3. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man – Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando

 What do the years 2001, 2002, 2003, 2004, 2005, 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009, and 2010 have in common? In every one of them, Amusement Today voters lauded The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man as THE best dark ride on the planet. Putting this dominance in perspective, it had a longer rule as a ruler of the category than either George W. Bush or Barack Obama did as President of the United States. It’s basically the Franklin Delano Roosevelt. In sports terms, it’s the Boston Celtics under Red Auerbach. For the body of a decade, it just didn’t lose.

What’s so special about this particular dark ride? Well, you can go Behind the Ride to learn about the clever engineering feats that comprise The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man. The gist is that it was the first motion simulator attraction to perfect the union of ride and popular themed IP. When the ride debuted in 1999, the record-setting movie was still two years away.

Universal bet huge on the premise that a realistic encounter between Spider-Man and his rogues gallery was the perfect setting for a motion simulation ride. They chose the daring option of having the rider watch the events unfold rather than stepping in the (webbed) shoes of Spider-Man. This profound decision has become the staple of all the branded motion simulations at the park such as Transformers: The Ride, The Simpsons Ride, and Despicable Me: Minion Mayhem (plus the number one ride on this list).

While age has caught up with The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man a bit, the main “problem” with the dark ride at this point is its greatness. It’s such a dazzling engineering achievement that many imitators have popped up, thereby gradually eroding its uniqueness over time. That’s the main reason why it’s not one of the top two dark rides in the world right now according to awards voters. But we should always remember that it was the Beatles of motion simulators for a full decade.

2. Twilight Zone Tower of Terror – Disney's Hollywood Studios

Although this attraction isn’t going to finish in first place on this list, the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is the reigning winner in the category. The reason something else beats it is that up until this year, its performance in the Golden Ticket Awards was nothing special. Then, an unlikely set of events caused Disney fanatics to appreciate that they’d taken this attraction for granted. And their sudden display of affection squarely falls into the category of Too Little, Too Late, at least at one of its locations.

Yes, the current champion in the category of Best Dark Ride at the Golden Ticket Awards is transforming into a themed adventure of the Guardians of the Galaxy. The last official day for the Disney California Adventure version of the ride was January 3, 2017.   Technically, fans voted for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but the newfound support in the category stemmed from the Disney backlash about their decision. At the time of the voting, the Hollywood Studios iteration of Tower of Terror was also allegedly in danger of closure, but Disney execs have since said that they’re leaving it alone.

A masterpiece of theming, the Tower of Terror is a ride that you, the readers of Theme Park Tourist, have named as the best one at Disney. In fact, you’ve taken it a step further and said that this is THE best theme park attraction in the world. So, you understand why other voters were so passionate in their support of a suddenly, unexpectedly endangered dark ride that’s arguably the best in existence today.

1. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey – Islands of Adventure at Universal Orlando

How much of a stranglehold does Universal Resort Orlando have on the category of Best Dark Ride? 2016 was the ONLY time in the 2000s that Universal failed to win the category. That’s basically the entire existence of the award. Disney, the originators and presumed masters of the dark ride, finally rocked the vote in 2016, ending Universal’s total lockdown.

While the Spider-Man ride was their primary title holder during this timeframe, the past six years had a different champion. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is an amazing ride accomplishment that combines the technical wizardry of Spider-Man with an (somehow) even more popular brand. The popularity of The Wizarding World of Harry Potter speaks for itself, single-handedly turning around the fortunes of Universal Resort Orlando as a vacation destination. Since its inception in 2010, one attraction has driven demand for the entire product.  

That dark ride is Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, which is amusingly not even the best Harry Potter motion simulation dark ride at the park now. Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts has since surpassed it, hinting at another several years of dominance in the category for Universal. Due to the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror news, the second Harry Potter ride of its type didn’t take over the category as expected in 2016, but its ascension feels inevitable. At this point, Universal has a hammerlock on Best Dark Ride according to Amusement Today voters. It’s won 15 out of 16 awards in the 2000s, and each of their new attractions seems to outdo the previous one.