Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster review

“Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster” by HarshLight licensed under CC BY 2.0

Disney’s Hollywood Studios houses the majority of the most popular rides at Disney World. The award for the most adrenaline-pumping ride goes to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. This ride is definitely a must-do when you come to Disney World.

Whether this is your first time on a roller coaster or your 50th, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is a shared favorite among many people and even considered to be one of the best Disney World rides. In this article, I will be giving you an honest review of the ride and any general information that I think would be beneficial for you to know before visiting the park.

Is this ride suitable for children?

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is a ride designed for thrill seekers, so, naturally, there is a height limit, which puts a restriction on who should be going on the ride. You must be at least 48 inches (or 122 cm) tall to qualify for the height requirement. That being said, not all individuals who meet or exceed the minimum height should ride this attraction.

Specifically, children who are afraid of dark settings, loud music, tight spaces, and/or fast rides should either wait outside with a guardian or simply go to another attraction. The roller coaster itself is mainly in the dark, which produces the element of surprise since you cannot see the majority of the track layout. There are, however, neon props that are spaced throughout the ride, serving as some means of light. During the launch and the rest of the ride, loud music plays from speakers that are located next to the headrest.

So, if your child has a sensitivity to loud noises/music, either make sure to pack them some ear plugs or think about going on an alternative attraction. To ensure your safety, this ride has an overhead harness that should be pressed rather tightly across your chest in order to prevent movement, which could result in an injury. Children and adults who have claustrophobia should assess whether or not that would be an issue for them prior to going on the ride.

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster reaches nearly 60 mph, so if you believe your child would be negatively affected by the fast-moving vehicle due to a medical condition or because of their age, this ride may not be appropriate for them. In my opinion, if you are unsure how your child would respond to this ride, it would be beneficial to first introduce them to less intense roller coasters, such as Thunder Mountain, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Expedition Everest, and Space Mountain, to see how they would react to these rides. If they have a fun time on these roller coasters and are still interested in going on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, then it is safe to say they will be just fine. If your child does not take issue with any of the listed triggers, there is a high chance that they will really enjoy this ride. This was the first roller coaster that I ever went on as a child, and now I am a roller coaster enthusiast!

What to Expect

There is no secret that Rock n’ Roller Coaster is a ride designed for thrill seekers. Anyone who enjoys going on roller coasters has heard about this ride due to its immense popularity. The attraction is a story-based ride and the main mission is to get you to the Aerosmith concert.

After waiting in either the standby or FastPass+ line, you are brought into the band’s recording studio, where you watch a televised preshow of the members of Aerosmith prepping for their concert. Steven Tyler invites the audience (all of you) to his concert, but there is just one problem: The concert is all the way across town and it is scheduled to start soon. In order to get all of you there, their manager orders a super-stretch limo, which will get you to the concert extremely quickly.

After the launch into the main attraction, your vehicle speeds off on what is supposed to represent the freeway, encountering loops and a corkscrew along the way. As mentioned previously in this article, the ride takes place in the dark and also includes jerking movements, dips, twists and turns, and loud music. The duration of the actual ride where you are seated in the vehicle is about one and a half minutes. As the vehicle accelerates from 0 mph to nearly 60 mph in a few seconds, your picture is taken, which can be viewed while coming off of the ride.

If you like the picture, you are able to purchase it in the gift shop. Usually, most people can be seen either screaming, laughing, or in shock, which makes this a great souvenir to remember your exciting adventure on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster! If you wish to know more about this ride, visit the official Disney website.

FastPass+ Reservations: Do you need one?

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is one of the most popular rides at Disney’s Hollywood Studios park. That being said, it would be a good idea to book FastPass+ tickets in advance in order to skip waiting in the long lines. When the park opens its gates, a crowd of people usually run straight to this attraction, since this is the only time when wait times are at a minimum.

That being said, you should plan your FastPass+ reservation for later on in the day or at least an hour to two hours after park opening. This way, you ultimately are taking advantage of how you spend your day at the park. This is the key to a stress-reduced vacation! If you ever are in the FastPass+ line, you will notice that those who have been waiting a long time in standby lines are easily irritated and tired.

This can put a damper on your vacation for sure, so make the most of your money and have an enjoyable time! If you do decide to wait in the standby line, wait times average close to 60-75 minutes, and on busy days, it can get up to 100-120 minutes, sometimes even more. For a ride that only lasts about a minute and a half, I know I wouldn’t want to be waiting in a line for that long, but that is just my opinion.

Booking FastPass+ tickets in advance is a great decision, and the best news is? It’s included in your admission fee, so you do not need to pay extra to skip the lines! In order to check what the wait times are for this ride, simply download the My Disney Experience mobile application, which is free. If you are interested in seeing a prediction of wait times throughout the day, Touring Plans has a standby wait time forecast for that day.

Songs and Music: A tribute to Aerosmith

Based on the title of the ride, you already know that rock and roll music will be featured throughout this attraction. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster specifically features the classic music of Aerosmith, which you can hear while standing in line and also while on the attraction itself.

This is great music to get you pumped up for what lies ahead! Plus, there are no explicit songs, so you do not need to worry about whether or not the songs are appropriate for children. For your reference, I have listed the songs that have an appearance throughout the attraction:

  1. “Nine Lives”
  2. “Sweet Emotion”
  3. “Back in the Saddle”
  4. “Dude Looks Like a Lady”
  5. “Love in an Elevator”
  6. “Walk This Way”
  7. “Young Lust”

These songs are great to sing along to and gets your heart pumping to its catchy rhythm. Since the music is constantly on shuffle, it is unlikely that you will be listening to the same song while in the vehicle if you go on this attraction more than once. These seven songs just add to the hyped up and exhilarating atmosphere that everyone who steps through the entrances can sense.

Warnings: Who should not go on this ride?

Because of the nature of this ride, there is certainly a restriction on who should be allowed to go on the attraction. As stated earlier, anyone who does not meet the height requirement of at least 48 inches is not permitted on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster. Due to the restraints and seat sizes, guests with certain body shapes may not be able to ride.

Like every attraction at Disney World, you should be in good health before going on the ride. This means you should be free from heart problems, neck or back problems, motion sickness, high blood pressure, motion sickness, and any other medical condition that would negatively impact your health if you went on this ride. Women who are pregnant should not go on this ride because of the tight seat restraints and the layout of the roller coaster track.

Make sure to check with your doctor first in case you are unsure whether or not your health would be affected on this ride. It is always a good idea to be safe rather than sorry! If you decide that you do not want to go on this ride while waiting in line, fear not, because you can always be directed to the nearest exit by a cast member.

Did someone die on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster?

The topic of deaths at Disney World is often not spoken about, as the thought of such a terrible thing happening in such a magical place is unfathomable. It seems as though whenever someone mentions Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster to people, one of the things they say is usually “Haven’t there been people who have died on that ride?” I am not going to sugar coat this because, yes, there has been someone who has died on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.

The individual was a twelve-year-old boy who was found unresponsive after the ride. In order to figure out what the cause of his death was, the family ordered an autopsy of the boy’s body, where it was discovered that he had a congenital heart defect. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster was therefore not the direct reason of the boy’s death, but rather a heart condition that the family was unaware of.

For more information about this specific case, view Theme Park Insider’s blog post pertaining to this tragic event. This is an unfortunate example of why it is extremely important to know if you have any pre-existing health conditions.

My rating based on personal experience

As I have mentioned previously, this was the first roller coaster I rode as a child, and I still love it even today. No matter how many times I go on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, the same amount of adrenaline pumps through my body each time. I never get bored of this attraction! The thrill of blasting off and listening to loud music is exciting and why almost everyone becomes addicted to Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.

The photographs collected during the ride are available to view at the end of the ride, and it is amusing to see everyone’s reaction to the first launch. Making fun of family members is inevitable! One may be skeptical as to if the repeated songs could potentially get boring or annoying, but since Disney vacations usually do not happen too often and it is likely that you are not going on this ride every day, it should not pose a problem. If you did not like Aerosmith though, then that would be a different story. The purpose of the music is made to build up a feeling of excitement while waiting in line. In my opinion, this is my favorite ride of all times.

The loud music and fast vehicle make it seem like you are driving down the freeway in a convertible. Who wouldn’t enjoy that! In terms rating this ride based on a scale from 1 (meaning terrible) to 5 (meaning excellent), I would give Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster a 5 out of 5 stars. This is the ultimate ride for thrill seekers and I recommend anyone who meets the physical and health restrictions to experience it at least once. But what happens is similar to what happens after you take your first Disney vacation: You can’t only go one time!

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Michael has been visiting Disney World since he was a kid. He's also been to Disneyland and sailed on the Disney Dream. Michael is the owner and editor of Countdown to Magic.

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