Magic Kingdom had over 17 million visitors in 2022, making it the most visited park in 2022 in the entire world. And for good reason.
The park has tons to offer, the attractions are stellar, and it completely immerses you into different worlds.
Magic Kingdom currently has a whopping 34 attractions.
So if you’re planning your day at Magic Kingdom, you want to make sure you’re riding the best of the best.
All rides are not created equal – and so if you have limited time at Magic Kingdom there will be ones that you want to prioritize.
Here’s a list of the top ten rides at Magic Kingdom.
10. Tomorrowland Transit Authority
To someone who’s never been to Magic Kingdom, it might sound bizarre when someone says that Transit Authority is one of the best attractions at the park.
However, when you think about it, Transit Authority is pretty unique: what other ride weaves you in and out of other attractions?
Transit Authority is a futuristic tour around Tomorrowland, where you get great views of the park and even go inside other Tomorrowland attractions, like Space Mountain (which, in that part, you obviously can’t see much, but nonetheless, it’s cool).
It’s fun to look into the other attractions, like the part where you look inside Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin. It also provides one of the best views of Cinderella’s Castle. You could even time it so you ride during the fireworks.
It’s slow and simple, but sometimes, the simplest attractions are some of the best.
9. Space Mountain
Space Mountain is a roller coaster through the deepest, darkest, and most mysterious parts of space. It takes place in near pitch-black darkness, so you can barely see what’s ahead of you.
What makes it so fun is you have no clue what’s coming next – you could go up, to the side, or even down a massive steep drop in the dark.
Part of what I love about this attraction is the aesthetic.
It feels like a cheesy sci-fi movie made in the 70s and I mean that in the best possible way.
It’s awesome going through the queue and looking through portholes into space.
That with the nostalgic Space Mountain music playing that’s so iconic.
However, this track is getting old, so the ride is very rough. It’s so rough in fact that at times it takes the fun out of it.
I hope they replace the track soon, like they did on Disneyland’s version.
Still, it is a decent roller coaster with amazing theming. Sci-fi fans and space enthusiasts will love it.
8. Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
Help Buzz Lightyear save the galaxy from the evil Emperor Zurg in a battle that spans the entire galaxy.
You’re equipped with blasters that are used to shoot targets scattered throughout the ride. The more targets you shoot, the higher your score.
At the end, you compare your score to your family and friends. So basically, it’s like a video game combined with a theme park ride.
Toy Story fans will love this one. It’s lots of fun seeing the gigantic toys, my favorite being the giant Rock-Em’ Sock Em’ Robot in the first scene.
My only gripe is that the blasters are attached to the ride vehicle, so can’t really move them around that much, meaning it’s hard to aim.
This is unlike the Buzz Lightyear ride at Disneyland, where they have a cable attached to the ride vehicle, so it’s much easier to aim. Still, it’s a toy-themed space battle – what’s not to love?
7. Under The Sea – Journey Of The Little Mermaid
A gentle journey where you live out the story of Disney’s classic The Little Mermaid. You’ll experience the iconic musical numbers from the movie, including “Under The Sea,” “Part Of Your World,” “Poor Unfortunate Souls,” and more.
Journey Of The Little Mermaid uses the same omnimover ride system as The Haunted Mansion, where it points in the direction of the action.
It’s like the classic Disney dark rides, such as Peter Pan’s Flight and The Many Adventures Of Winnie The Pooh, but with modern effects.
There are projections and more cinematic sets, and the animatronics look more realistic.
The standout scene is Ursula’s Lair, which includes a massive Ursula animatronic.
It’s a state-of-the-art attraction that puts you on an incredible journey under the sea.
6. Peter Pan’s Flight
Peter Pan’s Flight is one of the first attractions that comes to mind when you think of “Disney World.” It encapsulates everything great about Disney World.
On this attraction, you board a flying pirate ship and live out the story of Peter Pan
. You soar over London, journey to Neverland, and even come face-to-face with Captain Hook.
Everything works in this attraction.
It’s a fan favorite, which means the lines can get very long.
I wouldn’t say it’s worth waiting in an hour-long line, but if you’ve never been on it before, definitely do what you can to get on it.
5. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
This is a roller coaster based on the Seven Dwarfs from Disney’s first-ever animated movie, Snow White And The Seven Dwarfs.
You’ll twist and turn through the Seven Dwarfs’ mine on a unique swinging mine cart.
That’s right – the roller coaster swings!
It’s not an intense coaster, but it’s still lots of fun swinging side-to-side.
It also has some impressive animatronics for the Seven Dwarfs, which use projection mapping technology. The queue is also surprisingly a lot of fun (thank goodness, because the lines on this one go crazy). They have games based on the Seven Dwarfs.
It’s a perfect roller coaster for families that goes above and beyond what is usually expected of a roller coaster.
4. Pirates Of The Caribbean
I know Magic Kingdom’s version of Pirates Of The Caribbean isn’t as good as Disneyland’s (some scenes are completely cut out), but the one in MK is still very impressive.
Pirates Of The Caribbean is a slow-moving boat ride where you witness Pirates plundering a town.
It’s an epic ride where you explore pirate caves, get caught in a pirate ship battle, and escape a town engulfed in flames.
The setpieces are huge and make you feel like you’ve been dropped in a movie.
The animatronics look a little dated, but it’s impressive just how many there are, especially given the time it was built.
This was the ride that changed how theme park rides were made, inspiring others to make bigger, more cinematic rides.
Everyone will find something to enjoy in Pirates Of The Caribbean. It’s a must-do for Magic Kingdom guests.
3. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
The attraction’s tagline, “The Wildest Ride In The Wilderness,” sums it up pretty well. Big Thunder Mountain is a western runaway mine train roller coaster through an abandoned mine.
What amazes me about the attraction is that it truly is a perfect family roller coaster.
swa I’ve ridden it since I was a kid, even though I’ve grown older and experienced more thrilling roller coasters, I still get a good kick out of this one.
It feels pretty fast, it throws you around a lot, and the drops give you plenty of air-time. Anyone of any age can enjoy it.
Plus, the rockwork and the theming around the attraction is fantastic. Disney World is known for transporting you to different worlds, and Big Thunder Mountain is a great example of that.
2. Haunted Mansion
For a long time, The Haunted Mansion has been one of my absolute favorites. It’s a tour led by a disembodied voice called The Ghost Host through a gothic manor that has 999 happy haunts.
Still, there’s room for 1,000.
You board a slow-moving Doombuggy and visit all corners of the mansion: the seance room, the endless hallway, the attic which is haunted by a bride who’s a serial killer, a library with the greatest ghost stories of all time, then to top it off, the mansion’s lovely graveyard…
The Haunted Mansion combines humor and horror seamlessly. It does get scary in some parts, but it always balances it with jokes, making it more family-friendly.
The reason I like it though is that it’s one of the few Disney rides that’s like a horror movie. Again, it’s family-friendly, but there are some chilling moments in the ride.
This ride is endlessly creative. It has so many memorable moments. It’s a must-do ride at Magic Kingdom.
1. TRON: Lightcycle Run
A roller coaster themed after Disney’s Tron Legacy where you ride a lightcycle through the world of Tron.
It’s a copy of the one in Shanghai Disneyland, and it’s safe to say that Disney parks fans were very happy when they opened it in Magic Kingdom.
It’s one of the best roller coasters in Disney World.
The roller coaster trains are like motorcycles, which offer a unique roller coaster experience.
A lot of it takes place in the dark, so you don’t know which you’re going to go next, which makes it all the more thrilling. It has a killer soundtrack by Daft Punk from the movie.
To top it off, it starts out with a catapult launch, which while there isn’t any information on how fast it goes, I can tell you, it’s very fast!
Many fans have complained it’s too short, but for what it is, it’s a very impressive and thrilling roller coaster. It’s a worthy addition to such an incredible park.
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Alison Meacham is the founder of EverythingMouse Disney Blog. For over 15 years she has shared her love of Disney Parks, Disney Cruises and Universal Orlando. In over 30 years of Disney Travel she has spent countless months in Disney Parks and has sailed on over 45 cruises. A British native and now a United States resident she splits her time between California, Florida and the UK. And spends a serious amount of time sailing the seven seas. She helps over 200,000 people per month follow their Disney travel dreams.