FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

6. Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin

Everything from this point forward is a fun attraction, a great attraction, or a combination of the two. The Buzz Lightyear interactive ride is another one that Disney’s duplicated at all of their parks. From a kid’s perspective, it’s a dream come true. You’re at Disney AND you’re playing a videogame! What’s not to love about that?

Unlike the two rides mentioned already, Buzz Lightyear has replay value. Friends can do battle against each other while preventing Zurg from doing…something. It’s probably nefarious. Anyway, you get to point a toy gun at the walls and make stuff light up. The Buzz Lightyear “ride” is basically laser tag while you’re sitting down at Disney. And that is AWESOME!

5. Na’Vi River Journey

Image: DisneyThree of the top five Disney space rides are relatively new, which speaks to the company’s commitment to honoring Walt Disney’s legacy. These three rides are also themed to specific intellectual properties, another of Uncle Walt’s passions. And the list will grow longer when Star Wars Land: Galaxy’s Edge opens.

The “worst” of the three new-ish attractions is Na’Vi River Journey, which is basically It’s a Small World with aliens instead of creepy dolls. This attraction is by far the least exhilarating out of the top five in that it’s a slow “appreciate Pandora” ride rather than one for adrenaline junkies. I happen to like that quality and am in awe of the bioluminescence on display throughout the canoe ride. Still, it falls short of the others on this list in terms of excitement, even if it’s probably the winner in grandeur.

4. Star Tours – The Adventures Continue

Out of the outer space rides, this one is the toughest to rank. In a sense, it’s nothing like Walt Disney’s beloved outer space exploration concepts. You’re in a world that someone else created, one that’s not real. On the other hand, that’s true of most of the top five, and this ride was the first of them.

Star Tours is just plain fun. You enter a cleverly disguised motion simulator and get bumped around in a way that matches the action onscreen. You don’t think of it as a screen, though. It’s a giant projection monitor that looks like a ship’s display or possible even a window. From here, you hear a whiny android say “OH, DEAR!” a lot as you encounter many of the most famous characters from the Star Wars universe.

As much as I love Na’Vi River Journey, Star Tours is a superior entertainment attraction. Its theming feels organic and natural, and it delivers a tremendous amount of excitement. Plus, each ride is at least slightly different, something that should become the standard at all future Disney attractions.

 
FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

Add new comment

About Theme Park Tourist

Theme Park Tourist is one of the web’s leading sources of essential information and entertaining articles about theme parks in Orlando and beyond.

We are one of the world’s largest theme park guide sites, hosting detailed guides to more than 80 theme parks around the globe.

Find Out More About Us...

Plan Your Trip

Our theme park guides contain reviews and ratings of rides, restaurants and hotels at more than 80 theme parks worldwide.

You can even print them.

Start Planning Now...