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Orlando Car Rental Travel Guide - Sunset Boulevard
Sunset Boulevard is the section of Disney's Hollywood Studios that most Orlando car rental customers say is their favorite. It is home to two of the wildest rides in all of Walt Disney World as well as the not-to-be-missed nighttime spectacular, Fantasmic. Be sure you don’t miss some of the wonderful specialty shops on your way to these thrilling attractions. Some of the Orlando vacation souvenirs you will see can only be found here.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror:
Casting a shadow that at times seems to engulf all of Hollywood Boulevard, is the ominous looking Hollywood Tower Hotel. When you enter the lobby of this once posh luxury hotel, you’ll see that it is now covered with cobwebs, the plants decaying in the garden outside, the beautiful Renaissance furniture covered in dust. Listen, and you’ll hear the haunting sounds of big band music playing in the background - as if the hotel, itself, is alive and trying to recapture the lost times of its heyday.
From the lobby, you will be escorted into the hotel library, which becomes plunged into darkness with the crack of a lightning bolt. A television turns itself on (although there is no electricity) and you learn the mysterious details of the tragic events that led to the demise of this once great hotel. The pre-show program is hosted by Rod Serling (who had died years before this film clip was created, eerily enough), who invites visitors to enter The Twilight Zone. Another bolt of lightning hits the building which restores the lights and you are escorted to the boiler room to take the service elevator up to the thirteenth floor in a re-creation of this lost Twilight Zone episode.
For those who have experienced this attraction during previous Orlando vacations, it is worth riding it again. The engineers have programmed the ride so that it is not the same every time. Although the lines can become extremely long for this widely popular attraction, there is a FastPass available. Try to smile as you are plummeting toward certain death, as pictures will be offered for sale after the ride that make a perfect souvenir of your Orlando vacation.
WARNING: If you would like to experience this attraction during your Orlando car rental vacation, you must be at least 40 inches tall. This ride should be avoided by people with a fear of heights, fear of the dark or claustrophobia. There are repeated drops; therefore, this is not a ride for people with back, neck or shoulder pain. In addition, persons suffering from a heart condition, pregnant women and people prone to motion sickness should take a pass on this attraction. The premise of the ride deals with the macabre and even the building, itself can be frightening to some children.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith:
Strap yourself in for the wildest roller coaster in all of the Disney theme parks. This roller coaster in the dark features many twists, turns, loops and a 0-60 mile per hour in 2.8 seconds initial surge that takes riders through 5 G’s (astronauts experience only 3 G’s on a space shuttle liftoff). Set to the music of Aerosmith, this ride really rocks as it rolls!
The pre-show for the ride has guests observing the final stages of an Aerosmith recording session. As it wraps, you are invited to wait outside in the alleyway for a special 24-passenger super stretch limousine that will speed you through the Hollywood night on your way to a concert they are performing. Popular Aerosmith favorites “Love in an Elevator,” “Walk This Way,” “Sweet Emotion” and “Dude Looks Like A Lady” boom out from the 32,000 watt onboard stereo system that features 120 speakers and 24 sub-woofers.
Although this roller coaster in the dark features many sudden changes of direction, it is an extremely smooth ride. Be advised that you should definitely get a FastPass for this ride or you could be standing in line for a very long time with a whole lot of other unhappy Orlando vacationers.
WARNING: If you would like to experience this attraction during your Orlando car rental vacation, you must be at least 48 inches tall. This extremely fast ride should be avoided by people with a fear of the dark and those that are sensitive to very loud rock music. There are repeated twists, turns, drops and inversions; therefore, this is not a ride for people with back, neck or shoulder pain. In addition, persons suffering from a heart condition, pregnant women and people prone to motion sickness should take a pass on this attraction.
Fantasmic:
Performed at the Hollywood Hills Amphitheater, this Mickey Mouse dream sequence comes to life in a spectacular display of lasers, pyrotechnics, lights and water animation. The twenty-five minute not-to-be-missed show has Mickey battling many of Disney’s infamous villains and features a soundtrack with many Disney favorites. A triumphant Mickey is joined by a multitude of other Disney characters in the final celebratory scene aboard the Steamboat Willie River Boat.
One of the very best nighttime shows in the Orlando vacation area, this extremely popular show fills up quickly and guests are advised to get to their seats early, sometimes as much as an hour beforehand during peak season.
Note: During inclement weather, Disney has devised a special 3 minute and 47 second version of the show called A Taste of Fantasmic, which includes all of the pyrotechnics of the full length show. This abbreviated show is only performed during non-electrical storms.
WARNING: Although this show is intended for the whole family and features characters from various familiar Disney movies, virtually every villain ever depicted in a Disney movie is present at this show and it might be too frightening for some small children.
Behind The Scenes:
The Imagineers responsible for creating the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith left their mark in several places at the attraction. You will see that they have scrawled their initials on many of the electrical boxes throughout the attraction and you will also hear various PA announcements before entering Studio C, paging the Imagineers by name.
If you listen closely outside of Studios A and B, you can hear the actual recording sessions of Aerosmith while they re-recorded some of the tracks heard during the ride portion of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith.
Disney shortened the height of the Twilight Zone Tower of Terror building from the proposed 200 feet to 199 feet due to FAA regulations. A 200 foot tall building is required to have a light so that airplanes can avoid it at night and Disney felt that this would have detracted from the ominous ambiance of the building at night.
The inspection certificate in the elevator on The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror ride is numbered 10259 – the date the first Twilight Zone episode aired (October 2, 1959). The inspection certificate is dated 10-31-1939 (Halloween) and was signed by “Cadwallader” – a character from the sixth Twilight Zone episode who turned out to be the devil, himself!
Another advantage that Orlando car rental customers have over park visitors who are dependent upon bus services involves Fantasmic - the show that closes the theme park. Massive crowds that have stayed for the grand finale pour out of the theme park and get into some of the longest lines of the day as they wait for Disney transportation to take them to their shuttle bus meeting area. That is, if the shuttle bus schedule hasn't already forced their customers to leave the park before the show is over. You certainly don't want to have to take a taxi ride back to your hotel; the price for a single taxi ride often is more than what a couple of days would cost for an Orlando car rental! Don't make this mistake; reserve your Orlando car rental now!