Disney World is for families, not just little kids. While Disney World has many family-friendly rides and attractions they have quite a few rides that will give thrill-seekers what they are looking for. This guide for Disney World thrill rides includes ride descriptions, tips, height requirements, and thrill factor ratings on a 1 equals dull and 10 equals the highest thrill. Make your next Disney vacation a thrilling one!
Top Disney World Thrill Rides
Magic Kingdom Thrill Rides
The Magic Kingdom is home to the Big 3 Mountains. These rides give you a rush, the biggest thrills coming from Space Mountain. If you aren’t a thrill-seeker check out my list of the Top 10 Magic Kingdom Attractions for those who don’t do coasters. I am not including Barnstormer in this guide to thrilling Disney World attractions if I did, it would get a 2 for the thrill factor rating.
Overall I did not give Disney World a 10 thrill factor for the roller coasters. I am a Michigan native and grew up at Cedar Point. Going on the Raptor scarred me, hence my fear of coasters now but I go on these.
Space Mountain
In my opinion, Space Mountain is one of the best thrill rides at Walt Disney World. You sit single file, 3 to a car, and ride a roller coaster in the dark. Though the darkness, the projections of the galaxy, and several sudden drops and turns make the roller coaster seem like you’re careening wildly through space. You are going 28 miles per hour. Just the feeling of not knowing what is next increases the thrill factor.
- Height Requirement: To ride Space Mountain, riders must be at least 44 inches tall.
- Thrill Scale: 7
- Genie+: This ride requires is included in your Genie+ service.
- Space Mountain Tip: There are two tracks to choose from on the Magic Kingdom ride: Alpha and Omega. For a slightly longer ride, opt for the Alpha track, which is 3196 feet long versus Omega’s 3186 feet.
Big Thunder Mountain
Big Thunder Mountain is my favorite Disney World thrill ride. Big Thunder Mountain is the wildest ride in the wilderness taking guests on a wild ride in a runaway train through an abandoned gold mine in Frontierland. Passengers climb aboard a 15-row train that ventures to the mountain’s peak. At 197 feet above sea level, Big Thunder is one of the tallest mountains at Walt Disney World Resort. The max speed is 36 miles per hour.
- Height Requirement: To ride Big Thunder Mountain, riders must be at least 40 inches tall.
- Thrill Scale: 6
- Genie+: Yes
- Big Thunder Mountain Tip: Sit in the back for a bigger thrill and this ride is way better at night!
Splash Mountain
Splash Mountain rounds out the Big 3 Magic Kingdom Mountains. The last drop is five stories and you are going 40 miles per hour for that drop!
- Height Requirement: To ride Splash Mountain, riders must be at least 40 inches tall.
- Thrill Scale: 5
- Genie+: Yes
- Splash Mountain Tip: Sit in the front for more thrills and plan on getting wet no matter where you sit. Like Big Thunder Mountian, this ride is much better in the dark.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
The innovative, patented ride system for the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is an original design developed at Walt Disney Imagineering. It features five-car trains designed to swing independently from side to side as they move along the track. This newly patented design provides a one-of-a-kind ride experience. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train reaches speeds of 34 miles per hour. This is the lowest impact thrill ride at the Magic Kingdom. The track is very smooth.
- Height Requirement: To ride the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, riders must be at least 38 inches tall.
- Thrill Scale: 5
- Genie+: Currently the ride is an Individual Lightning Lane purchase. This may change once Tron opens.
Hollywood Studios Thrill Rides
Right now Hollywood Studios has two thrill rides. For more Hollywood Studios fun, check out my top attractions for Hollywood Studios. I am not including Slinky Dog Dash in this guide to thrilling Disney World attractions if I did it would get a 2 for the thrill factor rating.
Tower of Terror
Tower of Terror is something I was deathly afraid of trying but I am so glad I did. I love the adrenaline rush this ride gives. At 199 feet Disney’s Tower of Terror is the second tallest attraction at the Walt Disney World Resort. In this ride, you tour a spookily abandoned hotel and then get into its’ elevator. The elevator then randomly drops you at a speed faster than normal gravity. You fall at a speed of 39 miles per hour. What I love as a passholder is that no two rides are the same so you never know when the drops are going to happen.
- Height Requirement: To ride the Tower of Terror, riders must be at least 40 inches tall.
- Thrill Scale: 7
- Genie+: Yes
Rockin’ Roller Coaster
Full disclosure, I have not gone on this ride yet in my quest to conquer all the Disney coasters. I do want to try this ride but my anxiety kicks in and I always back out. Rockin’ Roller Coaster is a coaster that goes upside down three times and is super fast reaching a top speed of 57 miles per hour in just 2.8 seconds. Riders experience up to 4 G’s and travel through three inversions, which include half-vertical loops, half-corkscrews, and a sea serpent roll.
- Height Requirement: To ride the Rockin’ Roller Coaster, riders must be at least 48 inches tall.
- Thrill Scale: 8
- Genie+: Yes
Epcot Thrill Rides
Epcot currently has just two thrill rides. I am guessing that when the Guardians of the Galaxy coaster get finished it will be added to the list.
Test Track
Re-imagined in 2012, this is a thrill attraction where guests design a “SimCar,” then hop in for a wild ride on the Test Track circuit. Going up to 65 miles per hour in your vehicle you encounter hairpin turns and sudden stops.
- Height Requirement: To ride Test Track, riders must be at least 40 inches tall.
- Thrill Scale: 6
- Test Track Tip: Use the single rider line, as the wait for that line, is usually not over 30 minutes.
- Genie+: Yes
Mission: SPACE
Only the Orange Mission of Mission Space is a thrill ride. They actually lowered the intensity of the green side and I think it is pretty lame. The Orange Mission uses a centrifuge that spins and tilts to simulate the speed and G-forces of a spacecraft launch and reentry.
- Height Requirement: For the Orange Mission riders must be 44 inches tall.
- Thrill Scale: 9
- Genie+: Yes
Animal Kingdom Thrill Rides
Flight of Passage
On this ride, you fly on the back of a mountain banshee during an exhilarating, 3D ride over the vast moon of Pandora on the Avatar Flight of Passage attraction. This ride adds effects like feeling the banshee’s breath that adds to the thrill factor.
- Height Requirement: This ride requires riders to be at least 44 inches tall.
- Genie+: Yes as an Individual Lightning Lane option.
- Thrill Scale: 6
Expedition Everest
Embark on a thrilling expedition through the icy peaks of the Himalayas. Without warning, your train screeches to a halt: A broken and twisted track appears in front of you. Brace yourself as your train unpredictably begins to race backward into the darkened mountain, furiously swooping up into a double-looping turn. Once that stop you are dropped 80 feet down at 50 miles per hour.
Though I did get the courage to get on this ride, I do not think I will not ride it again since I am not a major thrill seeker. I am not sure though, part of me really wants to conquer this without getting shaky legs. We shall see.
- Height Requirement: Riders must at least be 44 inches tall
- Thrill Factor: 8
- Genie+: Yes
Typhoon Lagoon Thrill Rides
Crush ‘n’ Gusher
Enter an abandoned fruit-processing plant and take a wild raft ride down 400-foot-long tube slides. Defy gravity as you and your raft are propelled by powerful jets through uphill climbs and surprise after surprise. Catch some air as you thrill to sudden dips and snake around hairpin turns through darkened and open sections.
- Height Requirement: To ride Crush ‘n’ Gusher, riders must be at least 48 inches tall.
- Genie+: No
- Crush ‘n’ Gusher Tip: Choose the Banana Blaster for the most thrills.
Blizzard Beach Thrill Rides
Summit Plummet
Thirty feet above the peak of Mt. Gushmore is the platform for a thrill ride that sends the daring on a high-speed adventure down a 350-foot slide. Summit Plummet is one of the nation’s tallest, fastest free-fall speed slides, visible from almost anywhere in the park. From Summit Plummet’s “ski jump” tower, it’s a breathtaking high-speed 55 mph plunge straight down to a splash landing at the base of the mountain.
- Height Requirement: To ride Summit Plummet, riders must be at least 48 inches tall.
- Genie+: No
Disney World Thrill Rides Bucket List Printable
I have included the bucket list with and without the water park rides. Which ride is the first one you are going to go on?
Click here to get your free Disney World Thrill Rides Bucket List Printable.
Consider planning and booking your next Walt Disney World vacation with a Concierge Vacation Planner like Favorite Grampy’s Travels. I’ll take away the stress of planning a Disney vacation and help you get the best price! Click Here to Get a no-obligation consultation now.