Disney World’s Tower of Terror – What Should I Be Afraid Of?

This is why we at MickeyVisit put together this comprehensive ride review of Twilight Zone Tower of Terror so you have a clear idea of what to expect when riding it.

Twilight Zone Tower of Terror Review

In an effort to clearly define just how scary a ride is, we developed an ultra-scientific backed-by-research rating system.

We call it the Mickey Visit Ride Rating System – MVRRS for short (pretty clever, huh?)

The MVRRS goes as follows:

• Wimp Proof: Not scary at all
• Wimp Proof-ish: Seems scary at first, but after, you feel it's nothing to worry about
• Scary but Survivable: Moderately scary
• Scary: Definitely scary, but you'll be able to sleep at night
• Bravest Riders Only: The scariest ride you'll find in a theme park

Tower of Terror Ride Overview

Based on the classic television series, “The Twilight Zone,” Tower of Terror takes you into out of this world and into the 5th dimension.

Using a free-fall drop tower ride system, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror takes you through a series of randomized drops from different heights. If you're familiar with Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! over at Disney California Adventure, you'll feel somewhat familiar with Tower of Terror.

So the story goes, “on a gloomy Halloween night in 1939, some hotel patrons were riding the hotel elevator when a violent storm struck the building… and they were never seen again. The hotel closed down and has stood empty ever since.”

You then go forth to discover what lies beyond the darkest corner of your imagination.

Here’s some other important information to review before riding Tower of Terror:

• Access: Disney Genie+, Rider Switch
• Height Requirements: Guests must be at least 40″ (102cm)
• Highest Speed: 39 mph
• Length: 4 minutes
• Highest Ride Height: ~131 ft
• Loops: 0
• Other Features: Randomized free-fall drop tower system

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Tower of Terror Queue: What You Need to Know

Both the standby queue and Lightning Lane queue for Twilight Zone Tower of Terror start right at the ride’s signage.

The merge point of both queues happens right before being directed toward 1 of 2 pre-show rooms. About half of the queue for Tower of Terror is outdoors and in the Florida heat. Once you enter the indoor portion of the queue, you walk through the hotel lobby, full of antique sofas, lamps, and suitcases – all covered in cobwebs and left alone untouched since that fateful night in 1939. All while listening to soft 1930s era jazz music, played in an eerie tone.

You'll then be directed to a library where the power goes out and your pre-show begins. On an overhead television, Rod Sterling tells you the story of that fateful night in 1939. Here's the twist: he then tells you that you'll be stepping into a maintenance service elevator to become the stars of an episode of The Twilight Zone.

After the pre-show, you then walk through a dimly lit boiler room before boarding your ride vehicle.

Lastly, it's important to note that there are 2 chicken exits available should you choose to skip the ride.

The first isn't the most convenient: if you decide to sit this ride out while half way through the queue, you can simply turn around and walk back out the way you entered. The 2nd chicken exit is at the boarding area, where you tell a Cast Member you want to exit. You'll be directed to a separate area where you can walk to the ride's exit.

Tower of Terror Ride Vehicle Information

Once you make it to the boarding area, a Cast Member will ask how many guests are in your party and will then direct you to a numbered row.

You'll then step down into your ride vehicle and put on your seatbelt. The ride vehicle – a free-fall drop tower ride system made to look like an elevator lift with benches – sits a total of 21 guests across 3 rows. When seated, your feet are touching the ground and you have small metal handles on either side of you to hold on to when riding.

Much like Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! at Disney California Adventure, each ride vehicle also has its own on-board audio that allows the vehicle's motion to sync with the ride music.

Tower of Terror: Ride Experience

Although the ride vehicle is identical to Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! at Disney California Adventure, the ride experience is completely different.

Once your bell hop directs you to board your elevator, it will move up several floors. The doors open, and you see the ghosts of the missing hotel patrons at the end of a long corridor. The room then goes dark as glass shatters and your door closes. Your elevator then ascends up several more floors.

This is where your elevator moves forward through a maintenance room that transforms into a field of stars.

As the stars slowly disappear, you approach 2 white lines that open. This is where your elevator stops and your ride begins. Your elevator goes through a series of randomized drops, full of unexpected drops and rises as you hear the sound of cables snapping and metal clanging overhead. At one point, the doors open, giving you a bird's eye view of Disney's Hollywood Studios – and a reminder of how high up you are!

Then, your ride ends back in the boiler room.

Let's review the aspects of the ride that that make Tower of Terror thrilling and add to its MVRRS rating:

• Dark Portion: While the first portion of the ride is slow, it's in a dark room that resembles the 5th dimension: a plane of existence which lies outside of time and space. In other words, it's dark, eerie, and a little spooky
• Launch Sequence: The launch sequence, unlike Rock ‘N' Roller Coaster or Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT, sends you upward instead of forward or backward
• Drop-Tower Experience: The drop-tower ride system sends you up and down at a speed faster than freefall. This may make it unsuitable for guests with a sensitivity to motion sickness
• Speed: Tower of Terror reaches a top speed of 39 mph, which makes it slightly slower than Slinky Dog Dash but faster than Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
• Length: At about 4 minutes, Guardians Mission: BREAKOUT! is about the same length as Test Track and about 1 minute shorter than Avatar Flight of Passage

Every single effect adds up to a very fun ride.

Favorite Moment of Tower of Terror

Tower of Terror may not be suitable for everyone, but here's why you should ride it.

Having ridden Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! (and its former version Twilight Zone Tower of Terror) countless times, I was in for a surprise when riding Tower of Terror at Disney's Hollywood Studios. What hooked me the most was the ride vehicle's movement through the 5th dimension.

A drop-tower elevator shaft that moves forward is the best way to confuse guests whose only knowledge of elevators is how they travel up and down.

The icing on the cake, however, is the 5th dimension itself. As your elevator is traveling through the stars of the 5th dimension, you're passing by random floating objects. This gives the illusion of you floating through space.

It's this moment when I feel completely transported out of this universe – it's my favorite moment.

Tower of Terror: Scary Verdict

So, how does our ride review of Twilight Zone Tower of Terror stack up against our MVRRS?

MVRRS VERDICT: Scary but Survivable: Moderately scary

Twilight Zone Tower of Terror clearly has elements that make it very thrilling. And although Guardians of the Galaxy – Mission: BREAKOUT! and Tower of Terror have identical ride vehicle systems, Tower of Terror is much more thrilling – and scarier – than Guardians. This is due to 2 factors: its theming and its lack of danceable music.

Based off of The Twilight Zone, there is already a high degree of mystery, and eeriness to the ride. Add to it the effects of traveling through the 5th dimension and the randomized drop sequences without music to rock out to, and you have the makings of a pretty scary ride.

However, Twilight Zone Tower of Terror is a ride not to be missed. It's certainly up there on the list of unique rides at Disney World. And if Tower of Terror still isn't suitable for you after reading this, you should at least walk through the immersive queue and pre-show.

Tower of Terror is certainly on my list of favorite thrill attractions at Disney World.

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