Is Rockit a Success or Failure?

[ralphoutloud]

People went to California Adventure too....

That's completely different. That's an entire park that takes years of redesign and millions of dollars to get it to where it should've been when it opened. This is a roller coaster. Completely unfair comparison. This ride can be fixed with relative ease compared to the overhaul California Adventure needs/ed.

Universal is 2nd tier to Disney for most people when thinking about Orlando. HRRR has people thinking Universal now, even though they don't know about the actual product, the buzz is off the charts. Once it gets to actually working, it will be a total success, just give it some more time than a month and a half.

And if we want to talk actual failure, let's talk about one of my favorite WDW attractions, Test Track. That was an actual failure, with years of problems to this day and years of delay.

Give Rockit time.

 

[Tbad556]

I agree with Ralph here. I think it is too soon to tell. The ride has definatly drawn in the crowds and has gotten many great reviews. At the same time it has many different issues that have not been solved yet. I think they still need some more time to fix these issues before I decide.

 

[Disneyhead]

First off, I want to mention that the "magic Carpet" moving sidewalks actually works just fine. But it is operations/dispatch timing that causes them to not utilize the "Magic Carpet".

People went to California Adventure too....

Me included. That park in every aspect was an epic fail!!!!

 

[Brian G.]

The reason I mentioned DCA was a sarcastic response. I do want to make clear that I voted "too early to tell". That said, Rockit has a lot of obstacles to overcome. I'm on my phone right now but I shall delve into my thoughts on why, as of now, Rockit is failing.

 

[Brian G.]

That's completely different. That's an entire park that takes years of redesign and millions of dollars to get it to where it should've been when it opened. This is a roller coaster. Completely unfair comparison. This ride can be fixed with relative ease compared to the overhaul California Adventure needs/ed.

Regardless if it's a park or a coaster, you stated this about gauging success:

Well if we're talking about this, the crowds it has brought Universal is a sign of success.

DCA brought in loads of people, and has since tapered off dramatically. Hence why they are getting the huge overhaul now. But that's a topic for another time, and as I said earlier, it was more of a sarcastic response. The only reason Rockit is bringing in loads of people is because it's new. Once the novelty wears off is where we really can determine if the ride has legs.

Rockit has been plagued with problems since day 1 with everything from budgetary reasons to creative differences. The valleying aspect is definitely a pain in the ass, but until it happens when people are actually on the ride it is not a big deal.

Anywho, back to my point.

Rockit was originally supposed to have 2 different tracks that split off, and all those oversized Hollywood letters. Obviously that has since been changed. Also, Universal's original plan was to have B&M to come in and design the ride but they wouldn't be available until 2011.

Enter: Maurer Sohne.

I think the decision to end up going with them was a good one as the X-Car really works for the ride. However they wanted something that was totally out of Sohne's norm so Sohne definitely had to step up to the plate.

During the construction of the ride, you might recall that the lift hill had some issues that delayed the opening of the ride. During this little issue, Universal wasn't really happy with how everything was playing out. After a small set back between the 2 companies, they eventually worked out their differences and Sohne went back to work.

In the mean time, Universal Creative was planning to use the characters you currently see in the queue as part of their marketing push. Somehow, that plan got lost in translation and we end up with Syd Vinyl. :doh:

Now that we have few backbones to the story, let's fast-forward to now. Techinically speaking, the coaster is in "technical rehearsals". However, in order to cash in with new coaster hype, Universal is advertising it as open. So now, you have a problem where the coaster still has a list of issues (rough cars, missing lift hill banner, no magic carpet, no express) but is being billed as the new, must-see attraction. As you saw with most of the reports we had on here, it left a bad taste in a lot of mouths. Throw in the valleying, and now the coaster gets shut down for the day.

So now you have people traveling to see this new coaster and have a 50/50 shot of it being open.

So, after all this babbling it comes to the point that one does not need to ride an attraction to determine if it is succesful. Riding is just one aspect of an opinion. With what I just listed, it gives plenty of people some information to form their own opinion. Seeing how you haven't ridden the ride, it really doesn't give you that much room to speak either.

Having said that....

I do agree that the ride itself shouldn't be damned this early in it's life. The problem wasn't the coaster, but how Universal was so quick to try to open this without it being 100% ready. If they had waited, I'm sure a lot of reviews would be different.

I've heard and why people constitute it as a failure, it is because of a bad experience on a rough car or in a long line.

Try actually waiting for 120 minutes in the hot humidity of Florida and get on one of the rough cars. You'd be upset too. Those cars are really rough. I've gotten off the ride with a headache that lasted me the whole day, twice.

 

[ralphoutloud]

Well duh...but honestly as fans we all know that this ride isn't even really open at this point, we knew what to expect so you can't really draw a failure from that. The only valid point you ended up making was my own, it's way too early. Thank you.

 

[DisneyFanKevin]

Well duh...but honestly as fans we all know that this ride isn't even really open at this point, we knew what to expect so you can't really draw a failure from that. The only valid point you ended up making was my own, it's way too early. Thank you.

It's never too early to conclude that an attraction is a failure immediately after opening. Take a look at The Simpsons Ride. When it first opened, a lot of fan boys hated the idea of it replacing BTTF and deemed it a failure, and they hadn't even been on it. I wouldn't be so quick to say that it's not right for me to say Rockit is a failure since I hadn't been on it. Everyone can deem something a failure or success, with or without riding it.

 

[Brian G.]

Well duh...but honestly as fans we all know that this ride isn't even really open at this point, we knew what to expect so you can't really draw a failure from that. The only valid point you ended up making was my own, it's way too early. Thank you.

Right! "as fans", most of us know. The general public, however, does not. When they see open, they see exactly that. If all these problems aren't rectified soon, people will assume the product that they've been receiving with Rockit is exactly what the ride is supposed to deliver. Some opinions of Rockit being a failure is based on how Universal handled opening the ride. Again, it's all a matter of opinon.

 

[ralphoutloud]

It's never too early to conclude that an attraction is a failure immediately after opening. Take a look at The Simpsons Ride. When it first opened, a lot of fan boys hated the idea of it replacing BTTF and deemed it a failure, and they hadn't even been on it. I wouldn't be so quick to say that it's not right for me to say Rockit is a failure since I hadn't been on it. Everyone can deem something a failure or success, with or without riding it.

That makes no sense... I can't argue anymore, cause someone says it's a failure, it's a failure? I know that's opinion but in my honest opinion, that opinion is illogical and useless. What happened to never judging a book by it's cover?

I forfeit this thread regardless.

 

[Brian G.]

And that's your opinion. You can't attack someone else because their opinion is different and has a different point of view.

 

[DisneyFanKevin]

That makes no sense... I can't argue anymore, cause someone says it's a failure, it's a failure? I know that's opinion but in my honest opinion, that opinion is illogical and useless. What happened to never judging a book by it's cover?

I forfeit this thread regardless.

We're not saying that you can't argue about something. If one person feels that the attraction in question is not living up to its hype, then why should he not be allowed to deem it whatever he or she feels it truly is? My opinion is not illogical or useless. I am just stating the obvious.

 

[ralphoutloud]

And that's your opinion. You can't attack someone else because their opinion is different and has a different point of view.

We're not saying that you can't argue about something. If one person feels that the attraction in question is not living up to its hype, then why should he not be allowed to deem it whatever he or she feels it truly is? My opinion is not illogical or useless. I am just stating the obvious.

So for example, the people who said Simpsons was a failure before it even opened had the right opinion? There are opinions, but each opinion has a certain worth behind it. Opinions are not ultimate, making them neither right nor wrong in most situations. In certain situations however, such as the Simpsons issue, that opinion is wrong because the material was not properly judged for that opinion to be formed. It may be an opinion, but what worth does it hold to you if someone who hasn't ridden Simpsons told you it sucked? It doesn't matter whether it was an opinion or not because the person obviously formed it on a half-assed bias and you're obviously not going to take their word. Credibility was lost. The obvious that you stated is your opinionated (not right nor wrong) obvious and not a universally accepted obvious.

Fact: Rockit still hasn't been officially opened. Therefore, it is neither success nor failure, no matter what anyone (us or the GP) thinks because no one has experienced it for it's full offering. And because of that, it's true benefit to the park has yet to be determined. No opinion is right or wrong because the ride and it's success has yet to be experienced. That is not my opinion, that is a factual statement.

 

[YETI PINTRADER]

I went with success. The ride opening and technical parts are a fail but once you ride the coaster itself you will forget all the failing. This ride is definitely the best ride in the studios despite its problems.

 

[annabannaboo]

I think it's still too early to tell but I think what some people are trying to say is that Rockit still not being officially open is considered a failure on Universal's part to them. I don't think it has anything to do with if you rode it or not.

 

[Brian G.]

So for example, the people who said Simpsons was a failure before it even opened had the right opinion? There are opinions, but each opinion has a certain worth behind it. Opinions are not ultimate, making them neither right nor wrong in most situations. In certain situations however, such as the Simpsons issue, that opinion is wrong because the material was not properly judged for that opinion to be formed. It may be an opinion, but what worth does it hold to you if someone who hasn't ridden Simpsons told you it sucked? It doesn't matter whether it was an opinion or not because the person obviously formed it on a half-assed bias and you're obviously not going to take their word. Credibility was lost. The obvious that you stated is your opinionated (not right nor wrong) obvious and not a universally accepted obvious.

Fact: Rockit still hasn't been officially opened. Therefore, it is neither success nor failure, no matter what anyone (us or the GP) thinks because no one has experienced it for it's full offering. And because of that, it's true benefit to the park has yet to be determined. No opinion is right or wrong because the ride and it's success has yet to be experienced. That is not my opinion, that is a factual statement.

You're totally ignoring my point and the point of this thread. I'm not just referring to Rockit since it started letting guests ride, I'm talking about what happened since Day 1 as well as how Universal has handled everything. Everyone is entitled to their opinion, of course but you are trying to make your opinion the default rational and attacking others for it. Some people can view it as a failure from everything that happened before it's soft opening because it was a problem filled journey from day 1 til soft opening.

Also, if we go off the fact that it's still not open officially, Universal then has failed to deliver by there "Coming this Summer" deadline.

 

[DisneyFanKevin]

So for example, the people who said Simpsons was a failure before it even opened had the right opinion? There are opinions, but each opinion has a certain worth behind it. Opinions are not ultimate, making them neither right nor wrong in most situations. In certain situations however, such as the Simpsons issue, that opinion is wrong because the material was not properly judged for that opinion to be formed. It may be an opinion, but what worth does it hold to you if someone who hasn't ridden Simpsons told you it sucked? It doesn't matter whether it was an opinion or not because the person obviously formed it on a half-assed bias and you're obviously not going to take their word. Credibility was lost. The obvious that you stated is your opinionated (not right nor wrong) obvious and not a universally accepted obvious.

Fact: Rockit still hasn't been officially opened. Therefore, it is neither success nor failure, no matter what anyone (us or the GP) thinks because no one has experienced it for it's full offering. And because of that, it's true benefit to the park has yet to be determined. No opinion is right or wrong because the ride and it's success has yet to be experienced. That is not my opinion, that is a factual statement.

Again, it doesn't have anything to do with opinions being right. It has to do with people determining whether or not a ride is a success or failure by criteria set in front of them. Whether it's from a POV experience or from what they have read on various web forums, everyone still has the right to voice their thoughts on Rockit, Simpsons, Mummy, or whatever attraction they feel did not live up to their expectations or to the hype Universal gave their attraction a la Rockit.

"No opinion is right or wrong because the ride and it's success has yet to be experienced" is a factual statement? Hmm. It sounds a bit opinionated to me, Ralph. Again, like Brian and I have said in our previous posts, Rockit has failed so many times since "opening" that it has come down to the point where people judge it when they haven't ridden it yet. Is it because of fear the car may valley with them on it, or is it just they don't trust the reliability rating of this coaster? Personally, I think it's a little of both. I think it's a failure because of the continuous valleying, the bland theming in the queue and exterior entrance, the lack of the moving sidewalk, and the attraction's probability of being closed for the entire day.

 

[King Royalty]

all i really want is for this ride to be open on tuesday so my friends can experience it before they go back to new york. :shrug:

 

[Cusi]

That's completely different. That's an entire park that takes years of redesign and millions of dollars to get it to where it should've been when it opened. This is a roller coaster. Completely unfair comparison. This ride can be fixed with relative ease compared to the overhaul California Adventure needs/ed.

Universal is 2nd tier to Disney for most people when thinking about Orlando. HRRR has people thinking Universal now, even though they don't know about the actual product, the buzz is off the charts. Once it gets to actually working, it will be a total success, just give it some more time than a month and a half.

And if we want to talk actual failure, let's talk about one of my favorite WDW attractions, Test Track. That was an actual failure, with years of problems to this day and years of delay.
Give Rockit time.

So your telling me that you don't think HRRR will have the same outcome as Test Track? I agree with you on the fact that Test Track has had alot of breakdowns and problems, but what makes you think that HRRR won't follow in Test Track's footsteps?

"Give Rockit time"

"I'll give it a year or so, give or take"

-Cusi

 

[ralphoutloud]

Brian - It is not my opinion though. Has the ride been open for 3 months or has it not? Have other rides experienced these problems within their first 6 months of opening? Both answers to those are yes. I agree it was a mishandling on the part of Universal Marketing, but that does not determine the overall effectiveness and success of HRRR.

Kevin - If your opinion is based on faulty and incomplete criteria, it is compromised therefore useless. Your thoughts on why it is a failure are problems that every ride experiences in it's first months in being open. Again, there are kinks to be worked out. How can you come to a conclusion when the full product is not complete? You can't. And if you do, your opinion isn't worth anything because you based it on things that haven't been worked out yet.

"No opinion is right or wrong because the ride and it's success has yet to be experienced"

How is that not a fact? Everything hasn't been worked out so how has the ride been experienced as intended?

It's downright stupid to call something a failure before it's rewards have yet to even show. Like I said and will continue to say, it is impossibly to logically call this thing a failure, opinion or not, because it is not in a fully operational state. It can be a letdown, or a delight, but not a failure or success until more time passes. The marketing was a failure, but overall, it is neither yet.

 

[DisneyFanKevin]

It really does not matter if it is an operational state or not, Ralph. If something that was rushed into opening has problems soon after opening that seem to have not been looked at as of recently gives one the right to label it a failure. Therefore, it is not impossible to logically call Rockit a failure.