Holly Days: The TOWER OF TERROR!!!!

It was my roommate Alyssa's birthday a while back and we both had the same day off. So we decided that we'd go play at one of the parks. We went to Disney's Hollywood Studios (aka: MGM Studios). We went on rides like the Rockin' Roller Coaster and ate at one of my favorite resturants, The Sci-Fi Drive-in. It was a lot of fun just hanging out. Then she told me that her favorite ride in the whole world was Tower of Terror, but she didn't want to make me go on it since she knew I was kind of a ride-chicken. But I sucked it up! I declared to her that for her birthday, I would go on it with her for the first time, as my gift to her.

It's called the Tower of TERROR for a reason which I understand now... Even the lobby to the ride was frightening. Not to mention the black and white introduction video telling you the story of how this couple, an elderly lady, a small child and a bell-boy all disappeared on an elevator when it was struck by lightening. That sure was soothing...

To get to the line, you walk through this really creepy boiler room where you're greeted by solemn looking bell-boys (or girls) which would give Haunted Mansion a run for it's money! They load you into an elevator and make you sit. Granted, the whole elevator looks rusted over and you have to share this short rand rail with the person next to you.

Alyssa thought my panic was hilarious, even though I was trying my best to suppress most of it for the crying child next to me! She told me that she would warn me before it fell so I could brace myself.

Then the car starts to move... it takes you to one floor where it opens up and you see a floor with Hotel rooms on it, then the Ghosts of the unfortunate riders show up and creepily beckon you forwards. Then they get all lightning-y and the whole floor turns into stars with a creepy window breaking in the background. Then those doors close and the elevator takes you to another room, the car starts to move through, the "Twilight Zone" including giant creepy eyes and ghostly creepy things. At this point my inner-self is freaking and wondering how I could escape without looking like a chicken to the child who's crying next to me.

Then a door opens and things are completely black. It's hot, so you can tell you're right near the out-side and clicking is warning you that the elevator car is hooking up to the shaft of doom. Just then, Alyssa laughs and says, "Don't worry, I'll tell you wh.... AAAAAAAAAAAAH!"

My muscles TIGHTEN! To the point where I feel like I will never move and the whole car erupts in this high pitched squeal that echos the rises and falls of the elevator. I honestly couldn't tell you which part was worse, the rising or the falling. All I know is that normally, I can scream. And when I say scream, I mean scream... but on this ride, I could honestly not make a SOUND! I eyes WHERE(!) open! So I wasn't completely chicken, but I also think I didn't take a breath during that whole ride.

By the time the ride ended, I was still gripping on the handles like death itself. Alyssa enjoyed the ride thoroughly, and turned to me laughing about to ask me what I though of it, but her laughed stopped abruptly and she asked "Are you ok?" In my mind I was thinking I thought you were going to warn me? But the only words that could come out were "YOU LIED!"

Needless to say, I survived and once I got off and started walking, I realized I could survive it one more time. I needed to ride it again so I didn't have that tramatized feeling whenever I was faced with the opportunity to ride it. But it still took me 5 more rides before I could scream, and 7 more rides before I could not hold on.

But when they named it Tower of Terror, they were NOT kidding!