Disney rides are just the best, aren’t they?
It takes a million little details working perfectly to make a perfect attraction. From the animatronics to the special effects, there are dozens of systems running together. But a big piece of any attraction is often overlooked: the ride vehicle!
Sure it’s something to sit your caboose on as you enter an attraction, but it’s also a big part of the adventure! Ride vehicles have been carefully chosen to compliment the attraction’s theme and are often a crucial part of the story telling.
Here are our favorite Disney World Ride Vehicles — some are technologically impressive, some are just downright adorable. Either way we’re ranking our 10 favorites!
Ranking the Best Ride Vehicles at Walt Disney World
10. Dumbo the Flying Elephant
When talking looks alone, no ride vehicle is cuter than Dumbo!
It’s a simple ride system, but that’s not what’s important here! What’s important is how adorable this little pachyderm is. One of the best parts is that Dumbo wears quite a few different colors from teal to coral, so you can choose your favorite. Then it’s time to take flight! Dumbo is a Disney Rite of Passage… so it’s a good thing he’s adorable!
9. Haunted Mansion Doom Buggies
“And now, a carriage approaches to take you into the boundless realm of the supernatural.”
Did you know that initially the Haunted Mansion was going to be a walk-through attraction? But with technology developed at the 1964-1965 New York World’s Fair, the Imagineers realized this could be a moving ride! By having Guests ride in a Doom Buggy that can turn left and right, your attention can be directed at exactly what you need to see in the story. Plus, the handlebar is lowered for you, which is pretty darn cool. In fact, it’s downright chilling.
8, Peter Pan’s Flight Pirate Ships
Is there anything more magical than FLYING in a pirate ship over Never Land?
That’s precisely what you can expect at Peter Pan’s Flight. And there’s truly something extra magical about this flight — it’s been one of the most popular rides in Magic Kingdom since its opening day. Must be the pixie dust.
7. Slinky Dog Dash Slinky Dogs
This ride vehicle falls in the category of cute, but it’s for a very good reason…
…HIS TAIL!! Okay, sure, the front of Slink is super adorable, and we love seeing one of our Toy Story Pals in action. But his little booty actually has a springy tail that shakes as he rockets around the track! And while it’s not necessarily part of the vehicle itself, listen up when you’re boarding — you’ll hear the slinky!
6. The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh Hunny Pots
Scoot on over to the Hundred Acre Wood (aka Fantasyland in the Magic Kingdom) where you can hop aboard the sweetest ride vehicles on our list!
But not only are the Hunny Pots adorable, they have a few amazing functions! Not only do you get blown about on a blustery day in Owl’s House, but the pots allow you to bounce with Tigger and float along a rain puddle. The technology is pretty incredible and helps fully immerse you in the story! HOORAY FOR POOH!
5. Dinosaur Time Rovers
The fact that these babies can travel back in time isn’t even the coolest thing about them.
Oh no, the coolest thing about them are the hydraulics IN the vehicles themselves! The Time Rovers can go up and down, left and right, at the same time they’re also moving forward, which helps to completely immerse you in the mission to get that dino.
4. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Mine Cars
Heigh-ho, heigh-ho, it’s off to the mines we go!
The Mine Trains are incredibly fun — not only are they very amazingly smooth, but they have brand new technology that allows them to swing side to side, like a mine car! It adds a whole new element to the attraction.
3. Flight of Passage Bikes
They may not be actual banshees, but they are sure amazing!
Flight of Passage is an incredibly immersive experience, from the screen to the goggles, and the bikes are a crucial part of that. They lean and tilt, and at certain points, literally move in and out so you feel like the banshee is breathing between your legs. Without the bikes, the experience would be incomplete.
2. Rise of the Resistance Transport Vehicles
These trackless ride vehicles are smart, sleek, and technologically breathtaking!
Powered by R-5 Units, these cargo transporters have to sneak past the first order and get you to the escape pods without being caught! While things don’t exactly go as planned, the trackless vehicles are smart — they pause for the blasters, duck away from the probe droid, and get you out of trouble asap!
Removing yourself from the plotline, the trackless vehicles are amazing and smooth and truly the future of Disney rides.
1. Walt Disney World Railroad
The oldest is still the best!
The Walt Disney World Railroad fleet is comprised of four steam engines — the oldest (the Roy O. Disney engine) was first built in 1916, meaning it’s over a hundred years old.
Disney may have some of the coolest technology in the world, but nothing beats a real choo choo train.
What are your favorite ride vehicles in Disney World? Let us know in the comments!
Great list! I think the Everest cars as well as the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad cars should be included 🙂
Test Track is also a great ride vehicle.