Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith is the best roller coaster in the world. Not just the Disney World – the world world. That’s Dad’s opinion and he’s sticking to it. Hey, the music is thrilling, the themeing is great, the launch is mind-blowing, and the ride is as smooth as butter. Sweeeeeeeeeeeeet Emooooooootion!
Why is it that the shortest rides at Disney World have the longest lines?
Even the entrance is wild! Photo by Cliff Wang
The Preshow
Disney has great preshows and this is one of the all-time best. When you enter the building you find yourself in the offices of G-Force Records. Posters line the walls from some of of the groups that are under contract to Disney. (Some are pretty popular.) There are a couple of displays of recording equipment.
You then enter a “recording studio” where the band (Aerosmith) is just wrapping up a recording session and getting ready to leave for a concert on the other side of town (Los Angles). As the band starts to leave they notice that they are leaving guests behind and badger their manager to bring the guests along. The manager orders up a limo (a super stretch limo) for the guests and promises the band that you’ll get to the concert. The band leaves, the doors open and off you go into a back alley to await your ride.
Welcome to G-Force records. Photo by Cliff Wang
The Attraction
You are loaded into a super duper hopped up, super (I said that once already, didn’t I) stretch limo for your quick ride across town to the concert. This car is hot. It’s also really cool. The car is decked out with the most powerful audio system ever put into any automobile. There are 126 speakers in every car. This limo rocks!
After being loaded into the car, the limo pulls up into the launch position. The countdown begins and then you hear the tires screech, the music blare, lights flash, and off you go. From 0 to 60mph in less than 3 seconds. You scream through the streets of Los Angeles. You’ll see street signs and landmarks (if you’re eyes are open) of the City of Angels made famous throughout the years by scores of TV shows.
Along the way there you encounter a series of inversions. There are two loops and one corkscrew (in case you just had to know). On the first loop, you are pulling between 4 and 5G’s. (More than the space shuttle astronauts.)
Each car has a different song in the sound track. These songs are Aerosmith classics, some of which have bee remastered just for this ride. For example “Love in an Elevator” has become “Love on a Rollercoaster”. The songs are tied to the car you enter. There are 5 different cars each has their own song. Here is the list of license tags and songs that go with them.
- 1QKLIMO – “Nine Lives”
- UGOBABE – “Walk this Way” and “Love in an Elevator”
- BUHBYE – “Young Lust”, “F.I.N.E.” & “Love in an Elevator”
- H8TRFFC – “Back in the Saddle” & “Dude (Looks Like a Lady)”
- 2FAST4U – “Sweet Emotion”(live)
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is one of the smoothest roller coasters you will ever ride. It’s so smooth you won’t even notice you’re upside down (most of the time).
The ride takes exactly 3 minutes and 12 seconds from the time you first start moving. That’s exactly the length of one of Aerosmith’s best songs, “Sweet Emotion.”
Here we go! Photo by Cliff Wang
The Postshow
You exit the ride vehicles into what looks like an alley, then into the ever present gift shop. This one’s kind of cool with lots of rockin’ merch.
The Video
Here’s a video about Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. It goes in to lots of detail.
Fun Facts
Here are some interesting tidbits –
- The 125 speakers include 24 sub-woofers. Each car has 32,000 watts of onboard audio.
- The track is 3,406 feet long.
- There are over 900 speakers inside the ride.
- More than 60 hours of music is played in the line before it repeats.
History
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster came to Disney’s Hollywood Studios in June of 1999.
- It was Disney’s first “upside down” roller coaster in the U.S.A. (the first one ever was opened in Disneyland Paris in 1993).
- It was not the first Disney ride to use linear induction technology (the launching system). Disney pioneered that technology in Tomorrowland Transit Authority.
Don’t forget to pose for a photo op. Photo by Cliff Wang
Are You Tall Enough?
Does your kid want to ride Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster? Are they tall enough? You have to be 48 inches tall to ride. It’s one of the tallest requirements of any of the rides at Walt Disney World.
Dad’s Disney World Height Requirements page
Dad also has a cool little tool to measure the kids as they grow and keep track of when they are tall enough to ride the rides, like RnR. I call it Dad’s Are You Tall Enough To Ride?…
Every ride at WDW is on this chart. Mount it on the wall and keep track of the kids while they grow.
Get Dad’s Are You Tall Enough to Ride?…
The Fine Print
Here’s some fine print information
- Due to the nature of the experience, service animals are not permitted on this attraction.
- Guests with young children may take turns experiencing attractions. See a Cast Member for additional information.
- For safety, you should be in good health and free from high blood pressure, heart, back or neck problems, motion sickness or other conditions that could be aggravated by this adventure.
- Guests must transfer from motorized scooter or ECV to an available wheelchair, then from the wheelchair to the attraction/ride vehicle.
- Expectant mothers should not ride.
Dad’s Bottom Line
This may be the second fastest ride at Disney World (the cars at Test Track get up to 64 MPH), but it’s by far the most thrilling.
In Dad’s humble opinion this it the best ride anywhere!
