Rate a Ride: Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Fastpass: Yes

Ride Duration: 3 minutes and 30 seconds

Year Introduced: July 1994

Height Restriction:  40 inches

"You unlock this door with the key of imagination. Beyond it is another dimension, a dimension of sound, a dimension of sight, a dimension of mind. You're moving into a land of both shadow and substance, of things and ideas. You've just crossed over into the Twilight Zone.” Or, you have at least crossed into the DisneyDayByDay review area of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror.

As you enter Hollywood Studios, you’ll be treated to the typical innocent and fun theme park music, but there…in the background…you’ll hear something else…almost sounds like screaming, people in fear for their lives, people falling from the sky.  Hmmm, maybe we shouldn’t even travel down Sunset Boulevard.  How can such an iconic street name end in fear?  Well that’s just what we will find out.

Muster your courage if you dare and head to the end of the street. That’s when you’ll see it… a 199 feet tall tower.  In fact, this attraction is the second tallest attraction at the Walt Disney World Resort. What’s first, you may ask?   Stay tuned and you just may find out.   Why 199 feet?  I mean come on, 200 feet would probably have made for easier measurements. Well, FAA regulations require any building at 200 feet or higher to have a red light beacon on top and how scary would a tower of terror be with a blinking light on top of it?

When you step into the queue willingly, or not, be sure to take some time and look around. This is one of the most interesting queues on property. You will walk through the gardens of the hotel, in their decaying state. Background music plays melodies from the past launching you into the 1930’s/40’s era of the hotel.

Onto the ride, you board an elevator with 20 other people and choose your seat.  As the elevator doors close you ascend quickly and the doors to the elevator open where you’re treated to a ghostly encounter.  Just when you think it’s safe, the lights go out and the real fun begins!  You’ll be pulled up and down through a variety of drop sequences.   Just when you think it’s over you will rise and fall again.   The Imagineers who designed the ride had cables attached to the bottom of the elevator and it’s actually pulled down at a speed slightly faster than free-fall.  In other words, as you fall you lift from your seat slightly.  The motors used can generate torque equal to that of 275 Corvette engines and reach their top speed in 1.5 seconds. Yes, that’s fast and yes that’s fun.

Be sure to take a look at your picture as you exit the ride as this is proof that you were there and you have survived a great ride at Walt Disney World.  Now you have permission to yell at your kids or friends who forced you on the ride and get in line to do it again. 

Rating: 4.5 / 5 


Rating Comment:   Our seven year old son who will go on anything is slightly afraid of this one.   And if you do have any type of motion sickness the up and down motion of this ride will affect your experience.  

And as promised, the tallest attraction at WDW is now Expedition Everest at 199.5 ft.  We will make this our next DisneyDayByDay Rate A Ride post.