When it's running, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is "the wildest ride in the wilderness!" When it's not? It's basically a Frontierland lawn ornament. This ride breaks down so often you'd think it was built by prospectors instead of Imagineers. But when it's working--oh man. That runaway mine train tears through red rock canyons, dynamite blasts, and goat-filled hillsides like it's got something to prove. It's not a roller coaster--it's a divorce test in the desert. The turns are sharp, the drops are sudden, and the whole thing rattles like it's held together with chewing gum and prayers. History check: opened in 1980 at Magic Kingdom, designed by Imagineer Tony Baxter, it was Disney's first real "thrill" coaster that didn't need loops or corkscrews. Disneyland Paris has the best version, but Florida's still holds its own--when it's moving. Think of it as the iPhone 6 of Disney rides: revolutionary in its day, fragile as hell now. The theming? Fantastic. Frontier mining town, caves, geysers, animatronic donkeys that look like they've seen some things. It's a whole Western movie squeezed into three minutes of screaming. The goat with the stick of dynamite is more reliable than the ride's uptime. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is classic Disney--fun, chaotic, gorgeously themed, and occasionally broken beyond belief. But when it runs? It's the crown jewel of Frontierland, proof that sometimes the best Disney thrill rides don't go upside down--they just throw you around until you can't feel your feet. read more

I can't imagine anything much more fun than a runaway mountain train! This one is certainly awesome. It's had my attention for many years and it's one of my favorite rides at the park. I encourage you to ride it. It's a fun roller coaster ride. That's calm enough for almost all ages and exciting enough that nobody gets off without having a great time at least when I go! read more

Big Thunder Montain is one of those rides that you have to try when you're at Disney! I try to get in line every time I'm here, one of my favorites. I'm not the biggest rollercoaster person, in general, however, trust! I will always get on a couple when I go to Disney World, including this one right here. Definitely get a fast pass/lightning pass when you visit. Still have to wait but not as long as the regular lines. I believe they actually discontinued "fast pass" with lightning lane passes nowadays... very worth it though for the best experience. read more

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - Amusement Parks Near Me - Orlando, Florida

My biggest tip for BTM is to try to ride at least once in your life during the fireworks. There is something incredibly special about being on this ride (also Tiana's/Plash) and having the view of the Castle lit up with fireworks bursting over her while riding a roller coaster or taking the plunge. This one is VERY special for me. It was my first coaster as a child. It was my mothers favorite and now that she has passed it is quite special and sentimental to me. On my bachelorette, the cast members let us ride 12 times in a row without getting off at close over and over again. It was incredible. While I am a Space Mtn girlie, BTN is very special to me. Tip: --------------- 1. The queue is only partially covered & there are fan in it, however, the fans are almost never turned on. So it's a warm one. Please prepare for your trip in Central FL by buying fans in advance. You'll be thrilled that you did especially in this line. Yes, you can buy them in park but they are large and expensive. 2. If you want a more tame experience, sit as close to the front row as possible. If you want a faster thrilling, and more rowdy experience sit as close to the back as possible. 3. If you ask nicely and are willing to add a few min to your wait (1-3 min typically) you can usually ask for a specific row and cast will accommodate if they can. 4. This one will go down in the event of rain or thunder. 5. Parents, while there is a heigh requirement, sometime it is just for physical safety. Please in preparation for your trip, watch a POV of this ride on YouTube to try to asses wether your while can handle this ride or not. A scared child will ruin your day and possibly that of other guests. read more

A true Disney classic, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad! This family friendly ride is closing down soon for a year of refurbishment, but until then it is a highly recommended ride. Fun, thrilling, immersive and worth it! read more

I think one of the better rides at Magic Kingdom. It's feels like it's a little longer than the average ride here. It's roller coasty but not quite a roller roaster I don't believe. There's interactive stuff to do in line as well so that makes it easier on the wait times. It's a fun ride. read more

It's the wildest ride in the wilderness!!! Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a coaster ride in Disney World's Magic Kingdom. It's located in Frontierland in the park. There is also a similar version at Disneyland in California. This is one of my daughter's and I favorite ride at Disney World's Magic Kingdom. The ride is available for Disney's Genie+. If you catch this ride early in the morning, you can ride it multiple times in the standby line with little wait time. The ride is so much fun and it's smooth! There are no loops or inverses. It moves fast and has a lot of sharp turns, but no major drops either. The ride goes through a variety of different hills as you ride the mine train. It's a lot faster and has a lot more turns than the Seven Dwarves ride in the fantasyland area. It's a great ride and a good coaster to choose if you're starting to initially venture into a faster roller coaster ride! read more

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Big Thunder Mountain RR is the only wooden coaster in Disney world. It is a wild coaster with two different pull up tracks. An engine leads your group of cars through one of the roughest terrains and you really have no time to take anything in. You are going so fast. With curves and twists it adds to the fun. Big Thunder is patterned after the Old Mine car ride that used to exist in Disneyland. It takes you through prairies, canyons, wild west towns and boulders. Study the history of that ride and you will see how they were able to incorporate the scenery to match that of the its predecessor. Wait times can be hectic however if you purchased Genie + then you can reserve a lightning lane time for it and get on without too much of a wait. I never compare wood coasters with metal since they are in a class by themselves. I just love to hear the clikety clack as you ascend your first hill. Woods will always be my favorite and I'm glad Disney decided to incorporate one here. Located in Frontierland in the Magic Kingdom. read more

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This is one of our favorite rides. We try to catch it around the time fireworks start. It provides a nice backdrop. For mid week it was fairly crowded. Seems there are no *low attendance* days anymore. Not big spending more to gain quicker access to any rides so today it was a 44 min wait. I prefer the Disneyland version more. But we're here not there. read more

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Big thunder mountain is a roller coaster type ride/attraction located in Walt Disney worlds magic kingdom in the Frontierland portion of the park. Literally right next door to the classic splash mountain this is very much a dryer version and roller coaster option for those wanting to ride a mountain. Ride without getting wet. The ride itself is pretty fun but take for a roller coaster. No loop to loops or hanging upside down. But a nice decent moving coaster that's goes around curves and hills and through some mountain scenery. Not based on any film or show like it's neighbor splash mountain. Overall pretty fun ride that usually will have a 40 min plus wait unless you time it just right newer opening or closing time. read more

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A great ride but a terrible wait. The line for this ride is in a tight unairconditioned space. The line gets hotter and hotter and the air more still. It was a long muggy wait. The ride was a fun filled zip bang twist turn experience. It was a fun ride with no huge drops but lots of fun speed and unexpected turns. I liked the ride a lot... so much we road it 3 times... even with the uncomfortable wait. It is a great ride for kids just starting to upgrade their coaster experience. Fast, twists, small drops, and no upside down. It was a blast for my boys of 8 and 13. read more

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - Amusement Parks Near Me - Orlando, Florida

(Late review from October - November 2022) What more is there to say about this ride? It's phenomenal! Always has been and will continue to be. A classic coaster. It's exactly like the Anaheim Disneyland version. The line for this ride on the day me and my friends got on it was speedy and we were able to ride it twice!! Can't beat that! read more

Hands down one of my favorite rides both and Magic Kingdom and Disneyland itself. This location I feel is a bit better than California's, but man is it fun. So much to look at while I'm line and for a roller coaster it's very smooth. I recommend the very back where it feels even faster and you may get a littler air from the seat! Put your hands up and scream or you aren't living! read more

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Always a classic and the line moves super fast. Take a ride on a mine train that has become known as the wildest ride in the wilderness. read more

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - Amusement Parks Near Me - Orlando, Florida

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is another of my favorite rides. I love a fun roller coaster ride. It's another ride I'm sure I reviewed. Maybe I'm thinking about a Disneyland review. I've also loved it at Disneyland California! I definitely recommend!! read more

I lost my phone on this ride, and it got to go for a few more fun loops, until a passenger took it out of the pouch and gave it to a cast member, who gave it back to me. Great ride, great staff. read more

Big Thunder Mountain is a train ride through gold mine tunnels in Disney World's Magic Kingdom. The rock formations reminded me of those in Arizona and Utah which is where the inspiration came from. This was a fun ride in the wild wild west. read more

Truly the wildest ride in the wilderness!!! I love Thunder Mountain. One of my favorite things about the ride is that it is quite lengthy. There aren't many rides at Disney that include 3 different lifts like Thunder Mountain does. Truly a Disney classic that can't be missed! read more

It was really fun! Thrilling, exciting, and it was 3 minutes long! Wasn't THE BEST but totally no complaints.

Love this ride so much trill and the ride has so much detail one of the best rides at magic kingdom

Still one of the classic coasters at Walt Disney World. I'm a huge chicken when it comes to thrill rides, but Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is a roller coaster that I can ride with no problem. I have figured out it's because there aren't any massive, super high drops (I hate heights). This is by far one of my top 5 favorite Disney rides of all-time. It's still a very, very wild ride, and is super rough. Prepared to be swung around like crazy. The sides of the ride car are padded a lot, and there's a reason why! Normally I wouldn't suggest you pay attention to all the warning signs but on this ride, if you have a bad back or are prone to motion sickness, you probably shouldn't board. The special effects on the ride are fun, as you go on a runaway rail ride through the Old West. There are cowboy saloons, animatronic goats, a brush with an earthquake, a shed full of exploding dynamite, and of course, the famous dinosaur bone archway! Try to get a FastPass to avoid waiting in line. I wouldn't wait more than half an hour to ride, but at least the queue area has lots of things to keep you interested if you do find yourself stuck for a longer period of time. Note that this is almost 100% identical to the ride at Disneyland. There are a few differences, but nothing major. read more

Very great roller coaster. It's fun for adults and kids. It's a big roller coaster for young kids but not scary at all. It's smooth and and the ride itself is long. It is very similar to the one in Disneyland. I recommend riding this ride at night during the fireworks. read more

I'm not a fan of roller coasters, but I love the Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. It's just the right speed with the right amount of curves and hills for a fraidy cat as myself; and no loopty loops. It was a pretty long wait to get on the ride, about 45 minutes; but once the ride started it was totally worth it. It's a great ride for the whole family. My 5 year old was a little scared, but she braved it and enjoyed it. However, I don't think I can get her back on it for a couple of years. read more

Whenever I go to Magic Kingdom, I always make sure to go on Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain before I leave. This is one of my favorite rides at this park! It is an outdoor ride so get ready to wait outside in Florida weather. The lines can be really long without a fast pass. If you can, I recommend riding in the last row because I feel like it gets more of the speed and the drop. The first row is also nice to get the view of everything. In the past, I remember this ride being super fast and jerky which will cause you to slide in your seat sometimes, but that was the best part! I think they recently redid the ride mechanics because when I went on it this past weekend, it was not as crazy as before. Maybe they changed it because some people may have complained about how "crazy" it can get. Regardless, it is still a fun ride! Highly recommend this ride when you're visiting. It's located right next to Splash Mountain in the very back of the park. read more

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - Lines for dayssss - Amusement Parks Near Me - Orlando, Florida

Typical rickity rackety roller coaster A little jerky and bumpy But all in fun Had a fast pass for this one Glad we didn't have to wait in line It still was fun. I'm glad I went on it but I am happier that we didn't have to wait that long in line read more

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - Amusement Parks Near Me - Orlando, Florida

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Another classic in the Disneyworld park, and it appears I am not alone in my conclusion with one of the longest wait times in the park at 90 minutes. This is truly a thrill ride with ups and downs and fast twirls for a roller coaster. No huge drops but gives you the illusion that there is one coming. The ride can surely accommodate the likes of small kids and big kids. You will not be disappointed. It is truly worth the wait. read more

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - Amusement Parks Near Me - Orlando, Florida

I've always loved this ride. It's really fun and pretty adorable. There are a lot of cute things to look at while you're waiting in line. It's a quick roller coaster-like train ride, but no loops or crazy turns. I first rode it when I was 7, so pretty young kids can ride it. I do believe they have a height restriction if I remember correctly. read more

This ride is a class Disney ride that almost everybody loves. The ride itself is a child friendly rollercoaster, it does have a height requirement so make sure to check your children's height. The ride has slow and faster moving portions, it does NOT go in loops or have steep drops. It does make some sharp turns and smaller people in the seat tend to slide from side to side. Make sure to remove hats, ears and sunglasses and they will come off. There is a belongings pouch in each cart. Make sure to retrieve your items from it when getting off. The only update I wish WDW would do to this beloved classic is placing more fans in the queues. The set up of this line has you weaving multiple times through a semi enclosed structure. There are window openings that allow some air in but it is minimal. With Florida's hot and humid weather, the air can be quite stagnant in this structure. The queues are usually fairly long and people tend to stop and stand where they can feel the air from the few fans that are located in it, which holds up the line. I personally end up drenched in perspiration by the time I get to the train to board the ride. I'm certainly not the only one as you can watch people attempting to lean through the window openings, fanning themselves and washing their faces when they reach the portion where the water fountain is. It's terribly unhygienic to do that when others are trying to get water to drink, yuck! read more

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Big Mountain Thunder Railroad is one of the few roller coasters at the park and it's definitely one worth checking out. While there aren't any huge drops or anything like that, it's built around a mountain and it still delivers great thrill considering Disney's rides. We had to wait around an hour for this ride and it was well worth it because of course -- there's just not that many roller coasters at this park. It goes up three hills and each hill doesn't have any major drops but it goes fast enough to jerk you around here and there. I was hoping there would be some sort of huge drop or thrill but I was a little disappointed that there wasn't anything like that of sort, but overall -- it's a great ride to check out and I definitely think it's worth the wait (maybe no more than an hour) but it's still a great ride! read more

Strongly recommend you use a fast pass on this Disney "coaster". It's popular and the line is pretty much all outside. That said upfront, I think it's a fun ride and well worth a wait if it's not crazy long. I'm not a fan of more than an hour wait on personally. There isn't much theming here short of train running amuck on the tracks. The line winds you through a mining setup and has a couple of interactive things when you're closer towards the front. When you're almost to the front the line will break into two sides, so be sure to pick one side and keep your group together. Definitely strap in and hold on cause it's got several fast turns and small drops. There's no picture grab on this one which is a bummer. I'd love if they'd upgrade that part. Overall: A One of very few coaster style rides at Disney and well worth a fast pass use. read more

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - Amusement Parks Near Me - Orlando, Florida

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I've been on this ride a number of times at this park and at the one in California. From what I remember, the rides aren't TOO different. I'd say this rollercoaster is moderately thrilling, but nothing super intense. This is one of my hubby's favorite rides at this park. We are rope drop people, so we came right here one morning as the Magic Kingdom opened and went on 3x in a row without an wait. This roller coaster takes you through an old mining town in the Western United States. I feel like this ride is quite similar to the Seven Dwarfs, but this one is an older and bumpier version. My mom is in her 60's and didn't care much for this ride, so keep that in mind if you aren't a big coaster fan. read more

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We were recently reliving our childhood at Magic Kingdom together and this was one of the rides on our must do list. I don't remember it being particularly entertaining as a kid but that it was one of the better rides offered at the park. As many of the better roller coasters at Disney World, it comes with a decent line usually. We only had three fast passes at our disposal and this wasn't at the top of our priority list, so we settled for the 45 min wait. Its outdoors, unlike space mountain and pirates of the caribbean so it was a sweaty wait. It has a old wild west theme that I remember still being a thing when I was a kid, but I wonder if kids of the newer generations even connect with it. There are various games and fun mining signs to read to help pass the time but after about 20 mins we were beginning to debate if it was worth it. The roller coaster is fast pace but definitely not as intense as space mountain or some of the ones at universal. It's over pretty quickly and you're released back out into frontier town to continue your adventures. read more

The best (and pretty much the only) roller coaster in Magic Kingdom. This one always has a super long line, so it's definitely a spot that you should try to get a fast past to beforehand. The ride is pretty long which always makes it worth the wait. It's a mild roller coaster (no loops or huge hills), so it is also a great choice for all ages. The props and music really set a cool vibe. read more

Big Thunder Mountain has been a favorite to many for a long time. I'd have to say it's probably my least favorite coaster just because I am into the bigger, thrilling rides, however it's still a great one that is tons of fun. The one thing I dislike is that the lines are usually pretty long, and it's not a ride that I'd wait forever for. I'm also sad that they do not have a single rider line :( So get a fastpass if you can! While on the coaster, it does give some great views of the park and has lots of fun hills/tunnels to go through. It's definitely worth it to at least try it out and see how you like it! read more

One of the older rides in the park and a favorite from my childhood. The story of the ride was that there was a mining town that was cursed by the Native Americans. A flash flood hit the town and it was abandoned. A miner came upon a train car moving in it's own and jumped on. When he finished his uncontrolled ride he had handfuls of gold. Now for the last 37 years you too can take a wild ride on a miner's possessed train. There aren't huge drops like traditional roller coasters. This is more hair pin turns and small drops and fast speeds. It's still a roller coaster but even the younger set can enjoy it. It's filled with the theming that Disney excels at. All of the little touches are in place that make you feel like you are racing around a mountain in the Southwest. This is another ride that demands you try to get a fast pass days in advance. I was able to secure one of the last ones of the day at 11 pm in the hotel room. I strongly suggest you book even earlier that. On the day I went wait time for the ride was typically over two hours. The fast pass got me through the ride in about half an hour. read more

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Another Disney ride classic - Big Thunder Mountain is the wildest ride in the wilderness! Sure, it isn't as thrilling as coasters you find at your major roller coaster amusement parks, but it is perfectly executed fun for the whole family. The theming is exactly what you think of for old West mining town with some crazy prospectors! The line can get long during peak visitation times, so another great choice for a Fast Pass! I love to ride this after Splash Mountain as a fun way to "air dry". read more

This is a basically a traditional roller coaster but of course Disney makes if more fun! The cars are supposed to resemble a train; whistles and all. There are some medium sized drops and lots of twists and turns. Even though you are in a car, the safety bar locks you firmly in place and it's smooth enough that you're not bumped and jostled around like some of the other older theme park roller coasters. Get a fast pass if you can, otherwise I recommend getting in line while the parade is coming to that area. (Otherwise you might be waiting in line for an hour+.) read more

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad - Outside Thunder Mountain - Amusement Parks Near Me - Orlando, Florida

This is a great roller coaster and a great experience overall. The cast members gifted us a fast pass - I think because it was our first time here. The kids and I loved this ride and wouldn't hesitate to go back. Highly recommended! read more

When you first look at this ride, it doesn't seem like it will be much. Its a nice big mountain but the roller coaster appears slow and I always thought it was going to be like a "starter coaster" and last like a minute. Boy was I wrong. It weaves in and out and around the mountain and just when you think it "should" be over, its not. Its not crazy fast but its not crazy slow either. Its thrilling and enjoyable as you also get great views of the Magic Kingdom as you move about. I love the little details of the Old West throughout the ride and even the fact that you're essentially on an old train ties it all together and takes you back. The ride lasts like 3 minutes which really makes it worth the wait if you don't have a fast pass. Do it. read more

This is definitely not an attraction to be missed if you've never done it before; it is a must-do. However, it is not up there on my list of favorites. It's just so jerky and always hurts my back. Seeing as how I try to avoid things which hurt my back, I often avoid this one. It's a great kiddie coaster, they are sure to have a blast. The height requirement is only a mere 40 inches, so it will definitely give your little ones a thrill and shouldn't scare them. The theme for the ride is incredible. So go forth, have fun, and live on the adventure! read more