Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
The Tower of Terror is a whopper at 13-plus stories tall. It breaks tradition in terms
of visually isolating themed areas. The entire park is visible from the top, but you have to
look quickly!
The ride vehicle, one of the hotel's service elevators, takes guests to see the haunted
hostelry. The tour begins with a startling fiber-optic star field effect, and from there things
quickly get seriously weird. You have entered The Twilight Zone. Guests are subjected to
a full range of special effects as they encounter unexpected horrors and optical illusions.
The climax of the adventure occurs when the elevator reaches the 13th floor and the cable
snaps.
DCA's Tower of Terror is very similar to the Walt Disney World version, but they
are definitely not clones. In Florida, you start by slowly approaching the tower through
mood-setting decayed gardens, while in DCA you simply step off the street and through
the hotel's front door. From there, the adventure begins the same way—you pass through
the hotel lobby and into the library for the preshow, after which you enter the boarding
area. DCA's boiler room is much bigger with colorful (that is, less creepy) lighting, and
it's decorated with additional insider nods to the original TV series.
Once you're on the elevator, however, the two attractions really part company. In the
Disney World version, the elevator stops at a couple of floors to reveal some eerie visu-
als, but then actually moves out of the shaft onto one of the floors. The effects during this
brief sojourn are remarkable, and more remarkable still is that you don't know that you've
reentered the shaft until the elevator speeds skyward. In the DCA Tower of Terror, the
elevator never leaves the shaft. The visuals and special effects are equally compelling, es-
pecially the unique ghostly mirror not found in Orlando, but there's never that feeling of
disorientation that distinguishes the Florida attraction. The DCA Tower of Terror is more
straightforward, and consequently a little less mysterious. Once the elevator dropping en-
sues, both versions are similar, but Florida features multiple randomized drop profiles,
making each re-ride a surprise, while every stay in DCA's hotel is the same. Regardless of
which version you try, unless you're already fanatically familiar with the superior origin-
al, you're unlikely to be disappointed.
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 re-
port back that they really, really liked it, run as fast as you can in the opposite direction.
Seriously,avoid assuming that this attraction isn't foryou.A senior from the United King-
dom tried The Tower of Terror and liked it very much, writing:
I was thankful I read your review of The Tower of Terror, or I would certainly
haveavoidedit.Asyousay,itissofullofmagnificent detailthatitisworthrid-
ing, even if you don't fancy the drops involved.
TOURING TIPS
Because of its height, the tower is a veritable beacon, visible from outside the
park and luring curious guests as soon as they enter. Because of the attraction's popularity
with schoolkids, teens, and young adults, you can count on a footrace to get there when
