Encouragement requested: TOT!

[eeyoregirl]

Okay, guys and gals, here's the story. I love RnRC, Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, and BTMRR, but I am terrified of TOT! I need to get over this, because I want to give it another try. I think the last time I rode it was in 1999 or 2000 (2 or 3 trips ago). We're going this May, and I don't want to skip it this time. Added bonus: I have a soon-to-be 7 year old in tow. How do I convince her to ride it with me?

Help!!

 

[cleo]

I can certainly encourage YOU to try TOT, but if your daughter doesn't think she wants to try it I'm afraid I'd agree with her and not try to talk her into riding.

I was a real chicken when it came to TOT, but I couldn't get out of riding at one point and I hated every second of it. A few years later I was in the same position (actually a new position...I became the principle researcher for the Brit's Guide) and I REALLY couldn't get out of riding. So I did it again, and guess what? I loved it! Something happened either to me or to the ride (it was right after they changed the drop sequence) that made it feel MUCH smoother, and that made all the difference for me.

I still don't open my eyes when we get to the top of the elevator shaft (heights.... ugh!!) but the sensation of falling and rising is much more enjoyable now. Strange. But maybe you will notice the same thing and you might find it's more fun. And if your daughter decides to try it, all the better! But if not, it will still be there when she's ready.

 

[brentalex]

Who needs the convincing, you or her? Is she willing to go on the other rides you mention, RnRC, Splash Mountain, Space Mountain, and BTMRR? She may not need any convincing at all. My DD has never had any fear of going on any ride, she has had to convince a parent, usually me, to go along with her.
I think ToT is a great fun ride. It needs to instill a little fear in you, that is what makes it fun. My DS who is a bit more of a chicken than his sister did try it last time we were there and now he loves it too. The buildup to the first drop is great and then everyone screaming make you even more nervous than you really are. My son likes to ride it more at night, says that he loves the view when the doors open and the park is all lit up. Give it a try. You'll like it.

 

[jann1033]

is it the "view" of the park that scares you? otherwise i personally find it no more scary than say rnr (more fun than rnr imo). if it's the view just shut your eyes when they open the door. that is what i did always till i conquered that fear last trip and made myself look( it's not that scary in reality)

i had 1 daredevile( youngest) and 1 chicken(oldest, both girls) and now that they are in their mid - late 20s i still have 1 daredevil, 1 chicken . age doesn't always make the difference as some things don't change so if the 7 yr old is normally afraid i wouldn't push it..if not, i'd tell her you are afraid too so let's try it together and see how we like it.

 

['Sir Hiss']

Yo gotta give it another try, it is such a great ride. FYI, we got our 5 year old son on it by calling it the tower of fun - the name scared him more than anything - and he loved it

 

[Bill From PA]

True story: In March of 2004 we took the whole famn damily to WDW, 3 adult children, SIL, grandkids, girlfriend (my son's, not mine) and my 78 yr old mom in her electric Jazzy scooter. I convinced Mom to walk through the ToT pre-show just to get that experience. Once we got to the elevator she developed a bad csae of the 'Braves' and rode it. She blew lunch shortly thereafter.

I'd still recommend you giving it another chance. In 29 days we go again and my nearly 4 yr old granddaughter, who is nearly 40 inches tall, will be on the ride with me (I hope). Never too young, never too old.

Bill From PA

 

[foolishmortal]

Tot Is my favorite ride in any theme park anywhere!!!!!

Give it another try, and if you don't like it then you can atleast say you tried it a couple of different times.

The lobby through to the elevator door opening is nothing but great themeing and special effects that make the ride alone, but then the drops add that special touch.

 

[pezpam]

Try it. If you like those other rides, there's a decent chance you'll like this one. Plus, you can tell yourself that if you hate it, at least you'll know that and won't need to argue with yourself any more.

As for DD, if she likes the other rides, then go for it. My DD all-of-a-sudden decided that the big rides were cool at age 7 and hasn't looked back since. She *loved* TOT. She's also the kind of kid who works herself up a bit into nervousness whenever she tries new things, but gets off and wants to ride again and again. When she started getting nervous in line, we'd have little talks about how rides are what she calls Good-Scary..... they can make you nervous, but in a way that makes the ride more fun once you've done it. Another BIG help was when I pointed out that Mickey Mouse, the Imagineers, and Walt Disney would never WANT to hurt their guests - they want you to have fun, come back, and spend more money. When she felt really nervous about a new ride but wanted to go, I sometimes heard her whisper "Mickey, Mickey, Mickey" to remind herself that Mickey designed the rides so that she'd have fun, not get hurt.

 

[orljustin]

I don't know why grown ups say they are scared of rides. You may not like the feelings you get when you ride one, but what is there to be scared of, especially since you've done it before? It's perfectly safe, the sequence of events is known. Dislike is valid, but just get over being scared of anything on property. Except your check out bill.

 

[twinz]

Just remember Disney would NEVER make anything that would hurt you! Try it...youjust may love it (like I do!)

 

[Sylvester McBean]

I don't know why grown ups say they are scared of rides. You may not like the feelings you get when you ride one, but what is there to be scared of, especially since you've done it before? It's perfectly safe, the sequence of events is known. Dislike is valid, but just get over being scared of anything on property. Except your check out bill.

exactly, I'm not afraid of flying, I actually love to fly. I'm afraid of the plane crashing and then I die. Dr. Doom's Fearfall at Islands of Adventure used to make my palms sweat from nervousness. after a few rides, I'm hands up all the way, and I hate heights. I can certainly understand why a child could be scared of TOT. we saw crying kids yesterday. it's an imposing attraction. but I don't see how an adult can be 'scared' of a ride. nervous? sure, but nervous in a good way. parks like WDW and Universal give safe, controlled outlets for your 'fears'. that's why they're called 'thrill rides'. have a seat, put on the seat belt. in a couple of minutes you'll be back on the ground, safe. until you get into your car to leave the park.

 

[KLAIT]

personally, I love Roller coasters, but do not like RnRc...scared to death of it after doing it once.

That being said, I love TOT....but, the first time I did it I didn't like it too much. I had my eyes closed....the next time my son made me ride it I kept my eyes open and it was much, much better...not sure why....

I think the scariest thing about the ride is the dark....GO FOR IT!

 

[PrincessAurora]

OK, I've only ridden once so I know where you are coming from. I'm going to go this time. Really. The first time i rode I kept telling myself "Mickey wouldn't kill me, Mickey wouldn't kill me." AND browbeat myself with the fact that LITTLE BITTY KIDS are going on this ride and OLD PEOPLE. Now am I going to say that a kindergartner and Grandma Moses are braver than I am? Tiny kids and people with heart conditions? I mean, come on! You HAVE to do it!

 

[PattiPB]

OK, I've only ridden once so I know where you are coming from. I'm going to go this time. Really. The first time i rode I kept telling myself "Mickey wouldn't kill me, Mickey wouldn't kill me." AND browbeat myself with the fact that LITTLE BITTY KIDS are going on this ride and OLD PEOPLE. Now am I going to say that a kindergartner and Grandma Moses are braver than I am? Tiny kids and people with heart conditions? I mean, come on! You HAVE to do it!

I LMAO after reading this!!!

For years, and years, and years, I had the excuse of a little one who was too short to ride __________. You name it, I managed to avoid it! Low and behold, they all grow up to be the daredevils their Dad is!

Finally, my DSis and I rode ToT together because of the pressure of the family during a Reunion trip (12/04). I couldn't speak after ToT!!! COULD NOT SPEAK!!! DH was really worried I was sick/angry. I WAS sick and angry!!! How could I miss all that fun all those years! Why hadn't I tried sooner!!!!!

ToT is now my fave ride (DL and WDW), and I've ridden lots of previous benchwarmers since then. RnRC, however, nearly did me in last December. The corkscrew part really messed with my balance---tummy was fine. After that, the Osborne lights were dancing, let me tell you!

Try it again, with as open a mind as you can. Even if you don't like it, you can shut your family up for life if you've tried it twice.

The daughter...that's a different issue. She needs to decide for herself. My feeling has always been that I didn't want to kids to get my phobias. Apparently, they haven't!

 

[PanamaMike]

I don't know why grown ups say they are scared of rides. You may not like the feelings you get when you ride one, but what is there to be scared of, especially since you've done it before? It's perfectly safe, the sequence of events is known. Dislike is valid, but just get over being scared of anything on property. Except your check out bill.

2 or 3 yeaers ago I watched one of the Travel or Discovery channel shows on amusement parks and specifically the roller coasters in them.

One group of adults was terrified of riding a roller coaster. They went to the park with their therapist, stood by one of the coasters to see it in action, watched a videotape of the ride (camera mounted on front of coaster) and finally climbed aboard. Everyone of them came off the coaster wanting to do it again.

It always stuck with me because one of the women was afraid not only of roller coasters, but also rats, gangrene and tsunamis.

Fear. It is a strange thing.

 

[blestmom]

Okay, you're all convincing me I "have" to try TOT next time. I've talked myself out of it the last few trips. My oldest still won't ride it (he tried it once...not for him, he's 16) but my 14 and 12 year olds love it.

 

[DVCkidsMOM]

DH and I avoided since 2002/3, but kids are both tall enough so were on ToT earlier this January. We both had the same comment - that was much smoother than before! Somehow since the drop/up/drop sequence became random, the reverses of direction have been damped/slowed just a tad to make them much less rough while still providing a thrill. Maybe you'll notice the same change we did? DD didn't like ToT nearly as much as Mission Space, but wasn't upset or frightened.
Note about kid heights: DD was measured in 2 different physician offices with walking sneakers on and was 44" each time. Same sneakers at WDW didn't get her tall enough for Space Mountain and Mission Space with 44" requirements. I have an unproved theory that the measuring sticks by the rides already account for standard sneakers. (So the 44" rides may have a stick that's ~45" to account for shoes?) Fortunately I had packed a pair of higher "fashion sneakers" just in case...

 

[eeyoregirl]

I guess that I have built it up in my mind, and almost willed myself to be scared. Sometimes, I am just irrational.

I think that I will ride it as soon as I get to MGM--get it over with quickly, like pulling off a bandaid.

DD does NOT want to ride this as this point--we have had several conversations since I posted this thread--but she may change her mind. She IS a female, after all, right guys?!?

Thank you all for your excellent advice and encouragement. I appreciate it so much.

 

[daisax]

I agree that TOT is much less harsh than it was originally. I rode it twice that trip (not long after it opened) and the second time frightened me more than the first. Then I made a trip and just couldn't do it. Not sure why -- felt uneasy. So I didn't. This last trip I conquered another fear and rode Space Mountain for the first time (frankly not so scary as I'd been told, but unpleasantly rough -- I'll stick to RnR!) so I felt like to make the trip complete I should once more conquer TOT.

And I enjoyed it. And was much relieved that it seemed gentler than I remembered.

Fears in general aren't rational, but that doesn't mean that our nervous systems aren't reacting to them precisely as they would a genuine danger, with changes in blood pressure and circulation and heart rate. I feel a genuine unease with any ride that includes a "drop" -- yes, I can intellectually understand that millions of people are riding and doing just fine. And I can ride the same ride with minimal fear (e.g. RnR) if there is a seat restraint that is pinning my body to the seat, as opposed to a lap belt or (gasp!) nothing. If my rear end lifts off the seat, and the momentum is forward (as opposed to up and down), my body believes it's going to be flung out into the sky and I'll fall and die a ghastly death.

I try to force myself to do one ride I've never dared before each trip, but it's not at all as easy as saying "It's perfectly safe, so don't be afraid" when your knees are jelly and your blood pressure has dropped.

I wouldn't push a 7 year old to do ANYTHING remotely scary. If they had reservations about a ride that I knew to be perfectly harmless, e.g. Snow White, I'd explain that there are no dips and no big bangs, etc., assuming the fear is coming from a lack of knowledge of what might happen, and that disclosure would alleviate those fears.

But fear of plunges? If feeling left out while other family members ride isn't strong enough incentive, leave it alone, and tell them that there will be future trips and they can try it then if they want.

I don't think it's wise to tell any child of any age to override their inner voice when it's telling them not to do something. They need to trust it, whether it means missing one ride out of 100 or not.

 

[PrincessAurora]

I agree Daisax re: not forcing kids to ride if they don't want to. Sometimes they grow out out it, sometimes they don't but it is THEIR decision. It really frosts my cookies when I see parents forcing crying children to go on ToT because THEY want to go on. To me that is abusive. That kind of trauma can stay with a kid for a long time.

When I was 8, back when we were using stone tools, I was a bit freaked by Pirates and Haunted Mansion. I rode Pirates and liked it though I hid my head in my mothers lap during the sea battle part. I did peek though. The room just felt soooo big and real and the cannons seemed real even though I knew they weren't. The Haunted Mansion - no way jay. I had heard school yard talk about how the Mansion glowed green at night (it doesn't, though sometimes it is lit with various colors) and how someone died of fright and they had to make it less scary (it was never so scary that someone was scared to death, causing Disney to change the ride) but you know how kids are. The next time I went when I was about 10 or 12, I went with no problem.

Kids will adjust to things at their own pace and remember "Mickey won't kill me"