Skip to content

Top Navigation

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
  • Trip Inspiration
  • Travel Guides
  • World's Best
  • Destination of the Year
  • A-List Travel Advisors
  • Cruises
  • Travel Tips
  • News
  • Food + Drink
  • Travel Accessories
  • Check-In

Profile Menu

Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Subscribe
Pin FB

Explore Travel + Leisure

Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure
  • Explore

    Explore

    • World's Best

      The greatest islands, cities, hotels, cruise lines, airports, and more — as voted by you. Read More Next
    • The 50 Best Places to Travel in 2021

      Whether you're traveling solo or planning a family vacation, here are the 50 best places to visit in 2021. Read More Next
    • Let's Go Together Podcast

      Start listening to T+L's brand new podcast, Let's Go Together! Hosted by Kellee Edwards. Read More Next
  • Trip Inspiration

    Trip Inspiration

    • Trip Ideas
    • Weekend Getaways
    • Spring Travel
    • Summer Travel
    • Fall Travel
    • Winter Travel
    • Solo Travel
    • Romantic Getaways
    • Luxury Travel
    • Beach Vacations
    • Adventure Travel
    • Road Trips
    • Family Travel
    • National Parks
    • Holiday Travel
    • Travel Photography
    • Photo of the Day
    • Culture and Design
    • Travel Deals
    • Attractions
    • Amusement Parks
    • Festivals and Events
    • Bus and Trains
    • Flight Deals
    • Budget Travel
    • Hotels and Resorts
    • Disney Vacations
    • Airlines and Airports
    • Ground Transportation
    • BookTandL.com
  • Travel Guides
  • World's Best

    World's Best

    • Top Hotels
    • Top Cities
    • Top Islands
    • Domestic Airlines
    • International Airlines
    • Tours
    • Safaris
    • All World's Best
  • Destination of the Year
  • A-List Travel Advisors
  • Cruises

    Cruises

    • Find A Cruise
    • Caribbean Cruises
    • River Cruises
    • European Cruises
    • All-Inclusive Cruises
    • Family Cruises
    • Alaskan Cruises
    • Disney Cruises
    • See All Cruise Vacations
  • Travel Tips

    Travel Tips

    • Travel Trends
    • Packing Tips
    • Points + Miles
    • Budgeting + Currency
    • Customs + Immigration
    • Responsible Travel
    • Travel Etiquette
    • Travel Warnings
    • Weather
    • Mobile Apps
    • See All Travel Tips
  • News

    News

    • Wellness
    • Celebrity Travel
    • Animals
    • Jobs
    • Offbeat
    • See All News
  • Food + Drink

    Food + Drink

    • Restaurants
    • Wine
    • Beer
    • Cocktails + Spirits
    • Bars + Clubs
    • Celebrity Chefs
    • Cooking + Entertaining
    • Food Fairs + Festivals
    • World's Best Restaurants
    • See All Food + Drink
  • Travel Accessories

    Travel Accessories

    • Travel Bags
    • Shoes
    • Travel Tech
    • Shopping
    • Style
    • Gift Guides
    • See All Travel Accessories
  • Check-In

Profile Menu

Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
Your Profile

Your Profile

  • Join Now
  • Newsletters
  • Manage Your Subscription this link opens in a new tab
  • Give a Gift Subscription
  • Help
  • Logout
Login
Sweepstakes

Follow Us

  1. Home
  2. Trip Ideas
  3. Disney Vacations
  4. The Ultimate List of the Best Disney Rides in the World

The Ultimate List of the Best Disney Rides in the World

By Carlye Wisel
February 12, 2018
Skip gallery slides
Save Pin
Credit: Bloomberg/Getty Images
With so many glorious experiences at Disney’s six worldwide parks, some are just more worthwhile than others, and after after taking every attraction into account, these are the ones that matter most.

Disneyland Railroad and the Monorail are glorious, sure, but we’re talking rides — the thrill-filled, action-packed, can’t-miss experiences that are worth traveling the globe for.

Related:These Disney Characters Are More Popular Than Mickey Mouse in Asia

From hometown favorites and innovative vehicles to tech-savvy enhancements that can’t be missed, there’s a little of everything among the cream of the crop, along with some rides you’d never think would become top contenders.

Whether you’re dreaming of traveling to Paris, China, or Japan in the name of Mickey Mouse or just making sure you don’t miss Disneyland’s best, consider this your ultimate checklist of Disney must-dos from Walt Disney World to Hong Kong Disneyland and back again.
Start Slideshow

1 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Indiana Jones Adventure — Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea

Credit: Courtesy of Disney

Between the fiery explosions, serpentine predator and the oversized boulder rolling straight towards riders, there are enough familiar sights from the Indiana Jones films to deem this ride one of Disney’s best, regardless of if you’ve seen the movies. As the twelve-passenger transport careens around corners and bounces over a rickety bridge in Disneyland, in Anaheim, and Tokyo DisneySea, it crams the danger, adventure and excitement of a blockbuster film around each corner of the believable journey. And, unlike most other attraction, Indiana Jones Adventure varies a bit with each ride, guaranteeing it’ll still thrill even if you’ve been on dozens of times — which, unsurprisingly, many southern California residents have.

1 of 20

Advertisement
Advertisement

2 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Pirates of the Caribbean Battle for Sunken Treasure — Shanghai Disneyland

Credit: Courtesy of Disney

The original swashbuckling adventure was met with fanfare when it debuted at California’s Disneyland in 1967, becoming an icon even before expanding to nearly every Disney park worldwide. Having predated the movie franchise — yes, Depp’s Captain Jack Sparrow came decades later — the newest iteration at Shanghai Disneyland is the only Pirates ride to open after the cinematic interpretation, incorporating groundbreaking technology into a twist on the iconic boat ride that, with realistic audio-animatronics, immersive underwater screens and realistic cannon battle, serves as Disney’s boldest step outside the box in its ride history.

2 of 20

3 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Space Mountain — Disneyland

Credit: Courtesy of Disney

Space travel through a ‘70s lens has proven to never get old, at least where this speedy attraction is concerned. At its core, the ride is simplistic — it is, after all, just an indoor roller coaster — but the boundary-pushing design and deep space immersion by way of a lack of lighting remain as exciting now as they were in its heydey. From the gust of wind in one’s face to the glimpse of shooting stars in the great beyond, the unpredictable pitch black drama held within its eye-popping cylindrical roof will forever solidify Space Mountain among the all-time best.

3 of 20

Advertisement

4 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Haunted Mansion — Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland

Credit: Courtesy of Disney

This delightfully disjointed narrative, spawn through a compromise of Walt Disney Imagineers’ ideas that took nearly a decade to finalize, gives the ride two distinct halves that emerge to benefit from the sum of its parts. A journey through a spooky yet albeit not-too-scary manor culminates in a majestic cemetery filled with humorous references and ghastly musicians. Haunted Mansion has many international iterations — Phantom Manor at Disneyland Paris is a beloved favorite among domestic Disney fans having visited overseas parks — but the classic versions at Disneyland, Magic Kingdom and Tokyo Disneyland still reign supreme.

4 of 20

5 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror — Disney's Hollywood Studios

Credit: Andrew Barker / Alamy Stock Photo

From the dusty lobby of the Hollywood Tower Hotel to the top of its haunted elevator shaft, The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror has become a classic Disney attraction in every sense of the word. The palpable anticipation as riders travel through the Fifth Dimension and catch a glimpse of the outdoors while repeatedly plunging towards their ultimate fate immerses so much story into a simplistic design, making for an emotional build up that pays off in dividends. Walt Disney Studios at Disneyland Paris hosts an amended version of the ride without the dimensional traveling, but while Disney California Adventure’s recent Marvel-themed version has garnered plenty of praise and Tokyo DisneySea’s magical twist on the ride is a fan favorite, it’s the original version at Disney’s Hollywood Studios in Florida that takes the cake.

5 of 20

6 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Splash Mountain — Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland

Credit: Bloomberg/Getty Images

Whether you ride it in Tokyo, Florida or California, the nearly ten minute journey is entertaining, thrilling and above all, quintessential Disney. Nevermind that its origin movie is out of circulation or that its hundred audio-animatronics are all but unrecognizable; the whimsical storyline, winding mountain path and happy-go-lucky soundtrack juxtaposed against a significant drop has set the bar for water rides at amusement parks, solidifying its place as one of the best of all time.

6 of 20

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

7 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

it’s a small world — Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland

Credit: Bloomberg/Getty Images

“The Happiest Cruise That Ever Sailed” may be as praised as it is lauded — we know, we know, the accompanying song is annoyingly addictive — but its historical significance for debuting at 1964 New York World’s Fair and holding a message that has endured the test of time is irrefutable. The slow-paced boat ride through glimmering sound stages filled with smiling faces and displays representing the cultures of Bali, Belgium and beyond continues to draw a crowd at five of Disney’s six theme parks, but is made even more magical at Disneyland Resort and Tokyo Disneyland, which retheme the ride with Christmas cheer each winter.

7 of 20

8 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Soarin’ — California Adventure, Shanghai Disneyland

Credit: Courtesy of Disney

There may be no other ride on Disney property that induces euphoria than the leg-swinging, high-flying sensation of this interactive theatre. Its new iteration takes guests high above the globe’s grandest sights including Egyptian pyramids, the Taj Mahal and the Great Wall of China, aided by scents meticulously added to specific scenes. Versions of the globe-spanning attraction at Epcot, Disney California Adventure and Shanghai Disneyland are the same — save for the final scene which “returns” to the park of origin — but it’s worth noting that of the three, Shanghai’s majestic starlit queue is decidedly more impressive.

8 of 20

9 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Peter Pan’s Flight — Shanghai Disneyland

Credit: Courtesy of Disney

With every pinnacle scene from the famed story tucked within its quick journey and the feeling of flying above London providing nostalgia on high, Peter Pan’s Flight is as classic as they come. Despite opening with Disneyland’s first day, the decades-old ride still retains one of the longest lines at all five Disney parks it is located within. It’s good wherever you get it, but Shanghai Disneyland’s version is genuinely magical, utilizing the latest technology for extra pixie dust-tinged moments.

9 of 20

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

10 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Expedition Everest: Legend of the Forbidden Mountain — Walt Disney World

Credit: Courtesy of Disney

Rife with story, adventure, thrills and surprises, this coaster journey up, down, and through the mountain’s terrain is, in a sense, the perfect Disney ride — one that can only be experienced by bravely bypassing the screams of riders plunging down the Himalayan peak’s massive drop. Its fabled Yeti, one of Disney’s most advanced audio-animatronics, still remains out of order, but consider this: an attraction that remains one of Walt Disney World’s finest despite being in need of repair only solidifies its elite status above its stylistic predecessor, Disneyland’s Matterhorn Bobsleds.

10 of 20

11 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Radiator Springs Racers — California Adventure

Credit: Courtesy of Disney

Tucked at the end of an eye-popping life-size rendition of Radiator Springs, this impressive car ride goes as far as to feature some of the Cars film trilogy’s best sights, including Ornament Valley’s waterfall. When its speedy chase scene kicks in and riders hugging the curves of a Route 66-adjacent mountain pass, Radiator Springs Racers feels eerily realistic, particularly due to the artistically crafted Cars Land exterior within Disney California Adventure. No matter if your anthropomorphic car loses the wind-whipped competition, Lightning McQueen and Mater will still be there at the end to cheer you up.

11 of 20

12 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Ratatouille: The Adventure — Disneyland Paris

Credit: Courtesy of Disney

The most talked-about ride at Disneyland Paris’ Walt Disney Studios shrinks guests to the size of Remy, the heart of the culinary-focus animated film, for a journey through a Parisian kitchen. Stunning for its use of perspective paired with trackless ride technology — which twists and turns the mouse-shaped vehicles in unpredictable ways — Ratatouille: The Adventure makes for an authentic experience within Gusteau’s restaurant, as depicted in the 2007 Pixar film. If a trip to France isn’t on the horizon, don’t worry; its arrival at Walt Disney World’s Epcot in confirmed within the next few years.

12 of 20

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

13 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Spaceship Earth — Epcot

Credit: Courtesy of Disney

Even with its first half serving as a low-key history class through the innovation of communication, this ride housed within Epcot’s emblematic silver-paned sphere just seems to never get old. That no matter how advanced our phones get, the on-ride interactive screens remain delightful is proof that this mashup of old Disney and new enhancements hit a critical sweet spot among fans of all ages.

13 of 20

14 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Mystic Manor — Hong Kong Disneyland

Credit: Parinya Suwanitch / Alamy Stock Photo

When the artifacts within the attraction’s enchanted mansion museum come to life by way of Lord Henry Mystic’s mischievous pet monkey Albert, it sets of a string of of events that’ll have rides of all ages on the edge of their Mystic Magneto carriage. This Hong Kong Disneyland gem is significant not for its technology — it, too, displays Disney’s state-of-the-art trackless ride system – or the surprises around every corner, but for its pure uniqueness. Unlike many new rides, Mystic Manor isn’t tied to a pre-existing film, characters or seemingly anything guests have ever seen, embracing its own whimsical concept for a brilliant result that often single handedly makes Hong Kong Disneyland a destination for Disney fans overseas.

14 of 20

15 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Jungle Cruise — Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, Hong Kong Disneyland

Credit: Don Kelsen/Getty Images

Jungle Cruise may have lost its luster a bit over the years, given that Walt Disney World now hosts a literal safari ride, but it’s one of Disney’s only attractions that is enhanced by the talents of cast members, who, as “skippers,” recite a spiel that soundtracks a boat ride through winding riverside surroundings with somewhat of a stand-up comedy routine. Important not just for its prominence when opening at Disneyland on its first day of operation — much of its vegetation, which was planted by revolutionary horticulturist Bill Evans, was brought into California for the very first time — but for remaining a lighthearted adventure at both stateside Disney parks with exciting variations on the model at Tokyo Disneyland and Hong Kong Disneyland.

15 of 20

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

16 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

TRON Lightcycle Power Run — Shanghai

Credit: VCG/Getty Images

Shanghai Disneyland’s most hotly anticipated ride puts riders on the back of the TRON films’ futuristic motorbikes for a speedy ride through the Grid and high above a futuristic Tomorrowland’s neon canopy. As an attraction, it’s not perfect — the indoor half of the ride proves less revolutionary and its source material is highly dated for the tech-savvy generations that will be riding it — but its legacy has only just begun. TRON Lightcycle Power Run will continue its significance among Disney fans when its revolutionary motorcycle-style vehicles arrive at Walt Disney World’s Magic Kingdom for the park’s 50th anniversary in 2021.

16 of 20

17 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Avatar Flight of Passage — Walt Disney World

Credit: Courtesy of Disney

Disney attractions have always been aided by real-life props and tactile experiences like audio-animatronics and impressive sets, but this digitized addition to Disney’s Animal Kingdom has changed the model forever. Despite one’s feelings toward a land wholly dedicated to the Avatar film franchise, it’s impossible to deny the sincere fanfare surrounding the banshee flight simulator and its overwhelmingly transformative 3D journey. Since opening in 2017, Flight of Passage has consistently racked up wait times up to five hours and caused such a deep emotional response in riders that the often disembark the experience in happy tears, proving it’s unlike anything else Walt Disney World has on offer.

17 of 20

18 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Crush’s Coaster — Disneyland Paris

Credit: Martin Beddall / Alamy Stock Photo

Finding Nemo has more variation of attractions across Disney Parks than any other Disney-owned film, and while the others involve wrapping its characters around previously-existing rides, the Paris-exclusive Crush’s Coaster stands on its own as the most creative and thrilling of them all. The swaying movement and constant rotation of its roller coaster vehicle mimics the feeling of riding a turtle shell down the East Australian Current so closely that it’s nothing short of exhilarating, making for one of the only attractions where your seat — either forwards or backwards — entirely shifts your perspective of the attraction, deeming it necessary to ride over and over again.

18 of 20

Advertisement
Advertisement
Advertisement

19 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Iron Man Experience — Hong Kong Disneyland

Credit: Handout/Getty Images

Hong Kong Disneyland excels at building upon old favorites — Iron Man Experience is essentially a souped-up version of Star Tours — but this iteration of the 3D simulator, which puts passengers in the midst of a battle between Tony Stark and Hydra, feels more like a movie come to life than the Star Wars-themed version ever has. As Disney’s first-ever Marvel ride, it also sets the bar for what to come next, provides the best look at what fans can expect from comic-inspired attractions in the future.

19 of 20

20 of 20

Save Pin
Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message

Journey to the Center of the Earth — Tokyo DisneySea

Credit: SoCal Attractions 360/YouTube

Located inside the gurgling Mount Prometheus volcano at Tokyo DisneySea, the impeccable second park at Tokyo Disney Resort, this Jules Verne-inspired attraction is full of thrills worthy of the international flight. An incomprehensibly good ride that starts slow and ramps up to a massive surprise, it’s not until the fiery climax that this unique experience proves to be different from all other Disney rides around the world.

20 of 20

Replay gallery

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook

Up Next

By Carlye Wisel

Share the Gallery

Pinterest Facebook
Trending Videos
Advertisement
Skip slide summaries

Everything in This Slideshow

Advertisement

View All

1 of 20 Indiana Jones Adventure — Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea
2 of 20 Pirates of the Caribbean Battle for Sunken Treasure — Shanghai Disneyland
3 of 20 Space Mountain — Disneyland
4 of 20 Haunted Mansion — Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland
5 of 20 The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror — Disney's Hollywood Studios
6 of 20 Splash Mountain — Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland
7 of 20 it’s a small world — Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland
8 of 20 Soarin’ — California Adventure, Shanghai Disneyland
9 of 20 Peter Pan’s Flight — Shanghai Disneyland
10 of 20 Expedition Everest: Legend of the Forbidden Mountain — Walt Disney World
11 of 20 Radiator Springs Racers — California Adventure
12 of 20 Ratatouille: The Adventure — Disneyland Paris
13 of 20 Spaceship Earth — Epcot
14 of 20 Mystic Manor — Hong Kong Disneyland
15 of 20 Jungle Cruise — Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, Hong Kong Disneyland
16 of 20 TRON Lightcycle Power Run — Shanghai
17 of 20 Avatar Flight of Passage — Walt Disney World
18 of 20 Crush’s Coaster — Disneyland Paris
19 of 20 Iron Man Experience — Hong Kong Disneyland
20 of 20 Journey to the Center of the Earth — Tokyo DisneySea

Share options

Facebook Tweet Mail Email iphone Send Text Message
Travel + Leisure Travel + Leisure

Magazines & More

Learn More

  • Subscribe this link opens in a new tab
  • Contact Us
  • Advertise
  • Content Licensing this link opens in a new tab
  • Sitemap
  • Travel Guide Sitemap

Connect

Follow Us
Subscribe to Our Newsletters
Other Travel + Leisure Sites
Other Meredith Sites

Other Meredith Sites

  • 4 Your Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Allrecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • All People Quilt this link opens in a new tab
  • Better Homes & Gardens this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Insights this link opens in a new tab
  • Bizrate Surveys this link opens in a new tab
  • Cooking Light this link opens in a new tab
  • Daily Paws this link opens in a new tab
  • EatingWell this link opens in a new tab
  • Eat This, Not That this link opens in a new tab
  • Entertainment Weekly this link opens in a new tab
  • Food & Wine this link opens in a new tab
  • Health this link opens in a new tab
  • Hello Giggles this link opens in a new tab
  • Instyle this link opens in a new tab
  • Martha Stewart this link opens in a new tab
  • Midwest Living this link opens in a new tab
  • More this link opens in a new tab
  • MyRecipes this link opens in a new tab
  • MyWedding this link opens in a new tab
  • My Food and Family this link opens in a new tab
  • MyLife this link opens in a new tab
  • Parenting this link opens in a new tab
  • Parents this link opens in a new tab
  • People this link opens in a new tab
  • People en Español this link opens in a new tab
  • Rachael Ray Magazine this link opens in a new tab
  • Real Simple this link opens in a new tab
  • Ser Padres this link opens in a new tab
  • Shape this link opens in a new tab
  • Siempre Mujer this link opens in a new tab
  • Southern Living this link opens in a new tab
  • SwearBy this link opens in a new tab
Travel + Leisure is part of the Travel + Leisure Group. Copyright 2021 Meredith Corporation. Travel + Leisure is a registered trademark of Meredith Corporation Travel + Leisure Group All Rights Reserved, registered in the United States and other countries. Travel + Leisure may receive compensation for some links to products and services on this website. Offers may be subject to change without notice. Privacy Policythis link opens in a new tab Terms of Servicethis link opens in a new tab Ad Choicesthis link opens in a new tab California Do Not Sellthis link opens a modal window Web Accessibilitythis link opens in a new tab
© Copyright . All rights reserved. Printed from https://www.travelandleisure.com

View image

The Ultimate List of the Best Disney Rides in the World
this link is to an external site that may or may not meet accessibility guidelines.