Top 5 best and worst attractions

[OnWithTheShow]

Out of attractions currently open at Disneyland and Walt Disney World

5 Best:

5. Fantasmic (WDW)
4. The Hunchback of Notre Dame: A Musical Adventure
3. Indiana Jones Adventure
2. Splash Mountain (WDW)
1. Twilight Zone Tower of Terror



5 Worst:

5. Maliboomer
4. Sun Wheel
3. Moholland Madness
2. Never mind just all of Paradise Pier!
1. Dinorama!

 

[cindyfan]

IMHO...
Best:
5. Kilimanjaro Safari at AK, my DD's favorite
4. Thunder Mountain RR
3. Fantasmic at WDW
2. Beauty and Beast, Hunchback of ND and Indy show at MGM, just can't decide which I like best.
1. Splash Mountain

Worst:
5. Country Bear Jamboree, sorry but we fell asleep.
4. It's tough to be a bug, that is just getting old real fast.
3. Swiss Family Treehouse....I don't get it!!

2. Universe of Energy with Ellen.....or did they close that one??
1. Rafiki's Planet watch....petting zoo, just goats, yuk.

What is Maliboomer??
Havent seen Dinorama yet......so must wait and see on that one.

 

[Bob O]

5 Best
1- TOT
2-Splash Mountain
3-Kilimanjaro Safari
4-POC
4-RNRC
5 Worst
1-Tiki Room Under new managementa
2-Country Bears
3-Rafiki's Planet Watch
4-Living Seas Pavilion ride
5-Body Wars

 

[kamgen]

We personally like Rafiki's Planet Watch...and we don't have kids. We take it as a break to go back and check out the wonderful pavillion of learning about animals. JMHO.

BEST:
1. Splash Mountain
2. RNRC
3. BTMR
4. TOT
5. Safari

Worst:
1. It's a small world (the song is too much over and over and over and over...
2. Tomorrowland Speedway (waste of space imho)
3. Treehouse (great concept but nothin to DO)
4. Living Seas (can we get a ride here please????)
5. 20,000 leagues under the sea *WASTED SPACE* do something!

Kamy

 

[JeffJewell]

...here're my current, off the top of my head lists. My caveat, this is WDW only.

Best

1. Pirates of the Caribbean
2. Haunted Mansion
3. Space Mountain
4. Tower of Terror
5. Fantasyland dark rides (okay, I know this is cheating. But I wanted to recognize that Peter Pan's Flight and Snow White's Scary Adventures both contain some of the lowest-tech yet highest impact effects in the parks. I'm probably one of about four people who considers Snow White a must-do)

Worst

1. Dinosaur (yes, that's "Dinosaur," not Dino-Rama)
2. Who Wants To Be A Millionaire, Play It
3. Main Street Cinema
4. Journey Into Your Imagination
5. Tomorrowland Transit Authority (Oh, the difference a voice-over can make. Twenty years or more ago, the fascinating and educational WEDway PeopleMover was one of my favorite rides. Today's insipid "next station" spiel makes it almost unbearable, and completely vapid)

Jeff

 

[OnWithTheShow]

The constant death threats in my email have made me think twice!

 

[cindyfan]

And I thought I would get slammed for listing Country Bear on the "worst" list!!
Also agree with Living Seas as one or the worst!!!

It's not the whole Rafiki's Planet watch I dislike.....just the so-called petting zoo!!!! YUK!!
The pavilion is nice, but those goats!!! GROSS!

JeffJewll, I almost listed Dinosaur on the "worst" list too! DD and I HATE it, but DH likes it! But what does he know!

I thought the Main Street Cinema was just a shop??? Not an attraction

 

[DC7800]

The Five best at WDW:

5 - The Haunted Mansion
4 - Pirates of the Caribbean
3 - Kilimanjaro Safaris
2 - The American Adventure
1 - Spaceship Earth (would have been Horizons...)

Honorable mentions go to The Great Movie Ride and The Land.

The five worst at WDW:

5 - Tomorrowland speedway
4 - Ellen's Energy Adventure (since JIYI is gone)
3 - Test Track
2 - Dinorama
1 - Backstage Pass

 

[airlarry!]

Top Five at WDW

1. Splash Mountain
2. Space Mountain
3. Rock-n-roller
4. Peter Pan
5. Pirates (followed by Buzz, Spaceship Earth, Cranium Command, Dinosaur, Festival of Lion King, Winnie the Pooh, Snow White, Big Thunder, Killimanjaro Safari, Star Tours, --how do you rate all of these as being better than the other?)

Worst:

1. Conservation Train. Boring. Nice view of cement, and the backs of buildings, Mr. Eisner.
2. Pocohontas. Boring.
3. Tomorrow Land Speedway. I could think up, standing on my hand holding rocks with my feet, a thousand ways to make this a better attraction. Yes, the kids supposedly love it, but my, what a waste. IT NEEDS A COOL UPDATE.
4. Mexican water ride. River of Time? River of Lost Time? River of Wasted Time? River of Five-Minutes-I-Will-Never-Get-Back-Time.
5. JIYI. I never was a big fan of the original, and the new one is reportedly worse than that one? Oh, I may skip this one again on our next trip.

 

[JeffJewell]

4. Mexican water ride. River of Time? River of Lost Time? River of Wasted Time? River of Five-Minutes-I-Will-Never-Get-Back-Time.

For what it's worth, I give El Rio del Tiempo a thumbs up based mostly on two effects... the beginning of the ride, with the pyramid on one side and the bustling little seaport town on the other, is one of the best "scenes" anywhere in WDW, I think. I'm not sure how many folks appreciate how well done the nighttime market scene really is... it's much easier to appreciate from the much maligned and often skipped boat ride.

And I also like the fireworks scene a lot... another example of fairly low tech parts creating a very effective whole.

Jeff

PS: and of course, the "marketplace" movies where the vendors follow your boat reminds me of my early days on If You Had Wings... If You Had Wings... If You... Had Wings... Had Wings... Had Wings...

 

[RyMickey]

Top Five at WDW:
1) Tower of Terror - so detailed, it's amazing!
2) Splash Mountain - love the storyline and it's a great ride, too
3) Hunchback of Notre Dame Show - the best live entertainment in the parks
4) Cranium Command - although a little dated, this is a definite must-see for us
5) Great Movie Ride - great animatronics, great ride
Close Calls: Buzz Lightyear, Haunted Mansion, Pirates, Peter Pan's Flight, Spaceship Earth, American Adventure, Rock 'N' Roller Coaster, Muppets 3D, Voyage of the Little Mermaid, Kilamanjaro Safaris, Dinosaur

Bottom Five:
5) Pocahontas and Her Friends - the first of two AK shows on my worst list
4) El Rio del Tiempo - we ride this so we can make fun of it the whole time
3) Indiana Jones Stunt Spectacular - It was once great, but now it just seems tired
2) Speedway - And this fits into Tomorrowland how?
1) Tarzan Rocks! - Nothing but a bunch of noise
Close Calls: Teacups, Body Wars, Living Seas pavillion

RyMickey

 

[All Aboard]

WDW Only, ain't been anywheres else.

Top 5 (JJ & GC are thinking fairly alike):

1. Pirates
2. Mansion
3. Splash
4. Space
5. Tower

Bottom 5:

101. Body Wars. Glub, glub, puke, puke
102. Wilderness Express, Conservation Station, Rafiki's Planet Watch
103. Journey into Your Imagination. They haven't officially replaced it yet.
104. Speedway. Loud, smelly, has no place in Verne/Orwell Tomorrowland
105. Leave a Legacy - yes, it's listed as an "attraction."

I left shows out of the mix. I have a tie for number one: Hunchback & Fantasmic, and Tarzan Rocks stands alone at the bottom.

 

[OnWithTheShow]

Backstage Pass has been discontinued ever since One Man's Dream opened.

 

[airlarry!]

Jeff, I will admit to you that my wife and I make a point of either eating a dinner or lunch, or just a dessert each visit at the Mexican pavilian because of the 'scenery.' The ambience from the dining area is not to be missed, and the market area is fun if you hang out for a while. One of my best memories is when my daughter and a bunch of other kids got invited to a traditional dance with some of the drummers. The pictures are priceless, and the CM/dancers were fantastic.

I'll give you that point. But the ride itself is...hmm...lame. It doesn't feel outdated like other attractions, and quaint in that regard. I remember going to Epcot just after the pavilion opened, and we still felt the same way. Sort of like they only had so much money to do the ride, and did it on the cheap. Too bad, because the pavilian is a must see.

 

[JeffJewell]

I'll give you that point. But the ride itself is...hmm...lame.

Yeah, I know what you mean. I didn't mean to argue that much, just wanted to make a point about some aspects of the ride that showed me a spark of Magic.

The 'Scoop PM'ed me a little while ago, inquiring about what my ulterior motive might have been for putting Dinosaur at the top of my "worst" list, and I guess it's because of exactly the opposite feeling I get from these two rides. I go on el Rio, and I can find some Magic nuggets laying around in the lameness. With Dinosaur, even though I almost certainly actually _ride_ it more than el Rio (sometimes it's fun to be thrown around a bit), I just don't see those nuggets, in a ride that, by rights, should have _everything_ over el Rio. Every aspect of Dinosaur was executed in what I consider an "anti-Disney," or at least "non-Disney," way.

Anyway, I realize that I'm dangerously close to dragging this thread back to the same exact conversation we all always have... so I'll try to let it go at that... and I apologize to everyone for this behavior.

Jeff

PS: No, I don't think it's inconsistent to be able to enjoy a ride on one's "worst" list, just as I don't think it's inconsistent that one might generally avoid a ride on their "best" list. I think that defines the difference between personal taste and an objective assessment of characteristics.

 

[wdwfreak]

Have only been to WDW, so my list only includes attractions from FL ...

BEST
1. Fantasmic! IMHO the best theme park attraction anywhere
2. Splash Mountain
3. Timekeeper ... am I the only one?
4. World Showcase -- as a whole. My wife and I LOVE to hang out in the different countries. Yes, I know that they are Disneyfied, even stereotypical at times, but it is the closest we will get to most of these countries and (like most of EPCOT) the only theme park attraction area of it's kind
5. Share a Dream Come True parade/Cinderella's Surprise Celebration (tie) -- watching these with my kids and seeing the looks on their faces of joy, amazement, wonder, etc. almost brings tears to my eyes, and isn't that what Walt's Dream was all about?

Best restaurant -- Cindy's: Best food we have had on propoerty, atmosphere doesn't hurt

WORST
5. Star Tours -- DS and I are HUGE SW fans. Have been to SW weekend, seen all the movies, but, for the love of George ... UPDATE THIS RIDE!!!!!!!!!!! How many times can it be Rex's first flight?
4. Aladdin's Magic Carpets, Triceratop Spin, Astro Orbiter -- Dumbo get's left out of the mix because it was the original, but how much money are we going to spend on blatant rip-offs of existing (smaller) attractions, at the expense of a new E-ride every other year?
3. The Aerosmith intro to RnR: Just let me on the ride, already! Make it like The Living Seas and give guests the option to skip the pre-show.
2. Country Bears -- not even my 2- or 5-year-old like it. (Dodging bullets)
1. Any ride closed to make room for "character greeting area". Not the rides themselves, but the idea behind it. Save money on rehab, update, staffing, new attraction; throw a couple characters in front of it and nobody will notice it. (Skyway, Timekeeper, 20, 000 Leagues, etc.)

 

[raidermatt]

Best:

1. Pirates of the Carribean
2. Splash Mountain
3. Tower of Terror
4. Matterhorn
5. Space Mountain

Honorable Mention (no particular order): Indiana Jones (DL), Kilamanjaro Safaris, Dinosaur, Peter Pan, Haunted Mansion, Space Mountain, Soarin' Over California, Jungle Cruise, Original Tiki Room, Rock n Roller Coaster, Tea Cups (my son's favorite at 2 years old), American Adventure, Universe of Energy

Worst:

1. Body Wars (gross)
2. Innoventions (DL. Its a terrible fit for Disneyland. I can deal with it in Epcot.)
3. Superstar Limo
4. Maliboomer (Just doesn't fit)
5. Orange Stinger (A weight limit???)

That's about it. Everything else I like to at least some degree.

 

[JeffJewell]

Please share why one of TheDScoop's all-time favorite ride in the world does or does not make some of your lists

...Test Track didn't make my best or my worst list. It's an okay ride, there's nothing so bad about it that I needed to get it on the worst list, there just isn't anything good enough about it to get it on the best list, either.

I think that TT is more of a ride than a pavilion (caveat: I've not seen the new post-show), and that disappoints me for FutureWorld. I think that a model of a current day automotive proving ground isn't particularly Magical, educational, or Future-looking, again a disappointment for FutureWorld. I find the indoor section of the ride to be rather boring, with particularly poor special effects in the non-Antilock brake and "evasive manuever" sections (it also bugs me that the final bust-though "wall" is so obvious and that the speed indicators are so blatantly meaningless, but I may be the only person who notices those things), and poorly done effects in Disney rides are the bane of my existence. I feel the "who needs theming when you're going this fast through backstage areas" is another disappointing concession to cost. As far as I can tell, the unique "ride mech" is mostly safety devices to keep the souped-up Speedway cars from flying off into the parking lot, a merely evolutionary change over a ride most don't seem to consider fit for MK's Tomorrowland (as opposed to, say, the more revolutionary step that ToT's ride mech made past other free-fall type rides).

All of those things, to me, add up to a ride that is simply less than what I expect from one of WDW's flagship rides. Not bad, per se, but certainly not one of their best.

Jeff

PS: My own TT ride habits, you ask? If we can get a FastPass for a time not unreasonably far flung, we'll usually ride it (only five out of eight of the "big plan" Jewell clan can ride the thing at all, and two of those don't really care about it that much). I do like the outside part of the ride a lot, but it's nothing we go out of our way for. It's not like Snow White's Scary Adventures, or anything.

 

[All Aboard]

Please share why one of TheDScoop's all-time favorite ride in the world does or does not make some of your lists

To define "Disney Attraction" it's easiest for me to use 8 words: Pirates of the Caribbean and The Haunted Mansion. The impact and influence that those two attractions have had on the world of theme parks is enormous. Sure, they don't get the queues that they once did, but to me that doesn't matter. They were as innovative as any attraction ever built anywhere, in my opinion.

When I was a kid, Space Mountain was the flat-out coolest thing on the planet. I had never experienced anything anywhere near as good and thought I never would again.

Now, I'm down to only two slots left for a top 5. In terms of "modern marvels" I put Tower of Terror very near (if not at) the top. The drop sequence is just a tiny part of the overall, immersive, fantastic experience.

Splash Mountain makes my list because it is such a "full" attraction. It greatly exceeds expectations. It is a very long attraction for a flume ride, and is filled with so many animatronics and such wonderful music and sights. It just keeps going and going.

Test Track just can't top any of those experiences in my book. It's alot of fun, but it just doesn't have any of the elements that would put it ahead of even one of my top 5.

 

[raidermatt]

Top 5 reasons Test Track didn't make my best attractions list:

5- Outdoor section dried out my contacts.

4- Steering wheel didn't work.

3- CM wouldn't let me hang fuzzy dice from rear-view mirror.

2- Had to pick love bugs out of my teeth afterwards.

1- Recurring nightmares due to vision of "dummy" getting sand bag in the groin in queue area.



Seriously though, Jeff summed it up for me pretty much as well. Its a nice ride. I understand the themeing, but find the idea of being immersed in an automobile proving ground less Magical than being immersed in a Spaceport (a la Space Mountain).