2010 Best Theme Park Attraction: Twilight Zone Tower of Terror vs. Indiana Jones Adventure

March 26, 2010 at 10:03 AM · No contest. The Zone owns Jones.

March 26, 2010 at 10:14 AM · Two innovative, highly themed attractions with great source material and thrills to spare. In an otherwise even matchup, I'll vote for the one that has actually been maintained and has most of its effects working. Tower of Terror gets my vote then.

March 26, 2010 at 10:29 AM · Indy by a long shot. Much more interesting ride repeatability. It creates a much more expansive world, both within the confines of the physical space it envelops, and the impression of the world beyond it. I think it fits perfectly into Adventureland with the Jungle Cruise next door, as opposed to Tower with Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. Within the story of the attraction, you are much more involved. The queue is better, being much more extensive and having plenty of interactive elements. The Indy franchise is much more in the public's eye than The Twilight Zone. And the ride itself is just plain ol' more fun!

March 26, 2010 at 10:39 AM · This was a tough one for me. I love Indy, and Twilight Zone's franchises as well as their respective Disney attractions. I can't go to Disneyland without going on IJA, and I can't go to DHS without going on Twilight Zone.

My only knock on Twilight Zone is that it has the word Twilight in it... too similar to the "Vampire" craze. But that's not enough to make me want to vote against it.

I agree, IJA has too many non-functioning effects and needs an update yesterday!

This is one of the Attractions that I prefer on the East Coast versus the West... DCA's version is still fun, but pales in comparison to DHS's!

March 26, 2010 at 10:55 AM · As difficult a match-up for me as possible. These are my absolute two favorite Disney attractions. They are peerless in terms of theming, excitement and innovation. The greatest ride at Disneyland against the greatest ride at Disney World. Does it sound like I am wavering in my choice? All things being equal, I would have to choose Indy for reasons I have expressed ad nauseum. However, things not being so, I am forced to go with the Tower. In either case, each is fully deserving of Best Attraction.

March 26, 2010 at 11:11 AM · Updated Tower versus dilapidated temple. A different experience every ride versus the same experience made to seem different. Seems pretty intuitive to me.

The toughest question, for me, is, "Who is the cooler icon: Rod Serling or Harrison Ford?"

I'm leading toward the former.

March 26, 2010 at 11:21 AM · Two great attractions. But one is Awsome.TZT is the best themed attraction that has everything operating on all cylinders and is much more involed with the story line. Disney cast members are really into it.

March 26, 2010 at 11:37 AM · Very tough call on this and I'm not saying which one I voted for in the TPI almost secret ballot.
Suffice to say that, despite it's age, Indy still secured more than 1 in 3 votes. Just imagine how many more it might have got had a little of Disney's re-furb budget found it's way into the mine ?
The Tower is great and it's elevators will probably fall all the way down to the top.( if you get my drift ! )

March 26, 2010 at 11:53 AM · I voted for Indy, simply for the fact that not only did the Twilight Zone attraction win once, but I felt its last win was completely undeserved. As an attraction, Tower of Terror has superb theme, and the ride itself is excellent, but it is, when you peel away the outside of it, an over-glorified carnival ride. People only enjoy it since Disney doesn't jip you out of your tickets and you get a good ride out of it.

So, no, frankly, I don't feel ToT deserves as much attention as it gets.

March 26, 2010 at 12:18 PM · The theming of both rides is immersive and first-rate, but Tower of Terror got my vote for going a step further, by throwing the rider into a well-written ghost story. By contrast, Indy is just a grab bag of special effects with no story to tell.

March 26, 2010 at 12:27 PM · The Twilight Zone... keeping it real since 1959.
The Tower of Terror... best in its class since 1994.

How can you not vote for the attraction that rendered all other drop and freefall rides obsolete?

March 26, 2010 at 12:49 PM · Both are the best efforts of Disney to combine immersive theming with fun thrills. Both are great and for me Indiana Jones is the best Disney ride ever so that gets my vote. Just imagine how good the IJA would look if it got refurbished.

March 26, 2010 at 1:35 PM · Not to mention the Tower could have the coolest ride exterior out there.

March 26, 2010 at 1:46 PM · Watched Twilight Zone on prime time TV, have the DVD set, how could I not vote for the best drop ride on the planet. We shall now return you to your, oops wrong show!!!!!

March 26, 2010 at 2:35 PM · Love both rides, but I'm surprised at this blowout. I voted for Tower only because Indy needs a refurb and has some malfunctioning effects. If Indy was in top shape, it would get my vote for sure.

March 28, 2010 at 6:16 AM · Just a comeback on some of the comments.

Even when you do peel away all the layers, ToT is far,far from being a standard freefall ride. In fact, it's one of the most complex ride systems you will ever see, forcing you down faster than the speed of gravity, as opposed to free falling.

I won't go into detail, so as not to bore anyone who already knows about the system, but just wanted to dispel the myth that Tower is "Just a freefall ride".

March 29, 2010 at 8:31 AM · Thanks, Michael. Tower of Terror is far beyond a drop ride, in terms of both technology and entertainment.