How Cast Members Keep The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror Running Strong for 15 Years at Disneyland Paris

It was 15 years ago that the Hollywood Tower Hotel opened its doors and welcomed guests to Walt Disney Studios Park at Disneyland Paris. Hear what many of the cast members who make this iconic attraction run every day have to say.

What's Happening:

  • It was 15 years ago that the Hollywood Tower Hotel opened its doors and welcomed guests to Walt Disney Studios Park, and it is still an iconic attraction at Disneyland Paris.
  • Meet the team that every day takes you back to 1939 through the doors of the Hollywood Tower Hotel.

  • Cast members will make their way there at 6:30 a.m. for control center procedures for the attraction. There is a minimum of seven cast members required for the attraction to function properly.

  • At the control center, cast members are ensuring that the screens, sounds, vehicles, and seat belts are working properly.
  • Everything is ready for 8:30a.m., when the attraction opens to the public.

  • Guests are then welcomed into the fourth dimension. The further you walk into the attraction, the darker the atmosphere becomes, and the more unsettling the cast members are to the guests as part of their role.
  • After the attraction, a cast member is located at the exit of the elevator to greet guests after they have made it through the journey. This role is also to welcome guests with disabilities who cannot wait or stand in the regular line.
  • There are many cast members needed in these positions to help the high number of visitors that pass through.
  • There are six lifts that operate at the same time to try to keep the wait time as low as possible, which rarely exceeds 20 minutes.

  • So happy birthday to the Hollywood Tower Hotel, and thank you to all the cast members who have made this ride possible and continue to do so.

What They're Saying:

  • “It’s great to be able to work in this attraction; there’s something for everyone,” says Alicia between floors. “Some of us love welcoming guests while others prefer technology. There’s never a dull moment!”
  • “I love this attraction and its storytelling, the whole story created by the Imagineers which literally immerses us in the atmosphere” says Alexandra excitedly as she returns to the control center.
  • “It’s always surprising for guests to hear ‘good evening’ when it's 9:30 a.m., ” jokes Rémi, “because we, the Hollywood Tower Hotel Cast Members, were stranded on the evening of 31 October 1939, we say good evening to them! “
  • “Normally, when it’s their first time in the attraction, guests are anxious and the way we act doesn’t help them!” laughs Cyril, “this worrying atmosphere is deliberate, the deeper guests go into the attraction, the more intense the role we play becomes.”
  •  “We reckon that a waiting time of more than 20 minutes is too long for guests; we do our best to be as efficient as possible.” says Cyril.

Tricia Kennedy
As a huge Disney fan Tricia enjoys having Walt Disney World basically in her backyard. When she's not at the theme parks she is either playing drums or with her dog Yoda. She is a lifelong Star Wars fan and has ridden Star Tours over 270 times.