The Best of Walt Disney World for Teens

Welcome back to Part 4 of my blog series – The Best of Walt Disney World! In case you missed it, over the next several weeks, I’ll be sharing with you the top picks in attractions for various groups of travelers visiting the Walt Disney World theme parks. So far we’ve discussed favorites for babies, preschoolers, and grade school kids. Next up are those thrill-seeking teens. When checking out the list, keep in mind each attraction that made the cut scored at least four stars by the teens surveyed. Come on, everybody, here we go!

The Best of Magic Kingdom for Teens

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Location: Frontierland
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Drops, Fast
4 ½ Stars

Don’t let the name fool you; this is definitely more roller coaster than railroad. Take a ride in a runaway mine cart at speeds up to 35 mph through an old mining town. More Details

Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin

Location: Tomorrowland
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Spinning, Dark, Slow
4 ½ Stars

Climb aboard and take aim as you help Buzz Lightyear save the universe from the evil Emperor Zurg. Ride along on this slow-moving attraction where you control the spinning as you shoot your laser and score points. More Details

Mad Tea Party

Location: Fantasyland
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Spinning
4 ½ Stars

A classic spinning teacup ride where spinning the center wheel in your cup increases your speed. More Details

Mickey’s PhilharMagic

Location: Fantasyland
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Entertainment
4 ½ Stars

Lose yourself in this enchanting 3D musical masterpiece featuring favorite Disney characters and songs from animated classics. More Details

Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor

Location: Tomorrowland
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Entertainment
4 ½ Stars

The monsters of Monstropolis need laughter to power their city and they are after yours in this hilarious interactive show. More Details

Pirates of the Caribbean

Location: Adventureland
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Small Drops, Dark, Slow
4 ½ Stars

Climb aboard and set sail on a voyage past exquisitely themed scenes of pirates’ adventures from the blockbuster movie franchise. More Details

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Location: Fantasyland
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Drops, Fast
4 ½ Stars

Climb aboard your mine train and get ready for an adorable ride filled with small thrills and beautiful details as you adventure along with Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. More Details

Sorcerers of the Magic Kingdom

Location: Main Street, U.S.A., Adventureland, Frontierland, Fantasyland, Liberty Square
FastPass+: No
Thrill: Experience
4 ½ Stars

An enchanting interactive game where you use spell cards at magic portals to defeat Disney villains. Kids and gamers alike love this experience, especially because they can collect and keep the spell cards. More Details

Space Mountain

Location: Tomorrowland
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Big Drops, Dark, Fast
Height Restriction: 40″ or taller to ride
4 ½ Stars

Take off on a high-speed rocket (roller coaster) in darkness while feasting your eyes on magnificent views of far-off galaxies and comets. More Details

Splash Mountain

Location: Frontierland
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Big Drops, Water
4 ½ Stars

Journey on a 10-minute anything but traditional log flume ride, with enchanting music (including “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah”) and characters from the Disney movie Song of the South. You will get wet! More Details

The Haunted Mansion

Location: Frontierland
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Slow, Dark
4 ½ Stars

Board your own Doom Buggy for a creepy tour of this spooky haunted house filled with extraordinary details and effects. More Details

The Best of Epcot for Teens

Disney & Pixar Short Film Festival

Location: Future World
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Entertainment
4 ½ Stars

Enjoy this lively and entertaining 3D experience that includes three animated Disney short films. More Details

Frozen Ever After

Location: World Showcase Norway Pavilion
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Small Drops, Slow, Dark
4 Stars

Set sail on an adventure through the fictional land of Arendelle complete with your favorite Frozen characters and songs from the animated blockbuster hit. More Details

Mission: SPACE (Green and Orange)

Location: Future World
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Spinning, Dark
Height Restriction: 40″ or taller to ride (44″ to ride without booster seat)
4 ½ Stars

Climb into an authentic shuttle simulator for a ride through earth’s orbit enjoying fantastic views of our globe or a trip to Mars. More Details (Green) (Orange)

Soarin’

Location: Future World
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Small Drops, Slow, Dark
Height Restriction: 40″ or taller to ride
4 ½ Stars

Fly high in the skies taking in beautiful landscapes from around the world in this hang-gliding simulator ride. More Details

Test Track

Location: Future World
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Small Drops, Dark, Fast
Height Restriction: 40″ or taller to ride
4 ½ Stars

Create your own virtual concept car and then put it through the paces against other people’s creations on the test track. More Details

The Best of Disney’s Hollywood Studios for Teens

For the First Time In Forever: A Frozen Sing-Along Celebration

Location: Echo Lake
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Entertainment
4 ½ Stars

A retelling of Frozen by the royal historians of Arendelle complete with Anna, Elsa, Kristoff, songs, stories, sing-alongs, and even snow. More Details

Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular!

Location: Echo Lake
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Entertainment
4 ½ Stars

An incredible stunt show that demonstrates and explains how some of the Indiana Jones movie magic was made. More Details

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster

Location: Sunset Boulevard
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Big Drops, Loud, Dark, Fast
Height Restriction: 48″ or taller to ride
4 ½ Stars

Take off to a rock concert in your stretch limo going 60 mph in the blink of an eye and speed along through the darkness to pounding Aerosmith music. More Details

Star Tours

Location: Echo Lake
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Small Drops, Dark, Loud
Height Restriction: 40″ or taller to ride
4 ½ Stars

Blast off on an exciting 3D motion-simulated journey into the world of Star Wars. More Details

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Location: Sunset Boulevard
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Big Drops, Dark
Height Restriction: 40″ or taller to ride
4 ½ Stars

Embark on a tour of the Hollywood Hotel and into the haunted elevator that plummets 13 stories. More Details

Toy Story Midway Mania!

Location: Pixar Place
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Spinning
4 ½ Stars

Climb aboard and try your hand at simulated 3D midway games with the Toy Story gang. More Details

The Best of Disney’s Animal Kingdom for Teens

Avatar Flight of Passage

Location: Pandora – The World of Avatar
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Drops
Height Restriction: 44″ or taller to ride
4 ½ Stars

Board a banshee for a one-of-a-kind extraordinary flight soaring high above the moon’s magnificent landscape. More Details

DINOSAUR

Location: Dinoland U.S.A.
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Drops, Dark, Loud
Height Restriction: 40″ or taller to ride
4 ½ Stars

Board a time travel vehicle for a rough and bumpy ride in search of a dinosaur. More Details

Expedition Everest

Location: Asia
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Big Drops, Dark, Fast
Height Restriction: 44″ or taller to ride
4 ½ Stars

Climb aboard your train for an exhilarating ride through the Himalayan Mountains. More Details

Festival of the Lion King

Location: Africa
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Entertainment
4 ½ Stars

This 30-minute extravaganza combines puppetry, acrobatics, and music to tell the moving story of The Lion King. More Details

Finding Nemo – The Musical

Location: Dinoland U.S.A.
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Entertainment
4 ½ Stars

This Broadway-caliber production is an impressive combination of music, puppets, lighting, colors, and special effects that together tell the story of Nemo. More Details

Flights of Wonder

Location: Asia
FastPass+: No
Thrill: Entertainment
4 ½ Stars

A trainer demonstrates the incredible talents of several exotic birds. Keep in mind that some of these fine-feathered friends swoop into the audience. More Details

Kali River Rapids

Location: Africa
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Small Drops, Spinning, Water
Height Restriction: 38″ or taller to ride
4 ½ Stars

Climb aboard your raft for an incredibly wet and wild ride down the river and through the lush jungle. More Details

Kilimanjaro Safaris

Location: Africa
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Slow, Bumpy
4 ½ Stars

Climb aboard an open-air safari vehicle for an 18-minute journey through the savanna where you can spot exotic creatures like hippos, elephants, giraffes, and lions in gorgeous natural settings. These animals are the real deal; no Audio-Animatronics here. More Details

Primeval Whirl

Location: Dinoland U.S.A.
FastPass+: Yes
Thrill: Drops, Spinning, Fast
Height Restriction: 48″ or taller to ride
4 Stars

Hop on this fast and wild spinning dinosaur-themed roller coaster. More Details

Well, there you have it folks. I hope you’ve enjoyed Part 4 of The Best of Walt Disney World series. Look for Part 5 – The Best of Walt Disney World for Adults coming soon!

Other Posts In This Series:

• The Best of Walt Disney World for Babies
• The Best of Walt Disney World for Preschoolers
• The Best of Walt Disney World for Grade School Kids

Have you traveled to Walt Disney World with a teen? Do you agree with this list? Have any additions or subtractions? Please leave a comment; we would love to hear from you!