10 Most Underrated Things @ Disney World
10) Tower Of Terror – Hollywood Studios
The tower of terror is #10 because people know about it, but it is not appreciated as it should be so I have it on the countdown still. This attraction is listed as a Tier 2 fastpass+ attraction which means you can schedule it with one of the main attractions, but that also means it is seen as an inferior attraction that is less popular than those attractions. Tower of Terror is not even close to an inferior attraction. This ride is the #4 ride in all of Disney in my opinion and the number 2 in this park, behind the mega popular Toy Story Mania. That being said this ride is absolutely fantastic and is one of about 5 rides in Disney that I personally would wait more than 30 minutes for. It is a must-do ride if you are going Hollywood Studios for just one day and I highly recommend it. The cast gets so into it on this ride and every ride has a different drop pattern so it is never the same. Go ride the Tower of Terror.
9) Christopher Robin’s Room – Epcot
Since you can't meet Tigger and Pooh at Animal Kingdom anymore this is the best we get!
You may have heard on numerous occasions that Epcot is the best place to meet characters and there is some merit to that. While there is merit to that, we don’t necessarily agree with that sentiment, however there are great places to meet characters at this park that are unnoticed. Our favorite of these with a toddler is Christopher Robin’s Room in the United Kingdom. We like this location because it is tucked away in the back of the UK and not many people know it is there. This is a location where you can meet Winnie the Pooh and Tigger with little to no wait. Since, they took those two out of Animal Kingdom, this is only one of two parks where you can meet the duo. The other park where you can meet them is Magic Kingdom where the lines can get extremely long. I recommend that you take your Pooh lovers on over to Epcot to meet this pair.
8) Crystal Palace – Magic Kingdom
The Crystal Palace has been our second favorite experience at Walt Disney World (our first is coming up later). It is a character dining experience with the Winnie the Pooh characters. You get to eat a buffet meal and meet Pooh, Tigger, Eeyore, and Piglet. It is quite the treat to meet these characters with no lines and get some food. Since I think the food at Disney is overrated and the lines to meet characters are so long character dining experiences are well worth it. I like this one because my son likes Pooh and because the price is lower than some other character dining options. It is highly recommended for any parents of young children.
7) Tamu Tamu Refreshments – Animal Kingdom
Those of you that pay attention to the Disney food blog have heard that Dole Whip now exists at Animal Kingdom. That is correct you can get the best treat that Disney has to offer at Animal Kingdom now. The biggest plus to this is that unlike Aloha Isle not everyone knows about this existing. You don’t really have to wait for the treat here. You cannot get the float at this location, but for you drinkers, you can order the floats with alcohol here. I personally have not tried it as I cannot drink, but it seems like a very delicious treat that many would enjoy.
6) Living With The Land – Epcot
Living with the land is a fantastic ride in the Land section of Epcot. This attraction is in the same pavilion as ‘Soarin and is often neglected as a result. Everyone that is skipping this ride constantly is making a mistake. As a parent with a toddler I can tell you that this is the #3 ride in this park for little ones. The only rides he likes better are the Nemo ride and the Donald ride. The cool part about this ride is finding out how they use fish to farm and seeing all the various crops. I just like this ride. It is very interesting to me and I have never had to wait more than 10 minutes to ride.
5) The Boneyard – Animal Kingdom
This is a family favorite because it is the best play area at Disney World. It has a fossil dig area where kids can play and discover a Wolly Mammoth fossil. It has dinosaur themed play things, multiple slides and just all around fun. Noland Jr. loves playing at the Boneyard and never wants to leave. My nephews felt the same way when we visited last time.
4) The Grand Fiesta Tour Starring the Three Cabelleros - Epcot
This is our favorite ride at Epcot! Absolute favorite with no doubt about it and we have never waited more than 10 minutes. There is literally never a line and it is always working. The music is entertaining it stars Donald Duck and it is a no lose attraction. Noland Jr. absolutely loves this ride and looking around for Donald. It never gets old for him either. He loves going up to the ride and loves the boat. This ride is simply fantastic. The picture is actually meeting Donald outside the ride, but it serves it's purpose! Donald is awesome!
3) Mickey’s PhilharMagic – Magic Kingdom
Our favorite thing at the Magic Kingdom besides Splash Mountain is not a ride. It is this 3D movie featuring some of the most iconic songs from Disney. It doesn’t hurt that Mickey and Donald are so prominently featured for a child that loves these two characters. Our favorite part is the Lion King sequence, but the whole show is great. This is also another attraction where people never have to wait more than 10-15 minutes. We usually do this movie every single time we go to Magic Kingdom.
2) Character Palooza – Hollywood Studios
This is the best place to see characters and there are no waits. Just like the Osborne Family Lights, this has occured on the Streets of America and is a limited event. However, since we posted about this on here it moved to outside the Tower of Terror. It is well worth your time if you know it is happening! Meeting characters especially rare ones are a blast for the little kids so this event is a real treat. The two main characters we saw last time we did this were Rafiki and Pinocchio as pictured. There are several rare characters that appear as part of this event.
1) Osborne Family Lights – Hollywood Studios
The Osborne Spectacle of Dancing Lights at Hollywood Studios is my favorite thing at Disney World. Yes, it is only during the holidays and yes it is Christmas Lights, but they are just awesome. I cannot even describe what I thought of these lights the first time I saw them. There was just pure joy in my heart from these dancing lights. Some nights it is better than others, depending on who is controlling the light show, but it is always fantastic. Every time I see these lights, I stay for over an hour and get to enjoy them. You cannot do that for most attractions and the crowds are not that bad here. This is a truly joyful event at Disney World.
Next week, we will post our own overrated list as well, but we wanted to start out with the more positive sentiment.
-Noland
