Top Disney World Attractions for Every Age Group in 2023

Have you ever thought about planning a multi-generational trip to Walt Disney World and ended up feeling intimidated by trying to make sure everyone has a great time? Or are you bringing your kid along for the first time and need some guidance about what they might enjoy? We’ve got the data for that!

Let’s look at the top nine attractions in Walt Disney World for each age group, based on surveys from 2023. Then we can get some perspective about what is unique about each generation, and what similarities you might be able to take advantage of as you plan your next trip!

Explain the Math!

After every Walt Disney World vacation, Touring Plans users can fill out a post-trip survey, and each member of their party can rate every attraction on a scale from 1 to 5:

• 1 = Very Dissatisfied
• 2 = Dissatisfied
• 3 = Neutral
• 4 = Satisfied
• 5 = Very Satisfied

So for every age group, we get a rating on that scale of 5 that tells us how much they enjoyed each attraction. I can average the responses across the whole age group to get the overall average satisfaction.

Top Attractions for Preschoolers

1. Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique – 4.77
2. Adventurers Outpost – 4.75
3. Mickey’s Magical Friendship Faire – 4.74
4. Festival of Fantasy Parade – 4.74
5. The Boneyard – 4.72
6. Meet Anna and Elsa – 4.72
7. Meet Tiana and Rapunzel – 4.72
8. Red Carpet Dreams – 4.71
9. Casey Jr Splash’n’Soak Station – 4.70

What Do Preschoolers Like?

We have some pretty clear trends for preschoolers! Four out of the top nine feature Mickey Mouse in some way. Two others include meeting princesses. And another two are free-play spaces where little kids can run free and get their energy out. Characters and unstructured time are important for this age group.

Five out of the top nine are located in the Magic Kingdom, giving some weight to the general opinion that Magic Kingdom is the best park for young kids. Two attractions from Animal Kingdom, and one each in EPCOT and Hollywood Studios round out our list.

Top Attractions for Grade Schoolers

1. Savi’s Workshop – 4.76
2. Droid Depot – 4.73
3. Slinky Dog Dash – 4.72
4. Bibbidi Bobbidi Boutique – 4.69
5. Test Track – 4.68
6. Flight of Passage – 4.68
7. Toy Story Mania – 4.67
8. Fantasmic! – 4.67
9. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – 4.67

What Do Grade Schoolers Like?

Hot take: If you’re dreaming of a Disney vacation with your kids, and you want that big grin and a hug from characters … elementary school is too late! This list is much less character-centric than the preschool list. We went from seven character-heavy attractions in the preschool top 9 to one in the elementary top 9. It’s amazing what difference just a couple of years can make.

The best park for the age group also shifts, from Magic Kingdom for preschoolers to Hollywood Studios for grade schoolers – where five out of their top nine are located.

And, holy moly are the grade schools a materialistic bunch! Savi’s Workshop and Droid Depot taking the top two spots show just how important take-home goodies from in-park experiences are to this age group. All about those souvenirs!

Top Attractions for Teens

1. Cosmic Rewind – 4.94
2. Savi’s Workshop – 4.87
3. Flight of Passage – 4.86
4. Rise of the Resistance – 4.82
5. Expedition Everest – 4.79
6. Rock’n’Roller Coaster – 4.79
7. Tower of Terror – 4.77
8. Space Mountain – 4.69
9. Test Track – 4.66

What Do Teens Like?

Look at that! Our stereotypically unimpressed teens have some attractions with remarkably higher satisfaction scores than we’ve seen from any other age group so far. When they like something, they really really love it.

Hollywood Studios stays our go-to park for this age group, because it is home to four out of the top 9 for teenagers – Tower of Terror, Rock’n’Roller Coaster (when it returns from refurbishment), Rise of the Resistance, and Savi’s Workshop. For the first time, we also see multiple attractions on the list from Animal Kingdom and EPCOT.

Top Attractions for Young Adults

1. Cosmic Rewind – 4.94
2. Expedition Everest – 4.85
3. Rise of the Resistance – 4.85
4. Flight of Passage – 4.84
5. Tower of Terror – 4.80
6. Rock’n’Roller Coaster – 4.77
7. Fantasmic! – 4.75
8. Kilimanjaro Safaris – 4.68
9. Toy Story Mania – 4.63

What Do Young Adults Like?

Interestingly, and perhaps not surprisingly, the young adult top nine is most similar to the attractions loved by the teenagers. But it adds in two attractions from the grade school list and another two from the senior adult list. Young adults seem conflicted.

Young adults also show a very large skew toward enjoying attractions at Hollywood Studios – six out of their top nine are at the Studios. And, for the first time out of any age group so far, none of their top nine are found at Magic Kingdom. Instead, two are at Animal Kingdom and one is at EPCOT. If you’re a party of only young adults with only three days in the parks, the park you should statistically skip is … Magic Kingdom.

Top Attractions for Adults Over 30

1. Rise of the Resistance – 4.85
2. Flight of Passage – 4.84
3. Cosmic Rewind – 4.82
4. Expedition Everest – 4.73
5. Tower of Terror – 4.73
6. Savi’s Workshop – 4.73
7. Kilimanjaro Safaris – 4.71
8. Miss Adventure Falls – 4.69
9. Mariachi Cobre – 4.66

What Do Adults Over 30 Like?

We can see a few shifts away from the tastes of young adults as we get toward a slightly older crowd. Cosmic Rewind loses its top spot because of a slightly lower score, and that allows Rise of the Resistance sneak into first place. We also see our first water park attraction, and our first live entertainment group.

Like the young adults, none of the top nine attractions for the over 30 crowd can be found at Magic Kingdom. And this is the first group without a clear favorite or best park, with three attractions on the list from Hollywood Studios, three from Animal Kingdom, and two from EPCOT. As a member of this age group, I have to say that our tastes are just more well-balanced. Obviously.

Top Attractions for Senior Adults

1. Candlelight Processional – 4.95
2. Mariachi Cobre – 4.83
3. Kilimanjaro Safaris – 4.79
4. Soarin’ – 4.77
5. Flight of Passage – 4.76
6. Voices of Liberty – 4.72
7. Dapper Dans – 4.70
8. Rise of the Resistance – 4.70
9. Fantasmic! – 4.70

What do Senior Adults Like?

Senior adults are a unique group in their attraction tastes. Unlike any other adult group, Cosmic Rewind isn’t in the top nine. And the park most likely to be a hit with seniors is EPCOT, boasting four attractions out of their top nine. We also see Soarin’ appear for the first time (I knew I was a senior adult at heart).

Four out of the nine attractions (or five, if you count Fantasmic) are musical acts. This includes the overall winner, Candlelight Processional. I haven’t included any seasonal offerings on these lists, but there were SO many ratings for this show, and the overall score was SO much higher, I knew I had to put it here. If you want to have a happy grandparent, bring them to EPCOT at Christmas!

What Does This Mean For You?

Don’t be intimidated the next time you have to plan a vacation that spans multiple generations! Find some attractions that appeal to all age groups, and then pick a few that will particularly exciting for each member of your party. Just because you want your kids to have a magical vacation doesn’t mean you can’t do things that you find exciting too!