The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

Description And Comments

The Tower of Terror is a different species of Disney thrill ride, though it borrows elements of The Haunted Mansion at the Magic Kingdom. The story is that you're touring a once-famous Hollywood hotel gone to ruin. The story begins in the queue, which immerses guests in the adventure as they pass through the hotel's once-opulent grounds and public rooms. From the lobby, guests are escorted into the hotel's library, where Rod Serling, speaking from an old black-and white television, greets the guests and introduces the plot.

The Tower of Terror is a whopper at 13-plus-stories tall. Breaking tradition in terms of visually isolating themed areas, it lets you see the entire Studios from atop the tower ... but you have to look quick.

The ride vehicle, one of the hotel’s service elevators, takes guests to see the haunted hostelry. The tour begins innocuously, but at about the fifth floor things get pretty weird. Guests are subjected to a full range of eerie effects as they cross into the Twilight Zone. The climax occurs when the elevator reaches the top floor—the 13th, of course—and the cable snaps.

The Tower of Terror is an experience to savor. Though the final plunges—yep, plural—are calculated to thrill, the meat of the attraction is its extraordinary visual and audio effects. There’s richness and subtlety here, enough to keep the ride fresh and stimulating after many repetitions. Disney has also programmed random lift-and-drop sequences into the mix, making the attraction faster and keeping you guessing about when, how far, and how many times the elevator will fall.

A senior from the United Kingdom tried the Tower of Terror and liked it very much:

I was thankful I had read your review of the Tower of Terror, or I certainly would have avoided it. As you say, it’s so full of magnificent detail that it’s worth riding even if you don’t fancy the drops involved.

A Washington State reader thinks the randomness is a net negative:

The last time I rode the Tower of Terror was almost 20 years ago, and I remember a HUGE drop initially. This time it was just kind of up-down, updown, up-up-down. Bummer.

The Tower has great potential for terrifying young children and rattling more-mature visitors. If you have teenagers in your party, use them as experimental probes: If they report back that they really, really liked the Tower of Terror, run as fast as you can in the opposite direction.

Touring Tips

• This attraction offers Lightning Lane via Genie+.
• Open for Early Theme Park Entry.
  

The attractions in Galaxy’s Edge, along with Slinky Dog Dash and Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway, draw crowds away from Tower of Terror. If you can’t ride first thing in the morning, waits should be shorter in the last hour the park is open.

the last hour the park is open. To save time once you’re inside the queuing area, when you enter the library waiting room, stand in the far back corner across from the door where you entered and at the opposite end of the room from the TV. When the doors to the loading area open, you’ll be the first admitted.

Our touring plans incorporate strategies for riding Tower of Terror, Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, and Slinky Dog Dash with minimum waits.

The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror Wait Times

This chart shows you roughly how long you'll wait for The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror when you visit on a day with a given Disney's Hollywood Studios Crowd Level. The blue bars represent the average "peak" wait time (that is, how long the line will be at its busiest). The bottom and top black lines represent the range of peak wait times to expect (for you fellow nerds out there: it's the 5th percentile and 95th percentile of peak wait times). Please note that these are estimates, and for a better forecast for your travel dates, see The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror Wait Times.

Attraction Photos

Special Comments

• We rate this attraction as Not To Be Missed.
• This attraction has a minimum-height requirement of 40 inches.
• This attraction offers rider swap.
• This attraction is climate-controlled (has air conditioning and heat).

40" minimum height requirement; switching-off option offered.

Special Needs

• Physical Considerations
• Video Captioning Available
• Audio Description Devices Available
• Must Transfer To Standard Wheelchair, And Then To Ride Vehicle
• No Service Animals

Disney Dish with Jim Hill

HERE'S A FUN FACT FOR YOU

Mel Brooks, not The Twilight Zone TV series, was the inspiration for this ride. When Disney originally began developing this ride, it was called Hotel Mel. Done in the style of Brooks’s Young Frankenstein and High Anxiety, it was supposed to be a send-up of Hollywood’s greatest horror and suspense films, with comedy. In fact, your 13-floor plummet was supposed to begin when movie director Mel yelled “Cut!”

Other Attractions in Sunset Boulevard

• Beauty and the Beast - Live on Stage
• Fantasmic!
• Lightning McQueen's Racing Academy
• Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith

Touring Plans with The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror

• Disney's Hollywood Studios Happy Family One-Day Touring Plan
• Disney's Hollywood Studios One-Day Touring Plan for Active Seniors
• Disney's Hollywood Studios One-Day Holiday Touring Plan for Active Seniors
• Disney's Hollywood Studios One-Day Holiday Touring Plan for Adults
• Disney's Hollywood Studios One-Day Not-A-Touring-Plan Plan for Adults
Disney's Hollywood Studios One-Day Late-Arrival Not-A-Touring-Plan for Adults and Parents
Disney's Hollywood Studios Afternoon Touring Plan
Ultimate Touring Plan: Hollywood Studios
Disney's Hollywood Studios Unofficial Guide Touring Plan
Disney's Hollywood Studios Late Arrival One-Day Touring Plan
Disney's Hollywood Studios One-Day Touring Plan for Tweens and Parents
• See all Touring Plans...

What is a Touring Plan?