Tower of Terror - Rider Switch

[MudBud]

Hi! Reading through info on the internet and one article said that for the rider switch on Tower of Terror, the adult and kids not riding are held in the library. That would be pretty scary for my daughter even though she's not on the ride. Does anyone know if that's true? I thought when my sister went with her kids, the other adult and kids just walked around until she was done & then they switched so the other adult could go on the ride.

 

[Robo]

Hi! Reading through info on the internet and one article said that for the rider switch on Tower of Terror, the adult and kids not riding are held in the library. That would be pretty scary for my daughter even though she's not on the ride. Does anyone know if that's true?

Nobody is held in the library (except Rod Serling.)

 

[Alesia]

Hi! Reading through info on the internet and one article said that for the rider switch on Tower of Terror, the adult and kids not riding are held in the library. That would be pretty scary for my daughter even though she's not on the ride. Does anyone know if that's true? I thought when my sister went with her kids, the other adult and kids just walked around until she was done & then they switched so the other adult could go on the ride.

That's not true. That's never been true.

Do you remember where you read that?

 

[Robo]

That's not true. That's never been true.

Do you remember where you read that?

It doesn't really matter where...

If it's on the internet is must be true.
(I heard that they have a guy that checks everything.)

 

[lizard1]

From my experience last year, I had to take my too scared (but tall enough) child through the line. Then at the boarding area, they sent us down the regular elevator to wait at the exit of the ride. Then when my husband and other child were done riding, I was able to go back up the same elevator and board the ride. Don't know if they are still doing it the same way because my under 7 child wanted to ride this year.

 

[disnut8]

Heck, even the lobby is scary enough for someone who doesn't want to ride it so I doubt this is true.

Funny story with my father-in-law. We knew he would NOT like Twilight Zone but he was interested in seeing the Rod Serling stuff since he remembered the Twilight Zone series when it was the real TV. Since we had been on the attraction many times, we assured him he could just simply go through everything with us and then he would be escorted out before the plunge (I had done that earlier and knew he would be fine). While walking through the lobby, he started to frown, then the library. He loudly asked if this was "THE DROP!!!!!!" we explained that it was Rod Serling and I started to worry. But, he was OK as we made sure he was back up and far away from the TV and he was supported by a wall. We stood in front of him and he held onto my shoulder the entire time (because I had taken the alternative exit earlier so he thought I knew was I was doing for him). My shoulder hurt for quite some time . And then we went to the boiler room. We waited until everyone else exited the library and talked to him and told him he would be fine. Er, no. He kept asking me, all through the boiler room when he was going to get out. When was he going to get out?! WHEN was HE going to get OUT?! Once at the seater person, I explained that he wanted to leave and when the Cast Member had to hesitate to get others into the boarding area, I remained with my father-in-law until he could be escorted out.

Once the rest of us plunged, we met my father-in-law at the end and he was all smiles and having a pleasant conversation with the Cast Member at the photo area. Although he told us that he would never do ANY of that again because it was too scary for him. I bought him a pin after and he laughed.

So no, I don't think Disney would make a child wait in the library at all. My father-in-law was in perfect health and was a psychiatrist and let us know later the triggers that Disney caused his fears to come out.

 

[Robo]

The library is not a waiting area.

 

[njmom76]

True rider swap,where the child is too small, does not even get into the queue. At least it has always been that way on out trips!

 

[Robo]

True rider swap,where the child is too small, does not even get into the queue.

That is correct.

They measure outside at the front gates of the "hotel front lawn."

 

[Quellman]

It doesn't really matter where...

If it's on the internet is must be true.
(I heard that they have a guy that checks everything.)

His day job is Disney bus driver.

But for the OP, no the way rider switch is the same at any other attraction. You let the CM at the line entrance know you will be rider swapping, then they'll give you the ticket and you can go about your merry way to do something else while the other guests in your party ride. We sometimes hang out in the gift shop or near the Joffrey's cart there at the exit. Other times we will go up and down sunset looking at shops or grabbing an cookie ice cream sandwich from Scoops. You are not allowed into the queue if you rider swap. If you have a kid who decides not to ride once they get to the loading platform then you can use the alternate exit, and swap out there if need be. There are nice like that.

 

[xnascar2x]

We were just at Hollywood Studios last week and did the Rider Swap on TOT. After showing my niece to the cast member we were given the ticket and my sister and niece just hung out in the gift shop will we came off. Once we got off, my sister, brother-in-law and nephew went back on using the Ride Swap Pass. They went back through the FP+ line.

 

[MudBud]

http://allears.net/tp/mgm/m_tower.htm

I re-read it (the paragraph under rider switch) & it does say ask a CM for the current procedure but then goes on to say they're taken through the pre-show.

But it makes more sense how everyone on here says it happens.

How long does it take to go thru the "pre-show" & ride?

 

[lizard1]

True rider swap,where the child is too small, does not even get into the queue. At least it has always been that way on out trips!

True, but when we went, we were told if the child was tall enough that we had to do an internal swap using the procedure I explained above I don't know how tall ops child is, so I though I would include that just in case.

 

[Robo]

How long does it take to go thru the "pre-show" & ride?

That is an unanswerable question.
It depends on how long it takes too get through the lines.
It could take 20 minutes.
It could take an hour or more.

Each separate party needs a cell phone to communicate if there are any unanticipated delays.

On two separate occasions in different years, some of our party was waiting outside, and WE were stuck on the fifth floor (crossover room) of ToT for about 45 minutes.

 

[Karl66]

From my experience last year, I had to take my too scared (but tall enough) child through the line. Then at the boarding area, they sent us down the regular elevator to wait at the exit of the ride. Then when my husband and other child were done riding, I was able to go back up the same elevator and board the ride. Don't know if they are still doing it the same way because my under 7 child wanted to ride this year.

This was my experience also with my tall enough but too scared DD.

 

[MudBud]

I have one that's tall enough but it's too scary for her & then I have a 14 month old.

I can't image getting stuck in a ride for that long!

 

[Saundra Murry]

I was able to go back up the same elevator and board the ride.

 

[disnut8]

From what I've seen here - there is a difference maybe in experiences with a tall enough child and a not tall enough child. If your child is not tall enough for the attraction, they cannot be in the queue line. If the child is tall enough for the attraction but does not want to take the plunge, they can enter the queue line and do what I said earlier - just exit before the entrance at the elevator. HOWEVER, as I said earlier, even that queue line can be scary. So what can be done with those younger but height wise OK riders who do NOT want to go through the queue but have younger siblings who do want to go thorough the entire attraction? I'm talking about older siblings who can take the alternative exit but whose parents want one of them waiting with them?

 

[LetsTalkWDW]

So what can be done with those younger but height wise OK riders who do NOT want to go through the queue but have younger siblings who do want to go thorough the entire attraction? I'm talking about older siblings who can take the alternative exit but whose parents want one of them waiting with them?

Here's the official Disney line...
What Is Rider Switch and How Does It Work?
If Guests in your party don’t want to board an attraction, you don’t have to miss out. One adult can wait with the non-rider while the rest of the party experiences the attraction. The waiting adult can then board the attraction without having to wait in the regular line again when another adult in the party returns to supervise the child or children who do not ride—either because they do not meet the height requirement or simply do not wish to ride.

Full article here:
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/rider-switch/

So theoretically, Rider Switch should be the same for those that don't make the height requirement as those who just don't want to ride.

 

[Robo]

Here's the official Disney line...
What Is Rider Switch and How Does It Work?
If Guests in your party don’t want to board an attraction, you don’t have to miss out. One adult can wait with the non-rider while the rest of the party...

So theoretically, Rider Switch should be the same for those that don't make the height requirement as those who just don't want to ride.

Sadly that's not the official Disney line.
It is just someone's interpretation posted on the go.com website.
This has been quoted many times...
and proved to be wrong in the park many times.

Why?
One big reason is because anyone could claim that they don't want to ride, then get a rider swap and 3 other guests could get "no wait" rides.