Top 10 Thrill Rides at Walt Disney World

Walt Disney World in Orlando, Florida has a lot to offer with 4 official theme parks, 2 water parks, 2 minature golf courses, Downtown Disney, and numerous hotels and other attractions, but for the seasoned thrill seeker it's all about speed! And Disney is more than prepared to offer it. Each park features it's own glorified heart-stopper, each one is unique with a singular backstory and imaginative surroundings. Yet there's so much that Disney has to offer that it often makes it's difficult to figure out what's worth seeing, and what can wait till the next trip. So I've complied a list of the best edge-of-your-seat rides that Disney has to offer!

1) Test Track, Epcot
Test Track is my personal favorite, so that's why it got the coveted number one spot. But don't believe that I'm playing favorites here, Test Track is the fastest ride that Disney currently offers at any of it's theme parks worldwide. It clocks in at speeds over 60mph on a 50-degree banked curve. (Try it in the rain, it's even more fun then!) It's also one of the few rides that doesn't have a ridiculous wait in the busy seasons since it has a single rider line, and each car can fit people, and multiple cars can be on the track at any given time. The best times to ride this ride however are when Epcot first opens in the morning, and right before the park closes. I suggest catching it during Illuminations, you can often ride it 2-3 times in row with little to no wait.

2) Expedition Everest, Animal Kingdom
One of the only rides at any of the Disney parks that half way through actually goes backwards and does a hill climb! The ride itself is the tallest of all the parks, hitting 199.5 ft high! The ride's queue has an extensively detailed backstory for the ride with numerous props and a vast array of information about the area. It also features a single rider line with a smaller, but similar backstory that's outlined. This ride is one of the busiest in the park, and also has a tendency to suffer downtime due to maintainance issues as well. I suggest either getting a FastPass during the busy season, or going with the single rider option.

3) The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, Disney's Hollywood Studios
Part of Disney's recently renamed theme park, "Hollywood Studios", Tower of Terror has some of the most imaginative theming of all the rides as a lot of the items you see inside the hotel were either used in the Twilight Zone series or reference a particular show from the series. The bellhops also have the distinguishing honor of wearing some of the most expensive costumes out of all the Cast Members-$1,000 each! The elevator itself is actually accelerated downward so that you're not actually freefalling, but feeling a pull stronger than that of gravity. The ride itself often has long waits no matter what season it is, but your best bet of getting to ride is either when the park first opens, or during one of the showings of Fantasmic.

4) Aerosmith's Rock 'n' Rollercoaster, Disney's Hollywood Studios
Featuring 3 inversions (a loop, a roll-over, and a corkscrew) this ride is the second fastest ride in Disney World and can accelerate from 0 to 58mph in 2.8 seconds. (However you could get stuck upside down as this ride has a tendency to experience "technical difficulties" a lot.) This ride also has an awesome gift shop at the end featuring some great Aerosmith merchandise. This ride is located next door to Tower of Tower and often experiences long waits due to the proximity. I suggest getting there early as the ride tends to have mechanical problems later on in the day.

5) Mission: SPACE, Epcot
The only ride at Disney that features a motion sickness bag because the spinning effect used to create the "blast-off" force in the ride often gives rider's motion sickness. Due the rides intensity, a second version that doesn't spin, has been introduced and dubbed the "Green" experience. The opening sequence for the ride features actor, Gary Sinise. Due to the rides propensity to make people ill (myself included), the "Orange" or "Spin" version of this ride often has a short line. The "Green" version however is prone to long lines in the busy season.

6) Splash Mountain, Magic Kingdom
Splash Mountain is the only log flume ride on this list, but it's also the only one with 52 1/2 foot drop too. This ride is a combination water and dark ride where half the fun is trying not to get wet. (If you're riding in front, duck during the drop, it'll soak the 2nd row.) The only downside that this ride has is that it's constantly busy no matter what season the park is in. Your best bet is to try to make it to the ride when the park first opens, or grab a FastPass early in the day, and visit another ride or show in the meantime. This ride has also been recently renovated to offer a single rider line.

7) Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Magic Kingdom
The second in the trio of "Mountain" theme rides that the Magic Kingdom has to offer, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is one of the only rides that's offered at all of Disney's theme parks. It also boasts a long line as it's next-door to Splash Mountain, and many people opt to ride Big Thunder so that they can avoid the possibility of getting wet. Your best bet is to get a FastPass for Big Thunder, and ride Splash instead, if you plan on riding both.

8) Dinosaur, Animal Kingdom
Loosely based around the Disney TV-series of the same name, Dinosaur is a fast-paced, dark, motion ride through time featuring very scary dinosaurs. This ride is often considered to be the most scary ride at Disney, often getting screams from both adults and kids alike. This ride does however have a lot of jerks, sharp turns, and a few drops. If you're scared of the dark, this definitely isn't the right "thrill" for you. The wait for this ride however is generally light due to the subject matter and it's reputation, so don't expect a long line, even during the busy season.

9) Kali River Rapids, Animal Kingdom
The only other water-based ride on this list, however this one is less about thrills, and more about getting you soaked. It does however feature a 30 foot drop, but it's the knowledge that your cellphone is in your pocket when you get douse by a rouge wave, that will have you scared. In the winter the ride has a shorter line, but during the summer months the ride's wait can top well over an hour. The best times to ride are when it's already raining, or it just stopped, or on days when there's big events going on at other parks.

10) Space Mountain, Magic Kingdom
"Why is this ride dead last?", some of you may wonder. That's because while this ride offers some bigger thrills than others on this list, it also needs some of the biggest maintenance as well. It's been on Magic Kingdom's "Renovation List" for almost 2 years now, and it's possible it might be there even longer as it's a huge draw for Magic Kingdom. The ride is an amazing experience, but if you do ride it before it goes under Renovation, I'd suggest trying to ride the "Right Side" (you'll know what I mean when you're in line), as the ride's issues are less severe on that side. The ride also has some of the longest lines of any of the rides in any of the parks, with 75 to 90 minutes being about an average wait for the ride. You're only bet is to try get a FastPass before they sell out, or hope that the line isn't too long when you first enter the park in the morning.