Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Celebrates 10th Anniversary

Disney and rock music aren’t usually two things you would group into one category. After all, rock music can be risqué and rebellious, and Disney is all about family fun. But 10 years ago this week, Disney merged with legendary rock stars Aerosmith to create the Rock ‘N’ Rollercoaster, a milestone ride for Disney’s Hollywood Studios. This indoor rollercoaster, located next to the Twilight Zone: Tower of Terror, became an instant hit and FastPass option for Disney’s Hollywood Studios.

The logistics of the ride contained many Disney firsts and amazing rollercoaster statistics. The ride shoots off from 0 to 60 miles per hour in 2.8 seconds at the start. Only EPCOT’s Test Track is faster. The rider experiences G forces of 4.5, which is faster than astronauts experience during space launches! With three inversions, two rollover loops and one corkscrew, this coaster broke all previous coaster records in the Walt Disney parks family.

Music lovers will especially enjoy the Aerosmith elements present throughout the ride. As you first enter, you’re lead into a music studio where an interactive video with the rock legends plays for the audience. The story revolves around the band being late for a concert in LA and having to cut their special studio performance (of which you are the audience) short. The “backstage passes” you get as compensation are for a stretch limo ride straight to LA for the concert. That stretch limo is your coaster car which reaches maximum speeds of 60 mph. The best part of this ride is the music. Each of the cars have various “license plates” with names like “2FAST4U” and “UGOGIRL." Depending on the car you are in you will get a different set of Aerosmith songs on your ride. With five speakers per car and a 32,000 watt audio system, you will get to hear it all.

Back when the ride opened, Disney held a special contest for fans. The special guests were Aerosmith themselves and a few lucky fans were treated to a buffet meal and a chance to ride the coaster with one of the band members. To celebrate the ride’s one year anniversary, Disney brought in 80 Corvettes to form a parking-lot version of the signature red Fender Stratocaster that serves as the ride’s trademark. If you’re visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios, then take a ride through a rock and roll journey with Aerosmith on the Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster—it’s a thrill-seeker must!

Manta Joins SeaWorld

The SeaWorld franchise has expanded well beyond Budweiser Clydesdales and the Shamu Adventure show. Gone are the days where the park was viewed solely as an educational experience and marine research institute with a beautiful killer whale mascot. Over the years, the park has expanded and changed into a thrill-ride champion and competitor to other Orlando theme parks like Universal Studios and Walt Disney World.

With the addition of Kraken, SeaWorld’s first large-scale roller coaster, the park was launched into the coaster enthusiast spotlight. At the time of its grand opening in 2000, Kraken was the largest roller coaster in South Florida and the first floorless roller coaster in the Southern United States. Even though Animal Kingdom’s Expedition Everest has now taken Kraken’s longest coaster crown, SeaWorld took the proverbial ball and ran into a whole new world of marine related adventure.

The latest thrill ride experience at SeaWorld is the award-winning Manta coaster. Awarded the “Best New Attraction” title by ThemeParkInsider.com, Manta is the tallest and fastest “flying” roller coaster in the world. The manta ray-shaped coaster gets its “flying” title thanks to the position of riders on the ride. When SeaWorld engineers created the ride, they intended to mimic the gliding movement of rays in the water for their riders. So, once riders board their specific car, they will be tilted face down before beginning the 140-ft ascension up the coaster’s first hill.

If the tail whips, pretzel-loops and corkscrews of Manta are too much for you, the ride’s queue features an elaborate exhibit of ocean creatures. The queue at Manta is open to those riding the coaster and for those who are only curious as to what the exhibit has in store. Built to resemble a sea village, the Manta queue features ten aquariums with over 60 species of animals and 300 variations of the ride’s mascot: the ray. If you are waiting in line or just passing through, the aquarium will give you the feeling of being underwater as rays and tropical fish glide overhead.

With rides like Manta and Kraken, sales of SeaWorld tickets have greatly improved, with many SeaWorld execs attributing the increase in attendance to their water-themed coasters. Your best bet in experiencing these great rides as well as the beautiful aquariums, fireworks and live entertainment is to check out the deals DWTickets.com has to offer. Manta awaits!

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit Begins Testing

Now that Manta is open and soaring high over at SeaWorld, it’s time for roller coasters aficionados to turn their attention to the other big attraction opening this summer, the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit (HRRR or “Rockit” for short). To the eye, this new coaster at Universal Studios might not seem as innovative as Manta, but it actually packs a wallop as big as its name with fun technological elements and never-before-attempted roller coaster maneuvers.

We’ve discussed in previous blogs how the HRRR will feature six special maneuvers, three of which have never been attempted with a coaster before. There’s the 17-story high vertical lift, a non-inverted loop (the world’s first), a spiraling negative gravity move, and much more, including a 95 degree angled swoop over the crowd as they wait in line for their turn.

Now, even more details are coming out about the Rockit’s unique design. Particularly important to the coaster is its ultra-maneuverable X-CAR passenger car, which allows the Rockit to have the moves of many different styles of coaster. Each will feature only a lap-bar restraint, which will leave the upper body less restricted, allowing for extra thrills during those crazy loops and drops.

In addition, the trains will reportedly never stop at the loading station thanks to a groundbreaking new loading area design. We’re not sure how it works, but plans dictate that the Rockit will dispatch a train roughly every 23 seconds.

And though plenty has been said about the technological elements of the Rockit, most probably aren’t appreciating how tech-equipped this ride really is. The HRRR has six on-board cameras and eight high speed special effects cameras for capturing each rider’s experience. Needless to say, that goes way beyond the one camera that most rides flash at you when you’re donning your goofiest expression of terror. With 54 special effects shots, guests will not only be able to see their ride in full, but they’ll even be able to produce their own unique ride video and buy a DVD of it, download it at home or onto their phone, and send it to their friends.

Moreover, the Rockit will feature a 55-watt on-board speaker system that will blast out one of 30 songs from 5 genres; the song choices will include both classic and contemporary artists.

Though the Rockit was originally set to open in spring of this year, the opening was delayed to summer due to what we hear were some difficulties constructing that sky-high lift. Since then, however, the ride’s been coming along swimmingly; all pieces of the track are in place, the trains have been placed on it, and they’ve already begun testing of the ride.

We’ve even heard whispers that the HRRR will be debuted on July 4, meaning that it will coincide with the park’s Independence Day celebrations and the last day of the Summer Concert Series (check out our blog on that here). If that’s true, then the 4th of July is sure to be filled with good times all around at Universal.

In the meantime, if you do happen to see the ride being tested out while you visit Universal and are surprised at how slow things are running, don’t fear – the ride’s speed will pick up significantly once it’s out of testing phase!

Crowds are sure to gather for the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit when it opens, so you’ll want to save time by getting your Universal Studios tickets well in advance from DWTickets.com. We’ll see you in line for this exciting new coaster!

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit Prepares to Rock Universal

Roller coasters enthusiasts are eagerly awaiting the arrival of the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit at Universal Studios Orlando, the newest attraction to be added to the park since The Simpsons Ride. And though they’ll have to wait a little while longer – the coaster’s opening has been delayed until this summer with the earliest opening likely in June – we’ve got a few extra juicy details on the Rip Ride Rockit to tide everyone over until then.

We’ve already mentioned on this blog that the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit (HRRR) will be one of the most technologically advanced coasters in Orlando, with the ability to choose the ride’s soundtrack before boarding, watch your experience on video after riding, and even edit and send that video to friends. But that’s just the tip of the iceberg when it comes to this exciting new coaster, which will feature plenty of moves and maneuvers that are sure to get your heart pumping.

First, the HRRR, once completed, will be the tallest, largest, and fastest X-CAR style roller coaster in the world. Having an X-CAR vehicle – which is more maneuverable than other coaster vehicles and uses innovative, less restrictive restraints – makes the HRRR capable of moves other coasters aren’t. It also allows for more vehicles on the track, ensuring a whirl of non-stop movement.

Some of that movement takes place during six special maneuvers on the HRRR, three of which have never been built before. Those include the Double Take, the world’s first non-inverted loop; the Treble-Clef, where the track bends to form the shape of the musical symbol by the same name, and the Jump Cut, a spiraling negative-gravity move. Other fun maneuvers to look forward to on the Rockit include a 17-story high vertical lift, a drop into an underground chasm, and an inclined loop with a 150-degree banking turn. Riders will also get to soar 33 feet above the ground at a 95 degree angle over the crowd as they wait in the ride’s queue.

Here’s a fun fact – the HRRR features 3,800 feet of steel track, and believe it or not, work first began on it not in the US, but in Munich, Germany last summer. More than 60 sections of track and 200 columns were completed overseas, then packaged into 120 containers and loaded onto ships for transport to the US. They arrived in Savannah, Georgia and then made the trip by road to Orlando, where they were placed in a holding area so the build-out could begin.

Now, it’s just a matter of waiting while the track is completed, and almost all of it is in place. In the meantime, we suggest planning your Universal Studios vacation as a way to pass the time and get excited for the park’s newest and most exhilarating roller coaster yet. Start by looking at the discount Universal Studios tickets on DWTickets.com to begin preparing for your first ride on the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit.

Two Big Coasters Get Ready to Rock Orlando

This spring will hold more than just warm weather in its forecast for Orlando, Florida. Two major theme parks, SeaWorld Orlando and Universal Studios, will be unveiling two eagerly anticipated roller coasters that are sure to transform the Orlando skyline, bring new visitors to the parks, and thrill roller coaster lovers and adrenaline rush seekers of all ages. The time is slowly approaching when Orlando residents and vacationers will be able to experience Manta and the Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit roller coasters!

Debuting first will be Manta, which SeaWorld recently revealed will open on May 22. We can’t wait for this particularly sweet attraction, which will be unique among Orlando roller coasters for several reasons. First, as opposed to normal upright seated roller coasters (yawn) or roller coasters where your feet dangle (been there, done that), Manta will position the rider practically face down. The idea is that you’ll feel like you’re soaring through the air, much like a Manta ray soars through the water.

In addition, once it’s completed, Manta will be the one of the longest, tallest, and fastest roller coasters in the world, with four inversions and a speed of at least 56 mph. The inversions will include a pretzel loop, an in-line twist, and two corkscrews. Moreover, the roller coaster cars will be designed to resemble manta rays, with wingspans of 12 feet. Reportedly, during one portion of the ride, the Manta car will pass extremely close to the water below, and its wings will skim the surface, creating a big splash for the riders.

Manta will also have an incredible queue area for guests to take in while they wait for their wild ride. The queue will pass through art-adorned underground caves with enormous Plexiglas tanks featuring over 300 rays, as well as thousands of fish and other mysterious marine creatures.

And while Manta is poised to become the most graceful flying roller coaster in the world, the Hollywood Rip, Ride, and Rockit (RRR) coaster at Universal Studios is set on being the most technologically advanced one. Set to open sometime this spring (mid-to-late June would be the latest), the RRR will feature fast-paced, high-flying excitement, all set to the tune of a customizable song you pick out before strapping in. Moreover, every second of your whirlwind ride will be on video, allowing guests to edit it and send it to their friends when it’s all over.

The RRR will reach a maximum of 65 mph and will soar up to 17 stories over Universal Studios, making it the tallest in the Orlando area and the largest ride of its kind in the world. Six near-miss moments will have riders’ hearts lurching into their throats, and a non-inverting loop nicknamed the “double take” will break records around the world. And the ride, which features colorful LED lights, will even blast through a building façade, making it a visually stunning aerial landmark weaving up and down, in and out of the park.

If you couldn’t think of a reason to visit SeaWorld or Universal Orlando before, now you have it – the two new roller coasters getting ready to whirl through our favorite Orlando theme parks this spring. Start planning your roller coaster adventure now with discount theme park tickets from DWTickets.com, and you’ll be ready for two wild rides.