TOT vs. Freefall Rides

[sharky23]

Hi,

I haven't been on TOT in a few years. I remeber it be amazing, and the drops not nearly as intense as say, a freefall ride you'd find in a Six Flags park.

Is this still the case? Where it's more the anticipation then actually feeling your toes in your stomach?

Going to the world tomorrow for a few days and totally wannna do it. but I hate typical freefall rides.

Thanks for any feedback!

-s

 

[Lee]

The only similarity between ToT and a freefall is that they both...well...fall. I don't find freefalls intense, but they are good for a bit of an adreneline rush.
ToT is SO much more.

 

[sharky23]

I'm strictly asking about the "fall" portion of the rides.

On a freefall ride, for me, i totally feel it in my stomach.

But if memory serves me correctly, TOT doesn't "drop" the cars the way freefall does, but kind of "holds" the car a little while it drops.

Is this correct?

 

[Yellow Shoes]

I HATE the feeling of falling.
I have done ToT, mostly to save face with my children.
Did it twice; won't do it again.

HOWEVER--the queue and pre-show are outstanding.
I would highly recommend doing that and taking the chicken exit if you feel the need.

 

[rokcandy]

Ok, I've been on the Giant Drop @ SF Great America, and I find that ride more intense...like you feel like you're dropping, get that whole stomach thing...etc.

But @ TOT, I find that it "holds" the car like you said, you kind of go with the elevator, you get this "floating" feeling. It's not as good in that way, for a thrill-seeker like me, but it doesn't bother me @ all. Since that way, my parents will ride it w/ me. And you can't forget the theming...that's why it's my favorite ride @ WDW.

 

[JLW11Hi]

In Minnesota, we have a Cedar Park ( I think its a Cedar Park) amusement park called Valleyfair, and it has a ride called the Power Tower. I remember this ride being extremely intense, but mainly because it is completely outside, and the scarriest part, to me, is when they sloooowly take you up to the very top of the thing, which is pretty high I do believe, and then waiting at the top.....waiting....waiting...wondering "ok, when is this thing going to drop?" ANd then it finally does it, just about giving you a heart attack.

SO for me, thats the scarriest part of the ride....the anticipation, especially when you can see just how high up you are. Then the fall itself goes up and down a few times, but that is more fun than it is scarry.

Of course, Tower of Terror, to me, is the ultimate freefall ride. The fall itself is cool because of the random drop sequence (is it done? Am I going up again? How high am I right now?...then you come up to the "lookout" section of the Tower and see just how high up you are!)

But all that aside, the theming and presentation itself are big factors in why the Tower of Terror beats out any ordinary freefall ride.

 

[Vernonpush]

I hate free fall rides! I get dizzy on regular elevators! But I love T-O-T! I guesss it's because you're in the dark, or sitting (strapped in) or just all the themeing, but it does not bother me.

 

[civileng68]

no way

TOT is not as intense a free fall ride, thank goodness. I cannot handle free fall rides. I rode one, one time and that was all for me. However, I can't get off of TOT. I love it. yOu do not drop at the same speed as a typical free fall ride. Also not seeing out the whole time keeps you from feeling the fall as much. It's definately a lot scarier than it looks which is why my wife is yet to get on it with me.

 

[mandib]

Originally posted by rokcandy
Ok, I've been on the Giant Drop @ SF Great America, and I find that ride more intense...like you feel like you're dropping, get that whole stomach thing...etc.

O ya I was on that twice last week! lol ToT doesn't give you the same feeling. You feel more held in. lol The way I look at it is that all these people have lived on it, it must be safe!

 

[sharky23]

Sweet! I thought the ride kind of held the cars a bit during the drop.

Is this still true with TOT4 and the random sequences?

 

[civileng68]

yes

it's still the same principle, just different sequences. You'll won't have any more of a drop than you normally would.

 

[Lee]

Tower drops substantially faster than a freefall tower.

It actually "pulls" you down faster than gravity can drop you.

 

[Fievel]

Originally posted by Lee
Tower drops substantially faster than a freefall tower.

It actuall "pulls" you down faster than gravity can drop you.

Exactly....I don't think many people realize this.

Maybe the darkness and the constant up/down confuses people?

 

[magicjay1989]

Next time you are on it hold a pennie in the palm of your hand and you can see it float. because it is falling at the speed of gravitey

 

[jaylenofan86]

Actully, since you are falling faster then the speed of gravity, wouldn't the penny fly out of your hand and out of reach?

 

[MrNonacho]

Originally posted by jaylenofan86
Actully, since you are falling faster then the speed of gravity, wouldn't the penny fly out of your hand and out of reach?

The penny actually does fly up off of your hand a bit. If you were simply falling, the penny wouldn't move unless upward force was applied to it.

It doesn't fly off too far since you are only "falling" for a few seconds at a time.

 

[strobe]

Originally posted by sharky23
Hi,

I haven't been on TOT in a few years. I remeber it be amazing, and the drops not nearly as intense as say, a freefall ride you'd find in a Six Flags park.

Is this still the case? Where it's more the anticipation then actually feeling your toes in your stomach?

Going to the world tomorrow for a few days and totally wannna do it. but I hate typical freefall rides.

Thanks for any feedback!

-s

I don't think ToT compares to other free fall rides, as far as the 'DROP' portion goes. For example, some of the free-fall rides at cedar point are over 300 feet tall and shoot you towards the earth using compressed air.

That said, I think the experience of riding ToT is about 1000 times more fun. Aside from the amazing theming and special effects, the random drop profiles really keep you guessing as to what's going to happen next. I would take this any day over a ride that goes straight up to 300 feet and shoots you down in 3 seconds flat.

 

[goofyfan13]

I think that the tower of terror is by far the best free-fall ride. Even though i wouldn't consider it a free fall because it falls faster than gravity. The theming of the ride for me, is probobly one of Disney's better jobs. But since your question was about the drop portion, I think the tower can be worse than some drop rides and at the same time not be. This is because of the new drop profiles and on one of them (can't remember which one its called) i honestly felt my stomach in my throat. And on other profiles I don't feel it all too much. So for me at least it all depends on the profile you get. (It could be because of some of the prep drops that some of them have). and strobe the tower of power tower is 300 feet tall but they only drop you 240 feet of it. (I am a die hard Cedar Point fan too)

 

[strobe]

Originally posted by goofyfan13
and strobe the tower of power tower is 300 feet tall but they only drop you 240 feet of it. (I am a die hard Cedar Point fan too)

Your absolutely right. I forgot that the top 60 feet aren't part of the attraction. But still, 240 feet in 3 seconds is a pretty short ride, especially when the lines are long. Don't get me wrong, my stomach is usually still up near the top, but I just think that ToT is far superior!

 

[thumper]

I've been on Freefall at Six Flags Great Adventure in NJ, and there is no comparison from that rickety ride to ToT!

Probably the biggest difference is the anticipation level. In ToT, I know that the fall is bound to happen, but you just don't know when that split second will occur! I also like the entire spiel that builds up to your drop. You're not just getting in a car, being raised to the top, and then dropped. There's enough time for the adrenaline to rise in my body!

:lol:

Also, with Freefall in Great Adventure, the car is lifted on this elevator, pushed forward 5 feet and then a big buzzer goes off in your ear. You drop and land hard on your back (ouch). To me, that's not enjoyable. I've had bad experiences on this ride, where I've been on the queue and of course the ride breaks down..not fun! I guess I'm just partial to anything WDW!