Walt Disney World Rides That Are Actually Better at Night

Who doesn’t love the rides at Walt Disney World? Some are nostalgic, some are thrilling, and some are the perfect combination of both!

Cinderella Castle at night

With such a great variety of rides, from dark rides to water rides to roller coasters, Disney World has a little something for everyone. We love to experience Disney World attractions ANY time of day, but…

…Some Disney World rides are even better at night. And we asked our team about which ones we love to hop on once the sun goes down.

Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom has some of our favorite rides. And a lot of the outdoor rides are amazing at night because you get some beautiful views. PLUS if you time it right, you can also watch fireworks WHILE riding! This includes Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Timed well, you can be whizzing around both of these roller coasters while the sky above you explodes into brilliant color. It’s breathtaking!

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

You can get some good night and fireworks views from Astro Orbiter, too, as well as a great view of Tomorrowland all lit up, and trust us — it’s beautiful. You might want to ride Dumbo at night for the same reason.

Disney World’s Astro-Orbiter

We have to mention two other rides at Magic Kingdom, though. If you really want to get spooky, ride Haunted Mansion at night. The ride itself is the same, but the queue gets EXTRA spooky at night, especially with the mansion all lit up (and who doesn’t want to walk through the cemetery scenes at night?).

Haunted Mansion at night – SPOOKY

Finally, Prince Charming Regal Carrousel is just more magical at night. When it’s all lit up with the music playing and the lights of Fantasyland whizzing by, it’s like stepping into a true life fantasyland.

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EPCOT

Over at EPCOT, another fun ride to get on at night is Test Track, because there’s nothing more fun than speeding around a tight corner and seeing Spaceship Earth all lit up! And the darkness adds a little more feeling of danger to the ride, too!

Test Track Crash Test
It’s way more fun to crash through these doors into the night ©Scott Thomas Photography

Some of our team love to ride Living With The Land at night. The boat ride seems even more serene in the evenings with the greenhouse glowing differently against the darkness than it does during daylight. Talk about a great way to relax.

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Disney’s Hollywood Studios

Toy Story Land takes on a completely different look at night — it comes alive with neon lighting. So that’s why we love riding the two outdoor attractions here in the dark; both Alien Swirliing Saucers and Slinky Dog Dash look completely different when everything is all lit up.

Slinky Dog Dash Pre-Launch
Slinky Dog Dash at night ©Scott Thomas Photography

We also LOVE riding The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at night — yes, much of the ride is indoors, but when the elevator doors open for those few moments before the drop, it makes it just that much more terrifying — and exhilarating.

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Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Those who have ever been on Expedition Everest at night will tell you that it’s an even more exciting ride then. Imagine encountering the Yeti and then hurtling backward when it’s dark outside — now, THAT’S fun!

Many animals are more active at night

One thing we love about Kilimanjaro Safaris is that it’s a different ride EVERY time you ride it, but don’t skip riding it at night — you might even see more animals because many are nocturnal. For example, the lions might sleep through most of the day, but at night, they’re more active.

Did we miss any fun rides at night? Be sure to let us know!

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What’s your favorite Disney World ride to get on at night? Let us know in the comments.

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3 Replies to “Walt Disney World Rides That Are Actually Better at Night”

  1. TOWER OF TERROR AT NIGHT IN A THUNDERSTORM – WHEN DOORS OPEN AT TOP AND LIGHTENING FLASHES. REMINDS YOU OF PRESHOW EVENT.

  2. You forgot the TTA People Mover. It’s much better at night. Seeing Cinderella Castle Lit up at night while Whizzing by on the People Mover is incredible.