Tag Archives: thrillride

My Best Animal Kingdom Advice

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Animal Kingdom is certainly the most unique park at Walt Disney World. It really is astonishing that Disney was able to combine a world class amusement park with what is essentially a wonderful zoo. All of this is accomplished without guests being aware of any of the effort behind the scenes to care for the animals.

Animal Kingdom is the largest park by area, and it feels it. It is a long walk from one side of the park to the other. Then there are the walking trails to see the animal exhibits. Animal Kingdom has diverse (and bulky) vegetation throughout the park that can make navigation more difficult, especially for new visitors. There are also less rides than at the other parks. All of this has the combined effect of making planning your day at Animal Kingdom much more important.

The Must See Attractions

Based on popularity and wait times (and not personal preference), the biggest attractions at Animal Kingdom are Avatar: Flight of Passage, Na’vi River Journey, Festival of the Lion King, Kilimanjaro Safari, Expedition Everest and Dinosaur. So the plan must be to find the best way to get to all those attractions, without making the day so hectic that it takes away from the enjoyment.

The Plan that Works for Me

Expedition Everest

I have a plan that I have worked through over multiple visits to Walt Disney World that gets me the results I want. I usually don’t purchase Genie Plus for Animal Kingdom, because there are just too few attractions to use it on. If you really want to get on Avatar: Flight of Passage, you can book a Lightning Lane reservation for that ride alone (more on timing later). The most important part of the plan is to arrive early at Animal Kingdom. I want to be there at least 20 minutes before the park opens. Now this is usually pretty early in the morning because Animal Kingdom is often the first park to open. But you need to get there early and get in at rope drop.

Now mostly everyone heads over to Pandora when Animal Kingdom opens. So I go the other way and I can ride Dinosaur and Expedition Everest (once or twice even) without any wait. Next it is on to Kilimanjaro Safari, and then Festival of the Lion King. By then it will be around 11 am. Then it’s either a light lunch or snack, or right over to Pandora. If I have made a Lightning Lane reservation for Avatar, I will hop on, and have the rest of the day to relax and see the animals. Otherwise, I will get in line and wait. The queue is interesting, and the wait is most often less than posted. I am not a huge fan of the Avatar movies, so I don’t wiat for Na’vi River Journey. But if you want to experience it, the ride is beautiful.

Under appreciated Hollywood Studios Attractions

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Walt Disney World is home to some pretty amazing rides. Across four theme parks, there is a diverse mix of thrill rides, family rides, shows and experiences. Hollywood Studios has transformed recently more than any other park. Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Toy Story Land have massively increased the size of the park. Even still, Hollywood Studios is relatively small, but the rides are jam packed all over the park. The current big draw is Rise of the Resistance, which is one of the most unique attractions in all of Disney World. But there are plenty of great experiences here that don’t get the attention they deserve.

Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge

Let’s start within Galaxy’s Edge with Millenium Falcon: Smugglers Run. This great attraction is completely overshadowed by Rise of the Resistance. It doesn’t get nearly enough hype because of this. Smugglers Run is a wonderfully immersive adventure. Guests are able to enter the Millennium Falcon and step into the flight deck. It is incredibly fun and kids get so much joy from their scores at the end of the ride. It is such a unique Disney attraction that delights all. Especially for Star Wars fans the ability to be inside the Millenium Falcon is mind blowing.

Our next entry on our list is a bit surprising, but this attraction has become under appreciated. It has been a staple of Disney World for so long, people have stopped realizing how great it is. Of course, I am talking about the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. The ride is still magnificent approaching 30 years of operation. The theme, the details, the music, the decorations and everything else are so great. The ride is the perfect mix of fright and fun for children and adults. It doesn’t seem possible to achieve that goal, but Disney was able to create this timeless attraction.

Finally, maybe I am biased because of my own personal love for them, but Muppet Vision 3D is criminally under visited. The pre-show is hilarious to the point I often quote some of it, “what foolishness would you like to see”. The 3D movie is funny and sweet and the Muppets really shine. The Muppet Theater is iconic and nostalgic. And kids that don’t know the Muppets still thoroughly enjoy the show. Hollywood Studios always seems to be the sunniest and hottest park at Walt Disney World. A nice rest in a cool theater should help rejuvenate your family for the rest of the day. There is hardly ever any wait for the show, and nobody will be disappointed.

Attraction Profile: Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

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Something truly amazing is happening at EPCOT.   What Disney World is working to vastly improve the park. Without getting into too much detail here, there was a time not too long ago where I would travel to Walt Disney World and spend half a day at EPCOT. And that seemed like too much. Last year EPCOT welcomed Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure. And they followed with the opening of Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is an unbelievable attraction. It is described by Disney as a rotating roller coaster adventure. My spoiler free review confirms that. It is definitely a one of a kind coaster experience. It is something different than most other coasters. And the entire attraction is just that, an experience. It’s almost like Disney Imagineers dreamt of a ride that combined Rise of the Resistance with Space Mountain. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is more than just a ride. It is an entertaining adventure.

Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is one of the most fun rides I’ve ever been on. Especially that first time, when everything is unexpected and guests don’t know what is happening. Disney did a wonderful job incorporating the Marvel Cinematic Universe. They created a blockbuster level movie in a theme park. I must admit that I do love the MCU and the Guardians of the Galaxy, so my experience was even that much better.

The attraction is obviously in high demand. As of right now, the only way to ride is with a virtual queue or Lightning Lane reservation. We purchased the Lightning Lane and it was well worth it. Much like Rise of the Resistance, there is more to the attraction than just the ride. The guests are pulled into the story and the experience.

Construction Update: Tron Lightcycle/ Run

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Disney D23 Expo concluded this past weekend. As usual, there was so much news coming out of this event it can get overwhelming.  Disney announced a ton of new movies and Disney+ shows. There were also many Disney Parks updates around the globe. By far the long awaited news that got my interest was the Tron Lightcycle/  Run update.

Tron Lightcycle/ Run Under Construction

Tron Lightcycle/ Run is an innovative roller coaster under construction at Magic Kingdom. And it has been under construction forever.  It was supposed to open for the 50th Anniversary of Walt Disney World in 2021. Unfortunately, the COVID19 pandemic derailed those plans. Construction started before the pandemic, so anyone that has visited Magic Kingdom over the last few years has seen the construction ongoing.  It has been progressing at a snail’s pace. Tron Lightcycle/ Run will bring a much needed world class thrill ride to Magic Kingdom to help push Walt Disney World into the future.

And while construction has been under way,  Walt Disney World Railroad has been closed, as it passes under or through the construction zone. So hopefully the Railroad will be opening again soon. Because I do miss that ride around Magic Kingdom.

This news is, however, met with some disappointment.  Tron Lightcycle/  Run has been seen to be in operation recently with theories of ride testing circulating the online community.  It seemed as though the ride was closely approaching an opening date. Selfishly, I was hoping it would be complete by my next trip to Walt Disney World this January.

The Mountains of Magic Kingdom

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Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World is one of the most visited amusement parks in the world. It is ever changing with new and innovative attractions. But for many fans, Magic Kingdom was built on the three mountains. Space Mountain, Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

These three mountain rides are classic Disney rides. They are thoroughly enjoyable. They are long rides and are totally worth the wait. Disney made rides that accommodate small children while at the same time provide a thrilling experience for all ages. And it is nearly impossible to pick which ride is your favorite.

Splash Mountain

Splash Mountain is a traditional log ride that Disney elevated into an icon. While the theming is changing to Princess and the Frog, I am sure the ride itself will remain almost the same. There are various little drops and lifts throughout the ride that keeps building the anticipation. And that famous drop that everyone can see from Frontierland looks so scary but is so fun. So Disney again perfected that part of the ride. Kids especially build a healthy anxiety for the drop which culminates in inevitable laughter and a splash of water. So for anyone hesitant to enjoy this experience, the drop isn’t bad at all and most of the time most of the riders don’t get too wet.

Splash Mountain

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

This coaster is a major thrill ride that lets kids that are at least 40 inches tall get in on the fun. It really is great. Kids are laughing and screaming the whole time. This ride should be avoided for people with motion sickness. It is fast and does seem like an out of control railroad. Guests slide and move and lean in the car as the coaster careens down the mountain. The ride is much longer than most roller coasters. It also provides amazing views of Magic Kingdom.

Space Mountain

Unlike the other two mountains, Space Mountain is made for bigger kids and the minimum height requirement is 44 inches. The ride is much faster and much scarier. It is mostly in darkness, with limited lights and flashes. The ride car is somewhat unusual, as it fits 3 guests in a single line in the rocket themed car. It certainly causes some anxiety for parents as they can’t sit next to their kids to make sure they are safe. That is something parents should prepare for because it can be a bit stressful to put your kid in alone in front of you. But the ride is totally worth it. Like Thunder Mountain, the ride is longer than most roller coasters. The photos Disney takes of the passengers on their mission to space are also some of the best of any ride.