Disney World is hands down my favorite vacation destination. There are so many rides and attractions and the overall atmosphere is both relaxing and refreshing. Some people say that there is way too much to do, and I agree to an extent. There are six parks if you include the water parks, a sports complex and a whole downtown shopping strip. It is almost inevitable that you'll have to pick and choose what you want to do, even if you are staying for a while. Here are five rides that you should definitely go on the next time you take a trip to Disney:
1. Haunted Mansion
The Haunted Mansion is, well... haunted! One of the best things about the Haunted Mansion is that it not only has the look of a creepy old house, but it really makes you feel like you've left the Magic Kingdom once you step inside. There are gravestones to amuse you while waiting outside and creepy cast members who are either having way too much fun or are actually as strange as they come. The ride is slow moving, but completely in the dark and has plenty of eerie images and sounds that have me inspired to write horror stories. This ride is all about the imagery and not a roller coaster ride, so there is no need to worry about that. Aside from the spooky things that you'll see, this ride has had a lot of stories told about it in the past. People claim the ride is legitimately haunted and they love to write stories about it online. Whether you believe that or not is entirely up to you, but you should check it out if you dare!
2. The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
Imagine this ride as an extension of the Haunted Mansion, with the only differences being that the rides are in two separate parks and the Tower of Terror is like a super intense version of the Frog Hopper indoors. The Tower of Terror has cool stuff to look at while you wait in line, very similar to the Haunted Mansion. Once again, you feel like you are not even in the park when you go inside. The cast members are in character and love to pretend that something has gone wrong once the elevator doors close. After exploring this haunted hotel, your cable car loses control and you drop several stories multiple times. This ride is not for everyone, but once you go on, you can't stop enjoying the thrill. I went on this ride 30 times with my friends. Yep, we were at Disney for nine days and in those nine days we went on the ride 30 times. It never got old for us and we had no problem going on as soon as we got off, especially since the lines were short. I could tell you all about the troll poses we had while everyone else was freaking out (we had a lightsaber duel in one photo and I was "force choked" in another) when the ride took our picture, but that is definitely for another story. This ride is not only a crazy awesome thriller, but once you conquer your fears, it can be a fun hangout like was for me and my friends.
3. Space Mountain
This is a classic, good ol' roller coaster ride in space! Well, even though it isn't in space, this indoor roller coaster certainly makes you feel like you are while you watch spaceships go by and hear all sounds you'd expect to hear when riding inside a neat spaceship. Believe it or not, this roller coaster is actually really smooth and is pretty slow which will encourage skeptical visitors to give it a try. Even waiting in line is fun, which is a bold statement. There are plenty of cool sights and sounds to experience as you wait in line and there are even some games you can play if someone else isn't hogging up the controls. This is just a great example of one of those rides that blows all other competitors out of the water. Sure, that roller coaster you went on at the state fair was pretty cool, but an indoor, in-the-dark space-esque roller coaster makes all other rides you've ever been on look like mere child's play.
4. Toy Story Mania!
Toy Story Mania! combines two great things: the characters of "Toy Story" and circus culture. The plot of this ride (and it's amazing how all Disney rides have plots) is that Andy's toys have set up a midway game and you're invited to play! The line and the ride itself have nostalgic circus/midway images and nostalgic Toy Story things that you know and love. What's cool about the ride is that it is in 3-D and is a classic target shooting game. Just when you thought it couldn't get any better, you realize you'll be playing quite a few games in your session. That's right, you get to play Woody, Buzz, Hamm, Rex and the Little Green Soldier's versions of the target shooting games. This game has midway games and "Toy Story" in it; what more could you want?
5. Star Tours: The Adventures Continue
What happens when a tour guide gets his group stuck in the middle of a battle between the Rebellion and the Empire? Pure chaos. Even if you aren't a "Star Wars" fan, Star Tours is a fun 3-D motion simulator ride that brings you into the excitement of "Star Wars" in ways that even the films couldn't deliver. C-3PO and R2-D2 take you to all different planets in the Star Wars world from the ice planet Hoth to the busy streets of Coruscant. What's great about this ride is your experience is randomized every time, which means you can visit a different planet every time and run into many different but familiar characters. This ride has just been updated with a planet from the new "Star Wars" film and now has appearances from the film's new characters, Finn and BB-8. If you aren't already into "Star Wars", this ride will no doubt help you step into the ever growing "Star Wars" world.
