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disneyfreak2727
11-29-2003, 07:49 PM
Hello -

I was wondering about the tower of terror and when it possably will be opened??And maybe if anyone knows if the ride will be a fass pass ride.I was also wondering if the ride would be in DCA?

thank you:D

Freerider127
11-29-2003, 07:55 PM
the ride will be open in feb or march. It is already built in DCA.

disneyfreak2727
11-29-2003, 07:59 PM
Thank you so much for the dates and the park its opening in....thanks agian!!:)

Disneyfreak
11-29-2003, 08:12 PM
May 7th to be exact.:)

disneyfreak2727
11-29-2003, 08:16 PM
What so it is May 7 not feb or march????:confused:

Darkbeer
11-29-2003, 08:41 PM
I heard May 4th, but if you go down to my ToT photo album link, you will see the signage Disney posted on the wall next to the Hyperion theater... May 2004!

This is also the month that both Revenge of the Mummy at USH and Journey to Atlantis at SeaWorld are expected to open.

MonorailMan
11-29-2003, 08:54 PM
I wonder when previews will start, late Feb. maybe? :D

disneyfreak2727
11-29-2003, 08:57 PM
Yes ,I was wondering the same does anyone know???

DL4EVER
11-29-2003, 09:14 PM
As an off-the-cuff guess, I would say possible previews starting Feb. 8th, as a symbol of ToT being a late birthday present for DCA. But this date HAS NO founding outside of my personal guess. I still thought this as a potential opening day, but why open a ride during off-season, especially one that is this special.

Disneyfreak
11-29-2003, 09:52 PM
How is may an offseason? It is just before summer time, so they will get mass crowds.:)

Darkbeer
11-29-2003, 10:10 PM
The info I have is that CM previews will start in April, there is a special merchandising event in late April, and based on testing and completion of the ride, maybe some AP preview in April. Basically right now the AP previews are the "safety value", if everything goes as planned, you will get some AP previews, but if a glitch or two comes up, the AP previews will be scratched to allow for the extra time needed. The media event is being set up for the first week in May...... (Remember, the CM's are legally allowed to ride the attraction prior to DOSH signing off on it, for load testing - of course, after multiple tests with sensors and water babies. So they get to be the first to ride.)

So don't get your hopes up....

sleepyjeff
11-29-2003, 10:22 PM
Originally posted by DL4EVER
... ToT ... but why open a ride during off-season, especially one that is this special.

What is so special about a copy of an old WDW ride built with about two thirds the budget as the original?

:confused:

MonorailMan
11-29-2003, 11:06 PM
Originally posted by sleepyjeff
What is so special about a copy of an old WDW ride built with about two thirds the budget as the original?

Ok, I've been wanting to ride some form of the TOT since I heard it was opeing when I was a very wee child.

Now, that I have a perfectly good Disneyland AP, and there trying to revive a lackluster park, why not look forward to a new ride?

Not like I'm paying that much to ride it. ;) :D

sleepyjeff
11-29-2003, 11:55 PM
Originally posted by MonorailMan
Ok, I've been wanting to ride some form of the TOT since I heard it was opeing when I was a very wee child.

Now, that I have a perfectly good Disneyland AP, and there trying to revive a lackluster park, why not look forward to a new ride?

Not like I'm paying that much to ride it. ;) :D

Well, you know what they say about getting what you pay for ;)

DL4EVER
11-30-2003, 10:50 AM
I mean if they were opening it on Feb. 8th that that would be off-season, but they aren't so nevermind, you didn't understand my post.

As for you sleepy jeff, have you looked at pictures? Except for idea wise, this certainly is no copy. Also, the budget being less doesn't mean anything quality wise necessarily. You forget the fact that MGM's ToT was the original, thus there was a lot more experimentation to be done, which costed money. Now they have it all worked out, so that third of the budget doesn't need to be there.

The ride is special, because it is going to be an IMPROVEMENT over the original. I can say this because of the lack of the 5D room. Yes, it is indeed an improvement because of this, because the 5D room was the result of a failed effect, which must mean that they figured out how to accomplish it. Anyways, the scene that has been rumored to replace it would blow it out of the water. Just go look at the pinned Tower thread in the MouseInfo.com discussion boards.

Basically, you are being overly negative. Until proven otherwise, you should be very optimistic about Disney rides, especially any new rides to come anywhere near DLR.

Tigertail777
11-30-2003, 12:05 PM
key word here is RUMORED to take place... there generally are a lot of rumors concerning the fantastic-ness (is that a word?) of Disney rides, until someone in accounting comes along with the traditional yule budget cut(s). I went over to mouseinfo and read all the pages (that took a while) on the discussion of TOT, and the really cool ideas discussed near as I can tell, were early stages in the ride design (from what little I can garner from sources I have heard).

As jose's cousin outside tiki room used to say (paraphrased to change the context of the tense) " I weeel beleeeive eet when I see it, and then I weeel not beleive it!"

I am a little biased of course because I far and away prefer the architectural style of wdw's.... this one god-- the top part of it I just keep thinking if they slap a nike logo on it, it will be a stucco shoebox. Plus I dont care how failed it was from the original concept, what they made of the 5th dimension room was awesome! that was definately THE best part of the whole ride to me (only rivaled by the truly awesome que area details inside and out). Well only time will tell of course, but I will be very very surpised if it equals the awe and splendor of the wdw one.

DL4EVER
11-30-2003, 12:38 PM
Actually, the indoor part of DCA's ToT is supposed to be larger and much more elaborate. And it seems as though the looking glass scene is no longer a rumor. How the scene will be pulled off remains to be seen, but it sounds cool and if pulled off, would make the 5D room seem less spectacular.

Another funny thing about the 5D room is that it was incredibly rushed. Yeah, I thought it was a cool part of the ride, but I don't see the big deal over it. You moved forward down a hallway that had some Twilight Zone stuff in it.......cool. Yes, I realize you are supposed to be on an "elevator" but when you are in the know, it isn't all that cool.

Sure, MGM's ToT is a lot more forboding and creepy, but I like the fact that DCA's ToT isn't as forboding and creepy. I like the two Tower's outside appearances equally. And if TDS ends up anything like the concept art, it will blow both of these ToT out of the water.

Also, just curious, have you been to the park yet, or only seen pictures? Although I haven't been to the park yet since 2001, I am going to be there at the end of the month, so I am sure standing inside the park looking up at it will be spectacular.

It is also clear that the outdoor queue will be not as cool as MGM's, btu MGM's otudoor queue supports its forboding, and the DCA's will actually appear to be that more of the location of a popular hotel. Right now, it looks like we are getting a street side type entrance, with a fiber optics(I hope)sign and dried up fountain, followed by a less elaborate outside garden queue.

Also, I feel it is hard to compare anything to the original, because regardless of visual differences and physical differences, sometimes there is a mental block that goes up and makes you think, well it's just trying to leach off the original, or it does no justice to the original. But it is an independent ride and should be viewed as such. So until it opens, one should keep an open mind about the ride, and one should continue that openness until they experience the ride for themselves.

sleepyjeff
11-30-2003, 06:44 PM
Originally posted by DL4EVER


As for you sleepy jeff, have you looked at pictures? Except for idea wise, this certainly is no copy. Also, the budget being less doesn't mean anything quality wise necessarily. You forget the fact that MGM's ToT was the original, thus there was a lot more experimentation to be done, which costed money. Now they have it all worked out, so that third of the budget doesn't need to be there.

The ride is special, because it is going to be an IMPROVEMENT over the original. I can say this because of the lack of the 5D room. Yes, it is indeed an improvement because of this, because the 5D room was the result of a failed effect, which must mean that they figured out how to accomplish it. Anyways, the scene that has been rumored to replace it would blow it out of the water. Just go look at the pinned Tower thread in the MouseInfo.com discussion boards.

Basically, you are being overly negative. Until proven otherwise, you should be very optimistic about Disney rides, especially any new rides to come anywhere near DLR.


1. Yes I have seen the pictures( not to mention seeing the exterior in person)

2. Your right. Pooh was just as good here as it was in Tokyo
:rolleyes: ; don't know why they spent so much more money!

3. You say the ride is going to be an improvement because it lacks the 5-d room.............ok, guess I need to re-evaluate what was fun about the WDW version.

4. I choose what I will be very optimistic about. Sorry, if it does not match what TDA and yourself want everybody to believe.

5. Unless proven otherwise, you should take what TDA tells you with a very big grain of salt....especially any new rides to come anywhere near DLR ;)

DL4EVER
11-30-2003, 07:24 PM
I never claimed that Pooh was as good here as in Tokyo, and my argument cannot be twisted into such meaning. I would like to point out that comparing anything in any of the parks to any part of the Tokyo park is a joke, because the Tokyo park has funding that the other parks could only ever wish to have. Disney doesn't even foot the bill for the Tokyo parks. And yes, I will admit that our Pooh, although I haven't ridden it, doesn't appear to be and in my thought, couldn't be as good as the Magic Kingdom's, which is a little more reasonable of a comparison. Tower in MGM had a lot of bugs to work out, including rebuilding in some portions, because they were dealing with an entirely new ride system. For example, they actually blew out the lower shaft walls one of the first times they tested it because of unexpected build up of pressure. I'm not saying that things will and should always be cheaper the second time around, I am just pointing out that in this circumstance, a lesser budget can be chalked up to less actual experimentation this time around.

On your 3rd point, it is MY opinion that the exclusion of the 5D scene will be an improvement, because it was an accident and result of a failed effect to begin with. Some people enjoy the ride more than just for that one effect. Also, I am optimistic about whatever effect that has been chosen to replace it, because they may have very well got what they were originally trying to accomplish right. Yes I realize the 5D effect is cool, and I thought it was cool too, but it is so less awe inspiring when you know what Tower is, so I can't really gauge my experience. I even realize that a lot of people think the 5D room is the coolest thing about the ride, but I personally do not think it "makes" the ride, and "saves" the ride from being just another drop ride, because the way I see it, without it, there would only be something in its place, not just a blank spot. Until its replacement is confirmed, or until it is at least even completely guaranteed officially that there is no chance of a 5D room, that it should be billed that the ride will fail and suck without it. I realize this is not what you're saying completely, but some are.

I am not affiliating myself with TDA, I just want people to actually offer more reasoning as to why any ride will not be special and worth making a ruckus about besides the exclusion of something in the original and the fact that it is only two-thirds of the original's budget. Some people offer nothing more than, "This Tower will suck" and leave it at that. Also, it is just my opinion that people shouldn't be so pessimistic about things that aren't even finished yet. Once we get actual ride experiences, videos, pictures of the interior and even of the ride possibly, I think it is acceptable to make judgments without experiencing it, but I feel that a level of optimism should be employed until the thing is at least finished. Even more simplified, I am asking simply for people to keep their minds and opinions open.

Also, my information doesn't come directly from TDA, and I realize I set myself up for this by acknowledging rumors, but I don't work for Disney, so I can only base my opinions off those who claim to be in the know.

I am just a very open-minded person. I think Tower will be great and even better than MGM's because MGM's version is older, and Disney has had time to learn from it and figure out what adaptations and changes could be made to it to make it that much better.

As I said earlier, it is clear already that if TDS does indeed get a ToT that there's will be the best, visually, going from the concept art, which all the Tower's closely resemble their own concept arts, and physically, because by that time, there will probably be an even better idea and effect to be accomplished.

These are strictly my OPINIONS, and it would be foolish and stupid of me to think that everyone will conform to them and see things my way, but that doesn't mean that I shouldn't express them and submit them to others for thought. I am not trying to shove my opinions down anyone's throat, I am just presenting them, with a flourish, on a silver platter, for your pleasure or disdain.

sleepyjeff
11-30-2003, 10:14 PM
I hope that you are right DL4EVER. My only contention is that there is nothing concrete out there that makes me believe that this ride will be anything more special than what we(DL fans) have been getting recently. I am hopeful about the planned Buzz attraction in TL. It has been given a decent budget(the same budget that Tokyo got). I guess we will all have to sit and wait. So far I have been right every time I predicted that a new thing at DLR would be less than hyped.

Fantasmic was the last thing that the folks in Anaheim exceeded my expectations with.

Here's hoping that history repeats:)

MrTomMorrow
12-01-2003, 04:48 PM
LaughingPlace.com just reported that the official opening date for the new Twilight Zone Tower of Terror attraction will be May 4th.

http://www.laughingplace.com/default.asp?WCI=MsgBoard&WCE=T-43589-P-1

zapppop
12-01-2003, 05:03 PM
The TOT will open Tuesday May 4th.

There will be preview days April 22nd & 23rd.

This attraction will have fastpass.

itsinthemagic
12-01-2003, 05:45 PM
The opening day is supposedly May 4th? We were already bummed out that we are going to be there AFTER the preview days of April 22 & 23... but we figured we might make the opening since we'll be there the 27th to the 3rd. Now we're missing both? Now I'm really bummed :crying:

Tigertail777
12-01-2003, 06:26 PM
DL4ever.... I truly appreciate your optimism, but for me..I am sorry I can beleive little Disney says anymore especially sight unseen I have been "burned" far too many times. I used to be very optimistic about anyhting and everythign Disney ever did ever since I was very little, but now I feel Disney is going to have to earn that optimism and respect it once had... I no longer trust them implicitly as I used to.

All of that said, I really HOPE someone finally "got" it and understood that it takes a LOT of money and time and attention to detail to really make a worthwhile attraction. Really when it comes right down to it, the wdw version's 5th dimension room was a victim of both budget cuts, and simply running out of time. They needed to get the ride done and there was no more time for tinkering when the different "tries" on the 5th dimension didnt work properly. HOWEVER, there was plenty of time later on during one of the rehabs to get a version working, they just didnt want to expend money on something that wouldn't inherently give them money back, so instead of actually fixing something that was "broken" they just left it. It would have been extremely easy and decently cheap to cover the entire room in fiber optic stars instead of the original mirrors, but they didnt. BUT the standout effect still is there: the starfield turning into a door crack and opening, thats really all that saved that entire room (that and the horizontal movement) but its a good enough effect that its my favorite part of the entire ride. (plus dont forget the ginat eye with you reflected in it just before the shaft door).

But, a huge part of the ride experience for me was also the amazing que its really almost an attraction by itself, and if TOT didnt have that it wouldnt be much of a ride to me. I also loved the architectural details very awesome design. I will say this though; I am happy that the DCA TOT actually got the "dissappeared hotel" architecture right... that part just is really odd looking on the wdw version.

I do hope the DCA TOT gets the que right to some degree, its just some master planning on the original one, where the que twists just right so your views of the tower are limited at certain times, and you are wandering through an abondoned "garden" with twilight zone type mist. I was impressed with every square inch of the wdw TOT, so I hope they can pull off something as impressive with DCA. As I said, only time will tell.

Bruce Bergman
12-01-2003, 07:03 PM
Originally posted by itsinthemagic
The opening day is supposedly May 4th? We were already bummed out that we are going to be there AFTER the preview days of April 22 & 23... but we figured we might make the opening since we'll be there the 27th to the 3rd. Now we're missing both? Now I'm really bummed :crying:

Don'tgive up hope quite yet... It's entirely possible that they'll do a "Soft Open" on May 2nd and/or 3rd as part of their final testing and training. :cool: They do this with most of the rides (but not all) in their final preparations or after they've been closed for rehab work.

They don't make a big fuss about the Soft Open (but they do often tell the DL Hotel guests about them that morning), they just open up for a few hours unannounced to get the CM's used to running the ride before the massive hordes descend on them on the "official" opening date. You have to either wander by the attraction several times a day and see if they're open, or ask around and see if the CM Rumor Mill has heard anything.

And since the ride has unofficially been opened, if something goes wrong :eek: and they have to close it back down, they don't cause as much grief. Those shakedown runs are their last chances to find crowd control or operational bugs before the public unveiling.

:fez: --<< Bruce >>--