Disney World is a special place full of fun rides, great entertainment, tasty food, and amazing smells. Those smells in many ways are the Disney experience. How can you forget the smell outside of the bakery on Main Street USA? Or the unforgettable smell of Rome burning inside Spaceship Earth?
We’ve decided to rank the 7 rides we believe have the best smells in all of Disney World. You may notice there are several water rides on this list. Nothing can beat the smell of a Disney boat ride!
Disagree with our choices? Let us know in the comments!
Spaceship Earth – EPCOT
Spaceship Earth has one of the most iconic smells in all of Disney World. The fall of Rome is depicted well visually, but it’s the unmistakable smell of the city and its books burning that sticks with you long after the ride is over.
The smell has such a following that there are even fans who have tried to capture it in candle form. Such as this Scorched Parchment candle that is supposed to mimic the fall of Rome.
Flight of Passage – Animal Kingdom
One of the best rides in all of Disney World, Flight of Passage in Pandora is a thrilling journey on the back of a banshee. The ride perfectly combines some of the technology of Soarin’ and molds it into an unforgettable ride.
Flight of Passage has a couple unique smells that help convince the rider that they really are traveling around Pandora. The best, in our opinion, is the flowery aroma that you can smell when your banshee takes a brief rest inside a cave. It’s hard to describe, but it smells awesome.
Pirates of the Caribbean – Magic Kingdom
All Disney World boat rides have a special smell that’s unique to Disney. Pirates of the Caribbean is no exception. Pirates, as well as the other Disney water rides, use bromine instead of chlorine to sanitize the water. You can learn all about the hows and whys here, but summarized it’s because bromine is milder in terms of smell and less harsh when it comes into contact with clothing and skin.
Though the water is the starring smell here, Pirates maintains a unique smell even compared to other water rides at Disney World. It has a unique gun powder, mildew, and smokey smell that can only be described as Pirates of the Caribbean.
You can also find some third-parties who sell cologne/perfume that smells like the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Seriously.
Soarin’ – EPCOT
Like Flight of Passage in Animal Kingdom, Soarin’ uses different smells to help tell its story. Dirt, grass, and a fresh tropical smell come through in big ways to enhance riders’ trip around the world.
Some Disney World fans may miss the original Soarin’ that had a very popular citrus smell through an orange grove, but the new smells are still pretty refreshing.
Haunted Mansion – Magic Kingdom
This may be the most difficult smell to describe in all of Disney World. It’s an old, musty house smell that is far less offensive than that may sound. That description alone may make you wonder why we’d ever include Haunted Mansion in our list, but you’ll have to take our word on it that its one of the more iconic Disney smells.
Maybe it’s the combination of all of the smells from the fog and animatronics?
it’s a small world – Magic Kingdom
Like Pirates, this is another boat ride that has an iconic smell due to its water. However, it’s a small world also has another unique smell that is pretty difficult to describe. Known for its song, it’s a small world also has a smell that can only be described as historic. That doesn’t necessarily mean old, but it does have a “this is an old attraction” smell that screams vintage Disney.
Living with the Land – EPCOT
Yes, we’re closing out this list with yet another boat ride, but this time it’s not just because of the water. The greenhouse / dome portion of the ride where all of the vegetables and plants are growing has some diverse and unique smells. Simply, Living on the Land has a fresh smell during its greenhouse and garden portions, and a classic Disney boat ride smell during the remainder of the attraction.
That combination, along with the fact it’s a really interesting ride with a short wait, makes it one of our “must-dos” each trip.
Honorable Mention
Mickey’s PhilharMagic isn’t a ride, but it may have some of the best smells in Disney World during the Beauty and the Best “Be Our Guest” segment. The pie and champagne smell are sure to make you hungry if you weren’t already.
