Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit (closing EOD August 17, 2025)

[IzzyB]

OK, sight line conversations are always hard. I will say this, I never knew you could see it from Seuss, whether I just ignored it in my mind or I just plain did not see it, I haven't. So as a general person who can care less either way in this argument, I never see it. So my guess is most general guests don't and therefore the Seuss side of things may be nothing to worry about. Now on the New York side, yeah, you can't miss the thing. But I never saw it as ugly.

 

[Nitro_230]

OK, sight line conversations are always hard. I will say this, I never knew you could see it from Seuss, whether I just ignored it in my mind or I just plain did not see it, I haven't. So as a general person who can care less either way in this argument, I never see it. So my guess is most general guests don't and therefore the Seuss side of things may be nothing to worry about. Now on the New York side, yeah, you can't miss the thing. But I never saw it as ugly.

The Seuss argument is the one I really object to, for the exact reason you list, most people don't notice it and don't care, and it's very easy to enjoy Seuss with it there. For some of you it may not be really surprising that I look at it that way since I argued the same logic to people complaining about the FJ building being seen in JP.

On the NY side, I agree, it stands out. But I personally wouldn't go so far as to say ugly. If your going to add a coaster (a real coaster, not a dark ride/coaster, not a kids coaster) it's going to be highly visible. As far as Fallow's concern about aesthetics, I'm not really sure what you expect out of it. They did it without taking away any attractions, they spent a great deal of time on the aesthetic design of the queue, station, lift, and twister facade. The rest of it is just roller coaster, there's not a whole lot to design. Unless you wanted them to build a giant mountain, or perhaps a wall to block your view of it?

I mean this was it's inspiration:

Would you also say that is intrusive?

 

[UK-Trigg]

^what and where is this? looks awesome but I don't recognise it.

 

[Nitro_230]

Hollywood Dream at USJ. It's a B&M and a much better ride. But it was the inspiration for HRRR.

 

[UK-Trigg]

B&M V Maurer :boxing: no contest really . Thanks for posting the pic and quick reply. I have seen it and know of the ride now you mention it, never seen it from that POV before. I agree it does fit in with the area well, well as well as a huge beast of a coaster could.

 

[Cupcakes]

Would you also say that is intrusive?

Yes.

I like USJ a lot, but that coaster is by far the worst aspect of it.

 

[Nitro_230]

Yes.

I like USJ a lot, but that coaster is by far the worst aspect of it.

But then like I was saying about Dragon Challenge, that view just comes with having big coasters, so what then, no big coasters? More 3D dark rides?

 

[Cupcakes]

But then like I was saying about Dragon Challenge, that view just comes with having big coasters, so what then, no big coasters? More 3D dark rides?

How about more coasters like Mummy, Gringott's, Big Thunder Mountain, Matterhorn, and so on?

And again, still, I'm okay with Hulk because it actually matches the surroundings of the area it was put into.

 

[Nitro_230]

How about more coasters like Mummy, Gringott's, Big Thunder Mountain, Matterhorn, and so on?

And again, still, I'm okay with Hulk because it actually matches the surroundings of the area it was put into.

Mummy is more of a dark ride then a coaster. And if you judge it as just a coaster, it's quite weak. Gringots will be even less of a coaster. As far as Big Thunder and Matterhorn (and I'll throw Space, 7D and EE in there as well) your getting more of that mine train coaster feel. It's all really the same, no huge drops, no inversions, not really high speed. It's just a different kind of coaster. The demand is out there for the bigger coasters, the inversions, the speed.

 

[Cupcakes]

Still, that doesn't mean that you can't experiment with new kinds of immersive roller coaster experiences, rather than just tossing out the same old same old generic outdoor coasters.

 

[Nitro_230]

Still, that doesn't mean that you can't experiment with new kinds of immersive roller coaster experiences, rather than just tossing out the same old same old generic outdoor coasters.

But if the research shows people want the high speed, big drop coaster why not just give them what they want? I mean that's why we got that thing, research was showing people want another coaster in the studios. A big coaster.

 

[Cupcakes]

*shrug*

The customer isn't always right. Especially when it comes to Rockit.

I said it before, and I'll say it again: Rockit was the biggest sell-out in the history of the resort. As JungleSkip stated earlier, it is pretty much a monument to the dark days before Comcast.

Also, still failing here to see how you can't do a fast, intense roller coaster with inversions indoors. DLP's Space Mountain and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster proved that you can, and I could imagine that Universal would be able to take it one step beyond both of those.

 

[Nitro_230]

*shrug*

The customer isn't always right. Especially when it comes to Rockit.

I said it before, and I'll say it again: Rockit was the biggest sell-out in the history of the resort. As JungleSkip stated earlier, it is pretty much a monument to the dark days before Comcast.

Also, still failing here to see how you can't do a fast, intense roller coaster with inversions indoors. DLP's Space Mountain and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster proved that you can, and I could imagine that Universal would be able to take it one step beyond both of those.

In the end if it's something the customer is willing to pay the admission price to ride, then yea they are kinda right.

As far as the dark days, I've heard a blue sky plan for another large visible coaster put out there since Comcast took over. And the failure of the ride, both in reliability and comfort come from Maurer. And the choice to go with them was a timing issue, not a price issue. So that mistake could have just as easily been made under Comcast.

As far as indoor: You can't get the height and in turn the drop of an outdoor roller coaster. It's almost always a launch, and to coaster fans there is a certain thrill in the buildup. It's just an all around different coaster experience.

 

[UK-Trigg]

Coasters are the biggest draw for any park. The very nature of them makes them virtually impossible to blend in with its surroundings, sure they can be themed but they will still impact on the sky line no matter what. I see a coaster as a thing of beauty in its own right. Thus seeing one from a distance, in an area it may not fit, doesn't bother me. For me a sexy B&M is just as nice to look at as a well themed main street.

 

[Cupcakes]

In the end if it's something the customer is willing to pay the admission price to ride, then yea they are kinda right.

As far as the dark days, I've heard a blue sky plan for another large visible coaster put out there since Comcast took over. And the failure of the ride, both in reliability and comfort come from Maurer. And the choice to go with them was a timing issue, not a price issue. So that mistake could have just as easily been made under Comcast.

As far as indoor: You can't get the height and in turn the drop of an outdoor roller coaster. It's almost always a launch, and to coaster fans there is a certain thrill in the buildup. It's just an all around different coaster experience.

Well, if that's your view on the whole thing then I will leave you to that, as at this point I see no point in discussing this further due to our very differing viewpoints. My overall thoughts? There is a fair line between appealing to consumer demand and just plain selling out. Rockit crossed that line. Sorry if you don't see it the same way.

(if anyone wants to pick up from where I'm leaving off here, feel free.)

 

[Jwhee]

 

[Nitro_230]

So reduce the number of attractions available, in turn reducing the overall capacity of the park. Free up space that really is good for nothing else as it's a very long thin strip of land. A ride that gets decent guest satisfaction scores. A ride that holds a line all day every day. A ride that does have it's comfort issues, but tons of money has already been spent working that out. And all because you personally don't like it, even though it's taking people who could be in line with you at say Mummy and keeping them in line for something you don't ride.

 

[Roll N Fear]

Agreed! No ride should require you to need Advil after exiting. I've given this POS so many chances to redeem itself and every time it comes back and bites me in the ass again.

It holds a line all day because half of the trains aren't ever running. First time I rode it right after it opened it had one freaking train running. I waited 3 hours in line. At least when I waited 3 hours for Millennium Force, it was an enjoyable ride experience. Several times after my initial visit it's only had 2 trains running. Its definitely one of the most if not most inconsistent rides in Orlando.

 

[TheMackMachine]

I said it before, and I'll say it again: Rockit was the biggest sell-out in the history of the resort. As JungleSkip stated earlier, it is pretty much a monument to the dark days before Comcast.
.

Was 2005-2009 really a dark period at Universal? Did they see people die there, or see an area of the park burned to the ground, or have big drops in attendance, or go through bankruptcy? Sure it wasn't their best time, but dark is too harsh. Heck the opening week of Universal Studios Florida was more dark and saddening. And what happened to Seaside yesterday..... I won't go there.

 

[Spideyfreak]

As far as park capacity is concerned, tearing it down probably wouldn't matter too much. The ride has a low capacity already, and there are more attractions and makeovers planned for the park from what we speculate.