Of all of Disney’s coasters the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is widely regarded as the most thrilling of all them. I used to have that opinion of the ride back in 2000 when I rode this Vekoma launched coaster and thought it was incredible. Then again that was most likely because I had been on so few coasters at that point and it actually is a pretty noteworthy coaster for me, my first inverting coaster. In short, this year’s ride was less than stellar in my opinion, but still a decent coaster.
Anchoring Sunset Boulevard along with the daunting Tower of Terror, the Tower and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster really make that section of the park a Mecca for thrill-seekers. One thing I can’t complain about is its appearance. I absolutely love the gigantic electric guitar along the building, and the twisting strings above are a very nice touch in my opinion. Due to the ride’s immense popularity among thrill-seekers, it generally has a very long wait and runs out of fastpasses early in the day. My suggestion is to either get a fastpass really early in the day, or to utilize the single rider line like I did. During my one ride I ended up waiting about 15 minutes or so as opposed to a long 70 minute wait.
Once inside and through the queue, there comes a really poor pre-show in my opinion. While it certainly does establish the whole plot of the attraction (board a “super” stretch limo with all other VIPs (riders) to make it to Aerosmith’s concert on time), the pre-show really is a bore in my opinion and has no entertainment value whatsoever for me. Anyway, the loading station is pretty cool, giving an overview of the launch area, which certainly builds anticipation for the launch. Also, I can’t deny that the limos look really sleek and cool. Of all the rows, I do remember the front being my personal favorite, but I have never experienced the back so I can’t really say which row for sure is best.
Upon seated in the surprisingly comfortable train, the train rolls around a corner to the launch track. Filled with anticipation, the train motionlessly sits still until the launch. Back in 2000, I remember being absolutely blown away by the launch, but now I found it really pretty weak, especially compared to the far more powerful launches of coasters like the Hulk or Volcano. Still, the launch is easily my favorite part of the entire attraction since it is the only really fast and thrilling part in my opinion. Following that are a series of inversions, twists, and drops all in pretty much total darkness, with the occasional billboard or sign adding to the atmosphere of the ride. Thankfully the entire ride is on the smooth side (there’s only a few moments of headbanging, but nothing compared to other Vekomas or Arrows), but it just is on the tame and slow side in my opinion, but that corkscrew differed and was certainly a surprise and it was far and away the most forceful of all the elements.
While not the incredible coaster the general public and other enthusiasts consider the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, it still is a fun coaster thanks to the relatively smooth ride it provides and some pretty fun elements like the launch and corkscrew. If the whole ride were able to maintain the speed of the launch this coaster would be so much more thrilling and fun. Still I do recommend this coaster while at Hollywood Studios since it’s the park’s only coaster and it is pretty fun.
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