3. That first sip of Beverly at Club Cool

What’s a good exploration of reaction videos without a bit of friendly trolling?

Possibly the most famous series of reaction videos among Walt Disney World guests is the first time you trick—encourage—your loved ones to sip that iconic Italian brew, Beverly, at Epcot’s Club Cool. Disney has been pulling this prank on guests for decades, and it seriously never gets old.

The set up is easy for a great Beverly reaction video. The trick is to get your friend/family member/frenemy to try all the other sodas first. One or two are a bit odd, but generally, all the sodas at Club Cool fulfill what we expect from our carbonated sugar elixirs.

Enter Beverly—a non-alcoholic aperitif with a taste more bitter than defeat.

You almost can’t fail capturing a reaction video of someone trying Beverly the first time (even if they like the foul stuff like one peculiar friend of ours). The taste is best described as concentrated grapefruit pith with playful notes of turpentine. The last time we took two teenagers there—both of whom were aware of Beverly’s acrid profile—they ended up taking turns seeing who could drink the most cups. The fun just never ends. Cameras up!

4. Seeing the Rockin’ Roller Coaster blast off

On a similar subject of friendly trolling, one of Disney’s best mini-pranks is actually found in the queue for the Aerosmith Rockin’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. It’s also one of the easiest ones to miss.

After the pre-show, you’ll want to have your smartphone on standby as your party approaches the chain link fence that separates the queue from the ride track. Wait for one of the ride cars to pull up under the retro light-up sign. Everything seems calm for first timers until Stephen Tyler shouts, “3…2…1!”.

People’s nervous reactions to the ride vehicle blasting into the abyss are classic. It’s inevitable that some people start asking their party what they’re getting into. It involves a little subtlety and good timing, but you won’t regret capturing this magic moment next time you’re at Walt Disney World.

5. Just you and the fruit bats

Image: Greg Goebel, Flickr (license)

Another of our favorite playful reaction videos is found on the Maharajah Jungle Trek at Disney’s Animal Kingdom. During the trek, you have the option to detour into a small building filled with bug and reptile exhibits. Beyond the wooden pillars of the room lies a great open window looking out into the jungle. In that jungle, giant fruit bats hang lazily from the tree branches.

Make sure you have your camera ready when you ask someone from your party to go touch the glass.

There is no glass. We are in the Matrix and the fruit bats are our digital masters. All hail the fruit bats who lured you into their trap.

I kid, of course. Despite their scary dragon wings, beady eyes, and total abandon for propriety, the fruit bats are basically just puppies who can fly. They’re far more interested in mangoes than that tasty blood coursing through your neck. They happily stay on their side of the enclosure and are just fine avoiding the people who come to visit every day. Still, it is extremely common for guests to assume that Disney just keeps the cleanest pane of glass in the world in between us and the preening dragon-foxes beyond. In any case, you can get a pretty good reaction for your trip memories if you have your camera ready when you enter this area!

6. Geeking out over the March of the First Order

Image: Disney

We’ve talked a lot about sentimental or mild-pranking reaction videos thus far, but if you have a Star Wars fan in your family, you won’t want to miss their reaction to one of the geekiest Star Wars extravaganzas of all.

Hollywood Studios’ March of the First Order.

This may be an underwhelming item on the list for the non-Star Wars fans, but for those who’ve grown up dreaming of that galaxy far, far away, there is almost nothing in Walt Disney World that sparks a full geek-out like the sound of the Imperial March resounding through the park while Captain Phasma leads a well-trained company of stormtroopers down Hollywood Boulevard, accosting guests as she goes. I’ve seen the march at least four times and still get excited every new visit. Whether you have a little Jedi in the family or a full grown superfan, you’ll want to have your camera ready not just for the show but for their reaction too!