Top Ten Dark Rides

[Hatetofly]

I'll have to listen to the podcast, but the thing is a simulator, same with Star Tours. You have to be moving along a track to be a dark ride, IMO.

My Top 10:

10. Space Mountain (DLR): The ultimate dark ride..in the dark. With DLR's jaw-dropping opening making you feel like you just entered a sci-fi movie and that awesome soundtrack, it's currently the best Space in the world.

9. Dinosaur/Indiana Jones Adventure: Okay I hate to lump these in together because they're both some of the best dark rides in the world, but I'm trying to be sneaky and have 11 entries in my top 10 and the technology may just allow it.

8. Men In Black: Alien Attack: I've only gotten Galaxy Defender twice IN MY LIFE, but dammit I'll keep riding this thing over and over until I get it again.

7. Pirates of the Caribbean (DLR) : This ride is classic and epic. 15 minutes of pure pirate bliss.

6. Revenge of the Mummy: Probably the dark ride that begs for the most re-rides. It's amazing enough but just leaves you wanting that much more.

5. Haunted Mansion: Not only is this the omnimover to end all omnimovers, with effects that still inspire awe today, at DLR/TDR it's 2 attractions in one when Haunted Mansion Holiday takes over.

4. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey: What is there to say except that this ride has elements of dark ride past, present, and future all blending together for an incredibly unique, thrilling experience.

3. Twilight Zone Tower of Terror: This ride calls for a different kind of introduction. The fact that Disney can take the drop tower and turn it into a highly-themed dark ride experience shows how they are masters of both engineering, design, and storytelling.

2. The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man: Without having even seen the changes to its new cool crisp 4D, this ride came out of nowhere in 1999 and blew the roof off what 3D and ride technology could do. 13 years later and it's still the one to beat.

1. Journey to the Center of the Earth: But with me, fully realized sets and animatronics will always win over screen based rides any day. And this is the ultimate. From the ride sign, to the queue, to the faux elevator, to seeing the ride vehicles march up, to embarking on your first unforgettable journey. This should be the benchmark of all dark rides and what they aspire to be.

Great list and yeah I'm freaking jealous!

 

[Hatetofly]

Anyone else? Come on people share!

 

[tiredoldspook]

10. Curse of Darkastle (fun ride good story but the ride was showing it's age when i went in 2009
9. Monster Plantation (SFOG) This ride is just an old school funhouse nothing fancy just a nice break on a hot day.
8. Toy Story Midway Mania (is it a dark ride? who cares IMO the most fun you can have on a ride)
7. The Mummy (Still great even with the bad ending)
6. Space Mountain( The originator of the in the dark coaster yes there was Matterhorn but this is completely dark.)
5. Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey( technically amazing but if your not a fan of the movies the story is confusing)
4. Splash Mountain (Great fun, great story and a fun drop)
3. Twilight Zone Tower of Terror( There is no other drop ride that even compares pure terror and amazement)
2. Spider Man ( I love this ride, It may be the greatest dark ride there is but my top is a Legend)
1. Haunted Mansion(This was Walt's last creation and one that has lasted nearly 50 years, This ride was so far ahead of it's time no one has still caught up to it.)

 

[JungleSkip]

1. Haunted Mansion(This was Walt's last creation and one that has lasted nearly 50 years, This ride was so far ahead of it's time no one has still caught up to it.)

Technically Walt really didn't have much of a hand in Mansion. Pirates of the Caribbean was the last attraction he personally worked on.

 

[Sideshow Mike]

10. E.T.
9. Men In Black
8. Pirates
7. Living with the Land
6. Spaceship Earth
5. TTA (I'm counting this as a dark ride since it has many indoor portions and and some small set pieces like the Progress City model)
4. The Great Movie Ride
3. Forbidden Journey
2. The Haunted Mansion
1. Spider-Man

Things I want to ride:

Indiana Jones
DLR version of Pirates
Haunted Mansion Holiday
Radiator Springs Racers
Transformers
Pooh's Hunny Hunt (TDL)

Although I enjoy SSE, I do prefer the Jeremy Irons narration over Dench. The Dench narration wouldn't bother me as much if it wasn't for the descent. I've heard someone (I forgot who) say that SSE feels like a e-ticket going up but an a-ticket coming down and I agree with that.

 

[Jakemeister]

Pouring a 40oz out for all the awesome dark rides that never happened.

 

[Frogki]

Okay, dark rides are my favorite things in the world. So this was really difficult for me to do...
But -

10. Peter Pan's Flight
While not as flashy or cool as many other dark rides I've been on, this is a true classic. Since I went on it on my first Disney World trip, I have always made a point to get on. The Big Ben/London flight scene continues to be one of my favorites...

9. Curse of Darkastle
This is one I had to sit and think about. I first rode it when I was 10. I haven't since because I haven't had the chance to return to Busch Gardens Williamsburg since. But this was probably my most memorable ride at Busch Gardens because it really told a story. IT was different from Haunted Mansion - darker - and I liked that. I had not gotten the chance to ride Spiderman when I rode this, so it was the coolest "screen" ride I'd been on.

8. Back to the Future
This was a must have for my top ten, because I only got to ride it once before it was changed into the Simpsons. This classic was one of the reasons I began watching all the older adventure movies like "The Goonies" and of course the Back to the Future trilogy itself. I rode it on my first trip to Universal Orlando resort and it was one of the things that everyone (excluding my father) rode on together, and it was a great simulator.

7. E.T. Adventure
This was one of my favorites at Universal. The very first time I walked through the que I was blasted with that famous E.T. smell and I loved it. The line attendants were very confused that day and they ushered us through an unthemed room because we had express passes. I've been through the normal que since and it's only caused me to love the ride even more. I also remember getting the seat that had "E.T.'s basket", which also adds to my memory of the ride.

6. Men in Black: Alien Attack
This ride is one of the only shooters I have ever been able to get a hang on. Every other shooter has a gun system that is very difficult for me to aim. This one was different - as was the ride itself. As soon as we were thrust out of "basic training", you saw the NYC scenery, and it held no punches. As a kid, it was very cool to me to be on a street where I could see tall buildings. The environment was really fully fleshed here.

5. Dinosaur
As much as others may say about this ride, for what it's worth, it's a cool little dark ride. I love that it has all the star lights and meteors falling. While the story could have been helped along a bit, I still love the premise. I also like the ride vehicles - they are a cool little piece of machinery.

4. Jurassic Park River Adventure
One of my absolute favorites, a must every time I visit Islands of Adventure. A great ride based on a great film. I remember everything working perfectly the first time I rode it - the duck bill pushing us off course and what not. I felt nervous actually going on it (that T-Rex WAS impressive for a long time). While it has gotten a little dilapitated, it's still a fun way to cool off and it always has a neat story...

3. Soarin
Now this ride was my first real flight ride and it was a great one. I remember just hearing that music as we were lifted up and I nearly lost it when I saw the clouds. It was one of those rides that just took my breath away because most of my senses were engaged - sight, sound, smell, and to a lesser extent, touch. I really love the score and I plan on incorporating it into a project I'm taking on by myself simply because it's so powerful.

2. Revenge of the Mummy
Coming in at spot number 2, this was my first themed indoor coaster and it was a terrifying one at that. I didn't see anything the first time I rode - I kept my eyes closed at all times. But the next time I went to USF, I made sure to keep my eyes peeled for scenery and I fell in love with a thrilling experience that told a great story. The gag at the end always makes me gasp just because the glass sound effect catches me by surprise. Great to ride anytime I get the chance.

1. The Amazing Adventures of Spiderman
And finally, at #1, Spiderman takes it all for it's brilliant integration of 3D screens, physical sets, and real effects such as water an heat. This was one I'd been looking forward to since my first trip to a theme park. Ever since I'd heard about a "200 foot virtual free-fall" I was all over this ride. I'd watched videos on line (because I just couldn't wait) but nothing came close to the actual experience of riding it. I truly look forward to riding the new and improved version of this classic ride.

And I wish I could have included Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey in this list, but alas, I still have not had the means to go to this wonderful attraction (or the area it resides in). However, it is increasingly likely that I will go for my 16th birthday, so I can not wait to ride this amazing new ride based on my favorite book series. And the new ride system is awesome too

 

[UNIrd]

Pouring a 40oz out for all the awesome dark rides that never happened.

Yes, including the Great Muppet Movie Ride, The Little Mermaid ride ORIGINAL CONCEPT FROM THE DVD, and this Monster House ride I made up in my head.

 

[Cruiseshipfan]

One thing I notice from everyone's favourates is that Universal seems to do the best job. Don't shoot me straight away listen to the reasoning to why. First off Universal only has a small fraction of the dark rides that Disney has. Also their budget is almost all the time less the half of what Disney spends on their rides. So overall they spend these and get rides that are equal and is some cases better then Disney's dark rides. I would make I list but even though I have ridden all the rides, I find I don't have enough experience with the rides, being located on the other side of the world.

Also one ride you should all have a look at is Scooby Doo Spooky Coaster. It is at an Australian Park called Warner Bros Movieworld. Its sort of like the mummy having a dark ride section then a roller coaster section. If anyone has seen the first Scooby Doo live action film, you will notice that this ride is taken straight from the ghost train that the gang have to try and survive during the film.
Here is a video if anyone wants to check it out (Thanks to TPR). Sadly there are no videos with the lights off that you can actually see anything in but when the lights are off you can't see all the mechanical parts and in the roller coaster section there are green laser lights that go around the room. This comes from a part with a budget almost 1/10 of Disney's and less the 1/2 of Universal's. Imagine what they could do with that sort of budget.
[video=youtube;nwLtwrUL7PI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=nwLtwrUL7PI[/video]

You can also check out two other of their rides that are good for dark rides. They are Superman Escape (a roller coaster that starts as a dark ride) and Wild West Falls (a log flume)

 

[Rock'nRoller]

My Top 10

10) Back To the Future - This ride was a classic and showed the way to the thrill rides we know today (Spiderman). It used a great live film and gosh it has been and always will be missed.

9) Kongfrontation - This HUGE monkey scared me as a kid. Now looking back I feel lucky to have rode it before Universal closed ths classic.

8) Dinosaur! - This is the Spiderman of Disney only without screens, just real effects. It's thrilling, fast, and leaves you wanting to ride again!

7) Jurrassic Park River Adventure - This ride is AWESOME. The theming, effects, AA's are what make this a stand-out.

6) Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey - Theme is 100% at it's best. This ride is the only one to use a kuka arm and Universal pulled it off with style.

5) Expedition Everest - Besides the yeti not working, the theme and ride are big. Disney wastes no time in making sure every detail counts.

4) Rock'n Roller Coaster staring Aerosmith - While it is more fun and thrilling than the #3, this ride stands out on it's own with theme, style, and intensity.

3) Tower of Terror (Orlando) - The original and still the best. The effects, theme, and the ride are nothing short of awesome and amazing.

2) Revenge of the Mummy - This thrill ride is by gosh amazing. With the effects and ride, it takes out any competion except the #1.

1) Amazing Adventure's of Spiderman - With the 4K upgrades and newer ride elements and score, it returns to the top as the best of the best.

Honorable Mentions (No Order)

Men in Black
Haunted Mansion
Space Mountian
Space Ship Earth
Star Tours
Alien Encounter
Mission Space
Cat in the Hat
Soarin
E.T
Pirates of the Caribbean

 

[rhino4evr]

ughh...never been to Disneyland. What makes it so much better then Disney World's version? And why in hell did they not dupliacte it?

 

[Rock'nRoller]

^ The Disneyland version (and all others but Orlando's) is shorter. While the theming & effects are equaly amazing, the elevators don't move and remain on one single shaft the whole ride. Plus, the Orlando's version is on a speical program that random-izes the "drop profile" and makes each ride during "the up-and-down part" different (how far you drop / go up, hang time, esc....). That is why the Orlando version is better.

However, they won't dupliacte it because the Orlando "original version" costs about $140 Million and has a more complex loading design. The others have easier and simplier loading designs that can board guest on two floors per one single shaft (In this case 3 shafts = 6 boarding stations). With this advantage, you increase guest per hour and drop the wait time while not losing the somewhat same experience.

 

[Scarletwebslingr]

10) Back to the Future
9) Forbidden Journey
8) Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
7) E.T.
6) Pirates of the Caribbean (DLR)
5) Tower of Terror (WDW)
4) Spider-Man
3) Indiana Jones
2) Haunted Mansion (WDW)
1) Dinosaur

 

[rhino4evr]

I was actually referring to Pirates in Disney Land Vs Pirates in Disney World

 

[UNIrd]

I was actually referring to Pirates in Disney Land Vs Pirates in Disney World

It's twice as long, has 2 drops instead of one, and is just that much more epic.

 

[jtsalien]

It's twice as long, has 2 drops instead of one, and is just that much more epic.

It's because that's where the ride was originally designed for. They just slapped something together quick because of demand in the MK.

 

[UNIrd]

It's because that's where the ride was originally designed for. They just slapped something together quick because of demand in the MK.

Could they not have gone further underground at MK like they did in DL?

 

[jtsalien]

Could they not have gone further underground at MK like they did in DL?

I'm not 100% sure, but I believe they just didn't feel the need/want to.

 

[rhino4evr]

I've been lied to my whole life!!

looks like I gotta make a trip to Disneyland...

 

[JungleSkip]

I'm not 100% sure, but I believe they just didn't feel the need/want to.

We have the Pirates we do because it was a rushed/truncated design. When the MK, people complained that it didn't have "That Pirate ride." The complaints mounted up and Disney abandoned the planned Western River Expedition (which would have come along a few years down the line and would have been super detailed) in favor of a rushed Pirates design.