Tomorrowland is one of the most interesting microcosms at Walt Disney World because it’s meant to be the land of future, but really it’s the land of the future as imagined by a visionary in the 1960’s. It’s nostalgically weird to visit Tomorrowland since we now live in the future and only a few things that Walt envisioned have actually come to pass. I’ll talk more about this when I write about Epcot’s Future World.
Everyone knows Tomorrowland for its epic ride Space Mountain, which made me sick in Disneyland so I didn’t ride it here. And know the iconic Astro Orbiter, which is like the space age version of Dumbo, but there are a few other things you should pay attention to in Tomorrowland as well that won’t take as long in the lines.
1. PeopleMover
The Tomorrowland Transit Authority People Mover is one of the most underrated attractions at Disney World. Which fortunately means that lines for it are often short. I think it really fun to take this cart ride on a tour of Tomorrowland. You’ll get to see everything from the track that runs around the perimeter and those random soundbites you heard while standing in line at other attractions will finally make sense.
The PeopleMover even goes inside Space Mountain and the Buzz Lightyear ride so you can see people riding those rides. One of my favorite parts was seeing the scale model of what Epcot would have been if Walt had lived rather than the extra theme park that it turned into.
The PeopleMover is a relaxing tour ride with a fast moving line (if there is a line). Anyone can ride it, so it’s perfect for the whole family.
2. Carousel of Progress
Even I can admit that the Carousel of Progress is a little weird, which is why it fits so well in Tomorrowland. More of a show than a ride, the Carousel of Progress is a rotating set of theater seats around a stage with an anamatronic cast and a theme song that will be stuck in your head forever (not exactly like Small World, but sort of).
What’s the big benefit to the Carousel of Progress? It’s air conditioned, and there is almost never a line. Besides that it’s fun and you get to see Walt’s vision for animatronic actors. The carousel was once part of a World’s Fair, and it is interesting to see what was amazing to people back then.
What’s the drawback? The last scene is suppose to be the future, but it’s really bad and a little hard to watch because they came a little close to predicting the future we live in but everything looks like it came out of the 1970’s.
3. Monsters Inc. Laugh Floor
A comedy show from the cast of Monsters Inc.? Sign me up. As everyone knows, after the events of Monsters Inc. the scare floor was replaced with the laugh floor to power Monstropolis with the laughs of children. This attraction is based on that idea. The monsters (all digital projections) tell jokes with audience participation. They need to fill up the laugh canister to power the city.
The Laugh Floor is a fun time, especially for kids and people who love cheesy jokes. Sometimes there is a long line, but even so most of the line is inside with air conditioning and jokes along the way.
Sum Up of Tomorrowland
These three attractions are often missed in Tomorrow because they aren’t the big headliner rides, but they are totally worth doing. Other fun things in Tomorrowland include Space Mountain, Stitch’s Great Escape, and Buzz Lightyear’s Spin. There are bathrooms next to the wonderfully named Merchant of Venus restaurant.
