Hollywood tower of terror

[Disneyqueen1717]

I’m going to Hollywood studios but I’m a chicken for the tower of terror! Does it feel like a free fall? I am terrified of them or is it more of a bouncy feeling? Also what’s the biggest height that it drops from??

 

[k5xs]

It’s definitely a free-fall drop feeling more than a bouncy feeling.

As far as drop height, the following are stats from Wikipedia:

Height	199 ft (61 m)
Drop	130 ft (40 m)
Speed	39 mph (63 km/h)

 

[scrappinginontario]

100% a free fall feeling and quite substantial. It will also free fall more than one time in your ride. It is random and changes each ride.

 

[chris benton]

It is definitely the major free fall feeling. Everyone is terrified of them, that's the draw. It's a thrill to be terrified. It's named the Tower Of Terror, not "The Tower Of No Actual Deviation From The Feeling Of Sitting On A Couch Staring At A Beige Wall Because Anything Else Causes Actual Emotions."

Seriously tho, if you don't think you can recover from that freefall feeling, you might want to seriously consider skipping TOT. Being terrified in that freefall feeling is basically the entire draw of that ride. I'm pretty sure my wife would shoot me if I talked her into getting on that one. Like, I'm not sure she would wind up laughing at how scared she was on something like Slinky Dog or 7D. TOT is a bit too much for someone legit not good with freefalling, but nobody is NOT supposed to be terrified. That's the point of good thrill rides. EVERYONE is scared, you're supposed to be. Then you laugh about how scared you were, and go put a funnel cake or some ice cream in your face, and go to the next ride.

 

[PalmettoPath]

As others have noted, it may not be for you. It is a thrill (or scary, depending on the person). Last time riding, the woman next to me was in tears and not happy. I felt bad for her (she was with her boyfriend, who was loving it). So if you really do not want to get that free fall and up-and-down feeling repeated multiple times, then I would skip this one so it doesn't upset the rest of your day.

 

[OKW Lover]

Got to agree with @PalmettoPath above. The OP may want to bypass this attraction.

 

[DaviVascaino]

attractions should be fun. if you are afraid of heights or drops, don't go. Not worth to risk ruining your day because of one ride.

 

[belle032]

Former TOT Bellhop here! Must have ridden this attraction hundreds and hundreds of times. So it's a definite smooth free-fall feeling, however, you're not really free-falling. The ride vehicles are actually being pulled down. Fun fact!

There are also different ride sequences - some have larger drops, some have smaller/more frequent drops. You won't fall top to bottom every time you ride. Basically, there are different combinations and you don't know what you'll get (and CMs have ZERO control over the drop sequences!)

We frequently had guests that were fine on RnR, but couldn't handle TOT because of the "drop" feeling. I found that fascinating, but I love both!

I always recommend everyone trying TOT at least once, as many times people learn the buildup to the ride is worse than the actual attraction itself. But if you don't ride, at least walk through the attraction. The theming and ambiance are truly second to none.

 

[StageTek]

I’m going to Hollywood studios but I’m a chicken for the tower of terror! Does it feel like a free fall? I am terrified of them or is it more of a bouncy feeling? Also what’s the biggest height that it drops from??

Do NOT, NOT, NOT ride ToT. Since you're terrified of a free fall ride this will be terrible for you.

 

[malialaine]

I am 72 and my DH is 79, we have been riding TOT ever since it was opened and still plan on doing it. It is my second favorite next to HM. Ride it and enjoy we have.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Got to agree with @PalmettoPath above. The OP may want to bypass this attraction.

I may be an outlier in here. I say, Go for it!

My Son when he was 4 was OBSESSED with TOT. Every time he went to Disney and TOT would come into sight he would point and say "It's the Tower of Terror!" and I would say "That's right! You want to go on it?" (he was too small, but we would still joke about it) and he would say "NOOOOO!". One day when he was 14, he said "I want to go on it". So I took him. It became his favorite ride and his record was riding it 32 times in ONE DAY.

Not saying you should do that. But seriously, you are completely safe. The ride has an ABSURD amount of safety features to it. The entire box is actually not even the elevator. It's loaded into the actual elevator which pulls it up and down. You can't really fall. So it's a great way to experience the feeling, and yes - you will be scared the first time you do it. But you will also be proud of yourself for having done it.

It's also IMHO one of the best themed rides of any Disney ride by far. So as scary as it may be for you, I say DO IT.

 

[mercuryvenus]

I did it when I was a kid and then chickened out on it for years. But we just got back and I did it again -- it’s great! You actually will know when you’re going to fall because you rise up off your seat a little bit. My 5 year old loved it so much that it’s now her favorite ride at WDW. But she’s a bit of an adrenaline junkie -- she also loved Expedition Everest, Flight of Passage, Rise of the Resistance, etc. Weirdly, she thought Big Thunder Mountain was too jerky. Unsurprisingly, Guardians was a bit much for her (she told us “it’s too windy” lol).

 

[mickeyfan100]

This may sound crazy, but I used to be iffy on ToT with a death grip on the rails… someone told me try to give in and just let go without holding on… I ride it on repeat and love it now! But I agree with other posters that nothing is worth ruining your vacation… go with your gut!

 

[ghtx]

YOLO. Ride it.

 

[AussieFan8]

This may sound crazy, but I used to be iffy on ToT with a death grip on the rails… someone told me try to give in and just let go without holding on… I ride it on repeat and love it now! But I agree with other posters that nothing is worth ruining your vacation… go with your gut!

I am not one to put my hands up on roller coasters, but last time I rode ToT, I happened to not be holding on when we dropped and it was so great! I don't know why it makes such a difference but I told my daughter it made ToT one of my favorite rides. I am someone who didn't ride it for years because I was too scared. So glad I finally gave it a try!

 

[lockets]

They bounce you around a bit with mini drops. Then my butt came off the seat for the bigger drops if that answers your question

 

[TheSouthernBelle]

I’m going to Hollywood studios but I’m a chicken for the tower of terror! Does it feel like a free fall? I am terrified of them or is it more of a bouncy feeling? Also what’s the biggest height that it drops from??

It might help to know that the elevator is actually being pulled down and it's not really free falling. I watched a video on how the ride was designed. It def feels like a free fall and I hate heights but I love the ride. The theming and thrill is so much fun!

 

[bakerworld]

Like you, TOT was always a ride I avoided. When it was just down to my spouse and I it wasn't fun to ride alone so I decided to try it. I always sat on the side of the car in the middle row because on both sides there is an OS handle to hold. This way you are seat belted and still have something to hang onto other that reaching for the seat back in front of you, which always felt far away. Now I've gotten so use to it that I'll sit anywhere but until then I like having that OS handle to grab.

 

[elgerber]

Definitely a free fall. I didn't go on until my early forties probably. I was so scared in line I was trying not to cry. My husband had to help me stand when it was over, my legs were so shaky. It was my teen dd's first ride also that day. Because now my whole family loved it, I went on it again. Same shaky. And again, less shaky, and again and again and now I love it and even put my arms up to fly off the seat a bit LOL.

 

[Landry]

I used to chicken out on it. I rode it a few years ago and my hands hurt from holding on too tightly. I now ride it and slightly hold on. I still find it more fun after I get off than the wait to get on. Riding it gave me the ability to ride all of the rollercoasters on Disney properties. If you can handle big drops like Mount Everest then I think you'll be fine.