Happy National Roller Coaster Day! Today is the perfect day for us to explore all of our favorite roller coaster attractions spread across Walt Disney World. Whether it’s indoor, outdoor, extreme, or geared towards families, Disney knows roller coasters!
Did you know that the first roller coaster to open at Walt Disney World was Space Mountain inside the Magic Kingdom? Guests began rocketing through space in 1975 inside of a 180 foot high “mountain”. It was one of Disney World’s most anticipated openings!
A few years later in 1980, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad the self-proclaimed “wildest ride in the wilderness”, made its debut in Frontierland. This coaster takes guests on a runaway train ride through an abandoned mining town flying through canyons and tunnels.
We can’t forget about the kiddos! The Barnstormer at Goofy’s Wiseacre Farm (previously inside Mickey’s Toontown Fair) was added to the Magic Kingdom in 1996. It was the park’s very first family coaster. Later the attraction received some updates and now serves up thrills in New Fantasyland.
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1999 brought the extreme Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith to Hollywood Studios. This wild ride takes guests through Los Angeles in a super-stretch limo through three inversions, two rollover loops and one corkscrew all while jamming to the music of Aerosmith. Of course, Slinky Dog Dash is another great coaster option at Disney’s Hollywood Studios!
Animal Kingdom welcomed Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain, its first coaster, in 2006. Guests are immersed in the story throughout the queue as they prepare for their mission to to seek out (or escape from) the mythical Yeti!
Also, the Snow White inspired Disney coaster at Magic Kingdom took the term “family coaster” to a whole new level in 2014 with Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. The queue itself is something to experience with immersive hands on activities as guests travel deeper into the mine of the Seven Dwarfs.
Finally, the newest Disney roller coaster at Walt Disney World is Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind. The Epcot attraction is a brand new, family-thrill coaster developed by Disney Imagineers just for this attraction. It’s a “story coaster” that will amaze guests as it rotates 360 degrees throughout the attraction so the focus is always on the action, and additionally features a reverse launch on a coaster, never before seen in Disney Parks. It is also one of the longest enclosed coasters in the world! There’s also six different songs on Star-Lord’s Awesome Mix Tape that you can possibly hear for this attraction. You won’t know which song you’ll hear each time you ride until you actually blast off with the Guardians on an intergalactic chase through time and space. It’s a new favorite for us!
Which Disney World roller coaster is your favorite?
Related: How to Snag a Virtual Queue Spot for Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
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