Attractions

A detailed discussion of the attractions is well beyond the scope of my little guide here. With that said, here's a grouping of rides that you may find helpful so you know what's what. This is not intended to be an exhaustive list, just trying to highlight some of the more popular attractions.

Roller Coasters & Thrills

  • Rock n Roller Coaster

  • Space Mountain

  • Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind

  • Expedition Everest

  • Big Thunder Mountain

  • Slinky Dog Dash

  • Test Track

  • Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

  • Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

  • Dinosaur

Rise of the Resistance

This one bears special mention, because it is the most high demand attraction at Walt Disney World at the moment, and because it doesn't fit neatly into any other category anyway. Rise of the Resistance is primarily a trackless dark ride, where you are in a ride vehicle that passes through various scenes. With that said, it also incorporates motion simulation and drop ride elements. It is a thrilling experience, though the actual visceral thrill level is not particularly intense.

Motion Simulators

  • Avatar: Flight of Passage

  • Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run

  • Star Tours

  • Soarin'

Water Rides

  • Splash Mountain

  • Kali River Rapids

Dark Rides

The term "dark ride" refers broadly to attractions where you're in a ride vehicle of some sort and you pass through various show scenes that tell a story. They are not necessarily dark.

  • Remy's Ratatouille Adventure

  • Mickey & Minnie's Runaway Railway

  • Peter Pan

  • Jungle Cruise

  • Pirates of the Caribbean

  • its a small world

  • Voyage of the Little Mermaid

  • Navi River Journey

  • Winnie the Pooh

Competitive

These are attractions where you are actively participating throughout by shooting at targets to try to get the best score possible.

  • Toy Story Mania

  • Buzz Lightyear


Shows

Shows can be a good midday option, because even when the park is crowded, you can usually see a show without a significant wait. It's quite rare that you would need to wait longer than the time to the next show.

  • Mickey's Philharmagic

  • Carousel of Progress

  • Enchanted Tiki Room

  • Country Bear Jamboree

  • Festival of the Lion King

  • Beauty & the Beast

  • Frozen Singalong

  • Turtle Talk with Crush


Kids' Stuff

  • Dumbo

  • Barnstormer (Kiddie coaster)

  • Character Meet & Greets

  • Enchanted Tales with Belle

  • Triceratop Spin

  • Alien Spinning Saucers

Other Notable

Disney has several amazing attractions that don't fit neatly into traditional attraction categories:

  • Kilimanjaro Safari -- open air drive through a massive area with live animals, including lions, rhinos, elephants, and hippos

  • Tomorrowland Transit Authority -- a super chill tour of Tomorrowland from a track that snakes through several attractions. It's very relaxing and is a great way to take a break (and catch a breeze) without really taking a break.

The height restrictions for all of Disney's attractions can be found here.