Disney World has some of the best rides in the world, but not every attraction stands the test of time.
There are a handful of rides that feel dated, misplaced, or just don’t live up to their potential anymore. While we love Disney, we can admit that some of these attractions could either use a complete overhaul or make way for something new. Let’s get into the nine rides we think it’s time for Disney to retire.
Tomorrowland Speedway
This one always makes the list. While the concept of kids getting to drive their own little car is fun, the reality is a slow, noisy ride that doesn’t fit with the futuristic theme of Tomorrowland.
The smell of gasoline, the clunky ride vehicles, and the lack of anything visually interesting along the track make it feel like a relic from another time. If Disney swapped this out for a more modern, eco-friendly attraction, it would make Tomorrowland feel a lot more… well, futuristic.
Kali River Rapids
Kali River Rapids has potential, but the ride itself is too short. The theming is beautiful and the message about conservation is solid, but it ends before it really gets going.
You wait in a long line, step onto the raft, and before you know it — you’re done. Disney could extend the track or add more story elements to make it worth the time commitment. Right now, it just feels like a missed opportunity.
Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
Star Tours is a classic, but with Galaxy’s Edge now in full swing, it doesn’t make sense to keep this ride tucked away in Echo Lake. The randomization of scenes is fun, but it no longer has a place when there’s a fully immersive Star Wars land (Galaxy’s Edge) right next door.
Imagine how much more cohesive Hollywood Studios would feel if Star Tours’ footprint was replaced with something that connects better to its surroundings.
The Magic Carpets of Aladdin
We have Dumbo. We have Astro Orbiter. Do we really need the Magic Carpets of Aladdin, too? It feels like a copy-and-paste spinner ride that only adds to the crowd congestion in Adventureland.
The location is especially frustrating since it sits right in the middle of a busy walkway. If this space were repurposed, it could help with crowd flow and give us something more exciting than another round-and-round ride.
Mission: SPACE
Mission: SPACE was once groundbreaking, but now it feels more like a gamble than a must-do. The Orange side is notorious for making guests sick, and the Green side is so tame it barely feels like an attraction.
For a pavilion themed around the wonders of space exploration, this ride deserves a major re-imagining. Something less nausea-inducing and more awe-inspiring could make this spot a true highlight of EPCOT again.
Journey Into Imagination With Figment
We love Figment, but his ride is in desperate need of an update. Fans have been begging for Disney to do this character justice, but the current version just doesn’t deliver.
The ride feels dated, the effects are underwhelming, and it lacks the magic that Figment deserves. Disney has an incredible opportunity to reimagine this attraction into something that blends nostalgia with fresh storytelling, but until then, it continues to disappoint.
Disney World thrives on change and innovation, and while it can be hard to say goodbye to long-standing attractions, sometimes it’s the only way to make room for something better. These six rides either feel outdated, misplaced, or overshadowed, and refreshing them could breathe new life into the parks.
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Which ride do you think it’s time for Disney World to retire? Let us know in the comments!
I agree that the 6 rides in this article needs updating especially Tomorrowland Speedway and Journey of Imagination. I think reimagining Speedway into a Wreck it Ralph with Sugar Rush theme. And Journey of Imagination into a 4D experience dark ride with a similar to Remy’s Ratatouille but a nod to the classic version 1980’s with Dreamfinder included.
Kali used to be a great ride. A bin in the middle for your things to stay dry because you used to really get wet. When Disney refurbished the ride years ago they refurbished the fun right out of it.
Leave Star Tours alone. It’s a great ride with no lines. Yeah it’s a little out of SWL but no big. It’s not in the way of anything.
Agree ? with speedway, carpet ride and mission space. DISagree ? with Figment. Leave it be. Put cars in speedway and leave the riverboat as is. Sadly, too late for that.
Magic carpet is a must stay for me. I’d kale river didn’t have the chance of getting soaked on the waterfall I would want to keep it.
I love Mission Space – it’s unique and one of my favorite rides at the parks. That said, the 3D video portion of the ride needs updating. The 20+ year old CGI hasn’t aged well.
Once rides are established, KEEP THEM! We need MORE rides and DISNEY THEMED attractions. Disney is spending too much money on themes that have nothing to do with WALT DISNEY’S original vision of an amusement park where FAMILIES WITH YOUNG CHILDREN can enjoy Mickey Mouse and his friends – TOGETHER. Disney wastes throws away millions of dollars on crappy movies that BOMB. This money would be better spent on themed attractions that RESPECT Walt Disney and his VISION.
Yes, and maintenance on existing rides. ?
Nah, they said 86 the carpet ride. I second that emotion.
It’s clear that the cars attraction should have been worked into the Speedway and extended area not Rivers of America, Frontierland, Tom Sawyer Island, and Liberty Square!
nah, magic carpets can stay, it’s storybook circus that needs to go back to being Mickey Toontown or a Disney jr area. speedway definitely needs to go.
Kali is a great ride, it just needs more wet, like passing under a waterfall so everyone gets soaked. these type of rides are usually pretty short because that are slow movers.
figment needs a runaway railway style redo, give figment the full animation he deserves!
star tours is a classic, sure it could be moved, but why waste the money?
mission space is always a skip for us. I’m sure with current tech, they could do much better to make an immersive space exploration ride
Get rid of whatever rides you want. But the real question is what are you going to replace them with? My big beef with Disney is that they are not replacing rides or experiences with new ones that are geared to the same audience as the ones they are replacing. Not everyone can, or wants to, ride a roller coaster or other thrill ride. And very young riders and their parents/ grandparents want something age appropriate. If I want a Universal experience , I’ll go to Universal.
Strongly disagree on Mission Space. If you are someone prone to motion sickness that just means this isn’t the ride for you. As someone who is not prone to nausea I love the orange side. Pulling G forces is a lot of fun and hard to do in such a pure way.
Some people are afraid of heights but to suggest we tear down Dumbo because of it would be sacrilege.
Love Kali
I like Mission Space and Figment, but I wouldn’t exactly be sad to see them go, or – in the case of Figment – updated.
Gotta agree with Corey. Star Tours is still actually pretty good, while Smuggler’s Run is disappointingly pathetic. (Maybe the upcoming Mandalorian & Grogu refresh will help it, but I seriously doubt it.)
Speedway, long past time. At least get rid of the gasoline engines. Nothing, absolutely nothing, futuristic about the fumes.
Don’t see how the actual raft part of Kali could be extended much in what I see of the footprint, and it doesn’t seem worse than most on a wait time to ride time ratio.
Start Tours location is unfortunate, but is that area really a cohesive neighborhood to be disrupted? Seems like a hodgepodge anyway. If they didn’t take the chance to replace it while they were replacing Muppets with Monsters, I don’t see it happening.
Mission Space is underwhelming. Unless you ride orange, then overwhelming. The Astronaut training aspect is under baked, and the play area? Limited expectations, but filling that void could help.
As it is, too bad the elevator to the restaurant can’t be bulked up a notch to ride (or pre-ride) status. Go “up” then right for Space 220, left for “the rest of the space station” a/k/a revamped play area?
Wouldn’t miss Aladdin, not sure anyone much would, but surely something other than a wider sidewalk?
Rock climbing wall themed to Aladdin in the cave searching for the lamp? Reach the top, trigger an appearance by the Genie? Move it over toward Treehouse?
I don’t agree with getting rid of Aladdin. Dumbo is the most popular ride in the park ( according to a behind the scenes tour I took) the addition of the astro orbiter and Aladdin helped relieve the line wait for that ride. It’s duplicated on purpose and has really helped crowd levels.
I disagree with much of this list as it seems very adult focused. Raceway seems outdated but to many kids it’s a real highlight.
Aladdin is in a great spot and I’ve been and to use it as an intermediate stop as we work towards our lightning lane. It’s not very exciting for adults, but kids love it and that’s who I’m there for.
I would add pirates of the Caribbean to the list. I don’t know any kids that enjoy it, the animatronics are super outdated, and it’s just boring.
Tomorrow Land Speedway should have been updated to ” future” electric vehicles a decade ago and that area could have been reproposed for the new cars ride rather than removing Tom Sawyer’s Island and the ferry boat – true timeless classics.
While I totally agree that the Flying Carpets are a major traffic jam, kids love it. When ours were littles, they rode this ride every trip.
The speedway has out lived its usefulness. Time to retire it
That’s the thing about opinions…
Keep star tours
Keep space but update. Merge. NASA feeds with real. Hubble and web Hughes pics on wall etc
I agree with all of the rides listed here except for Star Tours. In fact, I’d swap Star Tours for Smuggler’s Run. That ride is AWFUL.
I truly love Star Tours, but it doesn’t quite fit in Galaxy’s Edge, where the idea is that you are visiting Batuu on a specific day. A ride that hops between all three movie eras doesn’t swing that, unless it were rethemed perhaps a training simulator for Resistance pilots or something.
Also, Star Tours is one of the last vestiges of the original mission to immerse guests in the movies. It needs to stick around.