The 10 Most Underrated Things at Walt Disney World

Yesterday I offered my list of the Top 10 Most Overrated Things at Walt Disney World — places at the resort that Theme Park Insider have placed more highly in our reader ratings than I would, if I were rating places all by myself.

Now that I've gotten your attention with that list, please allow me to direct that attention to 10 other locations in the resort... ones that I believe deserve a better shake than they've gotten from readers so far.

Again, these are not my picks as the top 10 best locations at Disney World. They are simply the 10 places that, in my opinion, are not rated as highly by readers as I would rate them on my own. I hope that these lists will inspire you to respond with lists of your own, and to browse through our theme park and hotel listings to rate and review the locations you have visited recently. The more readers who participate in our ratings, the more accurate they will be for the general public.

10. Swiss Family Treehouse

The charming walk-through provide the perfect opportunity for restless kids to tire out their legs while firing up their imaginations. No, it's not an E-ticket. But it is the sort of well-decorated, crowd-absorbing secondary attraction that has elevated Disney parks above their less-well-themed competition. One suggestion for improvement? Disney needs to station a greeter at the turnstiles during all operating hours again, to hold the line of visitors whenever it backs up to the point where people have no space to walk through the treehouse at their own pace.

9. Columbia Harbour House

Here's my theory on why the Harbour House doesn't rank among the top quick-service dining locations at Disney World. Some people can't stand the idea of a QS restaurant where you can't order a hamburger. And some people don't know to walk upstairs here to find a table and eat. But for those of us who appreciate the variety of a seafood quick-service restaurant, and who adore the tranquility and views from its upstairs windows, the Harbour House remains one of the better places to eat at Disney.



8. The Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

As the newness wears off this 2014 ride, I hope that future Disney visitors don't automatically dismiss it based upon the low ratings submitted by guests who didn't think it worth the two to three hours (or more!) than people were waiting to ride it in its first year or so. With its unique swaying coaster trains and a wonderful interior sequence featuring outstanding three-dimensional animation, the Mine Train deserves more love than it's been getting. As the Mine Train's wait times settle to a more reasonable level, I hope that its ratings will rise in turn.

7. San Angel Inn Restaurant

The Inception of theme park restaurants (you're dining next to a Mayan pyramid, while inside a Mayan pyramid!), the San Angel Inn offers excellent Mexican cuisine that looks and tastes nothing like the Americanized, mass-market "Mexican" food that most Disney visitors seem to expect. Unfortunately, improvements in its cuisine and service in recent years have not pushed its average ratings up as much in return, illustrating that a good reputation is lost much more easily than it is regained.

6. Via Napoli

Here's another example of an Epcot restaurant that is suffering by not meeting visitors' expectations — even though it is delivering an experience far superior (in my opinion) to what I suspect most Disney guests expect from a pizza restaurant. Yeah, I'm being a pizza snob here, but I will gladly pay Via Napoli's prices for its well-charred-on-the-outside, chewy-on-the-inside crust, cupped pepperoni, and San Marzano tomato sauce than suffer through eating the other stuff masquerading as pizza from chains such as Pizza Hut and Dominos... or the quick service "pizza" restaurants at the Walt Disney World resort.

5. Restaurant Marrakesh

Tucked in the back of the Morocco pavilion, Restaurant Marrakesh long as been the go-to location for Epcot visitors without dining reservations and a willingness to try something other than well-established-in-America meat and potatoes or Italian fare. The couscous, lamb, and chicken are all amazing here and well worth venturing off the beaten path.

4. Finding Nemo - The Musical

Nemo doesn't offer the immersive visual spectacle of the more unconventionally-staged Festival of the Lion King, but this original, live stage musical in Disney's Animal Kingdom ought to be considered among the best theme park shows in the industry.

3. Akershus Royal Banquet Hall

So you must take your daughter to a Disney princess character meal while visiting the Walt Disney World Resort? Don't despair when you can't get a table at Cinderella's. Consider it a blessing in disguise, and go ahead a book a reservation at Epcot's Akershus, instead. It's a better value and much less of a hassle (though we can't promise that will remain the same once Anna and Elsa move in next door later this year).

2. The American Adventure

Disney's most impressive Audio Animatronic show, ever. But forget the technical marvel of this amazing complicated production for a moment to enjoy the profound elegance of a show that tells America's story in 30 minutes without ignoring troubling moments in the nation's history. And "Golden Dreams" remains one of the best Disney theme park songs ever written. The American Adventure deserved to be ranked as a Disney classic, alongside other heavyweights as Pirates and Mansion.

1. Tom Sawyer Island

C'mon. If you've been reading Theme Park Insider, you probably should have guessed that I would save my favorite former attraction for the top spot on this list. I made the case for the importance of Tom Sawyer Island in my recent post, What's So Important About the Rivers of America? The greatest theme park attractions inspire visitors to imagine their own stories within the context of what the attraction presents. Tom Sawyer Island is a theme park treasure, and I love it more than just about anything else in this business. Frankly, you can't rate it highly enough... in my humble opinion.

Now, please head over to our listings pages and start submitting your own ratings and reviews! We want to know what you think, too.

Tomorrow: The 10 Rides, Shows or Restaurants from Other Disney Parks That Walt Disney World Needs

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