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127. Ultimate Thrill Day at Walt Disney World · Mom Street USA

0:05
Welcome everyone to another episode of Mom St.
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USAI am your host Jackie. And on today's episode we are
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talking all things thrill. So we've been doing a little
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series lately about different like themed days or different
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character based days. We did a Star Wars one, we did
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Mickey, we did princesses. Well, now we're going to take a
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little bit of a different approach to that and that we are
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going to talk about the perfect thrill day at Disney World.
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Now have No Fear if you're not a thrill person, come back next
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week because next week we're going to be talking about the
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slower rides and dark rides. So stay tuned for that if that's
0:41
more your jam. But today we're talking about
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all things thrill. So when people think about
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Disney World, they don't always think about the thrill rides,
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right? Usually their mind goes to
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smaller kid rides or family rides.
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But there are plenty of ride options for the thrill seekers
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in your groups when you're visiting the Walt Disney World
1:01
parks. So today we're going to talk
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through all four Disney parks and we'll chat about what rides
1:06
are the best for those that like to go fast.
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And then after we get through all of the options at the end I
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will give you my suggestion for if you want like the ultimate
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thrill day, you want to do all four parks, you want to hit all
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the thrill rides, I'm going to give you my best suggestion for
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the approach to that. So let's start at Animal
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Kingdom. Animal Kingdom has three
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different thrill rides that we're going to talk about.
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Now before we jump into this list, I should mention that most
1:38
of these are categorized as thrill rides through Disney.
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So if you look them up on My Disney Experience on your app or
1:45
on your on the website, then you're going to find that they
1:48
are listed as thrill rides. A couple of these you may think
1:53
are questionable and that's OK, but what I did was I looked
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through that category, found what they consider to be a
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thrill ride and then made some notes for you all.
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So hopping to Animal Kingdom, we are going to start with my
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favorite ride at Animal Kingdom and that is a Flight of Passage.
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So Flight of Passage is a flight simulator style ride.
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You sit in a seat that is like a motorcycle.
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So it feels like you are riding on the back of a banshee from
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the Avatar movies. It is an amazing immersive
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experience. It is a 3D, well, 4D experience
2:30
that you have that you can go to at Animal Kingdom.
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It is a very, very popular attraction.
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It has a height restriction of 44 inches, so you've got to be
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44 inches or above to be able to ride.
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But it is one that I never skip when I go to Animal Kingdom.
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It is one of my absolute favorite rides just for the
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theming, the storytelling, the entire experience is just top
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notch. The next thrill ride at Animal
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Kingdom is Expedition Everest. This is a true roller coaster
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thrill ride. You take a ride through the
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Forbidden mountain, you meet some characters along the way
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and don't think Disney characters.
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I shouldn't say characters, I should say you meet some of the
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local legend wildlife along the way and there's a little
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surprise twist that I don't want to ruin.
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I mean, I don't know if it's you consider it a spoiler
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considering this ride opened over 20 years ago, but super,
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super fun coaster. Definitely a true roller
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coaster. It also has a 44 inch height
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requirement. This one is super fun.
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It's really, really great. This is a really good one if
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you've got an older group that can handle a single rider line.
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The single rider line at this ride is very, very good.
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So keep that in mind if you're going and maybe it's, you know,
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a 4550 minute wait, you don't want to wait that long.
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Check out the single rider line, see how quickly it's moving
3:58
because it is typically a really good option for riding Everest.
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The other thrill ride that I would maybe potentially put in
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this category is Cali River Rapids.
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So this is a water raft ride. It's one of those circular rafts
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that you ride with, you know, seven other people and you will
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get drenched on this ride. So it's a very quick moving ride
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through the Rapids, which is why it's considered a thrill ride
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and not just like a water ride that you would go on.
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But it's got a really nice scenic view as you float and
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whisk your way through the surroundings.
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It comes close to some of the animal enclosures.
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Unfortunately, when they made this ride, they intended for it
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to go through like tiger enclosures and stuff, but things
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changed, plans changed. So the theming isn't as great as
4:50
it could be because of that. But overall, a really, really
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nice water ride. I'll be honest, I've never been
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on it. I've seen a lot of videos on it,
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but I am not a water ride person.
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I don't enjoy getting wet and this is one that you will
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absolutely 100% get wet on. So bring a change of clothes.
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Think about the clothes that you're going to wear.
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They do have lockers right outside of the entrance to Cali
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River that you can utilize for stashing clothes and other
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things in if you don't want to take them on the ride with you
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or if you want to have a change of clothes with a, you know, a
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sealable wet bag for like your kiddos.
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If you want to have them put on swimsuits, just make sure
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they're fully covered whenever you go to get on the ride.
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You know, if you've got your little guy that wants to wear
5:33
his swim trunks, make sure he's got a shirt that goes with him.
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You know all those good theme park rules for getting on water
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rides, But that is Kali River Rapids.
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It does have a 38 inch height requirement because it is such a
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swiftly moving water raft ride. So those are your 3 thrill rides
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at Animal Kingdom with a brief description of what they are.
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Let's hop now over to Epcot to talk about the thrill rides over
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there. So over at Epcot, we've got 3
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thrill rides as well. The first one I think is the one
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that everybody thinks of when they think of thrill rides at
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Epcot, and that is Guardians of the Galaxy Cosmic Rewind.
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This is a really unique coaster experience.
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It is a true roller coaster, but it has a very unique ride system
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in that there are several cars within your train, your coaster
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train, but each car actually rotates and spins individually
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and independently from the others.
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So every seat that you sit in on this coaster you get a
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completely different experience with, which is super fun.
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It has a very unique launch system as well.
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Again, I don't know if these are spoilers.
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This ride has been open for several years, but I won't go
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into too much detail just in case you like to be surprised.
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But it has a very unique launch system, super great theming and
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storytelling with this one. It is one of the top thrill
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rides in all of Walt Disney World that people will come to
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ride. I love it.
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I think it's so much fun, but it is definitely intense and very
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thrilling. Now.
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It's very smooth. It's a very enjoyable
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experience. But I do know several people
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that maybe have some motion sensitivity that do not do well
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on this because it does also have several screen based
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elements to it as well as that kind of rotation that happens
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within your car. So keep those things in mind if
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you've got somebody in your group that maybe is sensitive to
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motion. It does have a 42 inch height
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requirement, which is a little low for a coaster.
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It does not go upside down in any way.
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So that's part of the reason why it's such a low height
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requirement. But it is fairly intense for
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having a 42 inch height requirement when my youngest was
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just at 42 inches. She begs to ride it and she
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loved it, but her eyes were closed the entire time.
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So it's a little bit harder to judge.
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Maybe if this is your first ride coaster thrill ride experience
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for your 42 inch kiddo, There may be some other better options
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on this list that I'm going to talk about.
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Maybe some of the Magic Kingdom options or even some of the ones
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that at Hollywood Studios with Slinky Dog.
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But 42 inches is the height requirement for Guardians of the
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Galaxy. Overall, an amazing, amazingly
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wonderful, super fun themed coaster ride over there.
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The other two thrill rides over at Epcot are very different than
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your standard coaster thrill ride.
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So the next one we're going to talk about is Mission Space.
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So Mission Space is one of the older rides at Epcot and a lot
8:41
of people, I'll be honest with you, refuse to ride it.
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But the reason that they do is because there are two different
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options for Mission Space. There is a green option, there
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is an orange option. Your green option is much more
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gentle, much more family friendly.
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Your orange option is very, very intense.
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So a lot of people experience maybe some unpleasant feelings
9:06
after the orange side, but the green side is much more family
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friendly. The whole theme of the ride is
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help complete a mission to space by doing doing your part.
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So you have a job that you have to do on this attraction.
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You're either a navigator, a pilot, a commander, or an
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engineer. So your job is to help to pilot
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and staff this mission to space. It is a simulator ride in that
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you sit down and the screen kind of closes you in, if that makes
9:39
sense. It can be claustrophobic, so if
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you are not somebody that enjoys tight spaces, that's something
9:45
to consider. But it is all screen simulated.
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The attraction itself does also move, but it's more of that kind
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of motion simulator style of attraction.
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People do get sick on this ride, so proceed with caution if
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you're somebody that wants to do it.
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And maybe start with green before jumping 2 feet into the
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orange side just to get an idea of what it's like.
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This is sponsored by NASA, so you know that they did a whole
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lot of true astronauts research before they completed the ride,
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so keep that in mind. The last thrill ride over at
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Epcot is Test Track. Now this one people would say is
10:31
maybe a little bit questionable. I consider it a thrill ride.
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It's also part dark ride too, but the speed at which you go
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through the attraction says thrill ride to me.
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So in this attraction, you're going to take a ride through
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different new technologies and futuristic car design and
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different experiences with those cars, and you end it with a
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thrilling joyride outside at the end.
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So a super fun experience. So this is a new version of this
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attraction that did just reopen this past summer, but it is a
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super, super fun experience. Oh gosh, it's been almost a year
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since it's been open, which is crazy.
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Time flies. I really like this newest
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version of Test Track that they reopened.
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A lot of people are a little bummed about the fact that you
11:21
no longer get to design your car before you go on, but I really
11:26
like what they did with the storytelling elements.
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I think it really pulled it together.
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It makes it so I want to ride it, which I think I only did the
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last version of Test Track maybe one time and I said that's
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enough and I didn't write it again for several, several
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years. So I think this one is 1.
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That was a really, really nice plussing and upgrade that they
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did for Test Track. Test Track does have a 40 inch
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height requirement. And you know, I don't know if I
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mentioned Mission Space before, this has a 40 inch height
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requirement as well. So both of those are at 40
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inches, a lower height requirement because they're not
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true coaster style thrill rides. They are very different.
12:03
Mission Space, again, be very, very cautious.
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Test Track is super accessible to anybody, buddy, that is 40
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inches and above. It is.
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There are parts of it that are in the dark.
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So that would be the only caution that I would have for
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allowing your kiddos to go on test track.
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If you've got kiddos that do not do dark well, they may or may
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not want to do a test track. But overall, a really, really
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great thrill ride, one that I really like over at Epcot.
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So that takes care of our first two parks.
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Let's now jump on the sky liner and head over to Hollywood
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Studios. So over at Studios we have 5
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different thrill rides to talk about and that number alone is
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why I always suggest to people that are visiting the Disney
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parks, if you want a lot of thrills, a lot of bigger
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attractions, attractions that are good for like your preteens
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and teens, Hollywood Studios is really the park to go to.
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They've got the most thrill rides.
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What I would consider to be like bigger kid, grown up teenager
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thrill rides. Now Magic Kingdom does have a
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lot too, but they're a little bit different there and we'll
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get to that here just shortly. But over at Hollywood Studios,
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we've got 5 different thrill rides to talk about.
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Some of them are very traditional standard thrill
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rides. Some of them are a little bit
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more Disney fied if you will. But we are going to start with
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the newest again and I should put newest in quotes, but the
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newest reimagined thrill ride over here at Hollywood Studios
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and that is rock and roller coaster starring The Muppets.
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So this is new and updated featuring The Muppets.
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It just opened this week as I'm recording this, but May 26th it
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just opened. It is a true coaster.
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It is an indoor, completely indoor coaster.
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It's got several inversions. I think it's got 2 loops and a
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couple corkscrews. So definitely one of the most
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intense coasters that we've got at Walt Disney World.
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Like I said, it is completely indoors.
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They use a lot of like black light and neon lighting for
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effect because it is so dark in there, which is super fun, but
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it can be a little disorienting. They've got a bunch of new
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Muppet touches to this attraction not only in the queue
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but also on the ride. Now the ride itself, if you are
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someone that's familiar with the old version of rock and roller
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coaster that was Aerosmith as the feature, the track has
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remained the same so the ride itself is identical.
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The theming around the ride is what has changed so you will see
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more Muppet touches to some of the the flats, the different
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stand ups and the signs and things that you pass as you ride
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through the ride. It also has a brand new Muppet
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soundtrack, and this soundtrack list I think is worth mentioning
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because it's super fun. It does rotate through five
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different songs, so I didn't talk about that with Cosmic
14:57
Rewind, but Cosmic Rewind does the same thing, which I believe
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is fairly common knowledge by now since it's been open for
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long enough. But with Rock and Roller
15:07
Coaster, there are 5 new songs that they have and they rotate
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through giving a little bit of a different feel to your ride.
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I don't know that these songs necessarily affect the ride as
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much as the ones on Cosmic Rewind have from what I've been
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told. I have not ridden the new
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version of Rock and Roller Coaster yet, but I am hoping to
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in the coming months so I will report back once that happens.
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But the new soundtrack includes 5 different songs.
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They are song 2, which is a cover done by the electric
15:38
mayhem. All of these are by the electric
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Mayhem. I should preface by saying that
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so song 2 covered by the electric Mayhem born to be wild,
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which is covered by the electric mayhem featuring Camilla the
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chicken. If you're familiar with The
15:50
Muppets, you know who Camilla is.
15:52
Love roller coaster, which is covered by the electric mayhem
15:56
featuring Jennifer Hudson and Questlove Rock rock till You
16:00
drop, which is electric Mayhem featuring Def Leppard and
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walking on Sunshine, which is the Electric Mayhem featuring
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Kelly Clarkson. So tons of really great options
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there. I should also mention that rock
16:10
and roller coaster has a 48 inch height requirement.
16:14
The restraints on this one are over the shoulder because it
16:17
does go upside down, but 40 inches is the magic height for
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that one. So you want to make sure that
16:22
you're looking at that before you get your kids hyped up to go
16:25
on the new roller coaster starring The Muppets.
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This one is going to have a very long line for a very long time.
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I have a feeling. So we'll talk here at the end
16:34
about my best suggestion for getting through all of these
16:37
rides and one day and what I think you should do.
16:39
So we'll we'll tackle that here in a little bit.
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But that is your kind of overview of Rock and Roller
16:46
Coaster. Directly next to Rock and Roller
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Coaster at the end of Sunset Blvd. at Hollywood Studios is
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the Tower of Terror, which is our next thrill ride that we are
16:55
going to talk about. South Tower of Terror is a
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traditional drop tower. This one is fairly familiar.
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I think to anybody who knows anything about the Disney rides.
17:04
It seems like the Twilight Zone show where you and you're going
17:08
to enter the elevator and you become transported into the 5th
17:11
dimension. So it's a little spooky.
17:14
It is in the dark and you kind of venture out into the elevator
17:19
shaft and it's a you get 1 of several series of drops and
17:25
lifts that they have so different sequences for that
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ride. Sometimes you go up first,
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sometimes you go down first. You kind of never really know,
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but it is a true drop tower. You the way that your body will
17:36
experience that is through that feeling in the pit of your
17:40
stomach that you may love or you may not.
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My kiddos have ridden this one and they have said that they are
17:45
good and they don't need to ride it again.
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They don't love that feeling in the pit of your stomach.
17:49
Although my my oldest does like on coasters as he likes the
17:53
little Bunny hills, but he doesn't like it on tower.
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So you know, to each their own, but it is a 40 inch height
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requirement for a tower of terror.
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And that is again one that you need to kind of know your kiddo
18:05
because it can be a little spooky in the dark.
18:07
A lot of the drops and lifts do happen in the dark.
18:09
There is that elevator door at the top of the tower that will
18:13
open to let the light in. But for the majority of the ride
18:16
you are in the dark with that one.
18:18
The next thrill ride over at Hollywood Studios is Slinky Dog
18:21
Dash. This is one of my favorite rides
18:24
over at Hollywood Studios. It is a super family friendly
18:28
coaster. The theming is amazing.
18:31
It is one of the iconic staples of Toy Story Land.
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When you walk into that land you are greeted by the sights and
18:39
sounds of the Slinky Dog Dash roller coaster.
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It's so super fun. It is a great first coaster for
18:47
kids. So I talked earlier about Cosmic
18:50
Rewind having kind of a lower height requirement at 42 and it
18:55
maybe not being a great first coaster for your kiddo.
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Slinky Dog is an absolutely fantastic option for your
19:02
kiddo's first roller coaster. It is a super fun theme.
19:05
You are on Slinky Dog. You ride through all of the
19:09
different building blocks and characters from Toy Story.
19:14
It's just it's so much fun and it is only a 38 inch height
19:18
requirement, so lower than Cosmic Rewind.
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It is definitely a really good option for your kiddo if they
19:25
are unsure about coasters but maybe want to give it a shot.
19:28
This one is super, super fun. It's not very intense, obviously
19:32
it doesn't go upside down, but it's just so fun themed.
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It's got a second launch halfway through the the ride and it does
19:40
go up pretty high, but overall it's not super intense.
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It is a super great family friendly thrill ride that you
19:47
can do over at Hollywood Studios.
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The next two and the last two on our list from Hollywood Studios
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that we are going to talk about are in the Star Wars area, Rise
19:56
of the Resistance and Smugglers Run.
19:58
So these ones are a little bit maybe questionable as to whether
20:01
or not people would consider them thrill rides.
20:04
Disney does consider them thrill rides.
20:06
I also would consider them thrill rides as well.
20:09
But let's talk about Rise of the Resistance first.
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Rise of the Resistance is a truly immersive.
20:13
Of experience, it's got several pre shows that walk you through
20:17
the storyline, but basically you're going to join the
20:21
resistance and you threw a series of events, end up in an
20:26
escape mission trying to get away from the 1st order.
20:29
This is an amazing theme, a super great storyline.
20:35
Even if your kiddos don't know a ton about Star Wars, this is
20:38
still a very accessible attraction for them to go on.
20:41
You may have to prep them a little bit because the cast
20:44
members that work this attraction are fully in
20:47
character, so you may have to just remind them of that if they
20:51
are someone that gets spooked or intimidated easily by the quote
20:56
UN quote bad guys, which would be the first order in this
21:00
attraction. But it's got an amazing theming,
21:02
amazing storyline, a super fun ride experience.
21:07
Like I said, you go through several pre shows before you
21:09
actually board your ride vehicle.
21:11
So don't be, don't be discouraged if you are going
21:16
room by room and you're like, where's the ride?
21:19
Have some patience. You'll get there.
21:21
And the other great thing about Rise of the Resistance is if
21:23
you've got a family or a group that can handle a single rider
21:26
line and you've already been through once.
21:29
Let me let me really stress that you want to go through the
21:31
entire ride experience once at least before you do the single
21:36
rider line because the single rider line skips a lot of the
21:39
storytelling elements at the beginning.
21:41
So if you've already ridden through once, maybe you did
21:44
stand by, you used a lightning lane.
21:45
However you're going to ride it. And if you want to be able to
21:48
experience the ride portion again, jump in that single rider
21:52
line because it's a really good one for the most part.
21:54
Also now if that single rider line is like out the door and
21:57
around the corner, different story because it is a fairly
22:00
popular attraction. It does get a long standby and
22:02
more people are starting to know about that single rider line
22:05
because it is a newer single rider when it's been around
22:09
maybe a little over a year, but it wasn't one that like
22:12
originally opened when the attraction opened.
22:14
So keep that in mind. But it is a really good option
22:17
if you've already ridden it once and already have experienced all
22:20
the storytelling elements for that.
22:22
Rise of the Resistance has a 40 inch height requirements just
22:26
because of some of the ride elements.
22:28
Once you actually get on the ride.
22:30
Again, no spoilers. I'm not going to ruin it for
22:32
anybody, even though this ride has been out for several years,
22:34
but some of the elements are a little more intense once you get
22:38
on the ride. So it does have a 40 inch height
22:41
requirement because of that. The other Star Wars ride that we
22:44
will talk about now is the Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run.
22:47
So this attraction is a another one of those more screen based
22:53
kind of motion simulator attraction.
22:56
It just recently this past week got a overhaul to the storyline.
23:02
Now you are going to when you board on the Millennium Falcon
23:06
because that is what you drive and ride in for this mission
23:11
aboard the Smugglers Run ride you are going to join the
23:16
Mandalorian and Grogu. It just got this newly enhanced
23:20
mission that you can go on. So you will jump in the
23:23
Millennium Falcon and you will serve as either pilot, gunner,
23:26
or engineer. There are six people to your car
23:28
so 2 pilots, 2 Gunners, and two engineers and you are going to
23:32
help track down elusive ex Imperial officers throughout the
23:36
Galaxy. So that is the newest mission
23:38
that just came to Smugglers Run this past week in honor of the
23:42
newest movie that just came out in theaters, you know, just
23:45
about a week ago from when I'm recording this, but a super,
23:49
super fun experience. This is one that people also
23:52
have mentioned they will sometimes get a little motion
23:56
wonky with because it is fully screen based.
23:59
So again, keep that in mind. I did it last summer with my
24:03
family. I didn't feel super great after
24:05
it. I don't usually get motion
24:06
sickness, but the screens in there didn't agree with my head
24:10
that day. So I had a little bit of a
24:12
headache after I rode that one. But it is a super fun one.
24:15
The kids get to push all the buttons or drive the Millennium
24:17
Falcon. So if you've got Star Wars
24:19
kiddos, which my oldest is a Star Wars kiddo, he loved it.
24:24
He got to be the pilot in our group because we had a group of
24:26
six that went on it. So it was like perfect, you
24:29
know, the perfect number and he got to drive the Millennium
24:33
Falcon and he talked about it the rest of the night.
24:35
So if you've got a Star Wars kiddo, definitely don't miss
24:37
this one. The height on this one is 38
24:40
inches. So very, very approachable for
24:43
younger kiddos that are 38 inches.
24:45
And again, you just it, it's, it's fairly foolproof in that no
24:49
matter what position in that attraction you're sitting in,
24:52
the buttons light up for you to push.
24:54
So you know exactly what to do. But super, super fun and you can
24:58
get to go on a mission with Mandalorian and Grogu, which is
25:01
even better. So that is smugglers run at
25:04
Hollywood Studios. So that is our list of five
25:07
attractions that are considered thrill rides over at Hollywood
25:11
Studios. We are going to end our chat
25:15
about thrill rides now by talking about Magic Kingdom.
25:18
So Magic Kingdom has they have 5 official thrill rides but I put
25:25
a 6th in there because here on Mom St. we focus a lot on kids
25:29
and one of these is more kiddo thrill but maybe not older
25:35
audience thrill if that makes sense.
25:36
And that'll you'll understand why here in a moment, but let's
25:40
talk about the six thrill rides that are over at Magic Kingdom.
25:44
We're going to start off with the newest.
25:47
Again, I should put quote UN quote newest in quotes like I
25:51
did earlier when we were talking about rock and roller coaster,
25:53
but let's talk about Big Thunder Mountain Railroad.
25:56
So this ride just reopened in the last couple weeks here over
26:01
at Magic Kingdom. It got a whole new track.
26:03
It got new trains, like new coaster trains.
26:07
It got a little bit of a story shift with some new things
26:10
things on it as well. But this is one of my favorite
26:13
coasters at Disney. It's so much fun, but it's a
26:16
great long coaster ride. It usually doesn't have too long
26:20
of a wait, even with it being newly refurbished and newly
26:23
reopened. The weights haven't been
26:25
terrible for it, but it is super, super fun.
26:29
You the whole theme of this one. You ride your runaway train
26:34
through a mine shaft with amazing scenery.
26:37
This is a super fun one to catch the fireworks from.
26:40
If you are not a hub fireworks person and you don't care to
26:44
watch happily ever after from the front of the castle, Big
26:47
Thunder Mountain is a really really great way if you can time
26:50
it right to see the fireworks from which is super super fun.
26:54
When it reopened just a few weeks ago, it did have a lower
26:58
height requirement. Now there's speculation online
27:01
whether or not they slowed the ride down with the new track or
27:05
that the new track caused the ride to run slower.
27:08
Disney hasn't officially said who knows.
27:11
A lot of people have reported it feeling slower than before, but
27:14
it is a 38 inch height requirement.
27:16
So that height requirement did drop from when it was open
27:19
before. I believe it was 40 before, but
27:23
now it is a 38 height inch requirement.
27:25
Super super fun attraction. Definitely a great one for
27:30
kiddos that love coasters. I will mention this one is a
27:32
little bit more intense than like a Slinky Dog, so keep that
27:37
in mind if you're kind of comparing across property,
27:42
Slinky Dog is a little smoother than this one, so do with that
27:45
what you will. The next coaster that we are
27:48
going to talk about is one that Disney doesn't technically list
27:52
as a thrill ride, but I included it on this because I think it
27:57
definitely can be and that is the Barnstormer.
28:00
So again, I talked about that here at Mom St.
28:03
We talk about the kiddos, we talk about the families.
28:06
Barnstormer is truly the perfect first coaster for little littles
28:12
who are wanting to start to get into thrill rides.
28:14
It is the shortest ride at Magic Kingdom and it is all themed to
28:18
Goofy and like the circus. So like different circus acts.
28:23
It is found in the Storybook Circus area of Magic Kingdom, so
28:26
it makes sense that that's the theming.
28:29
But the reason that it is so perfect for littles that are
28:33
first trying coasters it is. It is a 35 inch height
28:36
requirement, so very low height requirement.
28:39
Very accessible to any little one that maybe wants to give it
28:43
a try. It is very short, it has just
28:47
one lift hill at the beginning, but it's still very thrilling
28:51
for kids of all ages. My niece who went with us last
28:55
summer was 5 at the time. Absolutely loved this ride.
29:00
My kids like this ride. My oldest is phased out a little
29:04
bit more because he's more into the bigger coasters, but my
29:07
youngest still loves this ride and asks to go on it by name so
29:12
I would consider it a thrill ride for littles.
29:16
It's not super comfy for bigger people to go on.
29:20
And by bigger people I literally just mean adults.
29:23
Not even just size or height wise.
29:26
My husband too is 62, doesn't ride this because it's too small
29:31
for his knees so I have to take the kids on it anytime we want
29:35
to go on it. But it's super fun, super short,
29:39
very accessible to littles that are wanting to kind of dip their
29:43
toe into throw rides and are maybe unsure if they're going to
29:46
like them or not. Now that being said, if you've
29:50
got a kiddo that really likes Barnstormer, the next ride that
29:55
I'm going to talk about would be the next step that I would take
29:58
at Magic Kingdom and that is 7 Dwarves Mine Train.
30:01
So 7 Dwarves Mine Train is another coaster that you have at
30:05
Magic Kingdom. It is super smooth.
30:08
It is a really, really nice family accessible coaster at
30:12
Magic Kingdom. It is all themed to obviously 7
30:15
Dwarves, Snow White and the seven Dwarves.
30:18
It is themed around the dwarves mine that you see in the movie
30:23
during the Hi Ho scene where they're mining for the gems and
30:26
the gold in that part of the movie.
30:29
So the theming of this does include a trip to visit the
30:31
seven dwarves at work in the mine where you will hear the
30:35
famous Hi Ho song being sung as they are mining and finishing up
30:41
their work day. So super, super fun, very
30:44
accessible, very cute ride. Definitely one that I would
30:47
consider. The height requirement on this
30:49
one is 38 inches, so a little bit more than Barnes Stormer,
30:53
but still I think very accessible to any little and the
30:57
seats in this one I really like for littles because they are
31:01
individual lap restraints. So and the seats are a little
31:06
more like curved around your body, so they feel a little bit
31:10
more secure, I think in this one, but definitely a super fun
31:14
attraction to consider for your little coaster lovers and also
31:18
big coaster lovers as well. OK, the next ride we're going to
31:23
talk about is something a little different.
31:24
And then we're going to go back to coasters for the last two
31:26
because you'd be surprised. Again, I talked about this at
31:29
the beginning. You don't necessarily think
31:31
about roller coasters and thrill rides when you think about
31:33
Disney, but Magic Kingdom alone has five coasters.
31:38
So but the next one we're going to talk about is not a coaster,
31:42
but I would still consider it a thrill ride and that is Tiana's
31:45
Bayou Adventure. And I would consider this a
31:47
thrill ride because it's got that massive drop at towards the
31:51
end of the ride. So this is a log flume style
31:54
water ride. Front rows on this one will get
31:57
more wet than back rows, but you're still likely to get wet
32:00
no matter what seat you sit in the very back.
32:03
You may get lucky and not get more than a couple splashes, but
32:07
it depends on who's in your car and the weight distribution and
32:10
all that science stuff. The storyline for this one
32:13
follows Tiana and Lewis, and they are trying to find a band
32:17
to play at a special event at Tiana's restaurant.
32:21
So you go through the Bayou looking for band members to come
32:26
and play at this event. Super fun.
32:28
Mama Odie's in it. There's some magic that maybe
32:31
happens about halfway through the ride and then you do end up
32:35
going down the iconic big drop at the end.
32:40
So this one I consider a throw ride because of that.
32:43
It is a 40 inch height requirement.
32:46
This is one that if you've got a kiddo that doesn't like getting
32:50
wet, you're going to have to make a decision on whether or
32:52
not you want to attempt to take them because like I said, you
32:55
may get wet, you may not get wet.
32:58
It just really depends on the ride that you take and what
33:00
seats you're sitting in. You can ask the cast members
33:03
that are running the ride to wait for the back.
33:05
You may have to wait another turn or two depending on what
33:09
the load situation is going on at the moment, but it is
33:13
something to consider when you're going on that one.
33:15
I really like Tiana's. It does have some flaws to some
33:19
of the animatronics, unfortunately.
33:21
I think it was something that Disney wanted to really get out
33:26
as quick as they could and finish it and get it ready to go
33:29
because a lot of people were missing that attraction being
33:32
open when they changed it from being Splash Mountain previously
33:36
to Tiana's Bayou Adventure, you know, now and going forward,
33:40
even with those little quirks with the animatronics, I still
33:43
really like Tiana's. I think it's a great ride.
33:45
I don't love water rides. I will go on Tiana's if I am
33:49
asked to go on it, but it's not one that I personally choose
33:52
because I don't love getting wet in the theme parks.
33:54
So take that into consideration when you're deciding whether or
33:57
not you want to consider Tiana's on your trip.
34:01
The next two that we're going to talk about, we're going to
34:03
circle back to coasters. We're going to go over to the
34:07
Tomorrowland part of the park, and let's talk about Space
34:10
Mountain. So Space Mountain is one of the
34:12
OG roller coasters over at Magic Kingdom.
34:15
It is a fully indoor coaster. There are actually two different
34:19
tracks inside of this building, which I feel like a lot of
34:22
people don't realize, but there are two different tracks that
34:26
you can go on. Typically the way they have it
34:28
split is one of the tracks is for the standby and one of the
34:32
tracks is for the lightning lanes.
34:33
But occasionally they do it differently, just depends on the
34:36
day. It is completely in the dark,
34:38
completely in the dark. It does have some space and
34:41
stars theming in the top of the Dome that has a little bit of
34:45
lighting that goes with it, but overall it is basically
34:49
completely in the dark. So again, if you've got a kiddo
34:53
that doesn't love the dark, if you've got somebody that doesn't
34:57
prefer being in the dark, you're going to have to make a
35:00
decision. Being that this ride is one of
35:02
the original coasters to this park, it definitely shows its
35:07
age in a lot of ways. It's a little bit of a rougher
35:09
ride. It's a little bit trickier to
35:12
get in and out of the coaster cars and the seats.
35:16
It also is a single file car, so if you've got a little that is
35:21
like just tall enough, which Space Mountain is a 44 inch
35:25
height requirement. If you've got a little that is
35:27
like just tall enough but maybe won't do well riding it without
35:31
someone next to them, you may want to wait a little bit
35:34
longer. When my youngest wrote it for
35:36
the first time, she was very adamant about the fact that my
35:40
husband sat behind her so he could reach up and kind of put
35:43
his hands on her shoulders to just give her that sense of
35:47
like, right, I'm cool, we're good, I'm not going to go
35:50
anywhere. You know, a lot of that's mental
35:52
with kiddos of that age. But she ended up really loving
35:55
it and now she's gone on it several times after that.
35:59
So again, keep in mind that it is completely in the dark.
36:03
It is a little bit of a rougher coaster, partially because it's
36:07
an older style coaster and partially because you can't
36:10
really see where the coaster is going to go, so you don't know
36:14
when it's going to turn, you know, quickly one way or the
36:17
other or go up and down really fast or things like that.
36:20
So for that matter, I will say it's probably that and
36:24
Barnstormer honestly are probably the roughest coasters
36:27
at Magic Kingdom just in the way that they kind of jerk you
36:31
around side to side and up and down with that.
36:34
Space Mountain is a really fun one during the holiday season.
36:38
If you visit during Christmas, they do a whole Christmas
36:40
overlay for it during the Christmas party.
36:42
So during Mickey's Very Merry Christmas Party, they have like
36:46
trans-siberian orchestra, Christmas music and Christmas
36:48
lights playing on it. We actually chose for that to be
36:51
the first time that my daughter rode because it was more lit up
36:56
on the inside and we thought she'd have a better time with
36:58
that. And I'm really glad that we did
37:00
that because I think that helped.
37:02
Now on the other end of things, during the Halloween party, they
37:06
completely turn all of the lights off on Space Mountain, so
37:09
it is completely pitch black. No stars, no moon, no anything
37:13
up in the top of the Dome, completely pitch black.
37:16
So different, very different experience during the Halloween
37:19
party during not so scary as when it's completely pitch
37:22
black. During Mickey's Very Merry is
37:24
when you get the extra lights and the fun music.
37:26
So both of those experiences completely feel different than
37:31
the experience that you would get during a normal ride.
37:35
The normal ride is somewhere in the middle.
37:38
If you think about, you know, pitch black and a little more
37:41
scary versus light and and more fun at Christmas time.
37:46
The regular ride is somewhere in the middle with that.
37:48
And again, that is a 44 inch height requirement for Space
37:52
Mountain. The last coaster and the last
37:54
thrill ride that we're going to talk about at Magic Kingdom is
37:57
Tron Light cycle run. And this is one of the most
38:00
popular attractions along with Cosmic Rewind across across Walt
38:04
Disney World parks. So Tron is going to be one of
38:07
the longest waits that you have to account for if you're
38:10
planning to do standby. It is motorcycle style seating.
38:14
So we saw that also with Flight of Passage at Animal Kingdom,
38:17
but it is a motorcycle style seating.
38:19
It is a very fast launch. And then from that launch that
38:24
goes outside under the canopy that you can see when you are
38:27
approaching the ride, the rest of the ride is indoors,
38:32
completely inside where you will enter the grid and join team
38:35
blue typically to try to defeat the other teams.
38:40
Sometimes you are on team Orange if the canopy lights up orange
38:43
when you go outside. It just depends.
38:44
And the first launch is probably the most intense part because
38:48
you launch immediately outside and around.
38:51
The rest of the coaster is super smooth.
38:54
Very, very fun ride. The biggest complaint about this
38:57
one that I hear from most people is that it's just not quite long
39:00
enough. We would want another like maybe
39:01
30 seconds on the ride to make it truly feel worth the wait
39:06
because it is typically at least an hour even on really slow park
39:11
days, you're going to wait that long if you choose to do
39:13
standby. It is a 48 inch height
39:16
requirement for Tron. So again, one of those higher
39:20
ones like we saw it like rock and roller coasters because it
39:23
is a little bit more of an intense ride and you're your
39:28
legs and feet have to be long enough to make sure that you fit
39:33
properly in the restraints. Because the way that the
39:36
restraints work is when you sit on the motorcycle, there's a
39:39
plate that comes up behind your back, but then they also enclose
39:43
your legs in because they don't want your legs to be free while
39:47
you're going through the coaster because you could get injured if
39:50
that were to happen. So they need to make sure that
39:53
you're tall enough to fit on that style of ride vehicle for
39:57
the coaster. Something else to note about
39:59
Tron and something that I think is really is really a nod to the
40:03
Imagineers and the developers of this ride is that you don't have
40:06
to be familiar with the Tron franchise, with the movies or
40:10
anything to be able to ride this attraction.
40:13
They really do a nice job of the theming in like the little pre
40:16
show area. So that way you kind of know
40:18
what it is that you're about to ride, which I think is really
40:21
nice because I have never seen the Tron movies.
40:24
They're on my list. I know I need to watch them at
40:26
some point just as a Disney person, but I've never seen the
40:29
movies and I still love the ride and I understand the theming and
40:32
it all makes sense to me. So kudos to the Imagineers for
40:36
that. For Tron.
40:37
OK, that brings us to the end of all of the thrill rides.
40:42
Now, there may have been rides on this list that you're like, I
40:45
don't think that's a thrill ride.
40:46
Or there may have been other rides that you're like, why
40:48
isn't this on the list? This is based on what Disney
40:51
considers thrill rides. So that's what we went with that
40:53
and that's what we're going to go with continuing on because we
40:57
are going to talk about what it is that you can do if you are
41:00
wanting to ride as many of these throw rides as possible in a
41:04
single day at Walt Disney World. So here is my suggestion.
41:09
Now really truly the best way to do all of these rides in one day
41:18
is going to have to be to dip into your bank account and pay
41:21
some to ride these rides. So with paying, here's my
41:26
suggestion. When you can pre book your
41:29
lightning lanes, you are going to purchase multi pass at
41:33
Hollywood Studios and we'll get to that in a minute.
41:37
And then you are going to purchase the single passes for
41:42
Guardians of the Galaxy and Tron.
41:45
When you book your multi pass, you are going to book things in
41:50
like mid afternoon, so like 2/3, 4:00, 1/2, 3:00, maybe somewhere
41:58
in that range. And you were going to book
42:01
Slinky Dog, you were going to book Tower of Terror and you
42:04
were going to book Smugglers Run.
42:05
Those are going to be the three that you book for that.
42:08
Now your time for Guardians of the Galaxy is going to need to
42:11
be like 11 AM. Your time for Tron is going to
42:15
need to be like 8:00 PM, somewhere in that range.
42:18
Here's your course of action for the day.
42:20
You're going to rope drop Animal Kingdom and you're going to get
42:23
there as early as you possibly can and get in line for the
42:26
rides as early as you possibly can.
42:28
You're going to start with Flight of Passage.
42:30
You have to go there first or you are not going to get on it
42:32
without like a 2 hour wait. From there I would go over to
42:36
Expedition Everest and then go to Cali River Rapids.
42:39
Cali River Rapids typically has a delayed opening so it doesn't
42:42
typically open until like 9 or 10:00 AM depending on the time
42:45
of year. So look at that and be there and
42:48
be done with the other two rides and ready to get on Cali River
42:51
as soon as it opens. That will put you in a good
42:54
place to then hop over to Epcot. At Epcot you are going to do
42:59
standby for Mission Space. You are going to do either the
43:03
single rider line or standby for Test Track.
43:06
Test Track has a really good single rider line.
43:08
So if and you don't miss any of the actual ride theming or
43:12
anything, you just miss a little bit of the queue, not the end of
43:16
the world. So you would have to do a single
43:18
rider line. Now if you can't do a single
43:20
rider line, you're just going to have to to deal with the wait
43:23
for that one. So mission space and test track
43:25
standby. And then you're going to use
43:27
your lightning Lane for Guardians of the Galaxy and that
43:30
will take care of your Epcot. So you should be pretty close to
43:35
being done. If you are quick at Animal
43:37
Kingdom, you get to Epcot on time.
43:40
Get through those three rides, you should be able to grab your
43:43
lunch from Epcot and then hop over to Hollywood Studios.
43:48
At Hollywood Studios, you're going to then use your Lightning
43:50
lane selections that you chose for Slinky Dog, Tower of Terror,
43:54
and Smugglers Run in whatever order it makes sense based on
43:56
what you were able to book and modify.
43:58
You can try to get a time for Rock and Roller Coaster on your
44:04
Lightning Lanes. It may or may not work out.
44:07
If it doesn't, you're either going to have to cross your
44:10
fingers that the single rider line is not very long or wait in
44:13
the standby queue for that and then you can do the single rider
44:16
for Rise of the Resistance. Now unfortunately, again, if you
44:19
can't do single rider for those, you're just going to have to
44:21
wait in line for those, which could be an hour or so for both
44:25
of those attractions depending on the day.
44:26
That then will take you to Magic Kingdom.
44:30
Now, after you have used your lightning lanes in Hollywood
44:33
Studios, you can use lightning lanes at Magic Kingdom next.
44:37
So I would try to book something for Big Thunder Mountain.
44:41
I would try to book something for Space Mountain.
44:43
I would try to book something for Tiana's.
44:45
Those would be the three that I would look at.
44:47
You may or may not need them. If you're willing to stay late
44:51
and and not stop what you're doing to stand and watch the
44:54
fireworks, you may be able to get on standby.
44:57
You may have to try to get a lightning lane.
45:00
It just really depends on the day.
45:01
You can definitely do standby for Barnstormer.
45:03
That one usually isn't more than a 30 minute wait.
45:07
And then Tiana's in space are kind of your wild card with
45:10
that. Lightning Lane for Big Thunder
45:12
is the best way to go just because it is fairly new still,
45:16
but the line for that during fireworks is usually 45 or less.
45:20
It just again, depends on the day.
45:22
You're going to use your single pass for Tron whenever you
45:25
booked it and then the last ride that that leaves you with A7
45:28
dwarfs. So 7 dwarves is going to be
45:31
another tricky one to try to get on.
45:32
You're either going to need to do it during the fireworks or at
45:35
the very end of the night to catch it at a shorter wait.
45:40
You're going to have to keep an eye on your app and just kind of
45:42
cross your fingers and hope. Typically during fireworks, the
45:45
posted time is longer than the actual wait.
45:48
If your queue is almost inside the mine, go ahead and get in
45:53
line because it won't be too long as far as that goes.
45:56
And that will get you through everything that we talked about.
45:59
Now, if you don't want to pay and you don't care about waiting
46:04
in line, you're not going to be able to get all of this done in
46:06
one day without paying for Lightning Lanes, which I hate.
46:08
I absolutely hate that. I hate that you have to buy
46:12
these passes at Disney to be able to get through all of these
46:15
attractions that you want to get through.
46:17
So you're going to want to put 2 parks together on each day.
46:21
It's probably going to take you 2 days to get through
46:23
everything. I would put together Animal
46:26
Kingdom and Magic Kingdom, starting an Animal Kingdom, then
46:30
hopping to Magic Kingdom, and then I would put Hollywood
46:33
Studios with Epcot if it were me.
46:36
And you're just going to have to look at the wait times.
46:39
Get through as many things as you can early in your first park
46:42
to get to your second park as early as you can to give
46:45
yourself the most time to get through everything else.
46:49
But that would be my suggestion on if you want to truly do
46:52
everything on this thrill ride list that we talked about
46:56
without paying for any lightning lanes probably going to take you
46:59
at least two days. So I hope that all of that
47:01
information has been helpful. If you want more help planning
47:05
your perfect thrill day at Disney World, please reach out.
47:09
You can reach me at mom St. usa@gmail.com or you can send me
47:14
Adm on any of our social media platforms.
47:16
We're on Facebook, we're on Instagram, we're on Tiktok or on
47:19
YouTube. So reach out on whatever
47:21
platform you prefer. You can also find me and chat
47:25
with me over on Patreon at Mom St.
47:27
USA over there as well. Coming up next for Mom St.
47:32
USA, like I mentioned at the beginning of this episode, we
47:35
are going to be doing a complete opposite from what we talked
47:38
about today. So today was all about thrill
47:39
rides. Next week we are going to talk
47:42
about dark rides and slow moving rides and rides that are best
47:45
for like little little littles that you can do and how to make
47:49
the most of your day if that is what you are wanting to do at
47:53
the Disney park. So that is what is coming next.
47:56
But thank you all so much for being here for this episode of
47:58
Mom St. USAI.
47:59
Truly appreciate you guys hanging out here and tuning in
48:02
for every episode and I will see you on the next episode of Mom
48:06
St. USA.
48:07
Bye everyone.