przed

Yesterday I alluded to the mad scheme I was going to try. Today we gave it a whirl.

What happened was, after we'd planned out what parks we were doing (Magic Kingdom and Animal Kingdom) and picked our FastPass rides, Ros decided that she wanted to try the Tower of Terror at Hollywood Studios. Working out the logistics, I figured the only way we could do it was to use the early morning Magic Hours opening today at the Studios park, run for the Tower of Terror at rope drop so we could get in right away without FastPasses, and then whip over to Animal Kingdom for our first FastPass on the safaris. All of which meant getting up before six and being on the first bus at 7:15.

I figured since this was my mental idea, Ros and I would do it and meet the Sweetie at the Animal Kingdom. Ros, however, managed to convince her dad to come along. (And when I say convince, I mean she said "Daddy, would you come, too?" Yeah, he's a pushover.)

We managed to pull the whole thing off.

Here's Ros and the Sweetie waiting outside Hollywood Studios for opening. We got there by twenty to eight, and there was a surprising number of people waiting by the time they started letting us in.

We really booked it once they let us in. Here's the approach to the Tower, with Ros running ahead of me at the bottom of the frame.

The running paid off. We managed to be first in line! (The people who were running ahead of us were apparently all heading for the Aerosmith Rock 'n Roller Coaster. I kid you not.)

For those of you who don't know, the Tower of Terror is a drop zone kind of ride, where they put you in the elevator of an old haunted hotel, plunge you into darkness, zip you up to the top, open a window so you can see how high you are, and then drop you in free fall. Five times. I like coasters, but I found the thing freaking terrifying. I screamed the whole time, and the second last time they started shooting us to the top, I screamed "Noooo, not again."

Ros, whose idea this whole thing was, and who'd harassed me about doing it to the point where I came up with this mad scheme, was really, really, REALLY scared by it all. When they'd open the window I'd look over at her, and she was absolutely petrified.

Here she is giving her verdict on the ride. (It didn't get an out and out thumbs down, but it got the dubious thumbs sidewise.)
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Here's a wider angle to you can see the Tower itself.
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I don't think we're going to get Ros on a big kids ride again for another year or two after this one, but it was kind of a fun, if mental, experience. I don't regret it, and I hope Ros doesn't either.

Flat | Top-Level Comments Only

From:

golden-bastet.livejournal.com

The sideways Thumb of Death... Well, the ride lives up to its name.

But then you guys were on firm ground the rest of the day and able to build up good memories to soften the Tower of Terror.

I *might* be convinced to go on it once with one drop. *No* way at five.

Is she wearing Aladdin slippers? HOW CUTE ~ :D

From:

przed.livejournal.com

The Tower wasn't a wholly bad experience. Though I don't think we'll get Ros back on it until she's a bit older.

She's wearing spot sandals, but the velcro straps are turning up a bit, which is probably what you're seeing.

From:

moth2fic.livejournal.com

It's the kind of thing my husband and daughter would have done, only when she was little we didn't have Euro Disney so Alton Towers was the nearest equivalent. Even then - and their rides are probably tame by your standards - I 'wasted' my entrance fee by enjoying the gardens!!! You are all very brave - or mad!!!*g*

From:

przed.livejournal.com

I'm probably a combination of brave and mad. *g* (I come by it honestly. My dad was a sailor who was my ride-going parent. Almost nothing bothered him, though the Octopus ride at Busch Gardens did us both in.)

From:

miwahni.livejournal.com

Sod that for a game of soldiers. You wouldn't get me on that for quids - I think you're both very brave!

From:

przed.livejournal.com

I've always loved amusement park rides, especially the big looping coasters. But it's been years since I've been on one, so so I'm not quite as brave as I used to be. *g*

From:

msmoat.livejournal.com

I thought I'd hate the Tower of Terror, but I do like it. I love the context that Disney sets it all in. I did not try Aerosmith's Rock 'n Roller, but my family absolutely loved it. I think it might be their favorite coaster in DW. But they were all older than Ros when they did these rides!

I got the best compliment (in text form) from my niece when she and my nephew were with my brother at Universal Studios. She said everything went so much more smoothly when I was with them at these kinds of places. Because my brother's idea of planning is to decide which park to go to that morning. My idea? I follow the rules in one of the guidebooks that gives you times and routes and priorities so you can enjoy all of the rides with the minimum amount of waiting. In other words: go you for your mad scheme! I salute you! *g*

From:

przed.livejournal.com

In retrospect, I rather like the Tower of Terror too. The whole story they build around it is fun. But it was possibly not the best ride to end a twenty-odd year dry spell for riding really big amusement park rides. (It's been ages since I did anything but the kiddie rides on Toronto's Centre Island.

I'm with you when it comes to planning park visits. I get one of those guidebooks, too, and lay it all out like a military campaign. You put the planning in, and it's fun. Otherwise it's all a bit chaotic and insane.

From:

draycevixen.livejournal.com

Congrats that your mad scheme came off. \o/

My cousin's kids (basically my oldest niece and nephew for all practical purposes *g*) loved that ride so much they went on in six times. They were 7 and 11 at the time. I found something else to do. *G*

From:

przed.livejournal.com

Your cousin's kids were ahead of Ros. She was brave enough to try the ride (mostly because her best friend did it in February) but I don't think we'll get her back on it or anything like it for a few years.

Me, I'll try (almost) any ride once. And I do like most of them. Which is why I am designated amusement park!Parent.

From:

gritsinmisery.livejournal.com

I like free fall but hate uncertainty, so my thumbs on that ride are kinda at a 45-degree angle up. If I'm doing a drop ride, I want one of the parachute-ish ones -- straight up at a screaming rate of speed, hang time at the top, and then a hella fall.

I did not think the Aerosmith coaster was anything much of all that, but then the Disney family of parks in general is not known for their coasters. My favorite Orlando coasters (and mind, I haven't been there in four years) are Incredible Hulk at Universal Islands of Adventure and Manta at Sea World. They're both suspended coasters, and you ride Manta prone.

A ride worth running for at rope-drop -- or using your FastPass on -- is Soar at Epcot. It's a virtual reality hang-gliding ride. FastPass on it books out quickly; the park was open until 9 or 10 the day we went and all the FastPass slots for it were gone by noon (this was before you could book your FastPass anywhere except at the park.) It's indoors and cool, it's suspended but not scary, and the scenery they show you is lovely.

From:

dawnebeth.livejournal.com

Oh, definitely Soaring--In California Adventure, you're soaring over California. Where does it soar over there? Florida?

From:

gritsinmisery.livejournal.com

Nope, it was California as well, at least four years ago anyway. (Not a lot of mountains and rocky coastal cliffs in Florida.)

Edited Date: 2014-05-11 03:55 pm (UTC)

From:

przed.livejournal.com

Drop rides aren't my preferred thrill experience, but I'd probably do it again. I far prefer coasters. In grad school I used to go to the Six Flags park near Milwaukee with my roomies and ride looping coasters all day. Mind you, that was over twenty years ago now.

We've already got FastPasses for Soarin', at the Sweetie's request. That should be a good one.