The Top 10 Most Overrated Attractions at Disney World

Walt Disney World is home to some of the most iconic rides and attractions in the world. From Disney classics built in the 1970s to newer experiences only recently debuted, travel planners and theme park fans have always been ready to voice their opinions on the quality of Walt Disney World’s rides. Naturally, certain rides have garnered more attention online and in the national media than others, which has also led to a relative agreement on which rides are most worthy of your time.

However, these commonly held beliefs often don’t quite tell the whole story. So therefore, as a former cast member and present MouseEars TV contributor, here are some inside views for your consideration. The following is a list of the top 10 most overrated attractions at Disney World. Keep in mind that many of these attractions are still great and worthy of a ride while you’re in the parks but usually don’t quite merit the insane wait times they often have. 

10. Tron Lightcycle / Run

Starting off, let’s immediately jump into an ocean of controversy. (Of course, there’s sure not to be more of that coming soon, we know. LOL.) Disney World’s newest attraction sneaks into the list of overrated attractions due mostly to its hype. It’s a new roller coaster built in the Magic Kingdom, which took about five years to construct despite being a replica version of the coaster first built in Disney’s Shanghai resort.

The novelty of Tron Lightcycle/Run is what brings such incredible excitement to the ride. It’s a large, flashy coaster that features an interesting seating mechanism that sits riders atop a motorcycle. However, once the novelty wears off and reality sets in, what the rider is left with is a disappointing short duration time from start to finish, leaving many riders unsatisfied with their experience. Other issues include difficulty with securing a ride due to it only being available via a virtual queue and the uncomfortable seats, which in our opinion, make Tron a bit overrated.

9. Dumbo the Flying Elephant

Serving as an icon of Fantasyland for decades, Magic Kingdom’s Dumbo hub-and-spoke ride simply is not all that exciting, even for small kids. The ride is relatively boring, though it does offer some photogenic views, especially around sundown. However, it often has an excessively long wait time, meaning that younger kids who would perhaps enjoy it the most are forced to endure that long wait, which often leads to fussy toddlers for mom and dad to handle in the queue line.

The final factor adding it to our list is the fact that there’s another lower wait ride of the same type right across the park in Adventureland, the Magic Carpets of Aladdin. Overall, there are just too many other great options in Magic Kingdom for Dumbo to be a priority for families, many of whom may only have one day to spend at the park.

8. Test Track

One of EPCOT’s most popular attractions now makes its appearance on our list. Since Test Track’s new overlay featuring a car design studio debuted, the ride doesn’t quite have the “oomph” needed to warrant its extremely long wait times. It’s a fun ride and well worth doing, but you could accomplish the same experience by taking your own convertible out for a spin. Test track, in our opinion, earns its spot as one of the most overrated rides at Walt Disney World.

7. Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure

Just across the way in EPCOT’s World Showcase is a newer attraction featuring a zany story based on Disney Pixar’s Ratatouille film. As a direct clone of a ride in Disneyland Paris Park, the ride is fun but nothing too amazing.

The trackless ride system and family-oriented adventure make the ride a good fit for EPCOT’s France pavilion, but the ride is simply overrated. Too many visitors wait in long lines for the ride, which is nothing incredibly special. It is a fun ride that is worth doing but isn’t exciting or unique enough to deserve a consistent 80-minute wait time. Therefore it too earns its way onto our list of the most overrated rides at Walt Disney World.

6. Slinky Dog Dash

Hopping over to Hollywood Studios, our first entry from the park is Toy Story Land’s Slinky Dog Dash. The fast and smooth coaster appeals to both kids and adults since it’s big enough to excite everyone but gentle enough for kids to enjoy.

Overall, it’s a fun jaunt around Toy Story Land and offers great views and fun elements, but it is simply too popular for what it’s worth. The wait time for Slinky Dog Dash can hit over two hours, and despite there being plenty of other excellent attractions in the park that are more worthy of your time, people pile up in the queue line day after day, night after night.

5. Frozen Ever After

Heading back to the World Showcase in EPCOT in Walt Disney World, we have another ride that garners excessive wait times without being impressive enough to back it up: Frozen. Anna and Elsa are simply too popular for their own good and cause huge waits for their ride, which doesn’t quite fit with the rest of the pavilion or park.

The ride used to be Maelstrom, a voyage through Norway’s cultural and modern contributions to the world. Once Frozen Fever took over, the ride was promptly re-themed in a manner a bit inconsistent with a princess movie. For all that hype, it just does not have the heart and magic so many other attractions do.

4. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is an excellent kiddie-coaster due to its mix of speed, tight turns, thematic elements, and unique ride vehicles which sway back and forth. However, once again, here is a ride that is simply too popular for its own good and is, therefore, in our humble opinion, overrated.

In terms of thrill, there are better rides in the Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World, such as Space Mountain or Tron. In terms of tight turns and fun, you could visit Big Thunder Mountain instead. However, Seven Dwarf’s Mine Train consistently has the longest wait time of any attraction at the World’s most popular theme park. Though good, it does not live up to the incredible expectations placed upon it by visitors and does not quite measure up to some of its classic contemporaries.

3. Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway

Hollywood Studios’ relatively new trackless attraction featuring the misadventures of Mickey and his friends is good but not necessarily great. Having replaced the iconic Great Movie Ride in the Chinese Theater at the center of the park, Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway should have far exceeded the impressiveness of the old ride, and in short, it simply doesn’t deliver.

2. Peter Pan’s Flight

Despite being a classic Disney dark ride, Peter Pan’s Flight is constantly plagued by extremely long lines. It’s a lot of fun and has a lot of classic charm, but it is simply not worth waiting over an hour for. Please understand us now.

Long lines aren’t always an indication of the quality of the ride, and Peter Pan’s Flight is a perfect example of that. It is a Disney Classic, no question, and it’s worth riding if you have time. However, the simple cost-benefit analysis is that despite the quality of the attraction its simply not worth planning your day around.

1. Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance

(Okay, no critics on this one, we’re sure of.) Rise of the Resistance is typically cited as Disney World’s best attraction. It has multiple ride elements, an engaging and immersive story, and impressive special effects. However, the ride simply does not operate at full capacity all the time, and it leads to a lot of disappointment for many fans.

The Kyle Ren animatronic, for example, is almost always operating at less than full functionality. One time when riding, the entire pre-show wasn’t working. Throw in the fact that Cast Members sometimes leave more to be desired in terms of selling the story of the ride, and you’re left feeling unimpressed. Disney World’s supposed best attraction doesn’t always deliver. Inconsistency is the problem here. Despite being a great experience, the enormous hype and inconsistent delivery surrounding the attraction make it Disney’s single most overrated ride.

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Favorite attractions will differ based on everyone’s opinions, but it’s important to remember that some rides aren’t worth waiting for as much as others. Long wait times don’t always mean you will enjoy the final ride experience. Before you plan out your Disney vacation, be sure to consider which rides you want to do the most. Finally, always Keep in mind that popular opinions can create overrated rides!

Featured photo: Jaimie Michaels via Flickr