tower of terror

[susansg]

What I think is helpful in situations like this is to tell the child exactly what they will experience and also help them to distinguish between what they "think" is happening, e.g., the elevator is in a free fall, and what, in fact, is actually going on in the ride--e.g., the ride is built on a track and it moves up and down, mostly in pitch-black, sometimes the door opens and the riders can see out. It is also helpful to know that the elevator does not drop immediately after you get into it, but you are taken on a short ride with interesting holographic type images, and other "Twilight Zone" themed stuff going on; all of it related to the story line of the ride. After all that takes place, you feel the elevator moving onto and being locked onto the mechanism which moves it up and down, and at that point, the doors close, you are pitched into compete darkness and the ride falls or maybe goes up, then goes up and down for a minute or so in a random sequence, which differs everytime you ride it. Depending upon how tightly you have your seat belt on, you do actually rise up in your seat as the ride falls.

After you tell your kids what the ride actually is about and what happens, you can then decide, with their input, whether to go for it or not. I hapen to think it is an incredible ride, with great theming and terrific fun on the drop, and I ride it as often as I can.

You could also consider walking around the corner to the gift shop at the end of the ride and there, at the back of the gift shop you will see the pictures of the riders as they experience the ride. You will notice that most of them are laughing.

Susan

 

[cepmom]

we took our girls (5 and 8) on it this last trip and they hated it!! My 8 year old was excited to try it and the 5 year was hesitant but ended up deciding to try it (all on her own ~ I kept telling DH to take her outside to wait but she insisted she wanted to try ~ I would never "force" her to ride anything!) They were both crying and screaming once the dropping started. DD8 loves Space Mountain, Splash Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain, and DD5 loves Big Thunder Mountain and Splash Mountain (not a fan of Space Mountain, but rode it twice anyway)but they both hated the unexpected drops on ToT.

You will never know unless you have them try it....I never thought my 5 year old would like Splash Mountain, but it ended up being her favorite ride the wholetrip!

kim35 ~ ToT is similar to Dr Doom, but I think it is scarier because it is in the dark and the drop sequence is always different. Dr Doom seemed slower than Tot to me.

 

[ReneeA]

My 3 y.o. son (who is extremely tall for his age) rode TOT last month. I only let him ride it because it was our last day in the parks and I figured if it traumatized him it wouldn't ruin his whole vacation He liked it, and talks about it all the time now, but was really, really quiet for an hour after riding it. I kept asking him if he liked it, and he would say yes. He finally opened up and told me that it was fun "But it was way too fast...they need to SLOW IT DOWN" (Imagine this said really emphatically).

I only decided to let him ride this after he rode BTMRR and SM and LOVED them. He really had no problem on the "thrill rides".

ReneeA

 

[i like stitch]

:thewave: Thanks for all of the great info on the Tower of Terror ride! Everything helped a lot. After hearing the feedback, I think we are gonna go for it! (We are bribing our 11 year old to go on it, but the 8 yr. old is up for anything!)

My DD (8 yr old at the time), was bound and determined to ride ToT and it was the first ride at wdw she went on. She'd been on minor "drop" rides at local amusement parks and she was so adamant about wanting to ride it. Well, she survived the ride but she screamed and cried the entire time when the dropping started, and cried for sometime afterwards. She refused to ride on anything even mildly thrilling for the rest of the trip.

I know children younger than my DD have done well on this ride and yours will likely be fine, but I wanted to pass this on. If your son is hesitant about riding, he could take the chicken exit (I did!) and then ride it later after hearing from little sis how it went....

Have fun!

 

[ErinJill]

My little sisters are 12 and 14. The 14 year old loved TOT and wanted to ride it over and over. The 12 year old (who loved all other WDW rides) rode this once and it terrified her. She cried for about 2 hours afterward and called home to tell her mom that she was "real shook up". She is scared of heights and elevators in general, so that is mainly what freaked her out. I'd say, know your kids and don't force them to do something they don't want to do.

 

[Florida113]

It is a brilliant ride one of the best I think.

 

[kohlby]

Is it like the Doctor Doom ride at Universal? How do the 2 compare?

I didn't go on Doctor Doom. I've been on rides like that and I hate them. I forget to breathe at the top and hate that sensation. However, I absolutely love tower of terror! The feeling isn't as scary for me. Though it is a fall, it feels more controlled to me. Maybe it's being more enclosed or maybe it's smoother, but whatever it is, I love TOT and still refuse to try Doctor Doom based on doing similar rides like that at other amusement parks.

 

[northie]

My grandson has loved it since he was 6. He and I both could just get off and back on all day long. We love it! However, my 17 year old son refuses to go on it at all after trying it twice. The falling scares him. He can ride the wildest coasters with no problems (think Dueling Dragons at Universal which I can't even stand to WATCH, let alone RIDE!), but he hates TOT...so pretty much what everyone else says---all kids are different. Wish we could be more help!

Sara

 

[MariDisney]

I have a question about the Tower of Terror ride. I have an 8 year old daughter and an 11 year old son and we've talked them into going on the tower of terror when we go to Disneyworld in 3 weeks. Is this a mistake? How scary is it for kids? I would love any feedback!

My DD7 has loved the ToT since she was 5. It is a little bit scary, especially in the anticipation of it. But, the actual ride itself isn't really scary so much as it is thrilling. On our last trip I took my DD, and her cousins 5 and 7 on it and they all loved it.

 

[S.Poppins]

Is it like the Doctor Doom ride at Universal? How do the 2 compare?

thanks

Doctor Doom is very different. First of all it is outside. Secondly is shoots you up more than drops you down. It shoots up once and then kind of bounces you down - it really didn't get my stomach like I thought it would. ToT is a themed ride that is inside. When it drops you, it is totally dark except for the glimpse of outside before the first drop. Then it picks you up and drops you more than once - you never know how many times. Both are fun, but ToT is better IMO.

 

[CleveRocks]

I don't think there is alot of jerking, just the up and down motion.

Exactly.

My 6 year old son was terrified while in line -- the theming of the hotel lobby and especially the "boiler room" (loading area) just really scared him -- even while using FastPass, which means we were inside only briefly. But once we loaded onto the elevator/ride vehicle, he was cool as a cucumber. He loved the ride!

 

[KirstenB]

My advice would be for you to go on it first, if you haven't already. That will tell you if your kids can handle it. Good luck!

 

[Wishes]

My kids were 5 and 9 the first time they rode it and both loved it! I bet your kids will, too!

 

[alfredromero1975]

They should be able to handle it. Many kids as young as 4 go on it. For many, it's no big deal but quite fun. But it's not for everyone.