These 10 Disney World rides may be good but not worth the long wait
If there's one thing Disney World guests have gotten used to since the parks began, it's long wait times. It was worse in the days before cell phones and apps let you know just how long a wait could be, as there was no telling if it was a walk-on or over an hour. Lightning Lane and Genie+ have cut down on that, but getting set to wait in line is a reality for any Disney guest.
Many of the rides are worth it for one of a kind experiences and Disney has created entertaining que areas to keep guests patient during the waits. But some attractions, while good, do not deserve the long wait times they have. They're not awful, some are quite fun but simply not worth waiting an hour or more for on some days. These have to rank as the 10 WDW rides that just aren't worth the ridiculously long wait times standby guests endure.
Alien Swirling Saucers
The Mad Tea Party at Magic Kingdom is often barely over a 20-minute wait. That makes it confusing that the Hollywood Studios counterpart often gets wait times of at least 40 minutes. It's a short spin ride based on Toy Story characters, less intense than the Tea Party and not that exciting. Disneyland's Cars rides are much the same but with far shorter times yet folks keep flocking to a fancy carousel that doesn't offer as much fun as those long wait times would indicate.
Mission Space
Most of the time, this ride can be a walk-on and that makes sense. It varies if you want the slower experience or more intense, yet either way, it's been a fancy motion simulator ride that pales next to the old Body Wars attraction. Again, if it's a short wait, it's fine, but not if the wait can go an hour. If you want to wait that long for a thrill ride, try either Test Track or Cosmic Rewind on either side of this, as the Mission isn't worth a wait vs a walk-on later in the day.
Na'vi River Journey
It's baffling that the Pandora section in Animal Kingdom can have one of the best rides in WDW and also one of the worst. Flights of Passage having 90-minute waits makes total sense given the fantastic experience it offers. The slower Na'vi River Ride having almost the same wait time is confusing. It's a boat ride that makes It's A Small World look fast-paced with a few AA, some nice music but nothing special. Why folks keep going to this in larger numbers than Pirates of the Caribbean is one of the great mysteries of Disney World.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
This has always been an odd duck of a ride. It's both a family coaster and a dark ride with that slowdown midway through a make-or-break for many guests. It's just three minutes long but feels shorter, which is a lot more than can be said for the 80-minute wait times it can get on busy days. Meant to be the focus of the new Fantasyland, it's never quite lived up to that and while younger kids enjoy it, the train isn't worth such massively long wait times.
Jungle Cruise
Another classic attraction, the Jungle Cruise is a delight if the wait time is less than half an hour. Waiting a full hour or more is something else. It's never boasted the fanciest of AA and not much in excitement, relying on the banter of the skippers. That can be funny, yet not if you've waited an hour in line for a seven-minute boat trip. It's another of those rides that are a must for first-time Disney park guests, but not if the wait time is ten times longer than the ride.
Tomorrowland Speedway
This may vary for some guests as kids sure do love driving the Speedway/Autopia in either California or Florida. That ignores that the driving can be rough, as it's almost impossible to see anyone making way without hitting that middle bar a few times. There's also how it's not that fancy a view unless it's the holidays and even worse at night. The cars don't go that fast, and the trip is meandering, yet this can boast lines that put the Mountains to shame and show kids go wilder for the cars than adults do.
Frozen Ever After
It's not as bad as when it first opened, but it's still something to see hour-long wait times for this boat ride. To be fair, the original Maelstrom could often be as long, which was already unusual. At least this boasts characters from one of Disney's biggest hits yet waiting so long for a simple boat ride with one drop can tax the patience of some guests. It's a magical ride, to be sure, but it feels better if you can walk on in about 20 minutes rather than wait for an hour.
Slinky Dog Dash
It may be a bit more exciting than the Seven Dwarves but it's still a kiddie coaster. The lunch style does give it more push but the exterior of "Andy's yard" doesn't live up to its potential. It may be too rough for the smaller tykes and too tame for the older ones. Somehow, it gets 85-minute wait times which can be crazy for a coaster whose experience pales next to Rock n Roller Coaster with an okay theme.
Toy Story Mania
Many of us love Toy Story and this ride can be a total blast under the right circumstances. Yet the wait times for it are horrendous, even with Lightning Lane and Genie+. It can be the interactive element of trying to outscore folks or the animation of the characters drawing folks in, but at the end of the day, it's really a fancy arcade game rather than a more immersive ride. Maybe the competition sparks it up and folks enjoy it but waiting 90 minutes for it may not be enough for some guests.
Peter Pan
Yes, it's a classic of the Magic Kingdom, but as our own Brian Miller asked, why does Peter Pan get lines nearly an hour long? The loading isn't that slow on a classic conveyor, the special effects aren't that spectacular, and most of the AA barely moves. The fact it's barely over three minutes long makes it weirder. It may be more for kids of all ages, yet that this gets massive lines in any Disney park is confusing as Peter Pan just isn't worth waiting over an hour in line for.