Credit: dylanw216, UnsplashThis is the least magical ride at Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Well, we at least think so.
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While Magic Kingdom is a place full of magic and fun, a handful of attractions don’t quite live up to what the rest of the park has to offer. Most of the rides and experiences at Magic Kingdom are magical, such as classic roller coasters like Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and dark rides like Peter Pan’s Flight and Haunted Mansion.
However, there’s one ride in the park that doesn’t feel like it’s in the right place, one that can actually be quite a nightmare to hop aboard.
Resting high above Tomorrowland, Astro Orbiter has been a staple of the Magic Kingdom for decades. This classic spinner ride is an iconic part of not just Tomorrowland but Walt Disney World as a whole, and has been used in many marketing and promotional materials over the years.
The ride features stunning views of the Magic Kingdom and is also generally pretty fun, albeit quite terrifying for those afraid of heights. However, Astro Orbiter feels less than the sum of its parts.
For starters, waiting in line for this attraction can be brutal, especially if it happens to be an especially hot and humid day at Disney World. Guests spend most of the time waiting in the sun. The line also moves rather slowly, as guests must board an elevator to get to the loading platform.
Once upstairs, guests are then forced to watch the ride make at least two more cycles before it’s their turn. Even though Astro Orbiter’s wait times pale in comparison to heavy hitters like Space Mountain, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and TRON Lightcycle / Run, 30 minutes feels like an hour or longer at Astro Orbiter.
The ride itself is fun but quite rough and dated. Guests are seated two to a row, but there’s only one seat. This means that the rider in the back is straddling, essentially “spooning” the one in the front.
The overall aesthetic of Astro Orbiter is a lot less “exciting space adventure” and more “industrial park,” with lots of silver nuts and bolts lining grey columns.
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Once guests launch, it’s a bumpy and rough ride, but ultimately an enjoyable one. As we said, this ride is not for the faint of heart. Astro Orbiter is deceptively tame-looking, but it is actually quite thrilling. The rockets go around a lot faster (it at least feels like they do) than other spinner rides at Magic Kingdom, like Dumbo the Flying Elephant.
The ride is over in seconds, and guests are back waiting for an elevator. Once on the ground floor, they are then free to explore the rest of Magic Kingdom.
Overall, we recommend trying out Astro Orbiter for the full Magic Kingdom experience, but there’s a lot more magic to be found throughout the rest of the park than here.
Do you enjoy Astro Orbiter?