There are so many magical moments that Guests can experience in the four Disney Parks during their Walt Disney World vacations.
Because there are so many experiences to choose from throughout the Walt Disney World Resort, it is impossible to do it all in one trip.
To help you narrow down what to focus on during your Walt Disney World vacation, we have five rides to skip and five rides not to miss.
We hope this helps you as you are planning your vacation and determining what to do in each Theme Park.
Let’s start with those rides we would suggest skipping on our Walt Disney World day. This doesn’t mean that we dislike these rides, we just feel that there might be better experiences that one should do first. Another reason they might make our skip list is that they make us feel nauseated.
1. Na’vi River Journey
Our first choice for a ride to skip is Disney’s Animal Kingdom in the world of Pandora. Na’vi River Journey is one of two rides in this land and it isn’t the one we will be rope dropping.
Although we love the bioluminescence of this ride and the shaman at the end is breathtaking, the overall storyline is lacking.
We aren’t sure exactly what is happening throughout the ride and find ourselves confused as we float along.
Because this is also a slow-loading ride, we find the wait times to be a lot higher than we would want to wait during our visit to Disney’s Animal Kingdom, so we find ourselves skipping it when we visit.
2. Astro Orbiter
In Magic Kingdom’s Tomorrowland, we find ourselves skipping Astro Orbiter. This ride is located high above Tomorrowland which provides Guests with amazing views of the Park, but it can take some effort to get to it.
Guests have to ride an elevator both up to the loading platform and down making the process of riding a little slow going.
Even though we love the sights from high above, we find ourselves skipping Astro Orbiter for Dumbo or Magic Carpets even. If we are looking for some amazing views of Tomorrowland, we hop on the PeopleMover as well.
3. Kali River Rapids
Another ride in Disney’s Animal Kingdom that we often skip is Kali River Rapids. We don’t enjoy this water ride as it is one that you don’t just get wet on, you typically get soaked. Since we prefer to not be walking around a Disney Park in wet socks, shoes, and clothes, we will often skip this ride.
It can be a huge relief on those hot and humid summer days, but overall we don’t really care to get dumped on with water. This is one Theme Park ride that we are okay skipping.
4. Journey Into Imagination With Figment
We know that we will get some backlash on this one, but Journey Into Imagination with Figment is one that we skip while visiting EPCOT. Although we do find Figment to be adorable, we think his ride leaves something to be desired.
This ride takes Guests through the sensory labs of Imagination Institute where Figment helps Guests experience all the different senses. As you can imagine, this mischievous purple dragon causes some issues along the way.
The overall concept of this ride is great; however, the execution is a little rough. We find the ride choppy in the storyline and a little old as well.
Little ones might find it hilarious, but tweens, teens, and adults are going to be okay skipping this one.
If you want to feel like an astronaut blasting off to space, you will love Mission: Space, but this is another ride in EPCOT that we sit out.
Even though Mission: Space offers two different versions, both the green and orange still cause us motion sickness which is why we skip Mission: Space during our EPCOT visits.
The simulated launch into outer space is enough to push us over the edge and even if we don’t choose the version that spins we still find ourselves not happy after. Because of this feeling, we find ourselves skipping it each time.
Those are the five rides that we skip while visiting Walt Disney World during most of our vacations. Now let’s look at the rides we can’t miss when visiting Walt Disney World.
1. Pirates of the Caribbean
The first ride that we have to experience each and every Walt Disney World vacation is Pirates of the Caribbean in Magic Kingdom.
This ride has a little of everything making it one of the best rides in all of Walt Disney World in our opinion. We love the storyline, music, smells, great scenes as well as the small thrill.
It wouldn’t be a trip to Disney without a ride on Pirates of the Caribbean.
2. Haunted Mansion
Another ride in Magic Kingdom that we have to experience at least once every vacation is the Haunted Mansion.
This classic dark ride shows the true magic and creativity of Disney. We love how the story begins before you even enter the mansion itself and continues throughout the whole ride with outstanding scenes around every corner.
We look forward to experiencing a ride with the creepy haunts each vacation, making Haunted Mansion a must-do Disney ride.
3. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
For us, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance in Disney’s Hollywood Studios is a must experience each trip. Even if you aren’t a Star Wars fan, this is a must-do experience. First of all, we want to ride this over and over again because there is so much to see and take in that we feel we are constantly experiencing something new when we ride.
This ride truly puts Guests into the magic of the story as we have never experienced before. We definitely feel like Rise of the Resistance is a must-do when visiting Walt Disney World.
4. Spaceship Earth
Some might not agree with this one, but we personally love riding Spaceship Earth in EPCOT on each of our vacations.
We think that this ride is a look at what makes EPCOT special with a unique storyline, great animatronics, and a look into the future.
We know this isn’t super exciting, but for us, a trip to Walt Disney World won’t be complete without a stop at Spaceship Earth.
5. Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway
Our final must-do attraction in Walt Disney World features the main mouse himself. Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway in Disney’s Hollywood Studios quickly became a must-do attraction for our Walt Disney World vacations.
The whole experience is amazing from the start of the ride to the ride vehicles to the new projections, this ride has it all.
It is also the first ride featuring Mickey Mouse himself so how can we not ride it each vacation.
There are so many amazing rides in Walt Disney World that it is impossible to see and do them all. We hope that this list of five rides to skip and five not to miss will help you when you are planning your Walt Disney World vacation.
