FAST TRACK TO TOP 100 THEME PARKS / TOP 100 ROLLER COASTERS / NEDERLANDSTALIGE VERSIE

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On this page, I ranked my 100 favourite dark rides. As the definition of a ‘dark ride’ is relatively difficult to pin down, I based my selection on the criteria used by the Dark Ride Database. I’ve chosen to include classic dark rides, semi dark rides (where only a part of the ride is indoors) and show rides (such as flying theatres and simulators) in this list. Furthermore, I have limited myself to dark rides that can still be visited today. I absolutely loved defunct attractions as The Great Movie Ride, Transdémonium and Dinosaur, but they are not included in this ranking.

Spoiler alert: four of the attractions in my top 10 can be found in the same theme park!

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In 2022, Efteling bid farewell to Spookslot, a legendary show attraction from the 1970s. Long-standing fans were furious, but the loss was more than made up for with the opening of a new spooky experience. The park worked together with Intamin to create Danse Macabre. And I must say: this attraction is better than its predecessor in every possible way. Whereas Spookslot was a rather passive stand and watch attraction, Danse Macabre offers considerably more action. The experience takes place in a sinister (and magnificently themed) abbey and riders take their seats in spinning choir stalls. Danse Macabre includes multiple references to the former Spookslot, but Efteling’s creatives also came up with quite a few new special effects. Besides, the ride may be quite intense, depending on the vehicle and specific seat you’re assigned to. In short: Danse Macabre pays a more than perfect tribute to Spookslot and it might even be the best attraction that Efteling has ever created.

Tokyo DisneySea thanks much of its status to stunning landscaping and an absolutely incredible attraction lineup. Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey, Journey to the Center of the Earth, Indiana Jones Adventure and Tower of Terror are the stars of this park and they often have hour-long lines. Interestingly, one of my other favourite DisneySea rides rarely has a wait of more than 10 minutes. I’m talking about Sinbad’s Storybook Voyage, a classic boat ride. And that boat ride just happens to be one of the cutest, most elaborately themed dark rides in the world. You’ll find this attraction in the stunning Arabian Coast, and its beauty isn’t limited to the exterior. The ride is surprisingly long, the theme song will get stuck in your head for the rest of the day, and there’s an incredibly large number of animatronics. Moreover, these animatronics move with a remarkable smoothness. So please, never again refer to Sinbad’s Storybook Voyage as the Arabic alternative to It’s a Small World, as it’s so much more than that.

The beating heart of Tokyo DisneySea is Mysterious Island. This land consists of hot water lagoons, grottos and an impressive volcano called Mount Prometheus. Mount Prometheus is not merely the visual centrepiece of the park; it is also the setting for a spectacular dark ride. Journey to the Center of the Earth is a truly unrivalled immersive experience. It begins with a mysterious queue, after which you are transported to the ride’s boarding station by Terravator, some kind of industrial-looking lift. Riders then experience an underground expedition which starts rather lovely in a fairy-tale crystal cavern, but soon leads to a confrontation with a gigantic lava monster. I’d like to praise Journey to the Center of the Earth for its brilliant build-up of suspense, its surprising finale and the absolutely beautiful soundtrack. I think I’ve ridden this attraction more than 30 times by now, but I just can’t get enough of it.

Since the opening of Cars Land in 2012, Radiator Springs Racers has been one of the most popular attractions at the Disneyland Resort in California. And rightly so, because we’re talking about an attraction of extraordinary proportions. This ride covers a huge area and it combines several different experiences into one captivating attraction. It consists of a leisurely drive through Ornament Valley, a stunning dark ride and a fast (albeit relatively low-thrill) racing section. During the dark ride, the lifelike animatronics are particularly noteworthy. They move with unprecedented fluidity and, thanks to modern projection technology, their facial expressions show more emotion than you’d expect from a bunch of cars. Radiator Springs Racers’ greatest strength, however, is its sheer scale. Disney has created a magnificent mountainous landscape with some of the best forced perspective I’ve ever seen.

Tokyo DisneySea changed forever on 6 June 2024. That was the opening day of Fantasy Springs. This 8th Port of Call cost approximately 1.75 billion euros and it brought four new attractions to the park. Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure and Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival received positive reviews, but the star of the show is the nearby Frozen dark ride. Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey is a retelling of the popular story from the first Frozen film. In terms of immersiveness, this ride goes noticeably further than Frozen Ever After, the beautiful yet relatively simple dark ride found at three other Disney resorts. During this 7-minute ride, we hear all the familiar songs from the first Frozen film, including a wonderful (Japanese!) rendition of Let It Go. The attraction is packed with top-class audio-animatronics and special effects that leave you wondering how on earth they managed to pull them off. An absolute gem!

Indiana Jones Adventure is one of the most incredible dark rides Disney has ever developed. When you enter this attraction, it’s easy to forget that you’re actually in a theme park. The ride takes place behind the walls of a mysterious temple and the queue area was designed as an ominous labyrinth. The suspense is built up in an extraordinary way and it ultimately culminates in a first-class dark ride experience. Indiana Jones Adventure is a wild ride in an off-road vehicle, an experience made possible by Disney’s Enhanced Motion Vehicle ride system. Highlights are the dangerous crossing of a rickety bridge and the escape from a rolling boulder. Thanks to all this action, Indiana Jones Adventure is without doubt the most intense dark ride at the Disneyland Resort. That’s really impressive, considering the fact that Indiana Jones Adventure is more than 30 years old.

When Disney’s Imagineers were working on the world’s most beautiful theme park, they managed to incorporate two of the world’s best dark rides. Tokyo DisneySea opened in 2001 with highlights such as Journey to the Center of the Earth and a Japanese version of Indiana Jones Adventure. The ride system and layout of this attraction are identical to those of the Californian version, but there are also some notable differences. Firstly, the attraction is located in Lost River Delta, a tropical land that recreates the jungles of South America. Secondly, you enter a much larger-looking Mayan temple, as opposed to the South Asian style used at Disneyland. Thirdly, the ride itself has been enhanced with a few additional effects. Riders can see a menacing tornado in the central temple hall, but the most impressive effect is a sort of fireball that’s blown towards the vehicle near the end of the ride. Thanks to these extras, I rank Temple of the Crystal Skull just a little higher than Temple of the Forbidden Eye.

Star Wars fans went wild when Disney announced it was building Galaxy’s Edge at its two theme park resorts in the United States. This massive land depicts the planet of Batuu and it offers a whole host of different experiences. These include a unique cocktail bar, several restaurants, a lightsaber workshop and two rides. The star attraction of this duo is Rise of the Resistance, an attraction that combines several ride systems. The result is nothing short of stunning. Even for a Star Wars novice like me, Rise of the Resistance is a truly memorable experience. Visitors are completely drawn into the story and the whole experience feels incredibly realistic. It’s therefore no surprise that, since its opening, this attraction has been the highlight of Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Disneyland Anaheim. Queue times of over two hours are not unusual, but believe me: Rise of the Resistance is worth every minute of the wait. World class!

Mystic Manor is the best thing that has ever happened to Hong Kong Disneyland. We find this exotic-looking mansion in a tropical area called Mystic Point and it houses one of the world’s greatest theme park rides. The experience starts with a pre-show introducing us to Lord Henry Mystic and his extremely cute sidekick Albert. We are then invited for a tour of Mystic Manor to get a glimpse of Mr Mystic’s private collection of antiquities and artefacts. That tour is characterised by a series of dazzling special effects and a breathtaking soundtrack. Mystic Manor starts off modestly, but builds gradually (and in tandem with the music) into an indescribable spectacle. Especially the final two scenes are absolutely amazing and use some of the most clever visual effects I’ve ever seen in a theme park attraction. In short… Mystic Manor is a magnificent experience, but keep in mind that Mystic Manor doesn’t rely on huge scenes like the ones you find on Pirates of the Caribbean or Indiana Jones Adventure. This attraction is all about intimacy and attention to detail.

Shanghai Disneyland has rewritten the rules of a classic Disney theme park. At opening in 2016, the park presented a whole host of unique ideas and fresh perspectives. One of the classic attractions that received a major revamp was Pirates of the Caribbean. There were already four versions of this legendary dark ride, but they all boiled down to the same thing: sailing past scenes in a boat. The Chinese version, however, ensures that riders literally become a part of those scenes. Guests aren’t spectators, but they become part of the action. This sensational new idea was achieved by using a state-of-the-art ride system that allows for precise timing and controlled changes of direction. Apart from the inredible technology, the ride also boasts world-class theming. Battle for the Sunken Treasure is actually one of the few dark rides in the world where you’ll never see a spotlight or the ceiling of the building. Next level in every possible way.

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TOP 100 THEME PARKS / TOP 100 ROLLER COASTERS

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