Disney Rides

Disney 2020

Part II: Rides & Attractions!

This is a list of the rides, attractions, and entertainment. I started with a list of places you could use your fast pass. If it's Fast Pass eligible (FP), if it's the new Tiered system of Fast Pass: FP1 or FP2. To start you can get one Tier 1 Fast Pass reservation (FP1) and two Tier 2 reservations (FP2). Magic Kingdom doesn't have tiers as of 2/22/2020 so they are just labeled FP. 

In compiling this list I realized how much we DIDN'T see and do. The amount to do there is astronomical. Basically, if you miss out on something, don't worry about it. Our days were packed from beginning to end. We were up at dawn and the kids were passed out on the bus pretty much every night. We didn't ever go back to our hotel during the day.  Also, it's now March and I'm still looking at pics from our trip and reminicing. 

Also, I did minimal planning (compared to what I heard other people doing) and we also still had a great time. My first big tip is check out Crowd Calendars. There are a probably a ton of them. Google and find them on a few websites and pick the dates with the least amount of lines. This helped me with my desire not to plan the hell out of our vacation and I'm sure reduced the amount of time we spent in line. 

Our basic structure included: eight days and seven nights of travel, staying at two Disney hotels, called a split stay, (Moderate: Port of Orleans, 4 nights, and Deluxe: Animal Kingdom Lodge: Jambo House, 3 nights), five day park hopper tickets, and a Disney Meal Plan (DDP). We also bought the memory maker photo pass and purchased trip insurance. Total cost, including EVERYTHING, flights, parking at the airport, souvenirs, etc. $8,400. To put it in perspective I looked at our trip to California in 2018 and we traveled for about 10 days and the cost of that trip was $6,800.  

Day 1: Flew in as early as possible. We got to check into our room at Port of Orleans Riverside before the posted check in time. We checked in, got our buttons (my birthday, their first timers), unpacked and got settled, walked around the resort, checked out the gift shop, played at the arcade, ate some foods, got our Disney mugs (part of the DDP), and eventually took the bus over to Disney Springs. We walked around this giant open air shopping and restaurant area and had dinner at Raglan Road while listening to live Irish music. We took the river boat back to our hotel and got our things packed for our first day at the park.

Day 2: Hollywood Studios had Extra Magic Hours (a bonus for staying at a Disney Hotel) in the morning and Epcot in the afternoon. We had dinner reservations at Akersus where we saw a ton of characters and a Fast Pass for the Frozen Ever After Ride. Learned that day that I couldn't get Fast Passes for one park if I had Fast Passes for another park later that day.

Day 3: Animal Kingdom all day and arrived early with Extra Magic Hours in the morning and quickly made our way to Pandora and rode Na'vi River Journey. We had a reservation for Tusker House for a character meal and added on the Rivers of Light Package for the first show. (This ended up working to our benefit because we went back to Pandora during that second showing, learned about the parent swap, and didn't spend a huge amount of time waiting for us to individually ride the Avatar Flight of Passage. This ride was a ridiculously amazing VR ride where you felt like you were rising a Banshee through Pandora. The kids weren't tall enough to ride it yet.) 

Day 4: Magic Kingdom all day and then park hopped to Epcot. (next time we will not take the monorail to Epcot with the giant herd of people, but take the ferry. We easily lost an hour moving with the crowd.)

Day 5: Rest day, slept in, packed our stuff to take to our next hotel, Animal Kingdom Lodge (Jambo House) and went to Disney Springs to play at the Lego store lunch while our stuff made it's way to the hotel and then spent the late afternoon and evening swimming, admiring animals, and enjoying an incredible dinner at Boma.

Day 6: Hollywood Studios early so we could get a Boarding Pass for the Rise of the Resistance, which we did and we were out of that park and at a Character meal at 'Ohana for brunch by 11:45am. Back to Magic Kingdom to see the parade that we missed last time and night show, that was eventually foiled by losing Zoey right beforehand.)

Day 7: Epcot for Extra Magic Hours and back to Hollywood Studios to catch their night show, Fantasmic!

Day 8: We caught the latest flight home to get home before 8pm so we got to enjoy our last day at Animal Kingdom Lodge.

Magic Kingdom

RIDES!

1. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (FP): this roller coaster is a blast! We lucked out and got to do this one twice in a row. Some Disney Magic by a cast member who saw the glee after riding our first roller coaster hooked us up. Worth getting a fast pass. 
2. Barnstormer (FP): a quick fun roller coaster. Like 45 second ride. We were able to hop on it the first time with a fast pass and I think we immediately rode it again with little to no line. We did it another day too with minimal lines. https://youtu.be/yodnbrL60H
3. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (FP): We didn't get to ride this. We had a few full days at the MK but I will make sure to get a Fast Pass for this next time.
4. Space Mountain (FP): the girls aren't tall enough for this yet but as a kid this roller coaster was always a favorite. 
5. Splash Mountain (FP): this was down for renovations while we were there but every time I've ever been to Disney World or Land I have done this ride. 
6. Peter Pan's Flight (FP): we missed this. I think it's a ride. It's really popular so I would try and get a Fast Pass next time.
7. Tomorrowland Speedway(FP): Dave was interested in riding this but not something he HAD TO DO. It seemed like normal go karts so not sure if the long wait would have been worth it for us.
8. Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin (FP): this is a fun interactive ride. It's a car on a track. You ride it through a few rooms that have targets and shoot at the targets. There were two guns per car you can swivel the car around too. Worth a fast pass if you can't get them for roller coasters. Photo pass on the ride. Scan at the end to get your pics. 
   
   
9. Mad Tea Party(FP): quintessential Disney spinning teacup ride. 
10. Magic Carpets of Aladdin (FP): this was our first ride when we got to the Magic Kingdom. Interactive and goes around a base and the riders can determine if the carpet goes up and down or tilts forward and backwards. The Dumbo ride and this are basically the same ride. https://youtu.be/5F1P4Giugdw
11. Dumbo (FP) 

Super Slow Moving Rides:

It's hard to even call these rides. There may be a the smallest of drops but really it's about admiring the scenes and animatronics that Disney has to offer:

1. Under the Sea - Journey of the Little Mermaid (FP): ride around in a clam shell on a track and see some scenes from The Little Mermaid. Some parts of this were really gorgeous.
2. Pirates of the Caribbean (FP): quintessential Disney slow moving long ride with animatronic characters. Photopass on the ride toward the end.
3. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh (FP): we didn't wait in line for this one. We also didn't stop and see any of the Pooh characters. I believe this is also a slow moving ride that goes through scenes from Winnie the Pooh.
4. Haunted Mansion (FP): quintessential Disney. Photopass on the ride toward the end. We look sooo bored. Dave is eating a cough drop. I wouldn't feel compelled to ride this if the line was long. 
5. “it's a small world” (FP): quintessential Disney. The costumes on all the animatronics are incredible. We waited abit for it but probably wouldn't have waited longer than 45 minutes. It's a slow moving boat that moves through many countries and cultures of the world. 
6. Jungle Cruise (FP): a river guide tells bad dad jokes as you ride a boat down a river where there are older Disney animatronics along the boat ride. Meh. 

Attractions and Shows:

1. Enchanted Tales with Belle (FP): live actors have a ton of crowd participation to tell a story of Belle. Three of the four in our family were in it. They have professional photographers to take pictures of the entire thing and you get a card at the end to add them to your Photopass.
2. Mickey's PhilharMagic (FP): 4D show with animatronics. You sit in a theater and have additional sensory experiences during the show.
3. Monsters, Inc. Laugh Floor. (FP): We missed this but I am pretty sure we would have enjoyed this comedy show.

Character Meet & Greets:

1. Mickey at Town Square Theater (FP): we saw Mickey elsewhere.
2. Tinker Bell at Town Square Theater (FP) 
3. Cinderella and Elena at Princess Fairytale Hall (FP) 
4. Rapunzel and Tiana at Princess Fairytale Hall (FP) 
5. Ariel at Her Grotto (FP): Ariel has a gorgeous tail. 

Transportation Kind of Ride Around MK:

1. Tomorrow Land Transit Authority (returns you to where you got on)
2. Walt Disney World Railroad (twenty minutes round trip but you can get off in either: Main Street USA, Frontier Land, or Tomorrow Land

Nightly show (no fast passes): Be at the front of Cinderella's castle. It is WORTH IT to scope out a spot. The first night we were there we were so exhausted we thought we'd be satisfied with the view on a bridge heading back to Main Street from Tommorrow Land but in hindsight it was not the full experience. The castle comes to life and the fireworks accentuate the show. I'm glad we came back the next night to ride a few more rides and see the show.

UNFORTUNATELY, I lost Zoey at the very front of the castle. She wanted to go up a little closer. I could see her. And then everyone was told to stand up. And she was gone. I'm not sure how quickly a cast member started asking her questions and bringing her back to the kids lost and found (at the back end of this area) but the entire front section of the castle was all calling her name at one point and she must have been determined lost pretty quickly and I got to the point of starting to freak out, even though I know this is the safest place on Earth. So, instead of getting to see the glory of the seats we had initially scoped out and saved we had a less than perfect view from the side.  

LUCKILY, I found my kid and then we also caught back up with Dave and Audrey, who we'd left behind after Dave was moving slowly because he hurt his knee on the Haunted Mansion and there was such a huge sea of people in front of the castle we never found each other before the night show. ALSO! There was an extra show that night on the castle called Once Upon a Time. It was beautiful. We had an incredible shared experience seeing Let It Go at the top of our lungs along with thousands of other people. 

**Currently Magic Kingdom does not have a tiered Fast Pass system but the other parks do. I'll note if they are Tier 1 or Tier 2.

EPCOT

RIDES!

1. Soarin’ (FP1): This is my absolute favorite ride at Epcot and one of my favorite rides at Disney World. This is a huge movie projected on the inside of a concave dome while you are sitting (possible really high up, just don't look down, you are safely belted in and the kids have an extra strap) in a long swing with about 12 other people. You fly over the world to see major landmarks and many of them have smells along with the gentle movements on the swing. This ride was just incredible.
2. Test Track (FP1): This ride was being renovated shortly after we arrived. They had long lines the days we were there. Dave would have definitely ridden this ride. It is supposed to be really fast.
3. Frozen Ever After (FP1): As far as rides go it's hard to call it a ride. It's a log ride with animatronics, and singing. Of course. There is the smallest drop and a Photopass on the ride. Don't be that guy and record the ride and have the phone in front of your face for the picture like I did.
4. Mission: SPACE (FP2): There are two versions of this ride. Earth and Mars. Audrey and I rode Earth. We were underwhelmed. If you don't like small spaces this is NOT the ride for you. Dave rode Mars and apparently this was leaps and bounds beyond Earth. Some crazy strong G Force took place. Height requirements: Earth: Mars: 44"
5. Spaceship Earth (FP2): a roller coaster in the dark. As a teenager I LOVED THIS RIDE. I didn't do it this time because the kids weren't' tall enough. Height Requirement: 44"

Super Slow Moving Rides:

1. The Seas with Nemo & Friends (FP2): ride along in a clamshell and check out scenes from Finding Nemo
2. Journey Into Imagination With Figment (FP2): Figment is EPCOTs mascot. It was a simple slow ride exploring your senses. The most fun was after you got off the ride and went into the playroom. (Met Joy from Inside Out in this space.)
3. Living with the Land (FP2): 
4. Turtle Talk with Crush (FP2):
5. Pixar Short Film Festival (FP2): 
6. Epcot Forever (FP1): This is the nightly show at Epcot. It was pretty mindblowing. I admit that I teared up a little bit at it's vast beauty and vastness. The show we saw had jet skiers pulling lit up kites, water sprayed into the air, fireworks, and the tops of all the countries lit up.  It was just gorgeous. It says you can get a Fast Pass but it probably looks amazing everywhere. 

Hollywood Studios

RIDES!

1. Slinky Dog Dash (FP1): this roller coaster was a BLAST and worth the line we waited in. I would get a Fast Pass next time FOR SURE!
2. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (FP2):
3. Tower of Terror (FP2): Not sure if the girls were ready for a ride that dropped like this.
4. Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run (FP1): This was fun. It was a long line, but it moved quickly so the scenery was always changing and while in line we got to chat with Vi and Manny for a bit, waved to Chewy and tried to get Ray's attention. You want to be the pilot. Audrey and I were pilots, Dave and Zoey were gunners, and some people we did not know where engineers. Dave said his ride wasn't as fun because he wasn't looking straight forward like we were as pilots. Honestly, I have no idea if the Engineers had fun or not and if it was worth the wait. 
5. Star Tours (FP1): This was a fun ride where they ride stayed in the same general space but lurched around as we escaped the Dark Side.
6. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway (FP1): This opened after we went.
7. Toy Story Mania (FP2):
8. Alien Swirling Saucers (FP2):
9. Voyage of the Little Mermaid (FP2):
10. Disney Junior Dance Party! (FP2):
11. Beauty and the Beast (FP2):

Attractions and Shows (you can get fastpasses for):

1. Frozen Sing-Along Celebration (FP2):
2. Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular (FP2):
3. Muppet Vision 3D (FP2):
4. Fantasmic! (FP2): Nightly show and so good. Fast Pass likely got you slightly better seats. We got there right before the show and still enjoyed it tremendously. Some characters, some people, fireworks, light show on the water and a little fire. 

Animal Kingdom

RIDES!

We had a great full day at AK but we didn't do a ton of rides or things that you needed Fast Passes for.

1. Avatar Flight of Passage (FP1): Virtual Reality amazingness
2. Na’vi River Journey (FP1): This is a slow moving ride through brilliant animatronic scenes from Avatar. (I'm surprised this is Tier 1 and not Tier 2.)
3. Expedition Everest (FP2)
4. DINOSAUR (FP2):
5. Kali River Rapids (FP2): I think this was under repair.
6. Primeval Whirl (Seasonal) (FP2): missed this

EXPERIENCES/ACTIVITIES: 

1. Kilimanjaro Safaris (FP2): it was a delightful view of so many animals. 
2. The Animation Experience at Conservation Station (FP2)

SHOWS!

1. It's Tough to Be A Bug: (FP2): fun 4D show
2. Finding Nemo Musical (FP2): We missed this show.
3. UP! A Great Bird Adventure (FP2): We missed this live action show.
4. Festival of the Lion King (FP2): live show with singing, acrobats, stilt walkers, etc. I enjoyed this 360° live performance. 
5. Rivers of Light (FP2): Animal Kingdom' nightly light show. We did a dinner package and got nice seats to the show. There are two shows each night. There are no fireworks because they don't want to scare the animals.

MEET AND GREET:

1. Adventurers Outpost Character Greeting (FP2): Character Meet and Greet. We didn't do this as we had a Character Meal at Tucker House and met Mickey, Donald, Daisy and Goofy.

I found this blog after I got back and it seems like a good resource for next time or someone else who is going sooner than us. : https://www.mousehacking.com/blog/disney-world-fastpass-strategy