Tower Of Terror Ride Vehicle not in sync

[Iknewagirlnamed]

Yesterday at the end of riding Tower Of Terror something strange and a little scary happened. After the ride vehicle left the elevator shaft after the ride ended and Rod Sterling's voice did the spiel, instead of the ride vehicle backing up and moving forward into place to let the guests out, it just stayed stationary. Rod Sterling's spiel ended and we heard the next ride vehicle that was about to enter into where we were sitting. The next ride vehicle started to back up and only then did our ride vehicle start to back up and into place to let us out.

It was a bit alarming considering I'm used to the ride vehicle immediately going into place to let us out, instead we sat there for 30 seconds or so unnerved and afraid that the next vehicle was going to back into us. Does this normally happen at times?

 

[disneydata]

If a vehicle takes too long to unload, it has to force the ones approcahing to hold at certian points. This does happen and is a normal occurence.

 

[Silentkink]

If a vehicle takes too long to unload, it has to force the ones approcahing to hold at certian points. This does happen and is a normal occurence.

Exactly not very weird at all, but something that is weird and freaky is when you are about to be dropped and get stuck up there like my family and I were. We were up there for about 30 minutes before they had to take us out a side elevator that brings you to the start of the ride.

 

[marni1971]

You would have had plenty of time. As you backed out of the drop shaft, the doors closed, and the VVC (the actual elevator your ride car sits in) would have had to travel back up to the 5th Dimension, stop, open its doors, accept the next ride vehicle, go through safety protocols and run that vehicles entire drop profile even before that following vehicle would try to exit into where you are.

You heard the VVC travelling back to the 5thD to accept the next AGV. Yes, as mentioned above what you experienced can and does happen and there are a zillion safety features to stop one vehicle hitting another. ToT is one of the most over engineered attractions on property.

 

[Rob562]

As Martin said, there are numerous safety features built into the Tower (and every other ride with moving vehicles).

From what friends who are former Tower CMs have told me, the ride system won't allow a vehicle to enter the Drop shaft and start it's program unless there's room for it to park on the Unload floor if necessary. There is enough room on the Unload floor for three vehicles to "park" between Unload and the Drop shaft: One at the Unload station, and two "stacked-up" between Unload and the shaft doors. (And there are only 4 vehicles running per side at one time anyway)

Similarly, the system won't allow a vehicle to leave the Load lift's hallway scene if the 5th Dimension hallway isn't clear; and won't allow an advance out of the boiler room load point if the other Load shaft's car isn't beyond its hallway scene. It's all a very well-designed, intricate system.

It's very similar to the dark rides in Fantasyland. I'm sure you've ridden Snow White or Winnie the Pooh where toward the end of the ride you randomly stop in the middle of the scene for a few moments, and then start back up again. This is because cars are sitting at the Unload platform too long and is causing other cars to back up inside the attraction. You don't advandce forward until the "zone" in front of you is clear.

-Rob

 

[Timekeeper]

The pacing of the attraction starts from the very beginning, when the elevator doors close after loading. Notice how sometimes the ride starts right away, and sometimes you sit there for a few moments first. Unlike some other attractions, that are notorious for mid-ride stoppage, the Tower prefers to avoid stopping ride vehicles once the ride has commenced. That's why load/unload pacing is so important, and the ride circuits are not overloaded with vehicles for those instances when things get backed up.

 

[Fuzz]

Yesterday at the end of riding Tower Of Terror something strange and a little scary happened. After the ride vehicle left the elevator shaft after the ride ended and Rod Sterling's voice did the spiel, instead of the ride vehicle backing up and moving forward into place to let the guests out, it just stayed stationary. Rod Sterling's spiel ended and we heard the next ride vehicle that was about to enter into where we were sitting. The next ride vehicle started to back up and only then did our ride vehicle start to back up and into place to let us out.

It was a bit alarming considering I'm used to the ride vehicle immediately going into place to let us out, instead we sat there for 30 seconds or so unnerved and afraid that the next vehicle was going to back into us. Does this normally happen at times?

Very same thing happened to me as well except for us it was more than 30 seconds. We got to the bottom just as you said and when the spiel ended we just sat there at the bottom. Then we heard the the same spiel you hear before you being the drop sequence from above. Then it went all quiet and we sat there for a good five minutes. It was a bit scary for sure when we heard the drop spiel but then it became a funny joke once nothing happened for awhile. After all "You can check in, but you can't check out!"

 

[Slipknot]

Wouldn't be surprised if it was a slow Bellhop at Unload or said Bellhop looking for Lost and Found for a forgetful guest. Happens on a daily, if not hourly, basis.