When it comes to discussions of what the best Disneyland ride is, there really are no wrong answers. With so many great attractions, and so many different populations who visit the park, there’s no reason we should all agree on what counts as the best.
Vice President J.D. Vance and his family visited Disneyland in July 2025 for a very high-profile visit, and he was recently asked which of the rides was his favorite. I have to admit, I did not see his answer coming.
Vice President J.D. Vance Loves Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
In a recent guest appearance on The Katie Miller Podcast (via Twitter), Vice President J.D. Vance was asked by the host about his recent excursion to the Happiest Place on Earth. Vance shared that his favorite ride that he did was Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, although he couldn’t actually remember the redressed attraction's name. Vance said:
The one, it’s called — it’s not called Splash Mountain anymore, but used to be called Splash Mountain. That one was awesome; I liked that one.
It’s a somewhat surprising answer from the Vice President. While Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is certainly a fantastic ride, and the version at Disneyland is indeed the best, the attraction has been a hot-button issue on the cultural and political fronts ever since it was announced, given the decision to retheme Splash Mountain came because of its connection to Disney’s Song of the South.
Over the years, many felt that particular movie was outdated and insensitive, and argued that continuing to house an attraction celebrating the characters was wrong. Others of a more conservative nature fought to “Save Splash Mountain,” and even a year after the new ride opened, many are seemingly not over it. Which is all to say, it's a notable go-to favorite for a conservative politician, and speaks to the quality of the revamped ride.
Vance either doesn’t know about the problem, or simply doesn’t care. He liked the ride, which is the whole point, so what else matters?
Vance Hates Space Mountain, Though, And I Just Don’t Even Get It
Now this is really where I'd sportively take the Vice President of the United States to task. Not over the ride that he liked, but the one he didn’t. When asked about his least favorite ride, he said it was Space Mountain.
Vance mentions that while he used to love roller coasters, he now gets slightly motion sick on them, which is why he didn’t care for it. While I can appreciate that, I also get motion sick on some rides, and can’t imagine feeling that way on Space Mountain. Especially not Disneyland's much-smoother version of the ride.
To be fair, the Matterhorn Bobsleds roller coaster was closed for refurbishment during Vance’s visit so he wouldn’t have been able to ride that coaster. Maybe if he’d experienced that rough ride he would have found Space Mountain slightly more to his liking.
