While on honeymoon at Disney World my wife and I spent quite a bit of time in the Magic Kingdom. One of the rides I insisted on going on was Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. For me it was another roller coaster go get on. For her it was a ride to avoid (motion sickness). Together we set off for the ride.

We reached Big Thunder Mountain Railroad in Frontier Land. We go to the entrance and there was a 45minute wait. My wife decided to join me in line as long as I didn’t trick her by getting her stuck riding the coaster. We walked through the line that took us through the western themed scenery. The line took us on top of the scenery and then into a mine. In the mine is where my wife crossed the train and I got on. The coaster is designed as a train with about 7 two-row cars holding 4 people each. The front does have a train engine as some other Mine theme coaster don’t. After the employees secure the safety bars the train shoots out of the station and into a dark cave where the only thing visible are the red bat eyes staring at you. Eventually you get to the first lift, which take the riders to the top of the mountain. After the lift the train weaves in and out of caves the rocks, an excavation site, goes up two more lifts, wobbles back and forth, and then returns to the station. Over all, the ride last about 3 or four minutes.

My views for this ride are mixed. I thought the theming for the ride was excellent. Not may amusement parks put more though than having a coaster with mine trucks on it as there “Mine Train Coaster”. Disney obviously put a lot of though into theirs due to the scenery they built. The theming was about my favorite part of the ride. The rest of it I felt was only ok. Here is my reason: Outside of being a roller coaster fanatic this coaster was a bit tame for my likings. For those who enjoy the coasters that build up enough momentum to get form the only lift to the end this is not one of them. Also as I indirectly pointed out earlier there are three lifts on this ride. After the first one you hit the second in about 25 seconds and after that one you reach the third in about 10 seconds. After completing the last lift the train slows down in about 5 seconds and returns to the station. As you can see the train is not moving on it’s own for long periods of time. Spending a lot of time on ride lifts can get boring.

If and when I return to Disney World I would go on this ride again but if you can’t tolerate roller coaster like the one I just described then it is not for you. If you enjoy slower coasters and well though out themed coasters this is worth checking out.


Recommended: Yes

Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime