DISNEY WORLD REPORT: Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

A new attraction has appeared at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom inspired by the classic 1937 Disney film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs. This junior roller coaster takes you through the mines and the cottage of the beloved dwarfs (dwarves was not popularized until JRR Tolkien's "The Hobbit").


For those who have been keeping up with the latest Disney World news, you'll already know that this ride has been drawing in hours upon hours of wait times every day. The first week of opening saw three-hour lines all day long. Additionally, FastPasses for this attraction are booked until August. Fortunately, I only had to wait 75 minutes, which is still a relatively long time to be standing in line. Not to mention that even with the hot Florida sun beating down, only half the line was air-conditioned. Yikes.

Like many Disney World rides, this one features
games for riders to play while they wait.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train replaced the old Snow White's Scary Adventures dark ride, which still exists at Disneyland. It's a little bit more thrilling, but still enjoyable for young children because it's a rather tame roller coaster. This might be considered the Gadget's Go Coaster of Disney World, but with more dark ride elements and animatronics (which look fantastic by the way).

Unfortunately it is short, with about a five-minute runtime. But it is easily one of the more unique rides at the Magic Kingdom, and definitely one I would write home about. One of its most unique features is the fact that the mine carts you ride in actually swing from side to side, making banked turns more unpredictable and thrilling. I wouldn't wait 75 minutes to ride this again, but I'm definitely glad I did. I only hope Disney Imagineering continues to use new rides to show off their new computer-generated animation and special effects (Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Ariel's Undersea Adventure), rather than slap on cheap special effects and animatronics to traditional rides (Pirates of the Caribbean, It's a Small World). Creating completely new experiences while preserving the old is a much more "Disney" way of doing things, and something tells me Walt would have loved this ride.