Best Disney Coaster

[zombieface]

Disney coasters are often overlooked, but many are really underrated and fun rides and often offer stunning theming. Which is your favorite (does not have to be one you've ridden)? Coasters that are essentially the same ride even if there are different layouts have been grouped together, and wild mice, the spinners, and kiddie coasters are not included. I also had to take out RC Racer and Indiana Jones et le Temple du Péril/Raging Spirits due to lack of poll options, so if that's your favorite then sorry!

 

[Bat Fastard]

For me, it's close between Rock and Roller Coaster (Hollywood Studios) and Expedition Everest. However, if I had to pick one, it'd be Rock and Roller Coaster. Both are great, outstanding rides that I too feel are very underrated. They are both in my top 40 (don't judge me). Rock and Roller Coaster is more thrilling though and the launch is fun. The theme on both of these is outstanding. Expedition Everest is more iconic I feel though.

 

[Gavin]

Going to list them since I'm bored, I've done them all except RC Racer in Paris, and I like to brag.

1. Tron - As with a lot of Disney coasters, a medicore ride type elevated to something exceptional. My favourite indoor coaster.
2. Space Mountain HK - Yeah, a bit of a fanboy for this. Some below are "better", but this is my favourite.
3. Space Mountain Cali - Pretty much a tie with the one above.
4. California Screamin' - Really fun despite not really doing a great deal.
5. Big Grizzly Mountain - Gorgeous looking thing with three distinct, and increasingly intense, sections.
5. Expedition Everest - Not as good as a lot of people make it out to be, but has its moments. It's "better" than BGG, but I don't enjoy it as much.
6+7. Space Mountain Florida - A better coaster than the other SMs, but a weaker overall package.
7+8. Rock 'n' Rollercoaster - If there's a difference between Paris and Florida, I didn't notice it, so shoving them together.
9. Space Mountain Tokyo - Despite being the same as Hong Kong and Cali, the lack of soundtrack shoved it right down the list.
10. Big Thunder Mountain Cali - The new lifthill effects push it above the others slightly.
11+12. Big Thunder Mountain Florida, Tokyo - Not much between them really, so can't be arsed to differentiate.
13. Big Thunder Mountain Paris - On paper the best; didn't do as much for me.
14. Seven Dwarfs Shanghai - Same ride as the one below, but has the advantage of feeling a bit more isolated.
15. Seven Dwarfs Florida - A bit plonked compared to Shanghai's
16. Crush's Coaster - Not a fan of spinners, but this one is pretty decent.
17+18. Matterhorn - Fun, different, nostalgic. That's about it. Both sides were the same really
19. Raging Spirits - Just edges out the one below it thanks to the fire and smoke.
20. Indiana Jones - A bit crap, but looks nice.
21. Space Mountain Paris - Should be a lot higher on paper, but I hated it.
22. RC Racer - Poor choice of ride for a Disney park.
23. Flounder's Flying Fish - same as the ones below, but a nicer location.
24+25. Gadget's Go Coaster Cali and Tokyo - Meh.
26. Barnstormer - Even more meh than the two above thanks to location.
27+28. Primeval Whirl - A s**t ride type.
29. Goofy's Sky School - Usually, I'd prefer one of these to a Reverchon Spinner, but this ugly piece of s**t, crammed into a corner with no theming, has no place being in a Disney park. It's a f**king joke.

 

[peep]

Ooo, here's an interesting question for @gavin Will the lift hill effects from Cali BTM being added to the Paris version push it higher than the Tokyo/Orlando ones?

Urgh, totally agree with your bottom three, I would be very happy to see them spited.

I'm not sure how my top ones would pan out, may come back and cobble a list together.

 

[Gavin]

^ To be fair, like most of Paris, I need to do a revisit to properly call it these days. It's been around 10 years since I went. Tokyo around 6 and all the others within the last 2-3.

 

[Mysterious Sue]

Decided to take the Gavin approach. Don’t read if you are an easily offenced Disney goon.
1. Space Mountain, HK - The orginal incarnation is still the best coaster/audio synchronisation out there. Actually <3 this ride. Even with the burdenous Star Wars overlay it’s still the best of the three Space Mountains that I’ve done.
2. Big Grizzly Mountain Runaway Mine Cars - So fab. Great pacing, fun animatronics, an unexpected twist and great re-ridability. The whole area comes alive at night with atmospheric lighting
3. Space Mountain, Tokyo – the music/ride combo isn’t anywhere near as good as HKs. Bonus points for the memory of being evacuated due to our ‘fat boat’ of a car
4. Big Thunder Mountain, Paris - I think I preferred this one to the Tokyo one slightly, can’t really remember though. Great theme and great amount of theming. Such a long cred as well, you really get your money’s worth. Also love the back story and how it’s related to Hanuted Mansion – that’s fab
5. Big Thunder Mountain, Tokyo – See above

The above rides I’ve rated are quite good. Now we start to get into my real problem with Disney – the utter crap that they try and pass off. Sure, the theming is immense, but scratch the surface and most of the rides are utter turd.

6. Space Mountain: Mission 2 - It’s an inverting Vekoma. In the dark. That in itself is enough reason to dislike it but, it’s a space ride…themed to guns, I just don’t get it?! The old sci-fi Jules Verne stuff is cool, granted.
7. TRON Lightcycle Power Run – Don’t get me wrong, the area is fab and the queueline is AMAZING with the all the lighting and that ominous soundtrack. But what has everyone been saying recently about Vekoma Motorbikes being as tedious as a Big Apple once you get to a decent cred count?… The ride just does nothing. They could have done so much more with this. They should have had two tracks racing side by side or crossing overhead inside the building *grumble*
8. Raging Spirits - The smoke and lighting affects at night are fab. The rest…it’s a Pinfari looper
9. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Shanghai – It doesn’t do anything. You can’t feel the swinging really and it’s so short compared to the BTMs. Also, the animatronics are terrifying
10. Indiana Jones et le Temple du Pèril – See number 8 but with no smoke and lights +1 for being India Jones and then -1 for not really being India Jones and just being generic Aztec Temple
11. Crush’s Coaster – Who the hell thought a spinning coaster would make a good track for a dark ride. Some of the layout is fun but some of the sets either go by too fast or you’re being slowed down to deliberately view them. It’s ok I suppose.
12. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Paris – Why do people love this? Seriously? It’s an inverting Vekoma in the dark and the only actual theming on the ride are some disco lights they borrowed from Dave down the pub. **** off, Express: Platform Thirteen knocks the socks of RnR any day
13. Casey Jr., Le Petit Train du Cirque – Best of the kiddies, mainly because Dumbo is such an underrated film
14. Gadget’s Go Coaster – Meh. +1 for being themed to Gadget who is a better female role model than all the Dinsney princesses combined
15. Flounder’s Flying Fish Coaster – Not much to say. Don’t like the vomit yellow
16. RC Racer, HK – Gross. Has mountains to look at
17. RC Racer, Paris - Gross

 

[Howie]

You know what? I don't really 'do' Disney. Just not a fan. They're just too... schmaltzy. And Mickey is a twat.
And the kids? My God, the kids in those places. Hordes of 'em. Little b***ards. And at any one time, at least 50% of them are having a tantrum. Awful.
I've only been to the Orlando and the Paris parks. Me & Mrs Howie spent a week in LA once, we didn't even bother going to the Cali' parks - that's how much we don't rate Disney.
Not overly fussed on the creds either, not a single one of them cracks my top 30.
Still, a poll is a poll, and I like to share my 2p worth so I voted for BTM Paris, mainly because it's long and is well themed. Everest is pretty impressive too I guess, and the Rock n Rollers are quite cool, but apart from those few... nah man. Mostly sh*te.

 

[Jamesss]

Only been to Paris and Orlando, 7 years ago and 11 years ago respectively, so missing a few.

1. Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Paris - It completely relies on the special effects and soundtrack but when everything works it's amazing. Great atmosphere.
2. Big Thunder Mountain, Paris - Love the way it dives under the lake to go to and from the island and the last drop in the tunnel is fantastic. Can't wait to see the refurbishment results.
3. Space Mountain, Orlando - Was pleasantly surprised by this. A decent length and rather enjoyable despite it's relative simplicity.
4. Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Orlando - Definitely lacks some excitement without the special effects that the Paris version has, but still love the Aerosmith soundtrack.
5. Space Mountain, Paris - Would probably rate much higher if it wasn't rough and stuck to the original De La Terre A La Lune theme.
6. Big Thunder Mountain, Orlando - Virtually the same as the Paris version but without the island and the last tunnel. So basically without the best bits.
7. Casey Jr. Le Petit Train du Cirque, Paris - Actually quite enjoyable and surprisingly long for a children's coaster.
8. Indiana Jones, Paris - It looks quite cool but the ride itself is generic, rough and uninteresting.
9. Crush's Coaster, Paris - Completely falls flat. The dark ride section is passed by too quickly and the coaster section has virtually no theming or effects. On top of that it has awful capacity. They could have done so much more and should have put an E-ticket budget towards it.
10. Barnstormer, Orlando - Just a +1 really.
11. Primeval Whirl, Orlando - Why is it still there?

 

[GuyWithAStick]

I've only been to WDW, so here's the list from just that

1) Space Mountain: The way everything comes together is so well done, you just can't not like it. It's long, has great audio, and has some nice theming.
2) Expedition Everest: I didn't like this as much as others make it out to be. Yes, I still liked it, but not as much. It honestly felt a bit lacking somewhere. Maybe it was the exposed interior of the mountain, maybe it was the lack of any on-ride music/sounds(aside from the Yeti and one bit on the lift), or maybe it was just too short for me. I don't know, but it's at #2.
3) Big Thunder Mountain: The theming, the length, the speed and intensity, all make it a really nice ride. It is a bit dated though.
4) Seven Dwarfs Mine Train: This one was quite cute. The theming is really nice, the animatronics are amazing, and the swinging cars are fab. The only real problem is that it's just plonked down in the middle of Fantasyland. Glad to hear that the Shanghai one is better.
5) Rock n' Roller Coaster: I haven't ridden this in nearly 10 years, so I can't really remember it. The last time I went to WDW, it was closed. I think I remember it being quite rough, and I know it has an Aerosmith theme.
6) Barnstormer: It's a cute little family cred. Nothing much to say other than that.
7) Primeval Whirl: Why is this here. It's so tacky it isn't even funny or cute. It's just bad. I might even say that Six Flags can theme it better. The ONLY reason I decided to ride this last year was to get the other side. If I ever do go back, I'll try not to look at it when I'm queuing for Dinosaur. Awful ride.

 

[valleyfair!]

I've been to them all except Shanghai, so I will attempt the same ranking. I'm a big Disney fan and worked at WDW for three years, but never got to work any of the coasters. Don't have some of the family/kiddie creds from my Asia trip a while back due to time. No excuse I guess to not have the Cali Gadget Go Coaster though, just didn't want to wait when I was there this past January.

1. Space Mountain, HK (These Space Mountain's are essentially the same, audio was not present in Tokyo though.)
2. Space Mountain, Cali
3. Space Mountain, Tokyo
4. Big Grizzly Mountain, HK (Great theming, and very re-rideable!)
5. Expedition Everest, Florida (Always enjoy the backwards section, and the night rides are much better.)
6. Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Paris (I like the theming more in Paris than Orlando. At the concert vs. traveling to the concert. Fog+Lights were nice.)
7. Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, Orlando (Still similar, but theming during the ride feels a little tacky to me.)
8. Space Mountain: Mission 2, Paris (Didn't bother me the way others seem to not like it. Enjoyed the theming the most of any of the Space Mountain's.)
9. California Screamin', Cali (Lots of fun, and very re-rideable.)
10/11. Space Mountain, Florida (Great for its age! Maybe one of my 5 most ridden coasters.)
12. Big Thunder Mountain, Paris (Liked this one the best, though all are similar.)
13. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Tokyo (Very similar to Florida especially, but give this one the edge I guess.)
14. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Florida
15. Big Thunder Mountain, Cali (Very much enjoy the update to the lift hill, but still the most tame of the four.)
16. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Florida (Amazing animatronics, and may be the only coaster where the lift hill is my favorite part.)
17/18. Matterhorn, Cali (Hard to go wrong with this classic!)
19. Crush's Coaster, Paris (Kind of an odd indoor coaster, but wasn't bad either.)
20. Indiana Jones, Paris (Gave this the edge over Raging Spirits just cause I remember a smoother ride on this, but not really a difference.)
21. Raging Spirits, Tokyo
22. RC Racer, HK (Another odd coaster for Disney. Paris one was built after my most recent visit.)
23. Barnstormer, Florida
24. Goofy's Sky School, Cali (Edges out Primeval Whirl as I just find the spinning mouse coasters uncomfortable.)
25/26. Primeval Whirl, Florida
27. Casey Jr., Paris (If you count powered coasters...)

 

[Jordanovichy]

1. Tron - The coaster is a good ride, but all the indoor effects make it exceptional and I love the launch from inside, nice and cool, to the blast furnace that is Shanghai in the summer.
2. Expedition Everest - Again, an enjoyable coaster, but it is the theming that makes it, just so so good, great ride.
3. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - I love this coaster, it feels so fast, nice airtime at the back, it really does throw you around!
4. Space Mountain WDW - Another great coaster, love both sides, I think I preferred Omega.
5. Big Thunder Mountain (Tokyo DL) - Not as good as the WDW equivalent but I still really enjoyed it.
6. Space Mountain (Tokyo DL) - Again, not as good as the WDW equivalent, but it is a good solid ride.
7 and 8. Seven Dwarves Mine Train (WDW & Shanghai) - Average coaster but excellently themed, the animatronics are insane. I reckon the carts on the Shanghai version tipped more which gives this one the slight edge over WDW for me.
9. Rock 'n' Roller Coaster WDW - I wasn't a massive fan of this, not that enjoyable, mediocre coaster.
10. Raging Spirits - Taking about polishing a turd. Meh.
11. Primeval Whirl - I'd love to be able to have this as 11 and 12 but one side spited, bastard. Pretty much the only reason it goes below Raging Spirits, that and the fact it's polished wild mouse.
12. Flounder's Flying Fish - These next three are all interchangeable, this one comes first though because it is at DisneySea, my second favourite park <3
13. Gadget's Go Coaster - Yeah, these three are all essentially +1s, not that that's a bad thing. This comes next because it is more exclusive than...
14. Barnstormer - Fun.

 

[TilenB]

I'm pretty basic, when it comes to Disney, since I've only been to the both of the Paris parks and even that was almost 8 years ago and I only managed to ride 3 coasters there. My rankings (from what I remember) look like this:
1. Rock'n'Rollercoaster
2. Space Mountain: Mission 2
3. Indiana Jones

 

[Edward M]

1 + 2. Space Mountain MK: I would say this roller coaster is some of the most pure and simple fun to have at a theme park. I just love it.
3. Expedition Everest: didn't love this until my night ride. Just a fantastic overall experience. Much better at night
4. Space Mountain, DL: disappointed me big time. Just felt very boring without many surprises.
5. Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, DHS: fun little coaster although not very thrilling or very well themed. Still good fun.
6 + 7: BTMR, MK + DL: they are tied for me since DL has better effects while MK has the better atmosphere and night ride
8: CA Screamin: surprised it's this low, but it just lacks much of a theme and is a bit subpar
9. Seven Dwarfs: I like this more than most because of the animatronics and environment but it is far too short and boring mostly
10. Barnstormer: meh
11 + 12: Primeval Whirl: ouch

 

[Will]

I suspect this poll may be slightly skewed by those who've only been to Paris, myself included.

And Rock 'n' Rollercoaster was the only one that was any good. Probably my favourite vekoma. Despite my healthy dislike of Aerosmith.

 

[nadroJ]

I'm doing a Gavin and going through all the ones I've ridden because I'm procrastinating:

CBA to order them, but here's what I've been on:

1. Space Mountain Cali - Remember it being super boring, it just seemed to be one long helix?
2. Gadget's Go Coaster Cali- Confusingly not themed to Inspector Gadget, but instead to some sub character from Chip n Dale that nobody has ver heard of. Burden to queue for because all the kids can ride.
3.Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Cali - Like everything else at Cali Disney, gets bonus points for being the 'first' and therefore has nostalgia points but kind of nothingy in comparison to the other versions.
4. Goofy's Sky School - Another annoying plus one that always has a queue. It's **** and ugly.
5. California Screamin' - it was...fine? I honestly don't get the love for it, the OBA was crackly and rubbish, maybe I would think differently if this were fixed?
6. Barnstormer MK - Meh, I've ridden it but don't really remember it. Plus one.
7. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad WDW - Better than the Cali version but didn't do loads. Theming is really fab though, especially now they've updated the queue.
8. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train - LOVED! So smooth and weird to ride, good sense of speed and the animatronics are amazing.
9. Space Mountain MK - This is what I voted as my fav, what an incredible coaster! Never felt so out of control and the theming is just right to keep that weird kitschy Disney World vibe. Hope they don't update it, I like the weird retroness of it.
10. Expedition Everest - A close second, much better than I remembered it being when I rerode this year - especially in the dark! It's absolutely massive, shame about the yeti but honestly doesn't detract from the overall experience.
11. Primeval Whirl - Fine, probably the best Spinning Wild Mouse but I guess that's not saying much?
12. Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Orlando - The better of the two IMO. Theming, storyline, everything. Probably one of my first 'big' coasters too so I have a bit of a soft spot for it.
13. Space Mountain Tokyo - My 700th coaster, and we were too fat to launch so accidentally ended up in the maintenance shed. That was the best part of the ride, it's fair non-eventful if I remember rightly.
14. Gadget's Go Coaster Tokyo - URGH. Burden.
15. Big Thunder Mountain Tokyo - is this the same as Orlando? I literally have no idea, it's fab because it's BTM of course but not stand out.
16. Raging Spirits - Looks really cool, and anything with fire is awesome but still doesn't take away from the fact that it's mutton dressed as lamb.
17. Flounder Fish Thing - Ugh. See Gadget's Go Coasters.
18. Big Thunder Mountain Paris - Easily the best BTM, underwater train yay! And it looks the best.
19. Casey le Frenchy French Train - I actually really enjoy this but because I'm weird and have a secret love of miniature lands, of which this does a full circuit around.
20. Indiana Jones et le Frenchy McFrench French - See Raging Spirits. Was better backwards. Never bother riding when I visit now.
21. Space Mountain: Mission 2 - Why did this always seem so epic when we were younger? The advert used to scare the **** out of me (you know the one I'm talking about) and I remember riding for the first time as a naive child and loving it. Now the launch is a wet fart and the trains are annoying and hard to get in and out of. Looks cool from the outside though.
22. Crush's Coaster - Kind of love, especially the first dark ridey bit, but my god why would you shove such a low capacity coaster in there. Almost never ride because the queue is a burden.
23. RC Racer - Let's face it, hardly a coaster is it. One and done.
24. Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Paris - Don't hate, will usually ride, but weird theme and not a patch on the Orlando version.

*Phew*. God, that's quite a lot of ****e isn't it. Why do they even bother with coasters XD

 

[Rachel]

From what I've done.....
1. BTMR Paris - I just really like the way it's set out on the lake, it's so pretty. I also think it's a solid family coaster, the ultimate Runaway Train type, and the tunnel is fab.
2. Space Mountain MK - My recent trip made me realise what a WTF coaster this is. The airtime I was getting on the backseat was insane! Crazy but in such a good way.
3. Rock n Rollercoaster - I like both of them equally. The launches are intense, for a Vekoma it's quite smooth and I've never experienced head banging. Love the music and station's too.
4. Expedition Everest - Long, varied and quite stomach churning in some places. A good all rounder.
5. Seven Dwarves Mine Train - Brilliant theming and dark ride section is cool. Its a good little coaster but I didn't really feel the swinging and it's a bit short.
6. BTMR MK - Closed on my recent visit. Don't really remember that much about it, so it can be can be placed about middle of the road.
7. Crush's Coaster - Worth a go, particularly for the indoor bit, but nothing special.
7. Indiana Jones Paris - Forgettable.
8. Barnstormer MK - Kiddie cred. Nothing more to say.
9. Primeval Whirl - Doesn't belong.
10. RC Racer - Meh.

 

[LiveForTheLaunch]

Expedition Everest is the one Disney coaster that sticks out for me; the mountain is gorgeous and the ride doesn't feel as stop/go as the other mine train style rides do at Disney parks. I was pleasantly surprised with it especially as I didn't watch a POV of it before I rode it. I know this is not a popular opinion, but I think it's leagues above Big Thunder Mountain and the Grizzly thingy in Hong Kong (even though that was very, very good).

All of the Space Mountain coasters come in second. Just super fun, rerideable coasters.

 

[jayjay]

List time!


1. Space Mountain: Mission 2 - I'm in the minority here, but I love this. Just enough light on the scenery to amplify the feeling of speed, well paced and even manages to distract riders from the second lift hill. Also launch, yay
2. Rock 'n' Rollercoaster (Hollywood Studios) - Strong launch, good "flying through the scenery" feeling, onboard audio. All good stuff
3. Expedition Everest - I usually enjoy any coaster with a backwards section. It's nice and lengthy, and the drop out of the mountain is great fun
4. Space Mountain (Magic Kingdom) - Feels incredibly fast, even though it probably isn't
5. Rock 'n' Rollercoaster (Paris) - Being able to easily see the track is a big no-no for me. It's still fun, but that disorientating, fast illusion is broken a little
6. Big Thunder Mountain (Paris) - Not a big fan of the BTMRs, but this one makes up for it at least with the underground sections, which are pretty fun
7. Crush's Coaster - A bit meh, especially since I usually love Maurer spinners
8. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Magic Kingdom) - Like Paris, but without the really good bits
9. RC Racer - I don't remember anything about the ride experience. I remember the Skalextric in the queue path more than the actual ride
10. Barnstormer - Something I rode in Florida had lumpy uncomfortable seats. It might have been this, I can't remember
11. Primeval Whirl - Ewww
12. Indiana Jones et la Temple du Peril - rcdb says that this copied the layout from a Pinfari. Apparently they also copied the pain

 

[Samuel Costello]

From those I've ridden:
1. Expedition Everest (AK)
2. Rock n Rollercoaster (DHS, WDS)
3. Space Mountain
4. Big Thunder Mountain (DLP)
5. Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (MK)

Including those I haven't ridden:
1. Expedition Everest
2. Tron Lightcycle Power Run
3. Rock n Rollercoaster
4. Space Mountain
5. California Screamin'

Big Thunder Mountain at Paris should definitely be higher up my list as it is an awesome ride but I'm so biased towards Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom.

 

[Edward M]

ITS TIME TO TALK ABOUT TOKYO DISNEY AGAIN

1. Space Mountain MK: I would say this roller coaster is some of the most pure and simple fun to have at a theme park. I just love it.
2. Space Mountain, DL: I had some fantastic rides on this, just really good fun and love the Star Wars overlay
3. Expedition Everest: While I do wish that Yeti would swipe at me, it's a great experience with a bit more intensity than most Disney coasters.
4. Raging Spirits: The coaster itself is fine, but it's the theming that makes this experience. Disneysea is just sooo good.
5. CA Screamin: Not amazing but really solid. Long and fun ride that fit very well with its park.
6. Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, DHS: Great launch and initial inversions. Theming is weak and meanders too much tho.
7, 8, 9: BTMR, MK, DL, TDL: a bit stop and start but has a few pops of airtime and great theming. Much better at night.
10. Matterhorn: Fantastic at night but also legitimately painful, and I enjoy SLCs...
11. Seven Dwarfs: I like this because of the animatronics and environment but it is far too short and boring mostly

Um, the kids coasters then Primeval Whirl last.