Holy Terror, Here We Come!

Monday May 30, 2016

I was the first one awake early Monday morning.  As I opened my daily devotional and thanked the Lord for providing for us, and to really hear from HIM today, the scripture was like an angel in my ear, as I read Psalm 56: 3-4

When I am afraid, I put my trust in you.
⁴     In God, whose word I praise—
in God I trust and am not afraid.
    What can mere mortals do to me?

Ok – maybe you think it is silly to pray for how I was feeling about getting on a ride, but I take every little concern to God, including this – If I am getting on this ride, I want to know it’s ok with my Father in Heaven and my best friend.  Upon Kelsi’s insistence and her love for “ Tower of Terror” at Hollywood Studio’s, I promised her I would ride it.  And yes, I was having 2^nd thoughts.  But God’s Word really did comfort me and in some strange way, give me comfort and peace – like a “seal of approval”.

I researched this ride for the last two months – I knew how the pulley’s work, I knew where the handles are at your side to hold on to, and I knew that when we entered the room where the temperature changed to warm, the first drop sequence was about to begin. So this was the setup for this morning’s agenda. We had a 9:00 fast pass for Tower of Terror at Disney Hollywood Studio’s.

We were at the bus stop around 8:15 a.m. at our resort, and I had a few Ritz crackers and some bottled water while we waited on the bus. Breakfast would be at 10:00, after Tower of Terror and wanted just a little something on my stomach before riding… but not much!

We arrived at Rope Drop and had to wait about 20 minutes. 

Arriving at Tower of Terror, we were too early for our Fast Passes, and I asked about the stand by time because it said 20 minutes but everyone was just going straight in – the cast member said it was more like five (5 minutes) so we decided to go ahead and ride it. Good – I was weary of the anticipation – let’s get on with this!!  The line was short and before long we were entering our elevator.

Cute story line and very well done, entering the Twilight Zone, with Ghostly characters and movement into dark corridors of the old hotel. You could feel slight movements of ascending slowly in an elevator. Finally we passed through an area and into a box like compartment (elevator shaft) where the temperature changed (warmer) and we were pulled up quickly then pulled down – it is not a drop, because you can feel the pressure of being pulled downward. Then pushed up, pulled down – not bad, I’m still breathing; this is fun!  Then I realized we had completed the 4^th sequence, and we were pulled up and plunged down again –what, ok, breathing a little heavy now  this is # 5 and I “think” the doors opened (window at the top of the tower) this time – surely, it’s over, nope after that drop, pulled up one more time – then pushed down. Final time. Whew, I made it.  Fun? Yes!  But that was enough for a little while for me.  I will ride it again, definitely,  It is probably in my top 7 rides on my list. Thank you, Kelsi for insisting I conquer my fears – Holy Terror, I did it!

My head is down, so you can't really see me in this picture  (middle row 3rd from the end on the left - Dennis is beside me and that is Kelsi to my left and Lauryn beside her)

(see that death grip? - yeah, I have a battle scar from that - bruise on my right upper arm)

Rockin’ Roller Coaster was close-by so we went to check the stand-by line, 40 minutes, hmm – we didn’t really have time before breakfast.  It was right at our original Fast Pass time for Tower of Terror, so Dennis, Kelsi and Lauryn took the elevator to the 13^th floor for a second time.  I’ll wait until next trip to revisit. 

Next up – time for breakfast reservations at Hollywood and Vine with Jake, Sophia, Doc McStuffins, and Handy Mandy. This buffet is really good and at some point during the meal, Kelsi declared, “ this is the best breakfast I have ever had”.   Kelsi called Christian when Jake passed by our table and face timed him so he could see.  Pictures and autographs with characters – never too old J  it’s a Disney tradition – gotta do it.

It took a little while for all of the characters to pass by and pose for the obligatory picture, so by the time we had paid our bill, and walked out – our food had time to settle before the next ride.  We said good bye to one of the cast members, Mikey, from Puerto Rico that we had been talking to before breakfast – nice guy.  He was telling us about having to learn the language when he first moved here and how kids in his class at school tricked him on the meaning of some words…  got him a trouble a couple of times – uh oh!   You can strike up some interesting conversations with Disney cast members.

Somewhere around 11:30 – fast pass time for Rockin’ Roller Coaster. As we took off in the big limousine to the pulsing Aero Smith concert, the G-force (0 to 60 in about 5 seconds) is strong – the last 2 seconds I began to think “ok – enough of this…” as our first inversion happened and then I was fine, as the force from the blast off lifted away. This ride is totally in the dark, and it was my first time, so I had no idea what was coming.  Drops, Spirals, and shooting upwards – very fun! Glad I rode it – once, I don’t think I’ll be riding that one again.  I really liked the roller coaster ride, just not the blast off.

Shaky legs for a couple of seconds as I exited the ride – it’s intense, and the jerkiness bothered Dennis’ neck some, but we are impressing our grandkids – ha! J Truth is, we like these rides, our bodies just not so much.

A few minutes left before time for our 3^rd fast pass, so we popped into the Great Movie Ride.  Settle back and just relax and catch my breath for a few minutes for this slow, classic ride through the movies ride.  Always love seeing the Wicked Witch of the West legs and ruby slippers under Dorothy’s house, and of course, John Wayne, Clint Eastwood, and Harrison Ford.

Time now for Star Tours – my favorite ride at Hollywood Studio’s. It is a simulator ride, but Disney does an excellent job making it feel and look so real.  After exiting, Dennis snapped a few photos of Dark Vader on stage to send to Christian. Here ya go, buddy, just for you!

We made our way to the exit of The Studio’s and found the bus to Epcot for the rest of the day, but not before getting a couple of Frozen Lemonade’s.  It is HOT,  gotta stay hydrated.   See you over by the big White Spaceship Earth!