Tower of Terror, California Adventure: Good for a scream.
Written: Sep 16 '05 (Updated Dec 25 '05)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: A fun and exciting ride.
Cons: May be slightly scary for some people.
The Bottom Line: One of the better ride in California Adventure, don’t miss it.
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| yakkowarner's Full Review: Twilight Zone Tower of Terror at Disney's Californ... |
This is a fun and exciting thrill ride at California Adventure. If you hit California adventure then this is one of several rides you have to ride (in addition to soaring over California, the rapids, and California screaming.)
How it works and the ride itself.
I’ve decided that I will put in spoilers. I will reveal every detail of the ride that I think is important. So if you hate spoilers then just read the summary. And above all, take the time to ride this attraction, it is awesome.
This is basically a type of freefall ride with a story behind it. You are in an elevator that goes up and down. At first the ride portion is smooth when it is telling the story, but later on it does get a lot more exciting.
There is a queue line outside the ride that you move around in. I have never been in it so I cannot rate the queue line theme but it looks very similar to the one in Florida except it appears more condensed. The outside of the ride is very well done and adds a depth of foreboding. Once you enter the building you enter a hotel lobby. It looks slightly run down with cobwebs, furniture, and decorations. Sadly there are several props that look entirely too new to me (not aged) and I feel they ruin the feel ever so slightly.
After they get through the lobby you enter the library. There you watch a short video that gives you the history of the hotel. It is well done and is exactly the same as the one in Florida.
Once you leave the library you enter the basement. It is themed well and feels like a run down basement of a large building. There are pipes everywhere and sounds that I would expect from a basement. The audio and visual components are well done. Depending on which library you went through you will either go upstairs or downstairs. The entire basement is open and you can see both upstairs and downstairs. At each level there are three elevator doors. Once you get to the end of the line a Disney worker assigns you to a number. After a little bit of waiting, an elevator workman then escorts you in to the library and makes sure you fasten your seatbelt. Then he says some scary/witty remarks and closes the door on you. Then the fun begins.
The narrator (taped) begins to talk in a haunting voice that continues to set the mood. Then slowly the elevator rises up. When you reach your first stop you are exposed to a mirror and you can see yourself in it. Then you have some interesting lighting effects and the mirror does a weird transformation. You then see a live silhouette of yourself. Then the elevator moves again. The next scene has the original hotel guests and it is slightly spooky. You do not move forward like the one in Florida, instead you immediately drop. Then you go to the top where you view the backlot. You move up and down several times until you finally rest in the bottom. The elevator slowly moves forward, the doors open, the elevator operator stars at you, makes a joke, and you exit the vehicle. You can then look at a picture, look at a gift shop, and leave.
Capacity
You are in an elevator with 22 seats.
The workers
The elevator operators are an important part of the ride. They add a chilling feeling, and humorous, aspect to the ride. In a way it is like the jungle cruise where each operator has a unique style and different lines. It definitely adds a nice little touch.
The number of drops
The drops and ascents are random. Each time you ride this attraction the ascents and descents are slightly different. So even though you have been on it you still do not know what is going to happen as far as the ascents and descents are concerned. Sometimes it is a long drop, sometime it is short. Sometimes two drops, sometime one. But you always have several descents and ascents during this portion of the ride.
Differences between the one in Florida.
First is the height of the building. Anaheim has a height limit on buildings o they needed to build a little deeper than the one in Florida. (The source is a worker on the tram.)
The elevator also does not move like the one in Florida, it just drops. It kind of sucks because I really liked that feature.
My experience with the line and wait time.
I have never waited more than ten minutes to get into the library. The line is virtually nonexistant. You can expect to wait 5-15 minutes in the basement. The longer wait in the basement really sucks because it starts to detracts from the overall mood.
Fast pass.
There is fast pass but there really is no need on a normal day (maybe on a Saturday but I would recommend using fast pass on one of the other rides.)
Height limit and kid friendly.
Children must be 42 inches to ride. My son could ride it when he was 3 and he loved it.
Who is this for?
Adults and children that do not mind being slightly spooked and like exciting rides.
Hidden Mickey’s
I have not seen any yet but I’ll keep looking.
But Daisy sent me an e-mail pointing out that there is one on the first floor basement inside a gage on the clock hand.
Location.
California Adventure at the Disneyland resort. Anaheim, California. It is located in the Hollywood pictures backlot, past the Aladdin musical and behind the animation adventure.
Summary
This is a cool and exciting ride. If you do not mind heights and E ticket rides then I highly recommend this ride. I do not recommend it for individuals with ailments, children that are scared easily, or people that do not like intense rides. For anyone else it is an attraction you have to hit when visiting the Disneyland resort.
Disneyland Attractions.
Indiana Jones Adventure.
Space Mountain.
The Haunted Mansion
Roger Rabbit Cartoon Spin.
Shootin Exhibition.
Main street cinema
Main street horse drawn carriage
Goofys Bounce House.
Tarzans Treehouse
California Adventure attractions
Soar’in over California.
Redwood Creek Challenge Trail.
Boudin Bakery.
Mission Tortilla Factory.
Golden Dreams
Recommended:
Yes
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