The Attraction Challenge: Round and Round–The Spinning Rides at Disney World

Are you ready for the DisneyLists Attraction Challenge? Looking for a challenging way to conquer the attractions at Disney World? Yes? Then these articles are for you. Simply ride all of the attractions on this list and you will earn bragging rights and your friends will be jealous. Well, maybe not, but you’ll have a fantastic time. How many challenges can you complete? For extra credit, conquer them all in one day!

Many of you out there may be apprehensive about spinning rides or are unsure what to expect.  These rides definitely vary in intensity and thrill level, but most are completely suitable for guests of all ages.  Here is a breakdown of each of the spinning rides at Walt Disney World:

Magic Kingdom

• Dumbo the Flying Elephant: This is the classic Walt Disney World spinning ride.  The ride is made up of different Dumbo cars that move in a circle around a spindle.  You get to control how high or low your ride vehicle goes.  It offers great views of Fantasyland and is an amazingly fun, classic ride.
• The Magic Carpets of Aladdin: This is a ride similar to the format of Dumbo only with this one you are ride in magic carpet cars.  You are able to control how high and low you go, as well as the tilt forward and back of the carpet vehicle.  The attraction is in Adventureland and allows you to see the area and ride close to the spitting camels.
• Astro Orbiter: This is one of the coolest of the spinning rides.  You actually board an elevator to go to an upper level and board the ride on top of where the People Mover boarding area is in Tomorrowland.  This attraction gives guests the best views in all of the Magic Kingdom as you can see just about everywhere in the park.  You can control how high and low your vehicle goes, too.  This one seems so much faster than the other ones, but it surprisingly isn’t.  You are definitely going to love this one.

• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin: It has “spin” in the name, so we definitely couldn’t leave this one off the list. The ride doesn’t constantly spin, unless you use your joystick to constantly spin the vehicle.  On this attraction you are using your blasters to shoot the targets and earn points.  You can spin around as much as you like while your vehicle moves along the track.  It is a lot of fun to compete with everyone else in your party for the most points.
• Mad Tea Party: On this Alice in Wonderland themed attraction you ride in spinning teacups that also move around a circular track.  This is definitely one that can upset your stomach or leave you disoriented if you can’t handle constant spinning!  Head on over to Fantasyland and give this one a “spin”.  You are going to have a great time!
• Prince Charming’s Regal Carrousel: This isn’t a fast ride by any means, but does move in a circle.  You get to pick your horse and then saddle up so you can go round and round in Fantasyland.  Look out for the horse with the gold ribbon on its tail.  This is said to be Cinderella’s horse!  Walt Disney was adamant that carrousel had to be in the theme parks, so we expect to always see a carrousel at the Magic Kingdom.

Animal Kingdom

• TriceraTop Spin: This ride is very similar to Dumbo and Aladdin, but you get to ride around in Triceratops ride vehicles. You can control how high and low your ride vehicle goes as well as the tilt on the ride vehicle.  You get to go round and round several times and get views of Dinoland, USA.  The ride doesn’t usually have that long of lines, which is definitely makes it a great break when you are in Animal Kingdom.
• Primeval Whirl: This is definitely a favorite ride for me and my family. This is almost like a spinning roller coaster.  The roller coaster isn’t that intense or that long, but it is very unique in that the ride vehicles spin as they move up and down the hills and back and forth across the ride track.  It is a lot of fun, but is definitely one that you may not want to eat a heavy lunch right before you ride!

Epcot

• Mission: Space: This is probably the most intense of the spinning rides on the list.  This attraction is a huge centrifuge that has your ride pod spinning independently and then again with the other ride pods in huge circles. The attraction is simulating the feeling of being on a rocket launch and traveling in out of space.  This is the only attraction in Disney that bags are provided for guests who may need to get sick, if that tells you anything about intense the spinning can be.  If you have a weak stomach, you should be sure to keep your eyes open.  If you close your eyes, you are more likely to feel the spinning.

Disney’s Hollywood Studios

• Toy Story Midway Mania: This ride doesn’t spin as much as other attractions on the list, but does have moments with intense spinning and jerks to get into position for the next game scene.  This attraction is made up of ride vehicles that move along the ride track to get in front of each of the game scenes so you can earn as many points as possible before you move to the next scene.  Hopefully you can beat out everyone else in your car!