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Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit to close for refurbishment

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Lofty

Lofty

CF Legend
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit to close for refurbishment for one year!

Inside The Magic have reported that Universal Orlando's Rip Ride Rockit will be closed for one year, November to November for a lengthy refurb.

Have to say, it's needed it for ages. Really excited to see if they retract it, or just put yet another manufacturer of trains on the ride.

More info here: https://insidethemagic.net/2022/11/universal-orlando-rip-ride-rockit-closure-ea1/
 
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Good to see HRRR getting some love! It’s clearly popular, so it’s nice to see its future being secured for years to come!

Sadly, that does mean I won’t be able to ride it on my upcoming June 2023 trip to Orlando, but I have done it before, so it’s not like I’m missing out on a +1. Not riding it this trip is a small price to pay to keep it going for generations to come.

I actually quite like it, from memory. Although I would caveat that I haven’t ridden it since 2016, I’ve only ever done it twice, and I have had two somewhat variable experiences with it. I absolutely adored it in 2014, and it actually hit my #2 spot behind Swarm, but I liked it somewhat less in 2016. I still really enjoyed it, but it seemed slightly more rattly than I’d remembered (albeit not horrifically rough by any means) and didn’t seem to hit in quite the same way as it did the first time I rode it.

I have always enjoyed many elements of it, though. It’s a fast paced coaster with some nice twists and turns, and has some surprising pops of airtime! The non-inverting loop in particular really took me by surprise the first time I rode it, and to be honest, HRRR is my first memorable experience of getting airtime on a roller coaster! Admittedly, re-riding it in 2023 may not have done it any favours seeing as my coaster count is 3 times higher than it was in 2016 and my roughness tolerance is arguably slightly lower, but my past memories of it are certainly positive!

I’m glad to see it living on for years to come; it’s a popular ride, and I personally remember rather enjoying it on my previous experiences!
 
I really hope that this involves a complete overhaul of the theming. It was a neat concept when it first came out, but the entire attraction no longer meets the standard of quality that the park has developed throughout the last 12 years.
 
I found it a little rough around the edges, but not unbearably so, and would have been more than happy to reride. The song thing is a cool novelty, and the layout is solid and actually pretty forceful. Glad to see it getting a refurb, as it did seem to need it.

Also, is it normal for it to consistently be one of, if not the, smallest queues on the whole resort? I assumed it just wasn’t very popular as it’s forcefulness would exclude a lot of riders. That and the fact that queues weren’t really horrendous anywhere in September, often riding Velocicoaster with only a 15-20 minute wait. HWRRR was walk on though, we tried to use our room key express and was told there was no need as there was no queue. However up there 👆 Matt says it’s popular… So I’m confused.
 
Nicky Borrill said:
Also, is it normal for it to consistently be one of, if not the, smallest queues on the whole resort? I assumed it just wasn’t very popular as it’s forcefulness would exclude a lot of riders. That and the fact that queues weren’t really horrendous anywhere in September, often riding Velocicoaster with only a 15-20 minute wait. HWRRR was walk on though, we tried to use our room key express and was told there was no need as there was no queue. However up there 👆 Matt says it’s popular… So I’m confused.
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Interesting! I said about it being popular because I’ve only ever seen it with fairly big queues, and most non-enthusiasts I know who’ve been to Florida seem to think that HRRR is the best thing since sliced bread!

If it wasn’t popular, I don’t think they’d be refurbishing it. They didn’t refurbish Dragon Challenge… now that was a quiet ride if I’ve ever seen one. On my last UOR visit in 2016, it consistently had queues that bordered on a walk on when everything else had queues of approaching 1 hour!
 
Matt N said:
Interesting! I said about it being popular because I’ve only ever seen it with fairly big queues, and most non-enthusiasts I know who’ve been to Florida seem to think that HRRR is the best thing since sliced bread!

If it wasn’t popular, I don’t think they’d be refurbishing it. They didn’t refurbish Dragon Challenge… now that was a quiet ride if I’ve ever seen one. On my last UOR visit in 2016, it consistently had queues that bordered on a walk on when everything else had queues of approaching 1 hour!
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It’s probably because the whole resort was quiet, or at least based off reports I’d heard about other times, comparatively quiet. I’d heard of 3-5 hour Hagrid’s queues, and 90-180 minute veloci queues… Ours were nothing like that! The only thing really that consistently had a very long queue was Kong, and I’ve no idea why. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Queue times were generally Alton Towers on a mid peak day, and on top of this the stated times were well over estimated.

I wouldn’t describe HWRRR as ‘currently’ popular though, not from my experience anyway, which IMO is a good reason to refurb a ride and breath fresh life into it. In the same way that Nemesis was almost always walk on before it’s announcement, even whilst Wickerman and Smiler carried 1-2 hour queues. Both rides clearly have been popular, and have the potential to be again, a refurb should really help with that. :)
 
Nicky Borrill said:
It’s probably because the whole resort was quiet, or at least based off reports I’d heard about other times, comparatively quiet. I’d heard of 3-5 hour Hagrid’s queues, and 90-180 minute veloci queues… Ours were nothing like that! The only thing really that consistently had a very long queue was Kong, and I’ve no idea why. 🤷🏻‍♂️

Queue times were generally Alton Towers on a mid peak day, and on top of this the stated times were well over estimated.

I wouldn’t describe HWRRR as ‘currently’ popular though, not from my experience anyway, which IMO is a good reason to refurb a ride and breath fresh life into it. In the same way that Nemesis was almost always walk on before it’s announcement, even whilst Wickerman and Smiler carried 1-2 hour queues. Both rides clearly have been popular, and have the potential to be again, a refurb should really help with that. :)
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I should stress that my view of HRRR’s popularity is from 2014 and 2016, so admittedly may not be the most up to date.
 
Matt N said:
I should stress that my view of HRRR’s popularity is from 2014 and 2016, so admittedly may not be the most up to date.
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It may still be during busier times for all I know, it does have the added advantage of little competition coaster wise in that park. :)
 
I'd agree that it SEEMS popular and often does have a very long line - but that's because the capacity is awful, is swamped by Express Pass holders, and it breaks down every 5 minutes. I was on park for around 6 or 7 days over last Christmas and it constantly had multi-hour lines and often closed the line entirely.

On each train, around 4 seats weren't in use and they had the worst operations on site due to the ensuing confusion trying to batch riders into the available seats as each train was different. I only rose once on that trip right after it reopened from yet another breakdown when the line said 20 minutes and waited well over an hour due to this and how many Express Pass holders they were letting through.

So I think it's a mixed bag. It can appear to be very popular when the park is busy, but the posted times are misleading.
 
I liked it a lot more in 2015 than I did 2022. Much needed action if it actually wants to be a fan favourite with a favourable legacy. The music selection gimmick goes down pretty well I imagine.

Dragons Challenge had mega capacity, far end of the park instead of next to entrance, and Universal had a better idea that appears widely successful. RRR would only get replaced by another coaster and already looks the part so a refurb makes sense I guess. Didn't last as long before it was necessary either,

How will goons cope with this being down at the same time as the Woodpecker, that is the question.
 
For the park’s ‘headlining coaster’ it’s dreadful. It looks tacky and rides even tackier.

It’s popularity is probably a result of it simply being there - a visible thrill ride in a screen-filled park.

The music aspect makes it bearable though as you can have a dance - one of those ‘create your own fun’ rides like the lift hill on Euro Mir 🕺💃

But you can dance anywhere.

In summary: nuke it from orbit (it’s the only way to be sure).
 
A few places have recently reported on a patent Universal has filed for an on-ride docking system.

Here’s one source:
www.themeparkinsider.com

Has Universal Solved the 'Cell Phones on Rides' Problem?

www.themeparkinsider.com

The tech would allow riders to record on-ride video, play an audio track, or control certain ride features, all while the ride charges your phone. Is anyone else wondering if this refurbishment will involve installation of this tech?
 
It's disappointing, as they won't be able to get rid of it in only four days.

Thread locked, as this is a non-story. PM me if that changes.
 
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