The ULTIMATE Ranking of Classic Disney Attractions
Hey there, hi there, ho there Disneys!
If you've tuned into the ChatDisney podcast recently, you may already know that Tash and I recently shared the ULTIMATE ranking of the classic Disney attractions.
Categorising each attraction by theming, family friendliness, thrill, quality, and nostalgia, we gave each ride a total score out of 50, and then ranked them all accordingly.
Here's what happened...
Somehow, I think Tash was left pretty confused and disappointed when Star Tours made it into second position, but my near perfect score for the attraction saw it sail through. When it comes to The Tower of Terror, Tash and I both agreed that the attraction is well themed and thrilling – and when you include the Guardians of The Galaxy: Mission Breakout version in Anaheim, it's unsurprising that this attraction performed so well.
If you've tuned into the ChatDisney podcast recently, you may already know that Tash and I recently shared the ULTIMATE ranking of the classic Disney attractions.
If not, then this blog post is for you.
Categorising each attraction by theming, family friendliness, thrill, quality, and nostalgia, we gave each ride a total score out of 50, and then ranked them all accordingly.
Here's what happened...
9th Place – The Enchanted Tiki Room
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| Image Credit: WDW Magazine |
In last place, perhaps a little unsurprising, it's The Enchanted Tiki Room. This attraction scored poorly across the board. The less said, the better.
8th Place – Mad Tea Party
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| Image Credit: Wikipedia Mad Tea Party, The Mad Hatter's Teacups, call it what you will – a version of this ride appears in Disney Parks all over the world. But that doesn't mean it is as popular with Tash and I. This ride scored pretty poorly, with a few average ratings. 7th Place – The Jungle Cruise, Matterhorn Bobsleds, and Spaceship Earth |
All of these classic rides performed pretty poorly. Interestingly, I rated Spaceship Earth a lot more highly than Tash, and she rated the Matterhorn more highly than me – no surprises there. We were slightly surprised to see these classics perform so badly.
6th Place – It's a Small World and Dumbo The Flying Elephant
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| Image Credit: TripSavvy |
For both of these classic attractions, those family friendly and nostalgia categories really helped! Frequently visited by park goers around the world, it's not really a Disney trip until you have been on at least one of these two legendary attractions – regardless of how much those creepy dolls haunt my nightmares!
5th Place – Peter Pan's Flight
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| Image Credit: Peter Pan's Flight Now this one surprised us both. I'm not sure either of us could have predicted that Peter Pan's Flight would outperform the likes of both Spaceship Earth and The Matterhorn, but when it came down to the categories, this Fantasyland favourite came out on top. It scored particularly well on theming which made up the bulk of this score. 4th Place – Soarin'  Whether you're soarin' over the world, or simply California, there is no doubt that you'll never forget your first time on this iconic Disney attraction. For me, I first rode Soarin' in EPCOT at Walt Disney World in Florida and for Tash, it was at Disney's California Adventure in Anaheim. We were both able to enjoy the updated version together in 2016 when we visited Shanghai Disneyland. Despite Tash's fear of heights and discomfort on this ride, we both agreed that it scores highly for nostalgia, thrill, and theming which is why it came out in the Top 4. 3rd Place – Tron, Space Mountain, Splash Mountain, and Big Thunder Mountain  The three mountains of the Magic Kingdom are in good company with Tron in bronze position. All of these classic attractions scored very highly with high performance in theming and thrill for Tron, and decent scores across the board for Splash and Big Thunder Mountains. Space Mountain really came into its own on theming, as we considered all versions of the attraction for this ranking, including Hyperspace Mountain, which features a Star Wars overlay and music by John Williams. 2nd Place – Star Tours and The Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror  |
1st Place – Haunted Mansion and Pirates of The Caribbean
Image Credit: Trip Savvy
...and now we have made it to the top spot. And perhaps it was predictable, perhaps you feel cheated or perhaps those feelings are simply testament to how undeniably awesome these two attractions are? With 42 points each, a near perfect score, both Tash and I were in complete agreement that these attractions are thrilling, well executed, nostalgic, brilliantly themed, and fun for all the family. We included all variations of the attractions including the infamous Shanghai version of Pirates of The Caribbean, and of course Phantom Manor in Disneyland Paris. We just love them all.
I hope you enjoyed this blog post, and if you'd like to hear us chat through the ranking in a little more detail, you can head over to the ChatDisney podcast.
I hope you enjoyed this blog post, and if you'd like to hear us chat through the ranking in a little more detail, you can head over to the ChatDisney podcast.