Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is a steel roller coaster at Universal Studios
Florida in Orlando, Florida. With a height of 167 feet, a length of 3,800
feet, and a top speed of 65 miles per hour, it is the largest X-Coaster ever
built by German manufacturer Maurer Söhne. It was announced on March 19,
2008 and officially opened on August 19, 2009 though originally planned to open
in the spring of that year. Some of the special features are that riders are
recorded during the entire 1 minute and 37 second ride and can choose one of
thirty songs to listen to during the experience.
History During the second week of January 2008,
Universal Parks & Resorts filed a Notice of Commencement with Orange County,
Florida indicating that they were to construct a ride system that they had
code-named "Project Rumble." The notice also stated that the contractor was
"Maurer Rides GmbH," located in Munich, Germany.
After months of rumours, the new attraction was announced by Universal
officials on March 19, 2008. Unlike usual announcements, officials did not
reveal the specifications of the entire roller coaster. In the original press
release, it stated that the roller coaster's vertical lift hill would be
167 feet tall, and that the trains would reach a maximum speed of 65 miles per
hour. The press release also mentioned that each train would be equipped with a
multi-media package, LED lights, built in video recorders, and the option for
riders to choose a song from a list to be played during the course of the ride.
The ride would also include six near miss encounters. At the time, the new
roller coaster was scheduled to open in Spring 2009. Also, in the months after
the announcement, Universal surveyed guests on what songs they think should
be included in the roller coaster. Some of the artists that guests could choose
from were: The Black Eyed Peas, Bee Gees, The Beach Boys, and Johnny Cash.
Construction began in May 2008 with preliminary land clearing. The first
track pieces were installed during the week of December 7, 2008. In February
2009, Universal launched a website for the attraction, which included a
construction blog and photographs chronicling progress of the attraction's
construction. The track layout was completed at the end of April 2009 with
the crowning of the lift hill. In April 2009, Universal confirmed that
the roller coaster would not open as originally planned and said it would
open in the summer. Though Universal has never mentioned what the exact problem
with the roller coaster was, it is believed by newspapers that issues with
the anti-rollback devices on the lift hill that were not working correctly
caused the delay. After the issues with the ride were
resolved, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit began public previews in mid-August
2009. On August 19, 2009, Universal Studios Florida officially opened the
attraction. Ride experience
= Queue = Guest first enter into one of two
queues; either the main queue, or the single rider queue. In both queue lines,
there are several large screen displays that explain how to pick a song to play
during the ride and important safety instructions. In the video, characters
called "Video DJ's" are used as demonstrators to provide a visual
explanation. = Ride =
The station for the roller coaster is quite different than traditional
stations. As the train enters, it slows down but does not stop. There is a
moving sidewalk on both sides of the station moving at the same speed as the
train so riders can load and unload. Riders have about 45 seconds to take
their seat, lower the lap-bar and make their song choice. After the restraints
are checked, the train immediately begins to climb the 167-foot vertical
chain lift and the song that the rider picked begins to play while the on-ride
video recorder begins recording. When the train reaches the top of the lift,
it drops back to the ground reaching a maximum speed of 65 miles per hour.
Following the drop, the train goes through a non-inverting loop, which is
nicknamed "The Double Take". Then the train makes an upward right turn into
one of the several mid-course brakes. It then drops back down going through a
hole in a wall before entering a left upward helix. This section of the
coaster is nicknamed "The Treble Clef". Next the train enters a quick element
nicknamed, "The Jump Cut" which is similar to a non-inverting corkscrew.
The train then drops back down before climbing back up into the second
mid-course brakes. Following a small drop to the left, it travels straight
before making a right turn, followed by a left, and then another right leading
into the third set of mid-course brakes. Another drop is followed by the brakes
leading into an s-bend/turn. The train then travels into an inclined loop, then
the train enters the fourth set of brakes after going back up. Finally, the
train drops back down, and goes over a small hill before entering the final
brake run where the train enters the station and the riders song ends.
= Track = The steel track of Hollywood Rip Ride
Rockit is 3,800 feet long in length, and the height of the lift is approximately
167 feet. Because the lift hill is vertical, a special evacuation system is
used in the event that a train stalls on the lift. Also, the track is filled with
sand and gravel to reduce the noise when a train is on the track. Throughout the
layout of the roller coaster, there are 5 sets of brakes to control the speed of
the trains. = Trains =
The roller coaster operates with seven stadium-style seating X-Car trains. Each
train has two cars that can hold six riders each for a total of twelve riders
per train. On the head rest of each seat there are two speakers that play music
during the ride. The speakers have been designed so that only the rider's
selected music track will be audible. On the restraint is a small touch screen
where riders can choose which song they want to listen to during the ride.
Additionally, the trains are equipped with multi-coloured lights that can be
seen during the night. Musical selections
The initial announcement just said that there would be 5 categories of songs.
The full track list was not released until July 6, 2009, with Universal
Studios Florida unveiling thirty songs that can be played during the ride.
After riders board the train and lower their restraint, attached to the
restraint is a small screen containing the logo of the ride and five categories
of songs the rider can pick from. The song that the rider picked begins as the
train climbs the vertical lift hill. Depending on the song, it may not begin
at the beginning and end early as the total cycle time of the roller coaster
is 1 minute and 39 seconds. = Hidden Song Selections =
In addition to these 30 songs, Universal Studios Florida also provided additional
"hidden" songs that are available to riders, but are not included in the
queue video. To access these songs, after lowering
the restraint, on the screen, riders must push and hold the logo of the ride
for approximately ten seconds. When they release their finger, a number pad will
then show up. Entering a three digit code will allow the rider to listen to
the song that the code corresponds to. = Awards =
See also Hollywood Dream: The Ride - a Bolliger &
Mabillard roller coaster which uses similar technology for music.
References External links
Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rockit at Universal Orlando Resort