Tower of Literal Terror

Ask to sit in the back row. My ds has a mild fear of heights. He loves this ride from the back row. One time we sat in the front row, and it was too much. He freaked out. He said it feels safer from the back.
 
To be honest with the OP, you're going to hate it, until its over, and then I think you will love it. I say that because it sounds like it is the anticipation of the ride and big drop that makes you nervous. And there is a lot of build up on this ride. The pre-ride show, the winding line in the faux-boiler room, and then the story at the beginning of the ride as you slowly move toward the drop. There is a long build up and plenty of time to be nervous. But I say gut it out. Its one of my two favorite rides at WDW. The drop (there is always a big one) is very smooth and over quickly. And the ride up is not bad. Other free fall rides can leave me a bit starry-eyed if they jostle around too quickly. never experienced that on ToT. I think when its over, and your adrennaline is pumping, you will be happy you did it
 




It doesn't drop. It's pulled. That makes a gigantic difference to me. I don't like rides that drop and require brakes to stop. The pulling means that the action is the movement and to stop it they just stop the action. Makes sense to me at least.

This is correct! My dad was involved with the problem-solving of the belts wearing out too fast when the ride first opened. It's now a pull, instead of a free-fall drop.
 
I don't like other free fall rides, like the ones at county fairs, Six Flags, etc, but I don't mind ToT. It feels more like the air time you get when you are cresting the hill on a rollercoaster than the straight down heart-in-the-bottom-of-my-stomach feeling that I get on other free fall rides.
 
I really don't like ToT - and like OP - I hate the drop feeling. Knowing how the ride operates is NO HELP. It's still a drop.

I've been on it twice - and the things that get me through it - one - closing my eyes when the drops start until it's over - and two - hanging on so I don't move out of the seat as much.

It is survivable for those of us that fear it. I'm never going to like it - but I can get through it on occasion to make others happy.

My NEXT ride will be when I think it's time for my niece to decide for herself if she likes it. Not quite old enough yet to push it on her - so I think I have another year or two!
 
Hi fellow Magic Makers,

I know you have seen a thread like this before, but it is time for a new one that I can sink my anxious teeth into.

Just like the title suggests, I am absolutely petrified of Tower of Terror. Why? The drop. The height. I promised my girlfriend I would do the ride for our anniversary, and this is it. Every time I walk into HS and see that massive, 200-foot structure, I sweat and panic. I am not that big of a thrill junkie by any means.

I would appreciate any advice, especially from those that are as terrified as I am and have done the ride. I am really hoping it does not drop the full height from the top to the bottom, and I hope it does not drop or lift too fast.

No mater how much of a baby I sound like, I have to get on it, regardless of my username being TowerofTurkey. Your thoughts and feedback are appreciated about your experiences. :)

THANK YOU!

Sit in front if possible. That way you can hold on to the bar in front of you. In the back two rows they just have tiny little grips on the side of your seat that you have to "fight " your neighbor for...
 
just wanted to add the ride runs very short you will be done so quickly that you might not have time to freak out when is already over! Do it!
 
Rode it once. Never again.

This made me laugh, because I get it. I can honestly say that this is the only ride that after it was over, I didn't say, "That wasn't as bad as it looked like it would be."

It was absolutely as bad. My knees were shaking and wobbly.

I was also laughing and glad I did it, and we rode it again several times. We ride it every time we go, but the first time on each trip I kinda have to force myself to do it. My wife feels the same way.

My advice - overcome your fears - you'll be glad. Don't close your eyes, and after you ride it the first time, don't hold on. My wife holds on to me - I'm still trying to figure out why grabbing another falling object makes her feel safer :)
The theming is great - maybe the best at WDW - and that adds to the nervousness before riding.
 
This made me laugh, because I get it. I can honestly say that this is the only ride that after it was over, I didn't say, "That wasn't as bad as it looked like it would be."

It was absolutely as bad. My knees were shaking and wobbly.

I was also laughing and glad I did it, and we rode it again several times. We ride it every time we go, but the first time on each trip I kinda have to force myself to do it. My wife feels the same way.

My advice - overcome your fears - you'll be glad. Don't close your eyes, and after you ride it the first time, don't hold on. My wife holds on to me - I'm still trying to figure out why grabbing another falling object makes her feel safer :)
The theming is great - maybe the best at WDW - and that adds to the nervousness before riding.



I'm glad I rode it once, so I know I should never do it again. I actually love the ride itself and HS just wouldn't be the same without it. We had a lovely CM a couple of years ago who entertained us while we waited for my husband to get off his 3rd ride of the day :)
 
The fear of heights part shouldn't bother you too much with this ride, since you only see out the window once or twice during the ride, for a few seconds. It's very different than the 6 flags style rides where they drop you. I personally LOVE Tower of Terror. My mom hates it. Like others said, it pulls you, so you do get that swooping sensation in your stomach (my favorite!!!) when you go up and down. But it's mostly in the dark so you aren't staring at the ground the whole time or anything. Also, it's random so we can't really warn you what the ride will do. I've been on rides with shorter drops and I've been on it when it drops you the whole way. I will say that's more rare (more fun for me!) than the shorter ups & downs. The ride is UP and DOWN too, so it doesn't just drop you. Going up is just as much fun & part of the ride as the drop! There are also like 7 or 13 connections in the seat belt and the ride won't go unless everyone's is buckled properly, if that makes you feel better.

When I went skydiving the plane ride up was way more terrifying that actually skydiving. You are probably imagining the ride worse than it is!
 
The two things that helped me were holding on to the handles on either side of you (keeps you from lifting off your seat) and closing my eyes. The build up and anxiety of "when is it going to drop" were taken away for me by doing that.
 
Big chicken here. I hate drops and the sensation of falling. I got dragged onto TOT in Disneyland years ago by my 8 year old son (my DH had already ridden with him while I waited with our youngest who was too small to ride). He wanted to go again with me so against my better judgement I went. Can't say I really enjoyed it and I'm pretty sure the poor man beside me didn't either. My DS was too short for me to hold on to so I uncontrollably grabbed on to the guy next to me and proceeded to scream like I was being murdered every time we dropped. Poor guy. He was very nice about it and I apologized profusely for my behavior once the ride ended and I realized I was still alive. I'm sure he loved his ride photo with some strange women with her face basically buried into his chest while I had a deathgrip around his arm. I said I would never do this ride again.

Fast forward 10 years to last month and somehow my whole family convinced me to go again at WDW because we didn't have a ride photo of the whole family on TOT (playing on my emotions for how much I love family ride photos - evil children...). Well I survived again. I don't know if I can honestly say I like the ride but I guess I'm glad I did it. I still screamed like I was being murdered but at least this time I had DH to hang onto. In the picture he has one arm in the air and you can see he's trying to put the other one up but I am holding on to it for dear life with both hands.

Honestly, you will be fine. It's over pretty quickly and I honestly don't remember much of a stomach dropping sensation but maybe that's because of all my screaming. I'm still too chicken to do Space Mountain and RnR but maybe someday!
 
I didn't ride for several years. I don't like the thrill rides that much either.

Finally, I stood there watching all the smiling, laughing people coming off and I started telling myself: This is Disney. Nothing here is too crazy. Look at all the happy people. I can do this.
I used it as a mantra to get myself through the queue. I'll admit I kept my eyes closed through much of that first ride as I had no idea what to expect or when I was going to drop. I made it and it's now probably my favorite ride at WDW after the classics. I also used it the first time I rode EE.
 
The fear of heights part shouldn't bother you too much with this ride, since you only see out the window once or twice during the ride, for a few seconds. It's very different than the 6 flags style rides where they drop you.
This is exactly right. You never get the "visual" that you are falling 200 feet, or 100 feet, or even 20 feet. You just "feel" it. And when that feeling hits, there is nothing wrong with, and no shame in a full-throated, cathartic scream. Exhale and let it all out. It really does help and it makes for a great ride photo!
 
All you first time riders make it sound simple. Just do it. Face your fear, etc. I like to think I could do that, but I need some bucking up. My biggest fear is stuff that keeps you off the ground. I can't comfortably ride a ski lift or a gondola where you are up in the air for several minutes. I hate the feeling of falling, but I made a bet with my DS11 that he'll ride RnRc for the first time (he's scared of going upside down) with my DW, and I would ride Splash Mountain (which I've never ridden on my previous 7 trips). I keep telling myself that the drop will be over in a couple of seconds, but I'm hoping for a short wait so I don't have to think about it too long.

So, assuming I don't die on SM, how would that drop compare to ToT? I have ZERO CLUE why I'm even entertaining ToT, but I guess reading all these responses has made me crazy.
 

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