Disney World: Rating the Rides 1-10

At MGM Studios in Disney World there is a new ride called The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror. This ride was really very scary. Once you get inside what looks like an old abandoned hotel, you go into a library where people dressed as hotel bell caps put on a three- minute video from the old “Twilight Zone” TV show. Then you enter a giant elevator where you are seated in rows. The elevator goes up and then makes three big, unexpected drops. This ride would scare any little kid under the age of eight and that’s if they are brave. Most older kids enjoy this ride, I went on it twice. (Editor’s Note: MGM Studios is now called Disney’s Hollywood Studios.)

Rating: 10. It is the only ride in Disneyworld that makes your bones shiver.

Splash Mountain (Frontierland, Magic Kingdom) was not so scary, although my 7-year old brother was afraid probably because he knew that a drop was coming. After every little drop he would ask if the Big One was next. The ride was like “It’s a Small World,” with lots of fun characters and “Zip-A-Dee-Doo-Dah” playing. Everyone sits in a log to go down. When you finally get to the Big Drop, it is a little scary. It seems like the log will fall into a patch of thorns, but you go under them. We went early and ran for the ride as soon as they dropped the ropes, so we missed the long lines.

Rating: 9½. It tried to pretend it was a more kid-friendly ride until the Big Drop.

Space Mountain (Tomorrowland) always has a long line that feels like it takes forever. I think that it’s worth it. This is a fast-moving indoor roller coaster. Only three people go in the space ship at a time. People who are scared of the dark might not like this ride. Children that are adventurous and brave would like this ride, but it didn’t last long enough.

Rating: 9. It was fun, fast and also Dark.

At Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Frontierland), the line goes quickly, because lots of people can go on a train at once. The ride is really fun and I thought that it wasn’t scary. Maybe that is because I have been on it many times before. The ride goes fast making lots of turns and twists through a deserted mining town.

Rating: 9. Seemed creepy from the beginning of the ride.

All of the rides are really fun to go on, but you may want to think twice about going on these with younger children.

Kara R. Feigeles is an 11-year-old from New York City. She wrote this story in March 1997.