Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit (closing Sept 2025)

[zbob1992]

^Agreed. Manta was the only recent coaster addition in central Florida to open on time and stay open. Rockit was delayed, and although Cheetah Hunt did eventually open, it wasn't until the afternoon on opening day.

Well look at who made each of those rides. B&M really is the best in the business for a reason.

 

[JokerMan0925]

Yea, I agree with all the previous posts. UO should have gone with B&M, if they looked around Orlando and noticed that the best coasters are B&M maybe they would have gone with them. I mean they already have 3 B&M Coasters at IOA. I wonder why they didnt go with them again?!

 

[atigeg]

Well look at who made each of those rides. B&M really is the best in the business for a reason.

^^^Hellz to the yeah!
I lived in Chicago when they build Batman, the prototype of their suspended coasters. Even with the seasonal construction constraints, that sucker opened on time and stayed open, despite being the first of its kind. That's B&M quality, baby!

I'm not surprised that HRRR has "carnival lights" because, to me, it's a carnival ride. What is its lift hill, if not a rip-off of the old carnival Tobaggan ride? That's one of the reasons I like it, because I always loved that ride and you don't see it around anymore.

 

[shiekra38]

^^^Hellz to the yeah!
I lived in Chicago when they build Batman, the prototype of their suspended coasters. Even with the seasonal construction constraints, that sucker opened on time and stayed open, despite being the first of its kind. That's B&M quality, baby!

I'm not surprised that HRRR has "carnival lights" because, to me, it's a carnival ride. What is its lift hill, if not a rip-off of the old carnival Tobaggan ride? That's one of the reasons I like it, because I always loved that ride and you don't see it around anymore.

I see what you're saying, but not quite Rockit is light years ahead of a carnival coaster..it's just because it's at Universal that people hold it to such a high standard..I may be wrong, but I'm sure if this ride opened at say Cedar Point everyone would go on about how awesome it is and how coasters like this should be in Florida and whatever else...

 

[jtsalien]

I see what you're saying, but not quite Rockit is light years ahead of a carnival coaster..it's just because it's at Universal that people hold it to such a high standard..I may be wrong, but I'm sure if this ride opened at say Cedar Point everyone would go on about how awesome it is and how coasters like this should be in Florida and whatever else...

Years ahead of a carnival coaster still isn't B&M quality. I think people would still gripe about this ride at Cedar Point. Maybe not as much about the theme, but still about the poor operation of the trains and failed expectations.

 

[atigeg]

I was being a little tongue in cheek with my carnival post, although Rockit does indeed remind me of the Tobaggan and I do love the lift. It cracks me up to ride next to a stranger via the singles line because people often put up their hands as we leave the station when I do, but 90 percent of them instantly clutch the restraint when that sucker goes vertical. But it also makes me sad with all the potential that is not fulfilled. I love the float time in the non-inverting loop and the air time when you go by the queue in row 6, and that always makes me imagine that it would be even more amazing (and reliable) if B&M had designed it. At the very least, it wouldn't valley (although I suppose that could be an added thrill element; would be interesting to be evacuated from a valleying).

 

[mantaguy]

^ Rockit has only valleyed when it's been empty (weighs less) and during windy conditions. But yeah, they should've gone with B&M fo' sho'.

 

[Latveria]

B&M doesn't do vertical lifts, so they wouldn't have been a good choice for the area constraints Rockit was placed in.

 

[Kevin38]

Yea, I agree with all the previous posts. UO should have gone with B&M, if they looked around Orlando and noticed that the best coasters are B&M maybe they would have gone with them. I mean they already have 3 B&M Coasters at IOA. I wonder why they didnt go with them again?!

They had a timeline they needed the ride installed by.
(they did not make it)
So I do not think B & M even submitted a proposal
They had some other coasters under construction at the time
and could not make the date Universal wanted installed by.

 

[atigeg]

The irony is that, with all the delays that happened anyway, they might just as well have waited for B&M as it wouldn't have opened that much later.
Didn't B&M have someone else do the Hulk launch for the same type of reason, i.e. not doing that kind of launch? The only time they did something like that, as far as I know.

 

[Latveria]

Universal contracted someone else to do the Hulk launch, B&M won't touch launches either.

 

[jtsalien]

Universal contracted someone else to do the Hulk launch, B&M won't touch launches either.

That's not necessarily a bad thing. If you're really good at something, stick to it. Don't focus on things you can't do at the same level of quality or expertise that you're known for.

 

[Latveria]

I wasn't impying it was a good/bad thing. Just answering the question posed by atigeg and the reason why. On the rumor side of things, I've always been told B&M was quite upset with UO for pulling this stunt (launched lift hill) on Hulk. No idea if it has any truth behind it, but it does make sense why it is the only B&M coaster in the world with a launch.

 

[mantaguy]

I wasn't impying it was a good/bad thing. Just answering the question posed by atigeg and the reason why. On the rumor side of things, I've always been told B&M was quite upset with UO for pulling this stunt (launched lift hill) on Hulk. No idea if it has any truth behind it, but it does make sense why it is the only B&M coaster in the world with a launch.

I don't see how they wouldn't realize it's a launched coaster while manufacturing and assembling the track. I always thought the deal was B&M would only build the coaster if the launch was made by a third party. And in addition to Hulk being the only B&M launch coaster, Dragon Challenge is the only B&M dueling coaster, and the only dueling inverted coaster anywhere. I've always admired IoA's coasters for those reasons.

 

[Latveria]

Makes much more sense that way. Kind of impossible to hide the intentions of launching a coaster instead of the traditional chain lift for design purposes.

 

[atigeg]

Okay, maybe I'm crazy, but I thought about my favorite Orlando roller coaster and decided that it's actually the Rockit. Here are my reasons: http://shar.es/He59K

Mind you, it's not my favorite Central Florida coaster; that honor goes to SheiKra, with Montu a close second (as much as I love air time, I've had a soft spot in my hard for B&M suspended ever since they put in their prototype Batman at Six Flags Great America when I lived in Chicago...rode that sucker 30 times in a row once). And Magnum at Cedar Point is probably my favorite all-time coaster (would be Timber Wolf at Worlds of Fun, but I'm sure they screwed up its fantastic air time with new restraints after that idiot girl stood up, tried to change seats, got thrown out, died, and ruined it for everyone).

 

[Disneyhead]

There is some minor construction going on in the queue. Don't have a clue what they are adding. Pics later tonight.

 

[Cwoolboy]

that's interesting, wonder what they're doing?

 

[Thor]

Why do I not have an interest in riding this coaster? And I love coasters! A friend of mine, another coaster lover, rode it and said it was just an OK coaster, nothing special. I watched a few POV videos and the coaster really does nothing for me.

 

[jtsalien]

Why do I not have an interest in riding this coaster? And I love coasters! A friend of mine, another coaster lover, rode it and said it was just an OK coaster, nothing special. I watched a few POV videos and the coaster really does nothing for me.

You should ride it if you love coasters. It's above OK quality, it's a good coaster. But I agree, it is nothing really special for me.