Magic Kingdom is home to some of Disney’s most popular attractions, like TRON Lightcyle / Run and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
While there are many popular and nostalgic attractions at Disney World’s castle park, some rides can make people feel anxious for a wide range of reasons, such as loud noises or drops. Well, a despised attraction in Tomorrowland (that many people call to be removed or re-themed) makes us so anxious that we often plan out the motions before we board the attraction.
Picture this: you are strolling through the futuristic land of Tomorrow when all of a sudden, you hear this agitating engine sound and smell the fumes of the Tomorrowland Speedway. This attraction may not be a fan-favorite for a multitude of reasons, but for us, it gives us anxiety.
The Tomorrowland Speedway is a puzzling attraction for Tomorrowland’s theming and is similar to the Autopia in Disneyland (except, in our opinion, the Autopia is cuter). Riders of all ages can get behind the wheel and drive a car around the speedway. You can ride solo or with a passenger.
While you do get to steer and control your speed using the gas pedal, you don’t have to worry about going off course, and there is a track. Sounds easy enough, right? Wrong! The loading and unloading process for this attraction makes us so anxious.
When you get to the front of the line, a Cast Member will direct you to your loading area by telling you a number. Once you walk to your number, you will wait off to the side in a box marked on the ground.
And now, here is where it gets awkward: while you wait, you have to wait for the people who were just driving the car that you are assigned to get out. As they fumble with their bags and try to make the step up, they exit toward you instead of away from you, so it can kind of be weird just standing there waiting for them to hurry up so you can get in to keep the flow of the line and attraction moving.
Once they are out of the car, then it is your turn to try to step down, fumble with your bags, buckle up (it is almost inevitable that you or your companion sit on the seatbelt and then have to move around to get it out to buckle), and get your seatbelt checked by a Cast Member.
Then you are off, and it is pretty much smooth sailing from there, but not really. There is the added pressure to make sure you don’t accidentally get a lead foot and bump the car in front of you—or even worse, deal with someone bumping your car instead.
When the attraction ends, you end up waiting in “traffic” with other riders and their cars as they wait for a Cast Member to direct them back to a loading space. When it is now your turn to be the one awkwardly getting out of the car in front of the next riders, it really is just a full circle of anxiety-inducing moments!
You will only catch us riding this attraction for challenges or when it gets its Christmas overlay during the holiday season; other than that, we “steer” (get it?) clear of the Tomorrowland Speedway!
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Do you like the Tomorrowland Speedway? Let us know in the comments!
I love this ride. I haven’t thought of the moments you described as anxiety inducing until I read your article.