Dad And Daughter Pop Culture Reviews – Top 5 Disney Rides

It has been a while, but we are happy to have another article in the Dad and Daughter series here Art of Fatherhood. My oldest daughter, Lily and I look at different topics in the world of Pop Culture and share our thoughts on it. If you missed the other ones you can check out one right here. This week we are sharing our thoughts on our five favorite Disney rides. Feel free to share your favorite Disney rides in the comment section below. 

Lily’s Top 5 Disney Rides

1 – Haunted Mansion

When creating my top 5 Disney rides, it was very very  hard selecting between Avatar Flight of Passage, and Haunted Mansion. They’re both rides I would wait in the standard line for, over and over if I could. But, if I could only ride one of them, I’d pick Haunted Mansion. Why? Our first trip to Disney was when I was in kindergarten and the majority of our trip was meet-and-greets with the princesses and fairies. But, since our trip this year, I got to enjoy some of the more classic Disney rides, and the Haunted Mansion was one of those rides I enjoyed-a lot. On Disney +, a show called Behind the Attraction showed how the Imagineers made the ride and I became obsessed. The way they created this ride, with the technology they had back then, was impressive. I really do love the ride.

2 – Avatar Flight of Passage

I’m a huge Avatar fan. I love how immersive Pandora is (and I don’t mind the fact that the movie is 3 hours long) so when we planned to go to Disney World, I immediately wanted to see the Pandora section in Animal Kingdom. This ride is amazing. It actually feels like you’re riding on a banshee, and when you sit on the individual seat, at times it feels like the banshee you’re riding on is breathing. Way to go for Imagineers to think of every single detail! While I’m not usually one for rides that have huge dips and dives, I think that was one of my favorite parts of the ride. 

3 – Na’vi River Journey

This ride will forever hold a place in my heart because it is the first ride we did on our Disney trip this year. The way Imagineers created this ride is stunning and breathtaking. Everything was so detailed and planned out, and it was an unforgettable ride. I’ve always wanted to see the bioluminescent aspect of Pandora at night, and this is the closest thing to it-by far. It was so cool to see the plants and animals of Pandora up close, even if nothing was real, it truly felt like everything was lifelike. 

4 – Jungle Cruise

Jungle Cruise is a nostalgic Disney ride. I like it because it’s witty and funny, and you get to see the back side of water (the 8th wonder of the world!). What I think is neat about this ride is that each skipper (the person steering the boat and narrating your jungle expedition) has their own personalized jokes. Not only does that make every Jungle Cruise expedition exciting, but it  makes every trip with a different skipper unique.

5 –  Soarin’/ Smuggler’s Run

I couldn’t decide between these two. For me, I like these two for different reasons, and I couldn’t select just one. I love Soarin’ because on certain areas of the ride, they pump smells into the air, and it makes you feel truly immersed in the landmarks, and you are flying across the world. Smuggler’s Run is amazing on another level. I’m a huge Star Wars fan (I’ve inherited it from my dad) and so being able to walk through/ride on the Millennium Falcon is unforgettable. Everytime we went to hyperspace, I felt a sudden urge to yell, “Punch it!”. It’ll make you feel like you’re not on Earth, but in a galaxy far far away. 

Art’s Top 5 Disney Rides 

1 – Rise Of The Resistance 

I was so excited to check this ride out. When I was in Galaxy’s Edge in 2019 when the ride was not up yet. I looked online when I got home I saw the details of this ride and it sounded amazing. Fast forward to this year. My family and I went to Disney World in January. The ride was closed when we were in Hollywood Studios. Thankfully I was in Disney World last month to check out the Galactic Starcruiser and was able to experience the Rise of The Resistance. The ride lived up to the hype. It made you feel like you are in a Star Wars movie. Rise of the Resistance is part ride and part adventure.   

2 – Smuggler’s Run 

How shocking another Star Wars ride is on my list. This was the first ride in Galaxy’s Edge. You get to fly the ship that made the Kessel Run in 12 parsecs. That is right you get to board the Millennium Falcon and help Chewie and Hondo Ohnaka with a plan for the Resistance. Not only is the ride really fun, but you get to check out parts of the Falcon on the inside and eventually get into the cockpit with five other people. Smuggler’s Run made this Star Wars fan so happy.  

3 – Soarin’ Around The World 

One my favorite rides in Epcot is Soarin’ Around The World. It takes you around the world in a matter of minutes. You experience with ride with all of your senses. The scents you experience in different parts of the world adds to this ride. It is like watching a documentary of our planet, but enhanced with an interactive ride. You fly over the Great Wall of China, the Great Pyramids of Egypt and the Taj Mahal in India and other wonders of the world! 

4 – Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin

This is an interactive ride that you and your family will love to check out while at the Disney Parks. You board your XP-37 star cruiser and travel to the Gamma Quadrant. This is where you help Buzz take on Zurg. You shoot all the glowing “Z” targets with your infrared laser cannon. Your XP-37 cruiser’s joystick helps you spin a full 360 degrees, so you can blast all the targets in your travels. You can have fun with your friends and family to see who has the highest score. 

5 – Avatar Flight of Passage

Like the Rise of Resistance ride, the Avatar Flight of Passage is an immersive ride that feels like it was taken right out of the movie, Avatar. Before you can ride a mountain banshee, you have to find one that matches up with you. Once that happens you then go and explore Pandora like a Na’vi. The banshee takes you in the air, near the ocean and land. It is a remarkable feeling flying in Pandora on the back of a banshee.