The gentle nature of this ride and its similarity to the hugely popular Dumbo have made this a go-to Tomorrowland attraction for kids, while adults can appreciate that the ride affords terrific views of the rest of Tomorrowland, and even of the A-frame tower at Disney’s Contemporary Resort in the distance.Įach arm of the Astro Orbiter carries a silver and gold rocket-shaped car with green and red trim. The line for the Astro Orbiter includes an elevator ride to the top of the Tomorrowland Transit Authority platform. This slightly cartoonish representation of the future is Disney’s nod to the fact that many of the futuristic ideas that the original Tomorrowland celebrated are now the ideas of today, or even yesterday. Like the rest of the area, the attraction was refurbished and re-colored to resemble the comic book worlds of Flash Gordon and Buck Rogers.

The ride received its current name in 1994 during the renovation of Tomorrowland. Magic Kingdom’s Astro Orbiter, on the other hand, remains the centerpiece of Florida’s Tomorrowland. The location and appearance of the ride both echoed its sister attraction at Disneyland, but the Disneyland Astro Obiter has since moved from its towering central location to ground level at the entrance of Tomorrowland. The ride sits on top of a platform in the middle of Tomorrowland, inside the loop of the Tomorrowland Transit Authority people mover attraction. The Astro Orbiter debuted at Magic Kingdom in 1974 under the name Star Jets, during a Tomorrowland expansion that also saw the arrival of Space Mountain. You can control the flight of your rocket in the Astro Orbiter. However, the futuristic appearance of the ride made it a perfect fit in the world of Tomorrowland. While nothing like flying cartoon elephants of Dumbo had ever been seen before, the flying rockets of the Astro Orbiter closely resembled similar rocket rides already seen around the world. The success of Dumbo the Flying Elephant prompted Disney to include a second aerial carousel ride at Disneyland, and later at Magic Kingdom. This ride was later duplicated in time for the opening of Magic Kingdom in 1971, and both versions of the ride are tremendously popular. The first and most famous aerial carousel ride at a Disney park was Dumbo the Flying Elephant, which opened the same day that Disneyland Park in California was opened to the public. Some rides program the arms to rise and fall in a coordinated fashion, while others allow riders the freedom to make their arm rise and fall as much as they want while the ride is spinning. Riders sit in cars at the end of each arm to create the impression that they are flying through the air. These rides were popular at fairs and amusement parks well before the creation of the first Disney theme park, but Disney adapted the idea to include the unique and detailed theming that has become associated with all Disney theme parks.Īerial carousel rides consist of multiple arms that rise and fall as they rotate around a central axis. The Astro Orbiter is one of several aerial carousel, or telecombat style rides around Walt Disney World.

From its towering location atop the Tomorrowland Transit Authority platform, the Astro Orbiter is one of the visual centerpieces of the Tomorrowland area. It features small rocket shaped cars on long arms that lift into the air and rotate around a central axis. The Astro Orbiter is a rotating rocket ship ride located in the Tomorrowland area of Magic Kingdom.

Orbiter ride