The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is no joke!
by phungus - Written: Jun 22 '06 (Updated Jun 22 '06)
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Product Rating:
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Pros: Neat special effects, cool sets
Cons: Very bumpy ride
The Bottom Line: You should know what you're getting into before trying this ride.
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| phungus's Full Review: The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror |
When my wife and I went to Orlando for our honeymoon in October 2005, the first park we visited was MGM Studios. We had some multiple-day passes and decided to go spend a few hours at one of the parks just so we could get our money’s worth. On that night, it was one of the times where the park stays open several hours longer than usual while keeping some of their main rides open. As soon as we got there, my wife grabbed my hand and we made a beeline for The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.
Because of a hurricane that was coming into the southern part of Florida that night, it was pouring down rain in the park and many people were leaving. This meant that we were able to walk right into the ride with no waiting time. The inside of the place looks very cool, like something you might see in the basement of a superhero villain’s lair. The premise of the ride is that you are taking an elevator inside an old Hollywood Hotel.
The ride begins with a short video introduction with Rod Sterling from The Twilight Zone as he gives you a short history of the Tower. After that, you move into another room and board the elevators. I don’t remember exactly how many people fit inside the elevators, but there were only about a dozen of us that night. You sit in four rows and strap in using seatbelt devices. There are no over-the-shoulder support rails or anything that really holds you in very tightly, otherwise that’d take the ‘fun’ out of the ride. We sat in the very front.
As you ride the elevator, you are treating to some ghostly special effects sort of like what you might see over at the Haunted Mansion in the Magic Kingdom park. What I thought was really cool about this ride is I never felt like it was moving upward. I was so distracted by the scenery that I did not know we were nearly 200 feet in the air until I suddenly had a bird’s eye view of the park thanks to the large window at the top of the tower.
And then the elevator dropped…
The elevator doesn’t just drop straight down and the ride ends. It bounces up and down several times before reaching the bottom. The first drop and bounce are the hardest, but the ones after that don’t feel that great, either. I would not recommend eating at least an hour before getting on this ride, otherwise you might have a mess. You also don’t have much to hold on to during the bouncing, so your body will bounce around underneath the seatbelt.
I’d never ridden this ride before and knew absolutely nothing about it. My wife had ridden it several times before on previous trips and loved it, but would not give me any details on how the ride worked. One thing you should know about me is that I don’t like free-fall rides. I was involved in a pretty nasty car accident several years ago and since then my back has been a little flaky. I don’t have any major problems, but sometimes a big bump in the road or sudden jolts can aggravate it. Knowing this, I never should have gotten on this ride. I still appreciated the originality and creative work put into this ride, but it just wasn’t for me.
Recommended:
Yes
Best Suited For: Families
Best Time to Travel Here: Sep - Nov
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