Back at work or school? Sure, it's the middle of the week in the middle of September, but I just think that makes this the perfect time to be thinking about the very best theme park rides in Orlando. So, no matter where you are right now, let's take a moment to imagine riding one of these top attractions.
These are the top 10 theme park rides in the Orlando area, according to our Theme Park Insider reader ratings.
10. The Lego Movie Masters of Flight Legoland Florida: One of the two new-for-2019 attractions on our list, Legoland Florida's first flying theater ride offers more than a few call-outs to other top attractions, too.
9. Haunted Mansion Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom: The stretch room spiel just started playing in your head right now, admit it... "which offers you this chilling challenge - to find a way out!"
8. Expedition Everest Disney's Animal Kingdom: Orlando's original forward/backward/story coaster, just imagine how much highly this one would be ranked if Disney could find a way to get that Yeti working again.
7. Manta SeaWorld Orlando: This Bolliger & Mabillard flying coaster continues to amaze fans and remains Central Florida's top-rated "pure" coaster in our ratings.
6. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man Universal's Islands of Adventure: Okay, I would have put this one a couple or three spots higher, but the big question with Spidey this days is... how will Disney's Spider-Man ride (opening next year at Disney California Adventure) compare?
5. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey Universal's Islands of Adventure: Universal's original Harry Potter ride has some company in the Top 10 now from a Wizarding World neighbor.
4. Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure Universal's Islands of Adventure: Despite its operational challenges, Hagrid's wins raves from just about everyone who manages to get on, making it one of the top attractions in the Orlando area.
3. Twilight Zone Tower of Terror Disney's Hollywood Studios: California's version might have accepted a mission to break out from the Twilight Zone theme, but the original storyline keeps pushing this Disney World favorite toward the top of our ratings.
2. Splash Mountain Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom: Splash always creeps up in the ratings during the summer months, so this flume ride is enjoying the peak of its popularity right now.
1. Flight of Passage Disney's Animal Kingdom: The undisputed king of Orlando-area attractions ever since it opened, the anchor of Disney's Pandora - The World of Avatar land continues to elicit some of the most powerful emotional reactions seen from a theme park ride.
So what do you think? If you'd like to participate in our reader ratings, follow the links on our top theme park attractions and best roller coaster pages. If one of your favorites hasn't made those lists, you can find all of our theme park listings linked from our theme park ratings and reviews page. And if all this has you inspired to book a trip, just follow the links below.
TweetIf only the people who got the Pilot seat could vote... it'd be there already, I suspect.
Bit of a joke when Mako doesn't even make the top 10 ... LOL .... :)
Flight of Passage would just shade Mako for my #1
Having flown in the pilot's seat on MFSR, I'd put it in my top 10, but not sure if it would make the top 5 though.
Good call on this article Mr. Niles. It is just what the doctor ordered on this Wednesday. A great list with a few rides I have yet to experience personally like #1 and #10 on the list. I'm sure they are fantastic. The main omission on this that is a bit perplexing is Revenge of the Mummy. I remember a while back, like a decade, when this ride won the best ride in the world bracket on this website. Crazy how that works.
Disney Homer. Forbidden Journey and Hagrid CRUSH TOT and splash. I haven't ridden FOP so can't dispute that but have heard people that did prefer Hagrid.
No Mako??????? Best coaster in Orlando by a mile...
Sorry to see Tom Sawyer Island didn't make the list Robert... :)
FoP is currently my favortie attraction of any park, so glad to see it at the top. Haven't gotten a chance to ride Hagrid yet.
Good list.
What about Fast N Furious? Joke.
Interesting list. I've ridden 7/10 on here, but I'd actually put Flight of Passage sixth among those seven (it's better than Manta, but not better than the other Disney/Universal rides here IMO). Perhaps I'll like it better if I don't have to wait 4 hours next time.
And for those wanting Mako, I'd personally put that below both Manta and Incredible Hulk when it comes to Orlando coasters.
Great list, great order.
Good list. I wonder where ROTR would be, if it had opened already.
I really wish I understood the love for Flight of Passage. It’d prooooobably make my WDW Top 5, it’s very impressive technically and I enjoy it a lot, but at its core...it’s a souped up flying theater. I consider it Soarin’ done as well as possible. I can’t possibly imagine being moved to tears by it (as I nearly was by, of all things, Hyperspace Mountain at Disneyland, so that tells you what you need to know about my taste!)
As for my favorite? Splash Mountain is still the king almost 30 years later. I’m also nearly certain I’d have all Universal attractions (Spidey, Transformers, the Potters) rounding out my top 5, though maybe Mako pips Gringotts. Splash Mountain has 2.5 months left undisputed before the biggest challenger to the throne steps up...
Very good, still love the WDW Mansion the best and glad seeing Spidy and others still ranked high.
I'd toss in Revenge of the Mummy as well but overall, I can't argue with these rankings.
I'd go for Mako before Manta also the first drop on the Kracken would probably add it aswell. Taking out expedition Everest as the Yeti is not working.
One of two of the rides on the list which I have not done but its a great list.
The sheer beauty and detail of the ride gets FofP to the #1 spot. The more I ride it, the more I notice things that I hadn't seen before, and considering I've been on it 30-40 times now, that tells me how good it is. I could do without the pre-ride 'stuff' though. Mind you, it's still great to see the kids moving around so they can be linked to an Avatar, and yes, some parents too ... :)
Mako beats out the Hulk by a long way for me. And again, yes I've been on Mako a lot(lot) !! more than Hulk, but Mako is a fun ride, and that's what sets it apart. The air time is amazing, especially in the back, and it's pacing and there-and-back layout is perfect. It's also an incredibly re-rideable coaster, something I don't consider Hulk to be.
I was not impressed with Gringotts, and Forbidden Journey is one of those Simpson type rides that my tummy does not like. The Mummy is good, but not close to an Orlando top 10 ride. I'd put Transformers above The Mummy and Spidey.
So to round off my top 5 .... TofT at 3, with Manta and BTMR at 4 & 5 (Sorry MFSR). There's just something I really like about "the wildest ride in the wilderness" .. :)
I really like lists, as it incites debate. Very glad Haunted Mansion is on the list. My list would have to have Pirates on it. I was also sort of underwhelmed by FoP, but the sheer magnitude of it gets it in the top ten. A problem is you can get a bad seat, and I kind of think Avatar is in the wrong park. Gringotts needs to make the cut, and Jurassic Park is properly cut due to the fact that it is in dire need of refurbishment.
I'm a bit surprised to see Masters of Flight make this list. I haven't personally ridden the new attraction, but while general reviews of it have been pretty positive, it hasn't been mentioned as a top attraction even in its own park.
Sorry Makorider, I like your namesake coaster a lot too, but I'd still place Manta ahead of it. The queue for Manta is better than Mako too.
Mummy is a decent indoor coaster, but Universal's failure to maintain all of the effects and animatronic figures along the dark-ride portion of the attraction keep it pretty far down my list. It's barely a top ride in its own park (behind MIB, Transformers, and Gringott's), so I can't possibly advocate for its inclusion on this list.
FoP is definitely worthy of the top spot here. The realism of the simulator is amazing, and while the IP has little to be desired, the power and immersiveness of the attraction overcomes the weakness of Avatar as a source material.
I haven't yet ridden Hagrid's but I feel that FJ is far superior to Gringott's. Not only is the ride experience miles better than the mediocre coaster, but the queue has set the standard by which all other attraction queues are judged.
I don't think it will be long before MFSR is on this list. The attraction has only been running for a couple of weeks, so once enough guests have experienced it, it should settle in somewhere between 5-10, regardless of where guests are sitting.
I'm a little surprised to see Haunted Mansion make this list. I guess I measure it more against the Disneyland version than other attractions within Orlando, and in that comparison, MK's installation comes up short in my book.
I'm delighted to see Manta on this list. Before I rode it, early this year, I was ambivalent about B&M flyers. While I liked Galactica at Alton Towers, I disliked Superman:Ultimate Flight, which in my estimation came up way short. I found Manta far superior to Superman and more fun to ride than Mako - and not just because my first visit to SeaWorld Orlando was during a torrential downpour. (Flyers are certainly much more user friendly than hypercoasters under those conditions.) When I returned to SeaWorld on a sunny day, I still rode Manta more than Mako, which loses a lot of momentum after the mid course brake run.
Robert, you should do a list for the SoCal parks as well. Would be interesting to compare the list with Orlando & see if any sibling attractions make the cut!
Can we also do Top 10 worst rides? I think that would be very interesting as well.
Has to be Hagrids at number 1 for me and I suspect it may rank higher once all the operational difficulties are well and truly behind it.
FoP is amazing the first time you ride it but after that I think it quickly loses its appeal.
For sheer rerideabilty (ok so not a real word!) I’d have to say that the three main Seaworld coasters deserve a place on the list.
I really need to get on Hagrid's. Haven't been to Universal since spring 2018, and I'm itching to get back, but I really like their Premier AP level and I can't justify the purchase right now. Hagrid's is right up my alley, though, and I imagine it'll become one of my favorite roller coasters, as California's Space Mountain has with its Star Wars layover.
Really wish I felt the power from Flight of Passage. Maybe when it's installed with the Peter Pan film in Tokyo Disneysea I'll be able to find that deeper connection to it, as I plan to make my first trip over there when Fantasy Springs opens in 2022.
@NC Pete, Haha! Top 10 worst attractions could be interesting...is it because of the thumbing, ride design / vehicles or simply not being developed to its full potential!
Just returned from 10 days in Orlando, visiting all of the wdw and universal parks. I've never experienced sea world, but my top 10 would look something like this:
10. Popeye's Barge
9. Mission Space (Orange)
8. Gringots
7. Space Mountain (halloween overlay)
6. Tower of Terror
5. Expedition Everest
4. Smugglers Run
3. Hagrid's ride
2. Flight of Passage
1. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
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All of these rides are great but I'm surprised Escape from Gringotts didn't make the top 10. I personally like it better then Forbidden Journey. I wonder how long it will take for the Millennium ride to get in the top 10.