This roller coaster earns high marks for what it is -- a ride designed for those not quite up to the lunch-losing thrills of the Rock 'n' Roller Coaster at Disney-MGM Studios. Think of Big Thunder as Roller Coasters 101. (Survive and graduate to the next level.) It sports fun hairpin turns and dark descents rather than sudden, steep drops and near collisions. Your runaway train covers 2,780 feet of track and careens through the ribs of a dinosaur, under a thundering waterfall, past spewing geysers, and over a bottomless volcanic pool. Animatronic characters (such as a long john-clad fellow in a bathtub) and critters (goats, chickens, donkeys) enhance the scenic backdrop, along with several hundred thousand dollars' worth of authentic antique mining equipment. Note: You must be at least 40 inches tall to ride, and Disney discourages expectant mothers and people prone to motion sickness or those with heart, neck, or back problems from riding.

Copyright: Excerpted from Frommer's Walt Disney World & Orlando 2008, (c) 2008, Wiley Publishing, Inc.

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