On our Disney trip I made it my mission to ride as many rides as possible. I wanted to share a list of Disney rides, including height in inches, and our experiences. The height requirements and categories were pulled from the Disney website.
Animal Kingdom
Avatar Flight of Passage | 44 inches | thrill rides
Dinosaur | 40 inches | dark | scary | small drops
Prior to going to Disney I showed my 7 and 5 year old the Dinosaur ride on Youtube. I wanted to ride it, but being listed as dark and scary, I was worried it may tramatize them. After watching it on YouTube they said they wanted to ride it. The YouTube video does not do the ride justice. It is so fun, even though you are in a vehicle, this ride really has a thrill ride feel to it. There are lots of bumps and quick jerky turns. Unfortunately, both my kids got off of this ride crying, but my husband and I loved it
Expedition Everest-Legend of the Forbidden Mountain | 44 inches | big drops | dark | thrill rides
Kali River Rapids | 38 inches | small drops | spinning | thrill rides
I have been on a similar ride at Six Flags and Dollywood, but nothing compares to Kali River Rapids. You will get wet on this ride. My son and I wore ponchos. I don’t want to spoil it, but this ride completely shocked my at what Disney World was actually able to pull off safely. Give it a go, you won’t regret it.
Kilimanjaro Safaris | any height | slow rides
The line for the safari ride was the longest line I saw on my trip. I highly recommend using Genie Plus for this ride. We got to see so many animals on our safari. The only thing we didn’t see were elephants. Check out Magic of Disney’s Animal Kingdom on Disney Plus prior to heading to Animal Kingdom.
Navi River Journey | any height | slow rides
Triceratops Spin | any height | slow rides | spinning
Triceratops Spin is the same as the Dumbo ride and Aladin Carpet ride. My kids enjoyed it.
Wildlife Express Train | any height | slow rides
EPCOT
Frozen Ever After | any height | dark | slow rides | small drops
This is a very popular ride. We tried to ride it twice using Genie Plus, but even the Lightning Lane was crazy long. It is fun with some unexpected surprises. If you have any children that love Frozen, be warned there is a hefty gift shop at the end of this ride.
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind | 42 inches | dark | thrill rides
This ride was still fairly new during our trip so the only option was joining a virtual queue through the Disney World app. I set an alarm and woke up early to try to get a good time at 7AM. At 7AM I was notified that there were no spots left. I was able to add the ride through Genie Plus Lightning Lane for an extra fee. This ride was my husbands favorite, he actually thought it was going to be a slow and steady ride so he was totally surprised. I enjoyed the ride, but was borderline nauseous by the time it was over. My kids unfortunately hated it.
Journey Into Imagination With Figment | any height | dark | slow rides
I don’t think this ride has been update at all since its debut. It was quite boring, but my kids enjoyed. Once we got off the ride there were several character meet and greets which definitely made it worth while.
Living with the Land | any height | slow rides
Living with the Land is worth it, but it is borderline boring, it just starts to drag on after a while.
Mission: SPACE | 40 inches | dark | spinning | thrill rides
We did not ride Mission: SPACE because it has a lot of bad reviews. A lot of people claim that this ride makes them so sick that it effects the rest of their day. I watched it on YouTube and decided it was not for me or my family.
Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure | any height
This is a fun ride that requires 3D glasses. A good portion of this “ride” is jus watching a screen. My 7 year old son loved this ride.
The Seas with Nemo & Friends | any height | slow rides
The Nemo ride felt like something something threw together in a hurry. It shows a lot of video clips. I wasn’t impressed at all. It is worth riding if you have kids, but don’t hold your breath.
Soarin’ Around the World | 40 inches | slow rides | small drops
This ride involves a screen and scents that make you feel like you are flying around the world.
Spaceship Earth | any height | dark | slow rides
Spaceship Earth is so interesting. It has been nicely updated since my 2001 trip to Disney World. When you get to the top of the ball it is beautiful, some idiot ruined it for us by taking a picture with the flash on.
Test Track | 40 inches | small drops | thrill rides
When I was 14 (2001) I went to Disney World and loved Test Track. My brother and I would ride it and get right back in line. I could not wait to ride it again and told my husband and kids about how much it was. Test Track has had a lot of update, the waiting queue is very fun and interactive. The ride itself still has many of its fun features, but I was so disappointed in the makeover this ride received.
Hollywood Studios
Alien Swirling Saucers | 32 inches | spinning
I was avoiding this ride because I thought it would be like the spinning teacups, but when my daughter spotted it she begged to ride it. This ride is actually so much fun. It’s just a simple kiddy ride, but it is a blast.
For the First Time in Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration | stage show
My daughter and I watched the Frozen show. It has live actors on stage and also clips from the Frozen movie. The adult humor is great, I really enjoyed it. I think the show was about 5 minutes longer than it needed to be (I believe it is 30 minutes total), and my 5 year old got a bit antsy, but overall we did enjoy the show.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway | any height
A tongue twister for sure, but this ride is great! We were able to ride this twice and had so much fun. Don’t spoil it with a YouTube video, just hop on and enjoy the ride.
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run | 38 inches | dark | loud | small drops
Muppet*Vision 3D | any height | stage shows
This 3D show hasn’t changed a bit since I was a kid. My family and I enjoyed it. You can’t help but love the Muppets!
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith | 48 inches | big drops | loud | thrill rides
Slinky Dog Dash | 38 inches | small drops | thrill rides
Slinky Dog Dash is so much fun. I didn’t realize how much space the track takes up until we were actually on the ride. It almost feels like two rides in one.
Star Tours-The Adventures Continue | 40 inches | small drops
As a kid I hated Star Tours so I was a bit apprehensive to have my own kids try it out. They absolutely loved it. We ended up riding Star Tours three times, and each time the scenario changed. I asked a cast member how many different versions of the ride existed and she said there are about 100 different variations. On our third ride, our daughter was chosen as the spy, so much fun!
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance | 40 inches | dark | loud | small drops
Rise of the Resistance literally has a ride within the waiting queue. The cast member really play the part, by the time you actually get on the ride you are total immersed in a whole new world. My 7 year old son and I loved Rise of the Resistance, but my 5 year old daughter thought it was scary.
Toy Story Mania! | any height | spinning
Toy Story Mania requires 3D glasses, and involves a good bit of spinning, but it is an interactive game where you can earn points and compete with your friends and family.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror | 40 inches | big drops | dark | scary
I was scared to ride Tower of Terror, and my son was terrified, but we did it anyways. Now that I have ridden it there is nothing scary about Tower of Terror, it is gleefully fun, and be warned, very brief.
Magic Kingdom
Astro Orbiter | any height | slow rides | spinning
Believe it or not, this was the scariest ride in my opinion. This ride is high up in the sky and it leans. I was happy to get off this ride asap!
The Barnstormer | 35 inches | small drops
The Barnstormer is a good ‘starter’ rollercoaster for kids. It is a very brief ride, but still fun.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad | 40 inches | small drops | thrill rides
Our very last ride of the our trip. This is a popular ride with long lines. It is also a very loud ride. It could use some WD-40 for sure because it is not easy on the ears.
Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin | any height | slow rides | spinning
The Buzz Lightyear ride at Magic Kingdom is worn out. I really think it needs to be update and shut down. It was like the Chuck E. Cheese of Disney rides.
Dumbo the Flying Elephant | any height | slow rides | spinning
Haunted Mansion | any height | dark | slow rides
An absolute classic I couldn’t wait for my kids to experience the Haunted Mansion. The only thing, I just needed to get them on the ride without the realizing it was called ‘Haunted Mansion’ because they may get in their own head. If you’ve ridden Haunted Mansion, you know it is not scary at all, unfortunately the people behind us in line were talking about it and my kids over heard. I had to convince my kids that there wasn’t anything to be scared of, and they did in fact enjoy it.
“it’s a small world” | any height | slow rides
You can go to Disney World and not ride this ride. “it’s a small world” is Disney.
Jungle Cruise | any height | slow rides
Jungle Cruise is another Disney classic that you have to try out at least once.
Liberty Square Riverboat | any height | slow rides
Mad Tea Party | any height | spinning
Meet Princess Tiana and a Visiting Princess at the Princess Fairytale Hall | character experiences
We met Tiana and Fiona, when meeting characters I always kept my phone on record and then went back and took pictures from the video. I wanted to memories of my kids interacting with the characters.
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin | any height | slow rides | spinning
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin was almost embarrassing to me. That ride needs some serious TLC. My kids enjoyed it, but dang, I hope it’s on the ‘closed for refurbishment’ list soon.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh | any height | slow rides
The Winnie the Pooh ride is fun and unique. I don’t think I even realize Pooh was part of Disney, we enjoyed the ride.
Peter Pan’s Flight | any height | slow rides | small drops
An absolute Disney classic, I love the Peter Pan ride. It notoriously has a long line so try to Genie Plus it if you can.
Pirates of the Caribbean | any height | dark | slow rides | small drops
Pirates of the Caribbean has been updated since I was a kid. Now Jack Sparrow is part of the action. It is a great ride!
Prince Charming Regal Carrousel | any height | slow rides | spinning
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train | 38 inches | small drops | thrill rides
I timed it just right and we were able to get off Seven Dwarfs and get right back on. Such a fun thrill ride, my son is still talking about this ride.
Space Mountain | 44 inches | big drops | dark | thrill rides
Space Mountain is my favorite ride. My husband and I did rider swap for this one, I didn’t think my kids would enjoy the darkness, or sitting alone.
Tomorrowland Speedway | 32 inches
Oh the exhaust, this ride is worth it, but mercy at the fumes.
Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover | any height | slow rides
The PeopleMover is a interesting ride. I did not realize that it goes through the bottom of Space Mountain, my kids got scared thinking we were on some type of roller coaster, we had to talk them off a ledge.
TRON Lightcycle / Run | 48 inches | big drops | dark | thrill rides | Opening 4.4.23
Under the Sea~Journey of The Little Mermaid | any height | slow rides
The Little Mermaid is such a great ride that tells the tale of the Little Mermaid.
Walt Disney World Railroad | any height | slow rides
The Disney Railroad does not utilize Genie Plus or DAS so you will have to wait. I really wanted to ride it, but once is enough. It is not that great and it stops in 3 different lands, so there is a lot of stopping and waiting.
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