Planning a visit to Walt Disney World near Orlando, Florida? There are so many incredible thrill rides and attractions to experience at this vast resort. However, are you looking for a definitive guide for the only the attractions that invert you upside down? Our Walt Disney World Upside Down Ride Guide gives you the information you need as you’re planning your trip to Orlando.
Orlando, Florida is the theme park capital of the world. From all of the 25,000-plus acres of Walt Disney World, to the themed high speed runs through the galaxy in Epcot and the Magic Kingdom, there are incredible thrill rides, roller coasters, and immersive experiences that will turn you upside down and back and forth like no other attractions on the planet.
For thrill seekers, we have the information on inverted and high-speed – including family-friendly – attractions at Walt Disney World that will help you determine which attractions are best for you on your next visit to the Vacation Kingdom!
- Walt Disney World Resort Basics
- Best Time To Visit Walt Disney World
- Weather
- When Are Peak Crowds / Peak Season?
- Magic Kingdom
- Magic Kingdom Themed Lands
- TRON Lightcycle / Run
- Space Mountain
- The Barnstormer
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios Themed Lands
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Epcot
- Epcot Themed Lands
- Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom
- Disney’s Animal Kingdom Themed Lands
- Expedition Everest: Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
Walt Disney World Basics
What to See and Do: There are four themed, gated parks: Magic Kingdom; Epcot, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, and Disney’s Animal Kingdom. In addition to the water parks, there are two water parks: Blizzard Beach and Typhoon Lagoon.
If you’re looking for places to stay, dine, and shop, Walt Disney World has you covered. There are more than 25 Disney owned and operated resorts and hotels on property. If shopping is on your itinerary, then check out the Disney Springs shopping district boasting stores, restaurants, movie theaters, and nighttime activities for everyone in your group.
If you plan to arrive at Disney World in you RV, then you definitely want to check out Disney’s own campground, Fort Wilderness. Though close to the Magic Kingdom, it feels far away tucked into the woods of Central Florida.
Helpful Tip: Download the Walt Disney World Resort app to find up to date wait times on all of the rides you’re interested in.
Security: Every Guest will be required to go through a security checkpoint to enter the theme parks or water parks. The security checkpoints vary by location, but they will be situated prior to the main ticket booths and entry gates to the parks.
Best Time To Visit Walt Disney World
The time of year, season weather conditions, and federal and school holidays factor into when is the best time to visit Walt Disney World.
Weather
The best time to visit and the best weather is going to be from November to March. This is when temperatures in Orlando are mild, generally around 70-80 degrees. Rain is not as common during this time frame. Humidity levels are lower, making the ambient air temperature feel cooler than normal in Central Florida.
There have been days and weeks with unseasonably cold winter weather, as temperatures dip towards freezing overnight. Intense thunderstorms and tornado warnings are becoming more prevalent. Summers in Central Florida bring about 90+ degree temperature and high humidity. In recent years, summer temperatures have been reaching a sustained 100+ degrees for several days and weeks.
Still, the weather is going to be much better in the winter and early Spring, compared to any other time of the year in Orlando.
June through November is hurricane season in the Southeast. Hurricanes can form, along with tropical storms and pretty bad thunderstorms.
See Walt Disney World’s Rain Policy for more information on how weather can impact your visit.
When are Peak Crowds / Peak Seasons at Walt Disney World?
Central Florida and more specifically Orlando is a year-round vacation destination for Americans and for visitors from around the world. When school is on a break, that is when you will find the most visitors to Orlando.
New Year’s Eve and New Year’s Day, Spring Break, Easter, July 4th, Summer, Thanksgiving, Christmas, and any official holiday (even Labor Day) are going to be peak times in the theme parks. Anticipate heavy crowds and potential early park closures (due to park capacity restrictions) on the actual major U.S. holidays including one week before and one week after the holiday.
Magic Kingdom
Walt Disney World’s original theme park, the Magic Kingdom, is located at the northern most portion of the Walt Disney World Resort. The park is situated on the Disney-created Seven Seas Lagoon and Bay Lake.
✅ Learn How Big the Magic Kingdom Really is by clicking here!
For years, the Magic Kingdom has been the most popular theme park in the world boasting on average over 20-million Guest each year. To put that into perspective, that is more Guests visiting this one theme park than all of the annual guests visiting all of Universal Orlando Resorts theme parks and water parks combined.
The Magic Kingdom, and the surrounding themed resorts and hotels, comprise the entire Magic Kingdom Resort area of Walt Disney World. The resorts include, Disney’s Contemporary Resort, Disney’s Wilderness Lodge, the Fort Wilderness Campground, the Polynesian themed resort, and Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort and Spa. All are easily accessible to the Magic Kingdom via Disney’s Monorail system, ferry boats and water taxis, or via walking paths that connect the Polynesian Village and Grand Floridian resorts to the Magic Kingdom.
Additional WDW bus and monorail transportation connect guests to all other major destinations across the 25,000 acres comprising Disney World including the three other theme parks, water parks, resorts, and Disney Springs.
Magic Kingdom Themed Lands
There are six lands inside the theme park. They are clearly defined for Guests as they make their way through the world’s most popular theme park with themed transition areas between each land! The lands include:
- Main Street, U.S.A.
- Tomorrowland
- Fantasyland
- Storybook Circus
- Liberty Square
- Adventureland
- Frontierland
Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Located in the heart of Fantasyland, the partially indoor but mostly outdoor Seven Dwarfs Mine Train roller coaster doesn’t completely turn you upside down, however it does include medium-size drops, medium-speed turns, and some dark interior scenes as you sway back and forth while running through a diamond mine and a wooded forest.
Height Requirement: Roller coaster thrill ride best for adults, teens, tweens, and kids. Minimum 38″ in height.
TRON Lightcycle / Run
Immerse yourself into the world of TRON when you join the Blue Team in a journey across the game world grid. TRON Lightcycle / Run is an indoor and partially outdoor roller coaster that will not completely invert you upside down but it does contain high speed acceleration and twists and turns.
Height Requirement: Thrill ride roller coaster with big drops and dark interior, immersive experiences. Minimum 48″ in height to ride. Best for kids, teens, and adult. Virtual Queue and Individual Lightning Lane available.
Space Mountain
Take a trip through outer space in a thrilling rocket ship through the galaxy. Space Mountain is an iconic duel track, indoor, dark roller coaster that has been a fixture in Tomorrowland since the mid-1970’s. Located adjacent to the new TRON roller coaster, this high speed classic attraction never disappoints Guests both young and old.
Height Requirement: Thrill ride roller coaster with big drops and dark interior, immersive experiences. Minimum 44″ in height to ride. Best for kids, teens, and adult.
The Barnstormer
Located in Storybook Circus, a mini-land within Fantasyland, is a kid-friendly roller coaster that does not turn you upside down, but has a small first drop with lighthearted twists and turns. Guests are taken back to the days of barnstorming airplane acts as they amaze spectators with their aerial skills, though with Goofy – The Great Goofini – involved, things might get a little out of hand.
Height Requirement: Minimum 35″ in height. Thrill ride best for adults and pre-schoolers.
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
Located in Frontierland, the outdoor Big Thunder Mountain Railroad roller coaster will not turn you upside down, however it does include medium-size drops and high-speed twists and turns as you race through a haunted gold mine and dodgy mining town.
Height Requirement: Roller coaster thrill ride best for adults, teens, tweens, and kids meeting the minimum height requirement of 40″.
Epcot
The second theme park at Walt Disney World is Epcot (originally named EPCOT Center). This park features various theme lands – or Worlds – with a focus towards Discovering new cultures in World Showcase, new innovations, science and technology in World Discovery, immersing into the planet in World Nature, and connect with your global community in World Celebration.
✅ Learn How Big Epcot Really is by clicking here!
You can easily access Epcot from Interstate 4 or other Walt Disney World locations in your personal vehicle. Or you can hop in-between Epcot and the Magic Kingdom via the Walt Disney World Monorail system, Walt Disney World Bus Transportation. In between Disney’s Hollywood Studios Guests can visit both parks either via the Disney Skyliner, WDW Bus system, or the ferry boats.
Note, the water taxis or ferry boats and the Disney Skyliner connect to the rear of Epcot in World Showcase between France and the UK pavilions. The WDW Bus transportation and Monorail System will take Guests to the front of Epcot.
Epcot Themed Lands
Currently, Epcot is re-imagining and updating the parks focus and themed areas. Now, there are four distinct themed ‘lands’ or Worlds as the Disney Imagineers have designated to the park. Epcot is big, nearly twice as big as the Magic Kingdom with the park’s main guiding theme being ‘Discovery’.
Pro Tip: Throughout several days in the year, World Showcase – at the rear of the park – does not open first thing in the morning. Often, World Showcase opens later in the morning – often after 10 AM. Confirm World Showcase’s opening hours prior to your visit and plan your day in the park accordingly.
The current lands and themed areas at Epcot are new due to this park’s current re-imagining. Previously, the park only had two areas, Future World and World Showcase. Today, the new lands include:
- World Discovery
- World Celebration
- World Nature
- World Showcase
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is one of the newest rides at Walt Disney World and Epcot. This roller coaster is Disney’s first backwards-facing launch roller coaster that takes riders on an intergalactic chase through space and time with the infamous Guardians of the Galaxy. This roller coaster is completely indoors with major portions in the dark at times turning you around 360 degrees as you traverse the galaxy.
Height Requirement: Minimum 42″ in height. This indoor dark thrill ride is best for tweens, teens, and adults.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios
The third theme park at Walt Disney World, is Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This park has been transformed over the past few years. Originally, it opened as a theme park that put its Guests into the heart of movie and television production. Giving them backstage access to how movies, both new and from old Hollywood, are made.
Today, the park has been re-imagined into immersing visitors into the magic of some of your favorite movies to come out of Hollywood, rather than how they are made. Guests are transported to old the streets of old Hollywood, during the Golden Era of movie making, they can visit Andy’s backyard in Toy Story Land, and they are whisked away to galaxy’s far, far away into the world of Star Wars to the planet Batuu.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios Themed Lands
There are specific lands inside the theme park. However, they are not as clearly defined as the themed lands are in Walt Disney World. So if you’re not sure where you are, you are probably not alone! The lands include:
- Hollywood Boulevard
- Sunset Boulevard
- Echo Lake
- Commissary Lane
- Grand Avenue
- Animation Courtyard
- Pixar Place
- Toy Stor Land
- Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
You will be inverted three times on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. This roller coaster is Disney’s only roller coaster and only attraction that will turn you completely upside down as you race in a stretched limo down a dark highway in Los Angeles to get to the Aerosmith concert.
Height Requirement: Minimum 48″ in height. Thrill ride with multiple inversions, a high-speed launch, rock-n-roll onboard music including some of your favorite Aerosmith songs, and this attraction is completely indoors and mostly in the dark.
Slinky Dog Dash
Located in Toy Story Land, between Pixar Place and Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, Guests are shrunken in size and transported to Andy’s backyard where his toys – most of them being the popular toys from the famed Toy Story movies – come alive in his own creations. Slinky Dog Dash is a high speed roller coaster using some of Andy’s best toys for a thrilling ride through his backyard’s tall grass. Though this roller coaster does not turn you upside down, it is a fun and fast ride for the whole family.
Height Requirement: Minimum 38″ in height. Family-Friend roller coaster thrill ride best for kids, tweens, teens, and adults.
Disney’s Animal Kingdom
The fourth theme park at Walt Disney World is Disney’s Animal Kingdom. Opened on Earth Day in 1998, the Animal Kingdom is Walt Disney World’s largest theme park by area celebrating the magic of nature and the world through real and fantastical lands and cultures.
Some of the most popular attractions at the Animal Kingdom are Expedition Everest, Avatar Flight of Passage, the DINOSAUR attraction, and the Festival of the Lion King show.
The Animal Kingdom has truly become a full-day theme park with attractions and shows for everyone in your group or family. And a nighttime show that is truly one of a kind and befitting specifically to the world of nature.
Animal Kingdom Themed Lands
Disney’s Animal Kingdom has six unique lands that transport visitors to incredible world’s of nature, both real – like the African Savana – or mythical when you experience your journey to Pandora in the world of Avatar.
- Oasis
- Discovery Island
- Pandora – World of Avatar
- DinoLand U.S.A.
- Africa
- Asia
Expedition Everest: Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
Located in the Asia land of the park, Expedition Everest: Legend of the Forbidden Mountain is a roller coaster that goes both forward and backwards taking guest through the ice-capped Himalayan mountain while trying to escape the clutches of the mythic creature, the Yeti. While this roller coaster is faster and is contained partly in the famous mountain, it will not turn you upside down.
Height Requirement: Minimum 44″ in height. Thrill with big drops, high-speed turns best for kids, tweens, teens, and adult.