The Best Rides in Fantasyland at Disney World
In this article, my oldest daughter and I are going to let you know the best rides (in our opinion) in Fantasyland in Disney’s Magic Kingdom at Walt Disney World. But first:
What is Fantasyland?
Fantasyland in Magic Kingdom is perhaps the most iconic area in all of Disney World (or Disneyland for that matter). When people think of Disney World, unless they’re thinking about Mickey, the first things to come to mind are castles and princesses, which abound in Fantasyland.
Prince Charming’s Regal Carrousel in the middle of Fantasyland.
Fantasyland is the name given to the area directly behind the Cinderella castle and to the northeast of the castle (if you're looking at the My Disney Experience App). If you head down main street straight through the castle, you'll get there. It’s made up of three areas. The first is Fantasyland proper (my name for it), made up of rides and attractions centered around Prince Charming’s Regal Carrousel (spelled with two R’s because it’s British or French, or something). This area has a Medieval or Renaissance Faire aesthetic with castle turrets and striped tent facades.
The second area is called Enchanted Forest. It houses Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Belle’s Castle, and Ariel’s Grotto. All the areas in here are themed for those three movies (Snow White, Beauty and the Beast, and The Little Mermaid).
The final area is called Storybook Circus. It deviates heavily from the rest of the theming and is designed to look like an early mid-20th century circus. It has a big tent to meet Circus themed Disney characters, the Dumbo and Goofy rides, a splash pad, and the Walt Disney World Train Station that will take you all around Magic Kingdom.
We’ll be looking strictly at rides and not shows, so the attraction has to have a vehicle. But if you want to know about the shows, Mickey's PhilharMagic is amazing, and Enchanted Tales with Belle is lackluster in my opinion (but kids get to participate up close with Belle, so there’s that). There are also many great character interactions with several themed meet and greet areas with a lot of everyone's favorite Disney characters. Gaston’s interaction is the most entertaining, but there’s also several princesses to meet, and the Fab Five at Pete’s Silly Side Show.
Here’s a printable list of all of the attractions in Fantasyland.
Click the picture for a printable version of the list.
Now on to the best rides.
Different Perspectives on Best Fantasyland Rides
Fantasyland doesn’t have very many thrill rides, so the best choices for rides are based more on aesthetics and nostalgia, which makes them hard to rank. Therefore, I brought in my soon-to-be eleven-year-old daughter to argue with me about which rides are the best.
I’ll let Della go first, and then I’ll tell you why she’s wrong.
Della’s Favorite Fantasyland Rides (in her words)
If you are planning to go to Magic Kingdom, then you’re probably also going to go to Fantasyland. But you want to make the most of your time there. So here are my top 3 attractions at Fantasyland (This doesn’t mean the other rides aren’t worth riding, these are the ones you shouldn’t miss).
Peter Pan’s Flight (#3)
The mermaids from Peter Pan. Since the middle one looks like Ariel, our fan theory is that it’s Ariel’s mom, and Hook killed her.
This classic dark ride is a very relaxing ride. In this ride you are joining Peter, Wendy, John, Michael on a trip to Neverland. You fly over London, see volcanoes and waterfalls, then, you bump into Captain Hook and his pirate crew. Luckily, Peter Pan saves us and Hook meets his match.
I really like this dark ride because it’s very nostalgic. This attraction is very relaxing and slow. Also the queue is very exciting. You get to go through the Darling’s house where you can play with shadows and with Tinker Bell. I recommend this ride for any age because young kids aren’t usually afraid of it and my brother loved it as a baby.
The Barnstormer (#2)
The Barnstormer Second Aid. Photo cred: Frank Phillips https://flic.kr/p/X3X2M7
The Barnstormer is a very fun roller coaster. In this attraction The Great Goofini AKA Goofy, is going to perform his aerial stunt show. But there’s a twist; you get to be in it, too! There are twists and turns, then you fly through a sign with the silhouette Goofy crashing into it. This is more of a “practice” roller coaster for younger kids, but it still has thrills for adults, too. I really like the idea of this ride and the humor. I recommend this ride for 6 year olds and older because they find Goofy’s mishaps hilarious and it’s not too intense for small children. (Second Dad to the Right would like to point out that Della’s sister rode it at three years old and loved it).
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (#1)
Me (Della) enjoying the Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
This roller coaster is my all-time favorite ride at Fantasyland.
In this ride you join the seven dwarves in a diamond mine. Then you go up a lift hill and march down with the dwarves. You also find Snow White and dancing with Dopey, and Evil Queen disguised as a hag waiting for them at the cottage door. This ride is the best because it has a little something for everyone. There are thrills, whimsy, princesses and relaxation. This ride is a more relaxing but intense roller coaster, so it’s just in the middle. I recommend kids older than 6 or 7 to ride, because it is not too intense. (Second Dad to the Right: Again, her sister rode it at 4 years old).
Mad Tea Party (My least Favorite)
Mad Tea Party. Photo Cred: Anna Fox https://flic.kr/p/95wMTK
This attraction is my least favorite because it is a spinning ride. In this ride, you sit in a teacup and then, you spin! You can also control the speed of the spinning and what direction you are spinning in so you don’t get too dizzy. This is my least favorite ride because it’s not that fun or interesting, and it is a type of ride I would skip, especially if you’re park hopping and want to do as many things as possible.
These were the top 3 best rides in Fantasyland, although my dad may have different opinions, these are the rides you definitely should not skip. I also think the other rides are worth riding, but these are my favorites. For more things I wrote about the best rides at Disney World click here.
Alex’s Favorite Fantasyland Rides
I agree with Della on roughly half of what she posted, except one of her favorite rides is my least favorite.
Dumbo the Flying Elephant (#3)
The look on my baby’s face is the reason this ride ranks so highly for me.
This classic spinner ride is pretty basic, but it’s more beautiful than any other spinner at any other park, inside or outside Disney World. It’s also my infant son’s favorite ride, and it’s amazing at night especially during the fireworks. As one of the original rides in Magic Kingdom, the nostalgia, the ride, and the aesthetics (not to mention a typically short wait time) make this a great ride.
Peter Pan’s Flight (#2)
As Second Dad to the Right, I had to take a picture with the second star to the right in the queue.
Della’s number 3 is my number 2. This shouldn’t be a surprise given the name of the blog. As Della said, this is a trip aboard a flying pirate ship that goes from Wendy, John, and Michael’s bedroom through London and then onto Neverland, battling This is a must-do every trip for our whole family. We love the nostalgia, the immersive queue and the immersive ride. It’s a feel-good ride for the older ones and a place of wonder for our little guy. I also need to give a shout-out to air conditioning. It's a great place to be if you want to beat the heat. It typically has a long wait, partially because of popularity, but also because not that many people can ride it at once compared to other rides.
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train (#1)
Here’s me pretending to be asleep on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train with second daughter to the right.
Della and I agree that Seven Dwarfs Mine Train is the best ride in Fantasyland. It’s actually my favorite ride in all of Magic Kingdom (sorry, Tron). The theming and the intensity are amazing. It’s fast, but not painful, and there’s lots of little fun parts. It’s beautiful at night as well.
We’re not alone in our appreciation of the ride. It typically has the longest line in Magic Kingdom at any given time, but don't let the long lines deter you. It's worth it. The best time to do this ride is right after the fireworks as everyone's leaving the park. If you can get on just before park close, the night makes it more intense, and the line will be short.
A couple of bonus tips, if you go on it. First, you can rock the cars side to side, which is an added bonus in the slower mine scene. Second, look for the Evil Queen disguised as an old hag hiding behind the cottage. Finally, the spelling of dwarfs as dwarves originated with Tolkien and Lord of the Rings. That’s why Disney doesn’t spell it that way.
Least Favorite Ride: The Barnstormer
This is a hot take since Della’s number 2 was Barnstormer. The Barnstormer is a fun roller coaster track and theming, but I hate it because the queue is completely in the sun, and the seats are not designed for adult backs. The contour of the seat hurts pretty bad. I’ll do it with the kids, though, because they love the nostalgia of it. In fact, it was my middle daughter’s very first roller coaster and will likely be my toddler son’s (well, we’re going to Disneyland next, so the Chip and Dale roller coaster might be his first). Many 2-year-olds are tall enough to ride Barnstormer.
Conclusion and Further Reading
There’s lots of rides in Fantasyland, possibly more than any area of any of the other theme parks. However, with the exception of Barnstormer, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and maybe Mad Tea Party (if you’re strong enough), there’s not very many thrill rides. Fantasyland is about immersion, aesthetics, and nostalgia. It’s about disappearing into a magical world or your childhood instead of being at work. The other three roller coasters (Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Tron: Lightcycle Run) are arguably more exciting, but I love the smoothness of Seven Dwarfs.
Hopefully, this prepares you for your next trip to Magic Kingdom. If you disagree with our choices and think we should have put “it’s a small world,” The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh, or Journey of the Little Mermaid somewhere on this list, let us know in the comments.
If you finished the article and are super confused because we’re talking about Florida and not California, and you’re just now figuring it out, thanks for making it through the whole thing. Also, I should point out that I didn't include Haunted Mansion because it's in Liberty Square, despite it's proximity.
If you want to read more about other Magic Kingdom attractions or other rides at Disney World, check these articles out:
Best Magic Kingdom Rides for Kids
Scariest Rides at Disney World
Disney World and Disneyland have several identical rides and several rides that are very similar. Here’s which ones are the same, slightly different, and very different between these Disney parks.