Twilight Zone Tower of Terror had me Terrorized!!!
Written: Jan 29 '05 (Updated Jun 21 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Fantastic theming, thrilling ride, detailed and interesting queue area
Cons: A little too thrilling for this mom, must exit through gift shop
The Bottom Line: A fun, thrilling ride with great theming.
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| modernmarvel's Full Review: Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney's Californ... |
Of course, this new ride at Disney's California Adventure has been so hyped for so long, I had to try it on our most recent visit. I left with knees knocking and legs shaking but it was really fun.
THE WAIT
Fastpasses are available for this attraction. We were very fortunate to visit on a very slow day so our wait was only about ten minutes upstairs and then another fifteen minutes or so downstairs. I saw that there were lines set up across the "street" of the attraction. From this vantage point you can see the whole outside of the tower of terror. The cool part about the outside is that you can see how high the cars actually go (very, very high in my terrorized opinion). There are three shafts. During the ride, the car is brought to the top of the tower. A door opens and you can, very briefly, see the park from quite a high vantage point. People on the outside of the attraction can also see the doors open and hear the screams of people inside. This really does build anticipation, or terror, prior to the experience.
Once you get to the hotel, you enter what looks like a decrepit old lobby from what was once a glam hollywood hotel in the 1930s. There are fake cobwebs, an area to check in and lots of cool details to see. The cast members are dressed in bell hop outfits adding to the clever theming. Once you are inside, the line is rather short, maybe fifteen minutes or so.
The bellhop / cast member guides groups of about twenty people at a time into the library. Hold on tight to other members of your party because the crowd does push and you are squished into a small place. It is easy to get separated. The library is filled with lots of detail and all kinds of cool artifacts. I would have liked some more time to look at them.
Inside the library is a tv screen. This is where you will view a short show about the story of the ride. My five year old was standing behind some adults and couldn't see the screen. If you are short or you have children with you, try to stand where you will have a clear view of the screen.
The movie itself tells about the history of the hotel. It was once a glam hollywood hotel. However, five people were killed in an elevator accident. There is some twilight zone music and effects. The tie in is that the hotel was hit by lightning sending it into the fifth dimension. The movie itself is not particularly scary.
After the movie, a door in the libary opens and you are sent into another waiting area. This area is supposed to be the boiler room. There is lots of detail and you do feel like you are in a dark, hot basement. This second wait area is another fifteen or twenty minutes. This queue area is not too bad, the paths are wide and the scenery is interesting. This area does continue the clever theming and the slightly scary boiler room and the dour bell hops keep you in the mood. Everyone must have been feeling it because it was eerie how quiet the crowd waiting was. Usually, the people in the queue areas are chatty and clearly having a good time. In this ride, there was decidedly different mood.
BOARDING
There is a 40 inch height requirement for this ride. Adults should sit next to their young children. Each elevator holds about 20 people. A cast member will line you up on squares just outside the elevator shaft. You can see a floor indicator just above the doors so you know when the ride is about to arrive.
When the door opens, the cast member directs you to your seat. Each square on the floor outside the ride corresponds to a particular seat inside the ride so will not get to choose your seat once you are organized outside the ride. The cast members act rather dour and had a couple of corny jokes as well. The minute you are seated, you put on a car-style lap seat belt. It is very important you are clicked in. Check your children twice. My bottom left the seat during one of the drops and my five year old would have landed on the ceiling I think if he didn't have that belt on. After a seatbelt check, the elevator doors close and you are on your way.
THE RIDE
The ride starts pretty slowly. You go up one or two levels and the doors open to show certain scenery that furthers the ride's story. You see the five people who were hit by lightening and entered the fifth dimension. There are some twilight zone references and also a cool effect where the scene fades into stars. These special effects were pretty interesting and well done. They definitely build anticipation for the next part of the ride.
The next part of the ride is the thrill ride. After the initial scenery, you start the drops. The drops are very fast and in the dark. Although the motion is fast, it is surprising not jerky. A couple of drops are from the top of the shaft. At the top, the ride's door opens and you can see how high you are, giving terrifying perspective on how far you are falling. Basically, this part of the rie scared the crap out of me. I didn't care for the sensation of the falls. What made it worse is that you can't see because it is completely dark. The drops vary in length so you don't know when a fall will start or stop which is disorientating. The Disney information says you drop thirteen stories in this ride and I absolutely believe it. I have also heard that the elevators each have a different series of drops so you can have three different rides.
One time on this ride was enough for me. My five year old went on twice. My eight year old loved it and convinced her grandmother to take her on three more times. Apparently, I am the wimp of the family.
Another thought: The Florida Tower of Terror ride is slightly different in that the elevator car leaves the shaft. Sadly, they didn't use this effect in the California version. This is still a great ride but the Florida version is better.
EXITING THE RIDE
As you leave the ride, there is a photo gallery and you can buy a picture of your elevator car. They snap the picture when the doors open at the top of the shaft, so remember to smile. In my picture, my mouth was open and my eyes were squeezed shut, so needless to say, we didn't purchase it. My kids got a pretty big laugh though.
The one thing I don't care for is that you must exit through a gift shop. There was actually some cool merchandise including hotel style robes and towels with the tower of terror monogram. Still, the kids begging factor makes me prefer rides without mandatory gift shops.
FINAL RECOMMENDATION
Of course, I loved this ride. The theming was great. The queue area was interesting and the half hour wait was nicely broken up. The ride was very thrilling, but a little too much for me. I would encourage almost anyone to try this ride.
MY REVIEWS OF THE DISNEY THEME PARKS IN CALIFORNIA
Disneyland
Disney's California Adventure
MY REVIEW OF THEME PARK HOTELS IN CALIFORNIA
Disney’s Grand Californian
Marriott Suites Anaheim
Residence Inn Anaheim
MY REVIEW OF THEME PARK RESTAURANTS
Storyteller’s Cafe
Blue Bayou
Wine Country Trattoria
Goofy’s Kitchen
MY REVIEWS OF INDIVIDUAL RIDES AND ATTRACTIONS IN DISNEY’S CALIFORNIA ADVENTURE
Soarin’ Over California
Grizzly River Run
The Sun Wheel
Orange Stinger
Mulholland Madness
Jumpin’ Jellyfish
Playhouse Disney Live on Stage
Monster’s Inc. Mike & Sully to the Rescue
Jim Henson’s Muppet Vision 3D
It’s Tough to be a Bug 3D
Princess Dot Puddle Park
Heimlich’s Chew Chew Train
Tuck and Roll’s Drive ‘Em Buggies
Flik’s Flyers
Francis’ Ladybug Boogie
Misson Tortilla Factory Tour
Boudin Bakery Factory Tour
MY REVIEWS OF INDIVIDUAL RIDES AND ATTRACTIONS IN DISNEYLAND
Pirates of the Caribbean
Indiana Jones Adventure
Storybook Land Canal Boats
Snow White’s Scary Adventures
Pinocchio’s Daring Journey
Peter Pan’s Flight
Mr. Toad’s Wild Ride
Alice in Wonderland
Matterhorn Bobsleds
It’s a Small World
Tarzan’s Tree House
Aladdin’s Oasis
Splash Mountain
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Autotopia
Honey, I Shrunk the Audience 3D
Astro Orbitor
Buzz Lightyear Astro Blasters
MY REVIEWS OF OTHER THINGS TO SEE IN SOUTHERN CALIFORNIA
Legoland
SeaWorld San Diego
Birch Aquarium at Scripps
The San Diego Zoo
The San Diego Wild Animal Park
Balboa Park
Cabrillo National Monument
San Diego’s Old Town
The Museum of Making Music
Anza-Borrego Desert State Park
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Anytime
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modernmarvel
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