Tower of Terror - chicken exit?

[Vala]

I've never been on TOT. My friends are trying to get me to go, but I honestly don't know if I'll make it through.

I do all rides fine, as long as I see where I am going. Only Space Mountain is a big no, and somehow TOT terrifies me as well.

So my question is: when's your last chance to back out?
Are there stairs from the boiler room, or would I have to leave the queue area somewhere?

I really want to try because it means so much to the people I am going with. But I am not sure how far my courage will take me.

 

[Magix]

Your last chance to get out is just before you get into the elevator. They can let you go out the exit right there. My friend had to do that with his daughter, who chickened out in the TV room, but we had to keep her with us until the elevator, where they just had him go out the exit area. So, you can go all the way to the last moment.

But... don't chicken out, you'll love the ride, once you're on it!

 

[cheshiregirl]

On our last trip I was riding TOT solo while DH hung out with DS. I was put into an elevator with a group of about 10 tweens. One boy did NOT want to ride and the group was literally pushing him into the elevator and trying to hold him down. Our "bellhop" asked him if he wanted to get off and made the other kids let go as they physically tried to restrain him by holding onto his shirt,etc.

When we got to the end of the ride he was waiting for his "friends" who of course were teasing him mercilessly.

Unfortunately these 12-14 year olds appeared to be completely unsupervised as there wasn't an adult in sight on or off the ride. But, I really applauded the CM who helped this poor guy get off the ride before it was too late!

 

[Vala]

Thank you for the quick replies.

Whoa - thankfully that boy had the CM backing him up.

My friends are very easy going about that and had no problem with me staying behind last time. But as you say Magix, they say I'll love it and I really, really want to try.

I'm thinking my fear comes from being stuck in an elevator when I was younger. It was me, my aunt and my cousin. My cousin had just seen a movie with people trapped in an elevator who was about to fall down and they desperately tried to get out.
This is not a thing you should tell a 5 year old who's terrified anyway.

 

[kkheburn]

I wish I would have used the exit. I hated the ride! I was holding on so tight to my husband I left marks on his arm! I kept my head burried in his shoulder. I will never ride it again. I swear I wanted to cry when I got off.

 

[skoocher]

I say try it. I too must admit I was scared to death of that thing...but had so much fun once I rode it. Probably one of my favorites now.

 

[bumbershoot]

I'm thinking my fear comes from being stuck in an elevator when I was younger. It was me, my aunt and my cousin. My cousin had just seen a movie with people trapped in an elevator who was about to fall down and they desperately tried to get out.
This is not a thing you should tell a 5 year old who's terrified anyway.

Two thoughts...

Maybe this will be like therapy that will help you through that fear!

And remember the ride isn't falling, it's being pulled down mechanically. You're not falling through the air, it's all controlled.

 

[Vala]

Two thoughts...

Maybe this will be like therapy that will help you through that fear!

And remember the ride isn't falling, it's being pulled down mechanically. You're not falling through the air, it's all controlled.

I knew it's being pulled down, that's what I keep telling myself all the time. LOL
But I was concerned how bad the feeling of "falling" still is. So you don't feel it too much?

Of course I know everything is controlled, but this falling feeling is what got to me in the past.
Some classmates managed to talk me into riding one of these freefall tower things when it opened in an amusement park near our school.
I'll spare you the details, but they did regret persuading me in the end.

 

[bumbershoot]

Well, it doesn't work for everyone, but for me, it feels different than on the rides that really "drop". I don't much like heights b/c I'm worried about a mis-step and falling, and I won't go on Maliboomer or any of those sorts of rides, but I like TOT.

Don't get me wrong, you're going down (and up) fast, and you feel that, but to me it feels different than just falling.

 

[JaneJetson]

Your last chance to get out is just before you get into the elevator. They can let you go out the exit right there. My friend had to do that with his daughter, who chickened out in the TV room, but we had to keep her with us until the elevator, where they just had him go out the exit area. So, you can go all the way to the last moment.

But... don't chicken out, you'll love the ride, once you're on it!

I didn't love it once I was on it. Not the first time. Or the second time. Or the time I rode it at WDW.

On our last trip I was riding TOT solo while DH hung out with DS. I was put into an elevator with a group of about 10 tweens. One boy did NOT want to ride and the group was literally pushing him into the elevator and trying to hold him down. Our "bellhop" asked him if he wanted to get off and made the other kids let go as they physically tried to restrain him by holding onto his shirt,etc.

When we got to the end of the ride he was waiting for his "friends" who of course were teasing him mercilessly.

Unfortunately these 12-14 year olds appeared to be completely unsupervised as there wasn't an adult in sight on or off the ride. But, I really applauded the CM who helped this poor guy get off the ride before it was too late!

That was nice of the CM. But yeah...those kids seem a bit young to be without supervision.

Thank you for the quick replies.

Whoa - thankfully that boy had the CM backing him up.

My friends are very easy going about that and had no problem with me staying behind last time. But as you say Magix, they say I'll love it and I really, really want to try.

I'm thinking my fear comes from being stuck in an elevator when I was younger. It was me, my aunt and my cousin. My cousin had just seen a movie with people trapped in an elevator who was about to fall down and they desperately tried to get out.
This is not a thing you should tell a 5 year old who's terrified anyway.

I was stuck in an elevator when I was younger. And I hate riding them now. I won't ride one alone at all.

I wish I would have used the exit. I hated the ride! I was holding on so tight to my husband I left marks on his arm! I kept my head burried in his shoulder. I will never ride it again. I swear I wanted to cry when I got off.

I buried my head in my husband's (boyfriend at the time) shoulder too the first time. Well, I thought I did. I realized half way through that it was some other guy. My husband was on the other side of me...haha.

I knew it's being pulled down, that's what I keep telling myself all the time. LOL
But I was concerned how bad the feeling of "falling" still is. So you don't feel it too much?

Of course I know everything is controlled, but this falling feeling is what got to me in the past.
Some classmates managed to talk me into riding one of these freefall tower things when it opened in an amusement park near our school.
I'll spare you the details, but they did regret persuading me in the end.

Don't feel it too much?? Haha. You feel it. I don't like the feeling. But I think for me, the worst part is the anticipation of it. When they open the doors, the car kind of bounces a few times before it drops you. Then it takes you up real fast and you're just thinking "how high up are we going? when will it drop us again?" And it's in the dark so you don't really know what's going on.

I can see how some people enjoy it. It's one of my husbands favorite rides (which is why I've gone on it twice at DCA and once at WDW...and I'm sure I'll go on it again at some point.) But I just don't care for it.

I LOVE space mountain and california screamin though.

 

[Sherry E]

And remember, too - you don't HAVE to go on it if you are not comfortable, even if your friends do and want you to. I LOVE Star Tours and several of my friends used to go on it years ago, and they have now all stopped riding it, for some reason, claiming they get headaches which they never mentioned back in the '90s. And you know what? Not a single one of them could give a hoot that I really like it and want to go on it. They aren't riding it anymore and I don't try to coax them! If I really want to go on it I can go alone or wait until I get there with people who WILL ride it. So I applaud you wanting to do this for your friends' sake because mine won't do it for me!!!

Anyway, I will not be riding TOT. That is not the sort of ride I will enjoy. I already know that about myself. It will traumatize me. It took me YEARS just to get to love POTC!!! So TOT is not on my list of must-dos, which is just as well, because I never get to everything I want to do anyway!!!

 

[pixiewings71]

Ok let me just say. I was TERRIFED of ToT!! Did NOT want to do it at all, no way, no how. My DD was 6 at the time and she loved it, I refused to do it. After we left from our 2006 trip I promised her I'd try it if we went back. Little did I know we would go back again in 2007 and get AP's! LOL So, when we went back in 07 she remembered me saying that I would do it. I thought for sure I wouldn't be able to....but I did it. The first ride was scary for me, I was fuh-reaked out!!!! Soooooooooo bad.....but then I did it again, and again and again and now ToT is one of my favorites!! I love it. And I HATE heights and falling and I detest those free fall crap rides that they have at other theme parks. I rode one of those at Great America....never again.....I thought ToT would be like that but it wasn't.

 

[pixiewings71]

BTW Sherry, Star Tours didn't used to give me headaches either, but man does it ever now!! The girls love it though so they ride it while we wait outside. lol

 

[toocherie]

I went on ToT last weekend for the first . . . . and last . . . . time.

 

[Sherry E]

BTW Sherry, Star Tours didn't used to give me headaches either, but man does it ever now!! The girls love it though so they ride it while we wait outside. lol

Yeah, I wonder what that is - headaches that develop over time in reaction to a ride. It is almost like delayed motion sickness! Or maybe something in the body chemistry changes as we age and the motion simulation affects it more when we are older than when we are younger. It is weird, but it seems to happen!

 

[LavenderPeach]

Yeah, I wonder what that is - headaches that develop over time in reaction to a ride. It is almost like delayed motion sickness! Or maybe something in the body chemistry changes as we age and the motion simulation affects it more when we are older than when we are younger. It is weird, but it seems to happen!

I was having a similar conversation with DH the other day (only about Matterhorn instead of Star Tours) and his theory is that your brain gets less attached to your head as you get older and jiggles around more!

 

[ParkHoppa]

Whatever you do DONT psyche (if i spelled that right) yourself out, its not that bad at all. The only sctual scary part is waiting in the boilewr room. Bring earplugs because they play music of ghosts wailing and people screaming at one point, that really freaks you out, but once you beat your fear your fine!

 

[JaneJetson]

Whatever you do DONT psyche (if i spelled that right) yourself out, its not that bad at all. The only sctual scary part is waiting in the boilewr room. Bring earplugs because they play music of ghosts wailing and people screaming at one point, that really freaks you out, but once you beat your fear your fine!

It's all a matter of opinion. What's scary to one person may not be scary to another person.

 

[Sherry E]

I was having a similar conversation with DH the other day (only about Matterhorn instead of Star Tours) and his theory is that your brain gets less attached to your head as you get older and jiggles around more!

Hee hee! That is too funny! What a lovely image that conjures up!

 

[Sherry E]

It's all a matter of opinion. What's scary to one person may not be scary to another person.

100% correct. It is all subjective. I still have a friend who refuses to go on POTC because of the drops. I conquered my fear of POTC LONG, long ago and now that is one of my favorite rides, so I cannot imagine how she can't go on it, but to her, the fear is very real! Another friend will ride POTC but buries her face in my arm or any arm that is handy just before the drops. She is terrified of them. So TOT for many is not that bad, and for others, it is Tower of Death and not Tower of Terror!