Dr. Doom Fear Fall v. Tower of Terror

[Belle83]

I hate drop rides. I can handle log fume rides, but Jurassic Park sure got to me. I think part of the problem with Jurassic Park was that it has a lap bar, and I'm a lot smaller than the person I was sitting next to, so I basically flew up in my seat.

Well, we're going to Universal and WDW in December and I feel really bad that my SO missed out on Tower of Terror last time (he was going to go without me, but the park was closing so he never made it). He wants me to go on either Tower of Terror or Dr. Doom when we go.

Tower of Terror gives me serious anxiety. I've heard it's a wonderful ride, but I get nervous just thinking about it. I've heard Dr. Doom's Fear Fall is actually not that bad. I'm not scared of heights, so I wouldn't mind the view. People are saying that it's not that bad, and that it's milder than Tower of Terror.

Is Dr. Doom tamer than Tower of Terror? Any tips for surviving?

 

[Que_Sarah_Sarah]

Dr. Doom is tamer and shorter. You have an over the shoulder harness (which helps keep you in place a little better). The ride starts at the ground and shoots UP instead of starting at the top and dropping down. From there, you sort of bounce down, go back up, bounce down. It is pretty short. The ride is OUTDOORS if that makes a difference. If you have ever heard of the Power Tower at Cedar Point it is exactly like tower red.

 

[Lycaon]

Speaking as someone who conquered her fear of Doom's ride on her most recent trip... and a former ride chicken... the best way to get over this kind of thing is to just do it. It always looks worse than it is. The only scary part is waiting for them to launch you... the ride op likes to drag it out sometimes, especially if they notice you're scared... not like I'd know that from experience or anything I actually enjoyed the ride and it's one of my favorites now. And if you're lucky, you might catch Doom himself out doing a meet and greet. There was an amazing one when I was there- he was so intimidating that people were running from him

As for intensity, I think Tower of Terror is definitely more intense than Doom. Doom is over pretty quickly. You're shot up once, allowed to drop, then you bob gently back to the ground. Tower shoots you up and drags you down repeatedly, and the sequence is random so you'll never know what to expect. With Doom it is the same experience every time. Tower is an amazing ride, my favorite at Disney, but I'd try Doom first if you're really scared.

 

[nytimez]

I see in your sig you have a few trips to Disneyland under your belt -- Fear Fall is the same ride they used to have in DCA. I forgot what the name was -- but it was that tall freefall ride. Same ride, made by the same company, but with a Dr. Doom theme at Universal.

 

[Yoshi]

It was Mailboomer, I agree Dr. Doom Frefall is much more tame.

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

I love thrill rides, and I absolutely love Tower of Terror, but I don't ride Doctor Doom. Granted, I haven't ridden Doom in nearly 7 years, but I remember not enjoying the feeling of being shot straight up into the air. The motion of dropping (like on ToT), for some reason, is a lot less scary to me.

These comparisons are making me want to give Dr. Doom another try, though.

 

[macraven]

i love Dr Doom more than i love Spiderman or FJ........

i love the story line
i adore the ride.

for those that have been on the ride, you can tell when you are going to be shot up by listening to the loud speaker.
you know the story and when he finishes, it is about a 2 second wait until you shoot upwards.


i went on that ride solo 16 times in a row last fall.
a few times the TM had me get off and go thru the doors but out to the line again. (express line/single rider line)

ask for the park view when you are going to be placed by the doors.

 

[ChrisFL]

Yeah, "Fear Fall" is a bit of a misnomer since the start of the ride has you shooting up very quickly, but the fall after that is not that bad...then it hops up very short a few times....nowhere near as intense as Tower of Terror.

 

[patster734]

Tower Of Terror is 4 rows deep, and IMHO, the back row is a lot less intense than the front row.

 

[Seeker615]

I rode both and they are pretty different. I love TOT storyline and the ride to the elevator shaft. I didn't think it was that intense though but a lot of fun!

Dr. Doom scares the life out of me every time. Just sitting waiting for the launch has me shaking but WOW...I love it! That launch is amazing...the drops after are okay...

 

[Ragman]

If its a question of which ride is better - TOT all day long.

I stayed onsite on year at Universal and walked my Dr Doom many times and saw the line was 70 min long. I figured with a line that long that even FOTL pass would take 20 min so I avoided it all day.

Around 6pm the wife and 1 DD went on a ride next door and while we were waiting, me and my other DD decided to hit Dr Doom. With FOTL pass at 6pm there was still a 7 min wait. We got on and were off the ride in less than a minute. I was pretty dissapointed and felt REALLY bad for all those people who waited 70 minutes in line for a 55 second ride. It was pathetic and I dont think I will ride it again. Its scary an all but it needs to be MUCH longer for the wait.

TOT has always had a long wait time, even with the fast pass. But the ride is about 5 minutes long. and it does more than just go up and down. I love it and will ride it over and over again.

My .02

 

[Brian Noble]

OP: Tower of Terror shoots you down "faster than gravity"---in other words, you get that "coming out of your seat" feeling. Dr. Doom is an S&S "space shot", which only falls *as fast as* gravity, so you might float a little bit, but you don't get that *pop*. If the *pop* is what you are afraid of, Doom is the better choice.

 

[DOOM1001]

Given that my Dis username is based on Dr.Dooms Fearfall lets you know I'm a fan of the ride.In my opinion ToT is totally different ride than Dr.Doom,I love ToT as well,probably my favorite ride at Disney.Everyone will have their own opinion on these rides but I've been on many of these drop or launch towers and they have differences,for example except for ToT I'm not a huge fan of many other drop towers.Acrophobia at Six Flags in Atlanta is super tall,you're not sitting you're basically just straddling a seat with your legs dangling,once you get to the top the seats angle forward to make you look down,this ride scares me big time.ToT might drop but it's in the dark,the whole theming is amazing and it's a ride I can ride over and over all day if I could.Dr.Doom is the same way,in fact I remember riding it one day probably 20-25 times.Dr.Doom has a quick launch,a great view and some great air time at the top,it's all over in 10 seconds.I rode Power Tower's launch side at Cedar Point and honestly while it's the same kind of ride it just didn't have as forceful a launch and left me pretty bored.For anyone interested expect a drop tower at Busch Gardens Tampa soon,they just finished one at the Williamsburg park and all indications are one is going into the Timbuktu area.

 

[PaulaSue]

We just went in October, my youngest (8 is a ride chicken, her words) LOVED the Doom one in UA and STILL hated the Torror of terrior. Must have rode the doom one 5 times that day, TOT once and that was enough. Me, I like TOT and will not even think of riding the doom one.

 

[Sandy321]

I say watch youtube!

I love Tower of Terror!! I saw the youtube of Dr Doom - and, I dont think I can go on that ride!

(we have one at Great America... and I keep remembering the one girl who lost her foot on a horrific ride malfunction)

 

[ChrisFL]

(we have one at Great America... and I keep remembering the one girl who lost her foot on a horrific ride malfunction)

Right, but if it makes you feel any better, Dr. Doom's FearFall was made by a different company with a completely different launch system.

 

[keishashadow]

imo TOT is one of the best and most innovatie rides.

i'm not fond of heights, so I feel more secure falling down an enclosed elevator shaft.

 

[chicagoshannon]

I hate the feeling of falling. I'm not a fan of TOT but don't mind Dr. Doom. Being shot up is not nearly as scary as falling down.

 

[Timmy Boy]

Right, but if it makes you feel any better, Dr. Doom's FearFall was made by a different company with a completely different launch system.

Correct. Also when I worked at Doom, a little bit after the other accident happened, sensors were put on the ride to measure the tension on all the cables, and would automatically E-Stop the ride if anything was abnormal.

 

[2girlsmom]

Okay, I guess I am in the minority, but ToT doesn't scare me and Doom scared me to death. On the initial shot up and back down only, cause I came out of my seat completely and felt like I was sliding off my seat the rest of the time. So it was short lived moment of total fear, followed by boredom, as the remaining bounces are REALLY slow and nothing to them at all.