Top Rides at Hollywood Studios 4

Hollywood Studios has always been a park that I enjoyed hanging out in even though there are a limited number of rides to go on. Now that Toy Story Land and Galaxy’s Edge have opened, it has become a park that rivals Magic Kingdom for me. There are still not that many rides, but the park feels so much bigger now and I find myself spending multiple days there during a vacation. I should include attractions to make this a little easier, but I will just stick to the rides.

Slinky Dog Coaster

You will notice that a number of the rides on this list will be newer including the first one. Slinky Dog is such a fun and family friendly coaster, it offers just the right amount of thrill without being too scary for younger riders and is a nice smooth ride. This is also a ride that really pays attention to the details not just on the ride, but also in the que area, its fun to see all the places they incorporated old classic games in the area to look at. Slinky Dog and Toy Story Land look even more impressive at night with colorful lights that really bring the entire area to life.

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith

This is a ride that I avoided for years because I am not a huge roller coaster fan any longer, but I forced myself on it to complete every ride at Disney and I could not have been happier. This is the only ride in Disney World that goes upside down and is also in the dark, so it makes the loops and corkscrews feel a little more tame (still not for the weak of heart). As with most rides at Disney this has a very cool que as well, between the rock music played and pictures on the wall, it gets you pumped for the ride, plus you get to get a personal invite by Aerosmith themselves. The Aerosmith songs being played during the ride add a little bit to the thrill and you will probably find yourself singing the songs on the way out.

Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run

This ride and I have a love/hate relationship, the experience not only depends on what “job” you are given for the mission, but also depends on the other crew members you are with. This ride makes my favorite list when you are the pilot and loses a little luster if you are a gunner or engineer. Getting a chance to pilot the Millennium Falcon is amazing and my nerd level was over the top when I got to pull that hyperdrive lever. This is also a ride that is close to being over shadowed by the que, between the lifesize Falcon at the entrance and the animatronics of Hondo it ones of the best in any park.

Rise of the Resistance

Rise of the Resistance has become my favorite ride in ANY park, not just because I am a Star Wars fan, but because the imagineers pulled off the most ambitious ride I have ever seen or been on. It manages to pack so many ride elements into what is almost more of an experience than a ride, its got animatronics, CM interaction, flight simulator, dark ride and thrill ride all mixed into one and does it seamlessly. I can remember how many times my jaw dropped the first time I rode this, the crazy thing is it continues to impress every time I am on it. This is a must do ride for any age and you don’t need to be a Star Wars fan to appreciate and enjoy this ride.

Toy Story Mania

Toy Story Mania is such a simple concept that really gets me because it adds some gameplay to the ride experience. The nice part is that the game is easy enough for all age groups to play and be competitive, but is also enough fun that winning or losing does not take away from the experience. Not unlike Slinky Dog, the que, ride and exit area does a great job incorporating props and artwork from Toy Story, truly brings out the charm of this ride.

Final Thoughts

I know people will be upset that I left Tower of Terror of the list, but that ride throws me for a loop, on days that I can handle it, I really do enjoy it though. I also left Star Tours off for the same reason, as much as I love it, I will skip it sometimes because it gives me motion sickness. I also have not been on Mickeys Railway yet, so when I do ride it, I have high hopes that it will find itself in my top list in the future.

As always we would love to hear about your favorites and will send out stickers to random people that take the time to follow along with us and leave a comment. Make sure to listen to The Behind the Ears Podcast and catch a live recording on our Facebook page every Wednesday night at 8PM est.