If you’re planning your first trip to Walt Disney World, you may realize there’s LOTS to keep you busy in the parks!
With so many options for rides, shows, and restaurants, you may be wondering what’s actually worth your time.
Here are the rides we recommend passing on for your first trip to Disney World!
Magic Carpets of Aladdin / TriceraTop Spin
Magic Carpets of Aladdin in Magic Kingdom and TriceraTop Spin in Disney’s Animal Kingdom are pretty similar; you’ll hop aboard and spin in a slow circle (sorta) high above the Park.
Sure, these rides can be relaxing — and they offer a nice view of the surrounding area — but we’d recommend skipping them.
If you’re itching to go on this kind of ride, try Dumbo the Flying Elephant in Magic Kingdom instead! The structure is identical, and Dumbo is such a Disney classic. There’s no need to go on what’s basically the same ride three times.
Read More About Dumbo!
Kali River Rapids
Kali River Rapids in Disney’s Animal Kingdom is a raft ride that can get you soaked. You’ll spin and dip through some raging rapids — but you’ll probably have more laughs than screams! While this sounds like a great time, the ride itself is pretty skippable. The wait is often long for a pretty short ride that doesn’t really do much.
Unless you love getting wet, we’d pass on Kali River Rapids. You’ll want to spend your time in Animal Kingdom riding must-do’s like Kilimanjaro Safaris or Expedition Everest!
Check Out a Kali River Rapids Evacuation!
Tomorrowland Speedway
Over in Magic Kingdom, Tomorrowland Speedway has been long heralded as one of the most “meh” rides in Disney World. We’ll break it down for you: it’s basically like riding in a really slow bumper car that’s confined to a track. Oh, and you’ll choke on the exhaust fumes of the cars in front of you. If that doesn’t sound like an extraordinarily fun time, you’re probably right.
Tomorrowland Speedway will give you a calf workout, but it’s certainly not a must-do, and we wouldn’t waste park time waiting in line to ride it.
Take a Tour of Tomorrowland!
Liberty Square Riverboat
Liberty Square Riverboat in Magic Kingdom is a slow cruise along the Rivers of America. This 20-minute ride will give you great views of Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and the Haunted Mansion!
But in the scheme of a park day, 20 minutes (plus time to wait, board, and disembark) is a lot. We simply wouldn’t carve out all that time to do this. If you’re looking for a restful break in the middle of the day, hop aboard the Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover in Tomorrowland instead. It’s quicker, and you’ll get plenty of fresh air and a chance to kick back and relax.
Check Out the Latest Updates to the PeopleMover!
Gran Fiesta Tour
Over in EPCOT, Gran Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Caballeros is our #1 skip. You’ll find this slow boat ride inside the Mexico Pavilion’s pyramid — think “it’s a small world” but with Donald and friends.
The tune is catchy, and it’s a great way to enjoy the AC, but it’s not something you should do if you’re pressed for time. Instead, we recommend walking around the World Showcase to take in all the sights! There’s lots to see and do here, and the rides are simply not the main focus of this part of the park.
Check Out More to Do in the World Showcase!
Shows
There are a lot of shows in the Disney Parks, and many of them can pretty easily be skipped. We’re talking PhilharMagic and Country Bear Jamboree in Magic Kingdom, It’s Tough to Be a Bug in Disney’s Animal Kingdom, Lightning McQueen’s Racing Academy in Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and more.
If you have a character you love (for example, if your little one is obsessed with Lightning McQueen), then you may want to pick 1 or 2 of these shows out of the lineup. But you by no means need to watch every single one. There are too many other fun things to do in the parks, and the last thing you want to do is spend all day hopping around from one auditorium to the other.
The same goes for walkthrough experiences like the American Adventure in EPCOT or Walt Disney Presents in Disney’s Hollywood Studios. If you have time or a special interest, great! But don’t carve out time in your day for it if your schedule is jampacked.
Check Out Some New Live Entertainment at Animal Kingdom!
Of course, these are just suggestions. If any of these are must-do’s for you, you’ll absolutely want to prioritize them in your Disney World schedule! But if you’re planning your trip and wondering what you can skip…well, these are pretty safe bets. Stay tuned to AllEars for more Disney tips and tricks!
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Which Disney World attractions do you skip? Let us know in the comments!
I may need to disagree here. I understand that certain Disney World guests may want to skip certain attractions however my take in the past was when I visited WDW I tried to take in as much as I could with a game plan in hand before I arrived. Especially with how different WDW is today then in the past some guests may not be able to make return visits as often that they would want to because of everything is much more expensive. Plan accordingly and you may be able to take in all of the Magic during your stay… try not to miss anything ..
Country Bears is so much fun I can’t believe you would skip it! Same for Lightning McQueen which is fun and well done. Why don’t you just go to Islands of Adventure if all you want for family entertainment is a thrill ride! These are rides that fit Walt’s dream – entertainment for the whole family.
I’ll add a second “must do” voice to Gran Fiesta Tour. It’s fun, relatively short, never has much a line, gives you a reason to go into the Mexico Pavilion and is a nice air condition break before starting (or just after finishing for those who do it backwards) the EPCOT world tour march.
I would not wait in a long line for it but it is definitely on my list things to do when you need to sit down in the AC for a little bit.
I was prepared to fight you about this, but that’s a pretty accurate list. The only recommendation I take exception to is Gran Fiesta Tour. The boat ride through the marketplace makes it a must-do for me every trip.