3 Universally Despised Disney World Rides

Let’s face it, Disney World isn’t perfect. 

Every theme park has a dud or two, which leaves you wondering if the wait was worth it (or if you’re feeling a little worse for the wear!). To that point, we wanted to dive into three Disney World rides that consistently earn, shall we say, less than stellar reviews, so you can plan your next day at the parks accordingly!

Astro Orbiter

Kicking things off, we’ve got Magic Kingdom’s Astro Orbiter. It’s a ride that offers some panoramic views of the park, which would make you think it’s universally loved (you’d be wrong!). Quite a number of people actually find the ride itself a bit unsettling. (Your reviews of the ride have it sitting at a rating of 5.63 out of 10.)

Let’s take a look at what you said about the ride:

• “This ride was literally the most scariest ride I’ve been on. The seat belt wasn’t so tight and I could feel myself slipping out of the ride and I was traumatized after. Unless you have a death wish avoid this ride. It’s not safe.”
• “This ride sure has the same tech as dumbo, but it is NOT dumbo! You feel like you’re going to fall out of the rocket, which is bad because of how high this attraction is. I mean, you literally have to take an ELEVATOR to get on the ride! However, this is a good ride to do once, because it’s a cool experience. I rode it once, and was not a fan, but I waited 45 minutes for it, and it just seemed worthless. This one can get a looooooong line, so it’s easiest just to skip this one.”

The high elevation of the ride combined with a slight feeling of insecurity with the restraints has definitely left us feeling scared. All of that coupled with the fact that the lines can get quite lengthy make this an experience you might want to skip altogether.

Mission: SPACE (Orange Mission)

Continuing with the space theme, we find our next ride over at EPCOT. Mission: SPACE promises a thrilling simulation of a space launch, which by all accounts sounds amazing (sign us up!). However, this “thrilling” ride tends to be way too much for most of us to handle. (Your reviews of the ride have it sitting at a rating of 6.42 out of 10.)

Here let’s take a look at what you said about the ride:

• “I do not get sick on rides. Ever! If this ride had gone on much longer, I would have put those barf bags to use! I know they tell you in the pre-show to keep your eyes open , but that was not working for me. With my eyes closed I was able to feel the spinning more (it wasn’t the spinning that was making me sick though – it was the combo of spinning, movement and imagery that was doing it. so I had my eyes closed for most of the ride!)”
• “This ride is essentially a human centrifuge to simulate the feeling of take off into space. There are warnings about motion sickness and such but you may not realize how it would affect you until after the ride starts. But there’s nothing you can do once the doors close. It was quite scary feeling trapped and I had to really focus to stay calm somehow. I started to panic because the screen/ control board moves in close to your face and there becomes very little space inside the pod. So if you’re even a little claustrophobic, I would avoid it. I’m fine with roller coasters but after this, I felt dizzy for several hours and impaired my enjoyable of the park afterward.”

This high-speed centrifuge ride can definitely throw even the most experienced Disney pros for a loop. If you struggle with motion sickness, it’s best to just skip this one completely, or at the very least, only try the Green Mission side.

Alien Swirling Saucers

Last up, don’t be fooled by the cute alien theme with this one (we’re just now realizing that every ride on this list is space-based). Hollywood Studios’ Alien Swirling Saucers — with its spinning vehicles and jerky movements — might have you feeling quite rattled. (Your reviews of the ride have it sitting at a rating of 6.65 out of ten.)

Here let’s take a look at what you said:

•  “It’s fun, but not worth a long wait as it’s really short. It’s kind of jerky and can bump you around.”
• “I was not a fan of this ride. The theming was very nice and there were a lot of details that I enjoyed searching for during the ride. However, this ride is not worth a wait more than twenty minutes. This ride does not spin you around very fast and can be a relaxing break from more thrilling rides. The music is really loud on the ride, and the ride makes a loud clicking sound that made me a little nervous thinking that it was broken, but after talking to a cast member they informed me that this was just due to the design of the ride system and the car switching from one turn table to the next.”

We know that the idea of spinning spaceships sounds exciting, but the execution falls a bit flat. It’s also quite short of a ride, which makes it feel like it’s not worth the long wait. Honestly, it’s best for giving you a quick cool-down from the Florida heat. Other than that, don’t expect it to be a mind-blowing experience overall.

Those were just some of “our” collective thoughts on some of the most universally despised rides at Disney World. Stay tuned to AllEars for all the latest Disney news!

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Which Disney World rides do you despise? Let us know in the comments! 

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