Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit: Universal’s Insanely Cool Musical Roller Coaster
Yup, you read the title right. Universal has a musical roller coaster.
And when we say music, we’re talking full-volume, head-boppin’ hits from Evanescence, Daft Punk, and The Charlie Daniels Band, just to name a few options. You see, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit lets you choose a personalized soundtrack to “hear above your own screams,” offering a coaster experience like never before!
If that concept wasn’t cool enough, the track is also ridiculously innovative, boasting an impressive non-inverted loop that will have your heart beating in time to your favorite song. (Or maybe a little faster.)
Are you ready to rock? Then let’s roll!
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit: Shout Your Lungs Out!
In my book, this roller coaster definitely ranks as one of Universal’s top thrill rides, just for that first drop.
You’ll find yourself chugging up a 90-degree angle, straight into the sky, as your song begins. When you reach the top, you’ll see nothing but blue sky for a heart-pounding second…two…three… Then WHAM! You’re practically free-falling straight down.
The Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit drop height is a whopping 17-stories—that’s 167 feet! The suspense before the drop is almost unbearable, and the rush of the drop itself is absolutely breathtaking.
Beyond the drop, the ride mellows out a little.
You’ll launch into a “Double Take” — an amazing non-inverted loop. That means you’ll do a loop-de-loop without going upside down. (I know, crazy, right??) From there you’ll speed into the “Treble Clef,” a section of track that actually twists into the shape of music’s best-known symbol. (Sorry, bass clef.) As you twist, turn, and loop around, be prepared to reach top speeds of 65 miles per hour! “Rockit” is not a homophone with “rocket” for nothing. Seriously: you’ll experience more g-forces on this coaster than an astronaut experiences during lift-off!1
The ingenuity of this coaster is phenomenal, but blasting around the track in such a manner can be kind of rough, especially as the 2009 coaster begins to show its age. It seems to be more jarring the further back you sit, so, definitely try to get a seat toward the front if you’re prone to feeling post-coaster pain! For some folks, sadly, it might be best to sit out on Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit altogether.
Nevertheless, Rip Ride remains incredibly popular and generally ranks as a “must ride” for most visitors! Roughness aside, seating really doesn’t matter as all of the spots have pretty great views. With ride time clocking in at right around two minutes, this coaster gives you plenty of time to jam to your favorite tunes and also makes the wait time feel worth it. (The average wait usually hovers at around an hour-long, give or take a few minutes.)
Between singing along and screaming, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit will definitely have you shouting your lungs out!
(And yes, “Shout Your Lungs Out” is a reference to my favorite band, The Beets, from Nickelodeon’s Doug. And no, disappointingly, none of their songs will play during this ride.)
Putting the “Rock” in Rockit
When you take your seat and strap into the coaster, you’ll have about 30 seconds to pick the song you want to hear. (Each seat has a personalized sound system. Rock on!) There are 25 songs to choose from, with selections of classic rock, country, pop, and hip-hop. From KC and the Sunshine Band’s “That’s The Way (I Like It)” to Montgomery Gentry’s “All Night Long,” each song is a total bop.
But there’s more. Sixty more songs, in fact—on a secret song list.
Now, this is highly confidential stuff here, so don’t go blabbing about it…but if you press the Rip Ride Rockit logo for 10 seconds instead of selecting a song, you’ll find yourself hacked into the secret song database. However, instead of bringing up a new list, you be shown a keypad where you type in the code for the song you want. That means you’ll have to be prepared with a memorized code or face getting a random song. (For a complete song list—secret and regular—check out this website!) I recommend doing “Movin’ Right Along” by the Muppets! It’s too fun!
Because this coaster is musical, there’s also another fun nuance to it. Instead of taking the usual souvenir photo, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit films an entire music video with your song selection (unfortunately, the secret ones don’t work for this, though). Clips of your own ride will be interspersed with classic footage of the coaster, all overlaid with your jam of choice! Like a souvenir photo, you definitely have to pay extra for it, but for music and thrill ride enthusiasts, it’s a one-of-a-kind way to remember a truly rip-roaring experience!
Know Before You Roll
Before you commit yourself to the Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit line, here are a few things you might want to know!
As you may have guessed from the intensity of the ride, there are height restrictions: you have to be at least 51 inches tall to ride. While the theming of the ride isn’t scary in the way Skull Island: Reign of Kong is, the sheer enormity of the coaster and spectacular speeds are probably too much for younger children. “Tweens” who know what they’re getting into will probably do okay, and ambitious teenagers will definitely be down for it. As for us old folks (aka “adults”), it really comes down to that roughness factor. The experience is so neat, I’d say it’s worth at least one go, but definitely use your best judgment to save yourself some back pain!
It’s also worth noting that single rider lines and Universal Express Pass are available for this ride, which can help speed up that wait time!
Overall, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is definitely worth a go. The concept is just so unique—and who doesn’t want to jam with Fleetwood Mac at 65 miles per hour??
Have you ridden Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit? What song did you pick? Let us know in the comments below!
Rock on!
Cover Image
Photo: Unsplash
Recommended Gear for this Adventure
Disclaimer: We earn a commission if you click any of the links above and make a purchase at no additional cost to you.
