What is the Longest Ride at Disney World?

The longest ride at Disney World is the Carousel of Progress, which clocks in at about 20 minutes and 45 seconds long. 

In many ways, this answer could be hotly debated, considering a journey on Kilimanjaro Safaris can last up to 22 minutes, however, according to Disney’s website, Kilimanjaro Safaris is an attraction, whereas the Carousel of Progress is listed as a slow ride. 

Difference Between a Disney Ride vs. Attraction

Oftentimes, you’ll hear the words “ride” and “attraction” be used interchangeably at Disney, but they have some stark differences. A ride is a type of attraction you can be transported on, whereas an attraction usually describes a general experience. 

For example, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is an attraction you ride, whereas the Hall of Presidents is one you can enjoy without any sort of thrill factor. In other words, every ride is an attraction but not every attraction is a ride. 

Once I started going down this rabbit hole, I became super curious as to how long all the other rides at Disney were. 

What’s the Longest Attraction at Each Park?

I’ve broken this list into two sections: one about the longest ride and one about the longest attraction, such as a stage show. Honestly, some of these times surprised me. Here are the longest attractions at each Disney park:

Magic Kingdom

As mentioned above, the Carousel of Progress is the longest ride, followed by Walt Disney Railroad at 20 minutes. 

In terms of stage show attractions, the Hall of Presidents in Liberty Square takes the cake, clocking in at 23 minutes. This stage show allows guests to get up close and personal with all of our nation’s past presidents as they take us through history. After months of closure, this stage show was recently reopened with the addition of President Joe Biden. 

Epcot

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This answer is probably not too surprising to Disney fans, but the longest ride at Epcot is Spaceship Earth at 15 minutes and 30 seconds. Spaceship Earth is a slow-moving, dark ride that takes guests through time, connecting all the ways that innovation and determination have created modern society. 

Living With the Land comes in a close second, clocking in at 14 minutes long. 

The longest attraction at Epcot is the American Adventure in the World Showcase, which is 28 minutes and 30 seconds long. Like Spaceship Earth, guests will be taken back in time and learn about many historical moments such as the Boston Tea Party, Civil War, and the Great Depression. 

Read more: Why Do We, Thank the Phoenicians?

Animal Kingdom

The longest ride at Animal Kingdom is Kali River Rapids, which clocks in at 10 minutes. This thrill ride is located in the Asia section of the park and takes guests on an exciting whitewater adventure. Guests have to be at least 97cm to ride and guests will be asked to put their belongings in a storage locker before boarding. 

In terms of the longest attractions at Animal Kingdom, both Festival of the Lion King and Finding Nemo – the Musical tie for first, at 30 minutes. These stage shows feature entertaining music and puppetry in these reimagined stories of these classic films. 

Hollywood Studios

The longest ride at Hollywood Studios used to be the Great Movie Ride, which totaled 22 minutes (and a whopping 59 different animatronics!) However, since the introduction of Galaxy’s Edge, Rise of the Resistance has become the new reigning champ, clocking in at 18 minutes long. 

Now, this one is a little tricky, because technically the ride portion of Rise of the Resistance only lasts about 4 minutes, with the preshow filling up the excess time. The preshow is split into three parts: the ride pre-show where it takes you through the caverns of Batuu, your ascent into space, and finally your escape from the Star Destroyer. 

However, if we’re talking general stage show attractions, then we’d have to go with Indiana Jones Epic Stunt Spectacular, which is 30 minutes long. This show remains closed due to the pandemic, but we hope it re-opens soon. 

Read more: New Rules for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Virtual Queue

Total Length of All the Rides at Disney World

When adding up all the rides (excluding stage shows and other attractions) here are the total lengths: 

• Magic Kingdom = 2.3 hours (140.25 minutes)
• Epcot = 1.3 hours (78 minutes)
• Hollywood Studios = 1.05 hours (63.5 minutes)
• Animal Kingdom – 41 minutes

Here are the lengths of everything including stage shows and other types of attractions:

• Magic Kingdom = 5.3 hours (318.25 minutes)
• Epcot = 5.07 hours (304.30 minutes)
• Hollywood Studios = 5.4 hours (324.5 minutes)
• Animal Kingdom = 5.2 hours (311 minutes)

The fact that you could watch every show and experience every ride and attraction at Magic Kingdom AND Epcot is mind-boggling to me! It just goes to show how much time walking to and from each location and queue lines take up during your day. 

Interesting Ride Facts That Will Surprise You

During my research, I stumbled upon a few surprising facts that I thought were interesting, so I wanted to share them with you:

1. Alien Swirling Saucers in Toy Story Land is about a minute longer than Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
2. It took Disney Imagineers five years to complete the American Adventure in Epcot
3. The Hall of Presidents was designed to look like Independence Hall in Philadelphia, PA 
4. Each raft used in Kali River Rapids has a different name such as Sherpa Surfer and Kali Bumper Car (to name a few)
5. Spaceship Earth was the world’s first geodesic sphere

Final Thoughts

Did any of these ride facts and times surprise you? Let us know which ones in the comments and be sure to follow along with WDW Vacation Tips on Instagram for all the latest Disney coverage and tips on how to make the most of your Walt Disney World vacation.