Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Vs Big Thunder Mountain Railroad

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Vs Big Thunder Mountain Railroad – which is best? Planning which rides to go on is half the fun when planning a Disney holiday. We were lucky enough to be visiting just after the Seven Dwarfs Mine train first opened in 2014.

We had been told that both of these rides get busy and the queues can be long so it’s a good idea to think about Genie+ for them both.

We compare Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Vs Big Thunder Mountain Railroad to see which one we preferred.

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Seven Dwarfs Mine Train opened on 28th May 2014 in Fantasyland, Magic Kingdom to the public. As you can imagine it’s a very popular ride. We saw Seven Dwarfs Mine Train wait times during July 2014 reach 75 minutes.

I’m not sure about waiting that long in the heat for a 2.5 minute ride, still plenty of people were doing it. Even visiting again in April 2016, August 2017 and April 2019, we saw high wait times for this still popular ride.

How Fast Does Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Go?

The ride is based on a roller coaster, reaching speeds of 34 mph. You wont go upside down or backwards, but as you sit in your bucket seat, the carriages are based on a mine cart and will sway from side to side as you go around the corners, and up and down the tracks.

I found that each time you went up a steep track you didn’t go zooming down on the other side. Instead it tricked you with a small slope with a fast twist and turn instead.

As you go into the mine, you see all the dwarfs hard at work. The music is very catchy and upbeat. Up you go out of the mine to more twists and turns before coming to a stop at the end of the ride by the dwarf’s cottage.

What is Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Height Restriction?

This ride has a minimum height restriction of 96cm which means that a lot of smaller children can go on the ride as long as they are happy with the speeds, twists and turns. I found Miss A was very secure in her bucket style seat and wasn’t thrown about at all. We rode at the front of the mine train so we had great views.

Big Thunder Mountain

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad is located in Frontierland, Magic Kingdom, lasting around three minutes per ride. Again we saw the queues reaching 70 minutes during peak times.

I did notice however that at around 10am the queue times were only 20 minutes, so if you decide not to pay for Genie+, then go earlier rather than waiting.

What Is Big Thunder Mountain Height Restriction?

Big Thunder Mountain Rail Road has a slightly higher height restriction of 102cm. I think this is due to the speed and the seat style of the coaster compared to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

Big Thunder Mountain Railroad takes you back in time and you feel the ride a lot more than you do on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. The carriages are open between the riders, so there is a lot more crashing into each other. The seats felt a little harder, and I was definitely thrown around a lot more.

How Fast Does Big Thunder Mountain Go?

There are plenty of fast twists and turns on this ride, as the speeds reach 34 mph. There seems to be a lot more jumps over the tracks than there does in Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.

We sat at the back of the train during this ride and I admit to ducking when we went under low ceiling heights despite knowing I wouldn’t hit anything. I did jump slightly more during this ride as the carriage appeared to leave the track. This could have been a combination of being at the back of the train however.

In our later Disney World visits, we rode Big Thunder Mountain at night which takes on a different experience to the day time rides. It feels faster at night and you get an amazing view of the castle lit up.

So which did I prefer? I think slightly and only just ever so slightly the Seven Dwarfs Mine train came out on top for me. I would definitely recommend getting a fast pass for both rides to avoid the queues.

Check out our Walt Disney World resource page for plenty more tips and tricks