FacebookTwitterPinterestEmail

5. Star Tours

Image: DisneyThe original version of Star Tours was 100 percent George Lucas-approved. Disney pitched him the idea, and he loved it immediately, requiring no further enticement. The first iteration quickly grew stale, though. When Imagineers pitched Star Tours – The Adventure Continues, they had a bold plan to improve the underlying quality of the attraction. They wanted to add randomness to the ride.

Each segment of Star Tours varies every time. You may encounter Storm Troopers or Darth Vader at the start, you may receive a message from Poe Dameron or BB-8, and your chase scene may come from Star Wars: The Force Awakens or The Empire Strikes Back. These are just examples, as dozens of different permutations are available.

Image: DisneyAlso, Disney’s modified the attraction in recent years to account for the new films in Star Wars canon. At the moment, the ride skews heavily toward segments from Episodes VII and VIII, but park planners can change whenever they like. You literally never know what you’ll get when you take a ride on Star Tours, which is more than enough to justify placement on this list.

4. Toy Story Mania!

Image: DisneyThe inclusion of Toy Story Mania! is primarily due to its gaming factor. Each time you board the ride, you’re competing with the person sitting right beside you as well as the duo sitting behind you in your coaster cart. You’re also battling the highest scores for the hour and the day, meaning that you have ample opportunities for bragging rights.

The ride tracks are also different for each of the three potential lines. And each of these ride tracks leads to different carnival games, meaning that you have different skills to hone every time you play. Some people are better at the ring toss part of the carnival games while others can pop balloons so well that you’ll wonder if they hate children. You could ride Toy Story Mania! 50 times and still lack mastery of every competition. For this reason, I wish that Disney would gamify many of their existing attractions. Such a move immediately boosts the repeat value of each ride.

3. Splash Mountain

Image: DisneyThe longest attractions at Walt Disney World are oftentimes great for riding again and again. When you’re on your first visit, you face a time constraint that limits your ability and/or desire to ride a 10+ minute attraction multiple times. That’s regrettable but understandable.

When you come to the parks a lot, target some of these attractions for repeated viewings. You’ll appreciate precisely how much detail Imagineers can pack into an extended ride. Splash Mountain is the ultimate example of this, because the various sets are so lush and rich in detail. Many of the best gags are ones you won’t notice during your first few rides because they’re off in the background, accentuating the main story rather than distracting away from it.

Image: DisneySplash Mountain is also a wonderful repeat ride for other reasons. The obvious one is that it’s a joyous ride experience that puts everyone in a great mood. Similarly, the variable amount of drenching adds another layer of entertainment to the proceedings. Some riders even know how to manipulate the boat to get strangers soaked!

There’s even a final, controllable aspect to the proceedings. The great Splash Mountain picture is a time-honored tradition. It inspires some of the most creative Disney guests to go to great lengths to capture the perfect image. Newly married couples board the ride in their wedding gowns and tuxes, videogame fans carry their favorite consoles on the ride, and some folks even, well, you know. It didn’t get the nickname of Flash Mountain by accident. All of these chaos factors make each ride potentially unforgettable.

 
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...