I’m just back from a tour of what’s new at Disney World’s expansion of Fantasyland and my favorite part is …. the newly revamped Test Track ride at Epcot. OK, OK, the additions to Fantasyland are fun too, but they’re aimed at the little ones and a non-parent adult isn’t likely to ride them over and over or keep going back to meet Belle. Test Track, on the other hand, is great fun for those of us who just have a childish streak. The basic ride remains the same – the car still hits 65 mph, the fastest of any Disney ride anywhere – but all the visuals have changed. Plus, the Imagineers have added a pre-show and an after-show. Before you ride, you design your own car. Although you ride in the same standard car as everybody else, the computer tests your design and tells you how well it would fare on that ride. Then afterwards, you can put your digital car on a digital track and watch it compete against others. It’s really two attractions in one. If I caught a day when the lines were shorter, I’d go back and modify my design to make my car faster. Even the grown-up kids seemed to be enthralled by the attraction, which reopened just last week. Vroom, vroom!
Designing your own car at Test Track. Photo: Ali Nasser/Walt Disney Resorts
