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Rockit: Miracle Makeover!

Universal Orlando: Over three months of down time well worth it!

From Andrew Holden
Posted January 8, 2011 at 9:12 PM
Back in July, I rode the Hollywood Rip, Ride & Rockit. The verdict: it was okay. There was one blaring problem, it was bumpy. Sure, the ride had a lot of positive qualities, but they were all overshadowed by the fact that i was in a human blender for the duration of the ride.

6 months and a killer refurb later...

I just got back from Universal, as in today. I just could not wait to write about this. My sister and I have year passes (living in FL), and my brother had a three day pass. We had been to Universal twice already and both times the Rockit was closed.

My brother was sorely disappointed since he had never ridden before. So when the news got out that the Rockit had opened again, we planned a trip for his last chance to ride the ride.

I had not heard a single word about the result of this "seasonal maintenance", but I sure felt it. Six months ago, two rides on the Rockit would have left me with a killer migraine. Today, we rode it FIVE TIMES. Now, it was not as smooth as a baby's bottom, but it was much, much more enjoyable. All trace of unbearable roughness was gone.

This showed me the good parts about this amazing ride...a killer soundtrack, sensational drops, and more airtime than anyone could know what to do with. It was enough for the Rockit to finally forge ahead of Mummy for me, and that is saying something.

I was curious as to how this was accomplished, so I took a closer look. It seems as if (though I am no coaster pro.) the wheel structure had been rebuilt. Again, I am not sure of this but that is what I think occured during that downtime. I know it seems short for a car revamp, but I don't know what else could have caused it.

What do you all think?


Comments in chronological order. Most recent at the bottom. Scroll down to respond.

From Nick Markham
Posted January 8, 2011 at 9:18 PM
Wow, Im glad it is back to this. When I rode in July, I didn't quite notice it being rough while riding until getting off and having a huge headache.

From Manny Barron
Posted January 9, 2011 at 8:22 AM
The ride is awesome and I rode it back in June. I got on this twice and once the audio didnt work so hopefully they fixed that part as well.

From Caroline Davis
Posted January 10, 2011 at 3:46 PM
I really liked it when I went on it in July. Unfortunately the first time the music on my ride wasn't working, so I spoke to an attendant and they let me ride again.

I never would usually ask, but I had been waiting and picking out my music since I'd heard about the ride! Before I even knew I was going to Florida. A little obsessive!!!

I think after reading all the so-so reviews I think it made it more of a surprise. I'd love to see whether I would notice the difference now that any safety flaws in the original design have been ironed out. But I thought it was thrilling and a lot of fun, plus if you picked the right track it really made a difference.

From Samantha McCrae
Posted January 11, 2011 at 3:54 AM
What would you guys pick as your track on the ride? I've been thinking about it, but I can't choose! Can anyone suggest which is the best? :)

From Mike Gallagher
Posted January 11, 2011 at 5:13 AM
Samantha,

I have not rode HRRR, but from what I've read about it, the only track I'd care to hear while riding is ZZ Top. Maybe by the time I get on it, they'll add some Ramones or Buzzcocks. But I seriously doubt it.

From Tony Duda
Posted January 11, 2011 at 11:36 AM
Never will have the Ramones. Their songs are too short and the ride will last longer than the song. And I don't want to be sedated while riding HRRR. I really didn't like any of the song choices, I wonder if anyone got payola for that list (is that out of line?). I rode it only once, this past December, and I thought it was fast and smooth but didn't expect the initial vertical part. Stuff started coming out of my pockets.

From Ed Newman
Posted January 11, 2011 at 3:04 PM
Thanks for the good news. Very encouraging. We last visited UF and IOA when RRR was under construction. It looked awesome, but we figured a return visit was in order when, (1) HP was completed and the intial surge of crowds died down and (2) HRRR was running like it should. Guess we should start making plans for a return visit.

From Squid McGlamery
Posted January 11, 2011 at 8:22 PM
I've got to throw a dissenting voice in here; I enjoyed HRRR much better when there was some airtime from the drop off the block brake before the facade... now, with a full stop there, the next 1/3 of the ride falls flat.
But it could just be me...

From Amianne Moore
Posted January 15, 2011 at 9:05 PM
hmmm...gonna have to give it another try! My biggest gripe when it 1st opened was that there was not enough time to get into the car, close the latches and pick out the music of choice. I have been told that the team members now close the door for you so you have more of a chance to end up with a song you may actually like for the duration of the ride instead of whatever the computer picks for you (which was DEFINITELY NOT to my liking~!) If the roughness and the problem with song picks is fixed, it sounds like I will be riding again soon!

From Orrin Carstarphen
Posted January 16, 2011 at 7:44 AM
Hopefully the ride is fixed, last time I rode it was almost unbearably rough. As for the song choices there are several hidden tracks that are much better than the standard song choices, the only draw back being if you go with one of the hidden songs then you will be unable to get the video of the ride. Personally I usually go with "For Whom The Bell Tolls" by Metallica.

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