before it is intended to close — especially if it is new. There are certain rides, like Pirates of the Caribbean, that have seemingly stood the test of time for a very long time, while others do not live up to the hype. This happens with other offerings as well. A good example of this is Harmonious, the EPCOT show that was created for the 50th anniversary at Walt Disney World.
Disney spent millions on the show after removing Illuminations and EPCOT Forever, and they were expecting a multi-year hit that would exceed generations. The reality was that there were a lot of complaints from fans who then had their voices heard so loud that the show shut down entirely after a year and a half. Magic Kingdom also removed the beloved Happily Ever After show and put in Disney Enchantment during the same time. This was also very underappreciated by many, which forced Disney to remove the show, and bring back Happily Ever After.
Spots two, six, and eight on this list are all defunct attractions as well.
Let’s start with spot eight and work our way down.
#8: Superstar Limo
Ever wondered what the world of Hollywood is like? Disney has provided several opportunities to show you the magic of making movies, but not every attraction has been as enjoyable as the Great Movie Ride. One of Disney’s biggest blunders was Superstar Limo at Disney’s California Adventure, where guests would enter a cartoon limo before being whisked away to an animated version of Hollywood.
Superstar Limo was originally planned as a high-speed dark ride focused on avoiding the press and crazed fans.
This version would feature a facade based around the Theme Building at the Los Angeles International Airport, which Walt Disney Imagineering had recently helped renovate with “The Encounter” restaurant. From here, Michael Eisner himself would appear, asking you to get to the big premiere at the Chinese Theater to sign a contract for your next movie.
He would also warn you of the paparazzi eager to get a scoop on you, with the ride taking the form of a high-speed chase to get you to the Chinese Theater, which would serve as an unloading area and gift shop. After the tragic limo crash death of Princess Diana of Wales in 1997, this concept was seen as being in very poor taste and was shelved.
Filled with creepy caricatures of celebrities and many, many outdated jokes, the ride became so unpopular with guests that Disney shut it down in January 2002, less than a year after it opened. It would be replaced by Monsters Inc: Mike & Sulley to the Rescue in 2006.
#6: Discovery River Boats
One of the best things about Disney’s Animal Kingdom is that it mixes the excitement of Disney’s franchises with a traditional trip to the zoo. However, not every facet of the park is brimming with that “Disney magic”, which is precisely why Discovery River Boats makes it on our list. Throughout the ride, guests can look at small animals that they could have seen from land. According to the publication, ““Half-assed” doesn’t begin to describe how dull and lazy Discovery River Boats was, being so uninteresting that even the tour guides had a hard time keeping guests engaged.”
Discovery River Boats was an opening day attraction at Disney’s Animal Kingdom at Walt Disney World Resort. During its brief lifespan, it would also be known as the Discovery River Taxi and the Radio Disney River Cruise.
As noted by Disney Wiki, the attraction was initially planned to have a more ambitious show experience, but it received budget cuts to focus more resources on more important parts of the park. Some of these proposed scenes were to serve as a preview for the never built Beastly Kingdom. They included an encounter with a Kraken, a unicorn on a distant shore hidden in mist, and an animatronic figure for the Dragon Cave scene utilizing molds from La Tanière du Dragon, the walkthrough castle attraction in Disneyland Paris. This scaling down of the experience would contribute to the attraction’s downfall.
The ride was shut down roughly a year and a half after opening in April 1998.
#2: Tuck & Roll’s Drive ‘Em Buggies
The story behind “A Bug’s Land” at Disney’s California Adventure was that Flik and his friends from “A Bug’s Life” had decided to create their own fun fair. Well, based on this ride, they should have stuck to scaring off grasshoppers.
According to Mojo, ““Tuck & Roll’s Drive ‘Em Buggies” is an exceptionally lazy, boring bumper car ride. Considering Disney had created a more thrilling bumper car ride in the form of “Buzz Lightyear’s Astro Blasters” at Disney Quest, it’s stunning how this painfully slow ride was given the green light. At least “Luigi’s Flying Tires” had beach balls to throw around! …Yeah, no, that ride was just as awful.”
Yesterland shared more information on the attraction.
“Traditional bumper cars get their power from a metal ceiling grid and metal floor. That’s why each car has a pole to the ceiling. Conductive brushes under each car complete the circuit, powering an electric motor. This is called Over Head System (OHS),” said the Disney history buffs.
The “buggies” of Tuck and Roll’s Drive ’Em Buggies were powered through a newer method, Floor Pick-Up (FPU). As the name suggests, all power came from the floor. Alternating strips of metal, separated by insulating spacers, provided the two electric polarities. FPU allowed the ride to be under the high “umbrella” without a ceiling grid.
Current Disney Rides That Made the “Worst” List
Now, there are also rides that still exist to this day that are on the list of worst-ever attraction in the world, many of which are likely going to be highly controversial to some.
Let’s dive in.
#10: Living with the Land
Living with the Land (originally Listen to the Land) is a ride located within The Land pavilion in Epcot at the Walt Disney World Resort in Orlando, Florida. It is a slow-moving boat ride, which is part dark-ride and part greenhouse tour. The focus on the ride is on agriculture, especially new technology to make agriculture more efficient and environmentally friendly.
Living with the Land was originally developed as a suspended dark ride called Blueprints of Nature. Traveling underground to a carousel theater preshow, guests would be introduced to the Landkeeper, the attraction’s host. From there, the Landkeeper would take guests on a hot-air balloon trip through the four seasons and a series of simulated biomes located in greenhouses at the front of the pavilion.
These plans would be scaled back when Kraft came aboard as a sponsor and the attraction would become a boat ride, with the Landkeeper character being repurposed into the Dreamfinder at the neighboring Imagination attraction. The greenhouse portions of the pavilion would become focused on showcasing new agricultural techniques, while the dark ride portion would become the simulated biome portion.
Whether you fancy indulging in exotic cuisine from around the world, or speeding down the crash course in “Test Track”, Epcot has a surprising amount of educational fun for both kids and adults. However, there’s one ride in this edutainment wonderland that’s sure to be a “buzzkill”, according to our source.
As insightful and enlightening as Living with the Land is, this isn’t so much a ride to amuse families, “as it is an excuse for a school field trip.”
Mojo continued, “It’ll lecture your ears off about agriculture and the future of new technologies, but that’s about as interesting as it gets. Unless you’re really into the subject, Living with the Land is about as thrilling as the People Mover.”
#9: Tomorrowland Speedway [AKA Autopia]
Tomorrowland Speedway is an attraction, in which guests steer specially designed cars through an enclosed track. This attraction is located at Magic Kingdom at the Walt Disney World Resort in Florida. It opened October 1, 1971 as the Grand Prix Raceway. It was expanded in 1973 and remained unchanged until the 1994 remodel of Tomorrowland. The name was changed to Tomorrowland Speedway in 2008.
Mojo said, “We could include every version of this ride, but there’s a reason why the Magic Kingdom version of “Tomorrowland Speedway” is getting singled out. For starters, Magic Kingdom is located in Florida, one of the hottest states in the United States. So, when you have to stand in a long line outdoors, you hope this glorified go-kart ride is worth the wait. Alas, you find the karts are on a fixed track, and you won’t be able to go very far before you run into the person in front of you, who may be going the minimum speed. Before you cross the finish line, you’ll be wondering why the lines were so long in the first place.”
The ride is both loved and hated by many Disney fans, as many do not like the smell that the attraction give off, as well as the lack of speed.
#5: Astro Orbiter
Astro Orbiter is a rocket-spinner attraction featured at all five Disneyland-style parks at Walt Disney Resorts around the world. Although each ride may have a different name, all share the same premise of vehicles traveling through space by spinning around a central monument. As each form of the attraction appeared, new designs and locations have been implemented to fit with changing schemes of several Tomorrowlands.
In 1956, the first rocket-spinner attraction opened at Disneyland and was known as the Astro Jets. The attraction was made by Klaus Company Bavaria and similar to several versions found in traveling carnivals. The “jets” made a 50-foot circle around a large red-checkered rocket and guests were able to climb upwards of 36 feet in their ride vehicles from the ground level they were boarded at. The attraction stood between the Submarine Voyage and Rocket to the Moon.
The name Astro Jets was changed in 1964 when United Airlines, as a new park sponsor (sponsoring “The Enchanted Tiki Room”), contended the name was free advertising for American Airlines’ coast-to-coast Astrojet service. After this dispute, the name was changed to Tomorrowland Jets. The name lasted until September 1966, when the attraction was closed to make room for the newly renovated Tomorrowland.
In April 2009, the Astro at Disneyland closed for refurbishment and was stripped down to its skeletal structure. It reopened in June 2009 with a silver, blue, red, and gold trim color scheme.
Mojo said, “This time, we’re favoring the Magic Kingdom version as the Disneyland rendition manages to strip “Astro Orbiter” of its appeal. When visiting Tomorrowland, visitors can ride this rocket spinner that boasts a breathtaking view of the park before being brought back down to Earth. The magic was lost when the ride was brought over to Disneyland in 1998, because it was placed instead at ground level, making it a typical kiddie ride. It was almost as if Disney themselves didn’t understand what made Astro Orbiter so special.”
#3: Slinky Dog ZigZag Spin
The lowest, currently open ride on the list was Slinky Dog ZigZag Spin at Walt Disney Studios Park. It is also located at Hong Kong Disneyland, and Shanghai Disneyland.
At the heart of Toy Story Playland is the land’s oldest character toy: an authentic “Collector’s Edition” Slinky Dog, complete with original 1950s cardboard box.
Entering a queue line formed out of Lincoln Logs building blocks, you eventually step inside the giant box itself, which even has a retro-styled board game printed on its inside. The giant Slinky Dog train is connected end-to-end, travelling in a loop around a dog bowl filled with rubber bones and Andy’s baseball. It builds up enough speed to provide a mild, fun thrill which, combined by the quick rise and descent, actually provides a ride not too dissimilar to Dumbo the Flying Elephant.
The layout takes advantage of the land’s sloping elevation to provide perhaps the most convincing feeling of being shrunk, especially when standing at the foot of the ride, its enormous box towering above, surrounded by oversized grass.
In the end, that is the list reported by Watch Mojo! Do you agree or disagree with these options? Let us know your thoughts below!
If you are looking to visit Walt Disney World Resort for a magical vacation, the Walt Disney World Website can be a great tool to begin planning your trip! You can begin exploring their theme parks: Magic Kingdom, Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT. You can also take a look at their water parks where you can splash around in the chill of Disney’s Blizzard Beach (alongside new Frozen characters, Anna, Elsa, Sven, and Kristoff), or hit the waves at Disney’s Typhoon Lagoon. When you get hungry or want to go shopping, Disney Springs is the place to be, especially with World of Disney there ready to help you pick up some souvenirs! You can also begin looking for your Disney World Resort! If you are looking to stay at a Deluxe monorail Resort like Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa or a Value Resort where you can hop on the Skyliner like Disney’s Pop Century Resort, it is always fun to begin looking for a room that would best suit you and your party. Plus, it has all the information you need to know on Disney Genie+ so that you will be ready to go on your My Disney Experience app once you download it! Click here to check it out today.