Is the Tomorrowland Speedway fun or not?

[Chuckers]

Most of the riders are parents with kids and the kids are almost always driving. When the cars go into the first turn, most kids will bounce the cars into the guide rail and the car will jerk. The reactions/facial expressions of the parents is priceless! I almost always grab an ice cream bar and spend a good 15 or 20 minutes watching and laughing.

Now THAT could be fun! I like sitting and people watching.. it's a nice break from walking around.

If it is your 1st time at Disney, you may want a priority lists but I would not rule anything completely out for children the age you have given (unless there are height restriction issues). I am not a fan of Speedway (keep in mind I have driven a real car on the German Autobahn at 120+ right on the rear bumper of another car).

That's a very good point.. most of us on the board are 'jaded' Disney travelers and we know what we like. The "magic" of a first time visit is long gone and sometimes I forget that feeling. Also opinions vary..i.e. I enjoy Stitch's Great Escape! With that said, if you have the time, go for it. It has it's own brand of charm.

 

[Radiorox]

I only do speedway when the wait is less than 10 mins or when we are with a kid. The kid can drive and it becomes fun trying not to get whiplash. The cars are on a track and it's sloooowww. It's not a Go Kart which I wish Disney would pull off and make it Cars themed.

I remember wanting to ride soo bad as a kid and when we finally got around to it, I was annoyed because I was used to the speedier Go-Karts.

 

[DisneyMommy9]

My son loves this ride, I am orbs fan but his face makes it worth it. I know it sounds corney but one of my fav pics from WDW is a pic of him in the car.

 

[moozle]

My kids love the speedway AND they love Stitch. I enjoy both as well. Don't eliminate ANY rides based on what you read here!

 

[awilliams4]

Man, reading these makes me appreciate how easy it is to make us content. We love the Speedway. My kids are 15 and 21. Love Astro Orbiter too.

Whatever, I guess I appreciate that my family is much easier to please.

 

[awilliams4]

Don't eliminate ANY rides based on what you read here!

This!

 

[disneyjunkie11]

My husband and I go on this once each trip. Yes the cars can be hard to steer but I still find it fun. On our trip a few weeks ago, we got to see Wishes while we were driving around the track. I was glad the cars go slow so I could enjoy the show from there

 

[DisneyRegulars]

However, if your little guy doesn't get to drive the carts at home, he might get to drive these and have more fun. You can work the gas and he can steer. (I don't know the height/age limit for actual driving.)

He will be able to steer if there is an adult with him in the car. My son is 4, this has been his favorite ride the last couple of trips. We probably ride it at least 5 times per trip. He thinks it's a race, he starts first and always wins, and it's so cute because he hasn't yet figured out that there is no way for Dad in the car behind him to pass him. I rode this for the first time at age 5 with my mom. We laughed whole time as we bounced off the rails. We still ride it together every chance we get.

 

[shocker]

For first-timers I would recommend not pre-judging rides you've not been on. That said, many of us have to pick and choose because it is nearly impossible to find the time to do "everything"

Personally, I think this ride is a super waste of time for those of us who drive and is super fun for those of us who don't. It will depend on if you want to throw yourself on the sword for the little one to drive.

Unlike lots of other rides at WDW that are indoors, this one is completely outdoors. So, the kids will see it, hear it, and smell it and will wonder why they can't ride it!

I don't like this line because it is so slow moving and a good portion in full sun. HOT+STINK=UNPLEASANT But, with the onset of the FP+ system I have gladly given FP priority to this ride for the kids sake , as I would never want to stand in the regular line. At the very least, if you can ride at night or even better during EMH just before closing, it can be accomplished.

 

[Cals dad]

Speedway is a ride that my 3 year old insists that we go on every time. He loves being able to drive, and is getting pretty good at keeping the car going straight. That being said, how fun it is can actually change each time you go on. Last time we rode, we got stuck between 2 young ladies from Japan who could not get their car to not bump from side to side, and they barely gave it any gas. We'd get right up on them, stop, wait for them to go for a bit, and then go again, catching up to them in a few seconds. Ugh. Not fun that time.

 

[slickpoetry]

What I think I'll do if my son insists on riding for it is ask him to wait until the night we attend MNSSHP. The line for the speedway should be short during the party...at least I hope so. That way we're both happy, I don't have to say no to him but I don't have to wait in a long line either.


I really do appreciate everyone's advice.

 

[gvillemama]

I have never liked this ride until our trip last month. I thought the same as everyone else, why wait when you can do real go carts at home, the fumes are bad, etc. It was different on this trip...it was a rainy day and super low crowds so we didn't wait at all. When we got in the cars (me and DS7 in front, DH and DD2 behind us), it was just misting. As we got to going around the track, it came a flood and all you could do was laugh as our kids were steering badly and jerking us all over the track! We were completely drenched when we got off the ride, but we all had smiles on our face. In fact, I said that evening that was the most fun I had ever had at the Magic Kingdom. I don't know what it was that day, but it was a great day!

 

[isabellea]

On our last trip it was in DD top 5 at MK so I'm hoping I can get a 4th FP+ for it when we go in Aug.

 

[richmo]

My opinion on the Speedway is that if you can catch it when its not too busy, its fine. But, especially if you have similar rides near home, its not worth the wait.

On a bigger level, my opinion is that its an attraction that takes up a lot of space that could be much better used.

 

[Canuckbiggs]

I have a picture from our first trip of my 4 year old son driving and his smile says it all.

The highlight for him was getting to ram into his mother and sister in front of him (technically not allowed).

I agree on the noise and smell. We are a gear head family and it amazes me that Disney has not updated these cars to quieter cleaner burning motors. It would be easy to do.

It is slow and it is boring for bigger kids and adults but I will have that memory and picture for ever.

 

[Micca]

I think if you're around 4-5 yrs. old it's pretty fun. After that...YMMV (see what I did there?)

 

[Mousemommy1]

Our kids love it, but it is sooooooooo boring.

And the smell of the gas fumes....

 

[Kellykins1218]

My boys are 7 & 9 and they love it. We live in a town with a very large amusement park known for it's thrill rides. The boys are used to much more exciting rides and yet Tomorrowland Speedway is ALWAYS one of their must-dos. I have to admit I really like it, too. We don't find it boring at all.

 

[kidd_freeper]

Don't eliminate ANY rides based on what you read here!

Agreed!

If you are going to eliminate rides because they are "common", then you'll have to also eliminate:
Dumbo
Aladdin's Flying Carpets
Tea Cups
Railroad
Astro-Orbiter
Merry-Go-Round

I like the Speeedway. Especially if you can get others in your group to race on separate tracks (and make it into a race). But I don't like its line. Hit it early or hit it late.

 

[CaryHaven]

First timer going to WDW in October. I got a pretty good handle on ride quality (Haunted Mansion=good, Stitch's Escape=terrible), but I'd love some feedback on the speedway. We have go kart tracks all around where I live, so flying to Florida, paying thousands of dollars for a disney vacation, and spending any more than 5 minutes doing something I can easily do here seems silly.

My son is 4 and for what its worth he does enjoy when we ride go karts at the facilities near us. But when I look in MDE i routinely see wait times of like 20 minutes or more for the speedway. Is it worth the investment of time to ride this one or should we skip it?

My almost three year old LOVED it. One of her favorites. Two years later, she has ones she likes better, but she still likes it. I personally enjoy being her "passenger". If you are very limited on time, I might skip it, but there are other rides I'd even skip before that. I know there are times when it has less of a line, but with FP+ these days, I don't know how it's been affected. It's a good idea to watch a video of a ride if you're trying to judge on whether your kid will like it or not. Everybody's different. I've never ridden HM (and have no desire to), but I think a lot of people would say that it's their favorite ride in MK.