Why does Rip Ride Rockit' get such a hard time?

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This thread has left me perplexed, to say the least. Rockit isn't "very rough" by any stretch of the imagination. It may not be glass smooth, but it's not that rough. Space Mountain? That's rough. Want REALLY rough? Try Gwazi on for size. Rockit is fine.

(Don't ride Gwazi. Seriously. I think it might actually kill some of you, if Rockit bothers you that much.)

Train 5 is the issue, not the coaster. I've been on the ride a minimum of ten times and never had a problem, found it pretty smooth - but that all changed when I rode in Train 5. I guess it's something to do with the wheels, but man, that train is truly ROUGH. I now request to not ride that train if I see I'm assigned to it. The only way you can avoid the roughness in that train is in you're in the front row.

People are more likely to remember the negative experiences (the roughness), hence Rockit's reputation.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

Gwazi truly is the suckiest ride I have been on. If I had wanted pummelled Id have kept playing rugby.

However Rip it is far too rough and is affected by heat making it rougher so in June it will be very rough and should be avoided.

I will be remembering the code this time so I can have some Megadeth.

 

[captainkidd]

I've yet to ride it, but from what I can tell, it looks uncomfortable due to the seating and "head rests". The coaster itself might not be that rough, but the vehicles just don't look like they fit anyone very comfortably.

 

[JT3000]

It may depend on your height and body proportions, but I think the seats are pretty comfortable, except for when you're leaning back during the lift. The only other thing I don't like is how heavy the restraint is.

 

[MAF]

I just checked out the track list for the ride and are they serious? Most of those songs are so outdated its not even funny. I mean its bad enough they have two Black Eyed Peas songs, but they included ones that weren't even big hits.

 

[wizards8507]

I just checked out the track list for the ride and are they serious? Most of those songs are so outdated its not even funny. I mean its bad enough they have two Black Eyed Peas songs, but they included ones that weren't even big hits.

I've never done this myself, but a previous poster mentioned a hidden track list which could make it more fun. I definitely agree with you on the "on board" tracks.

 

[blm07]

I've been on it once, and I don't think it played the song I selected. It kinda ruined the themeing down by Twister, and it doesn't really have a theme itself. After that first ride, I kinda forgot about it :shrug: plus on the way out, people bugging me to buy the overpriced video. Double plus, having to put your bag in the locker. Nah.

I'd rather take the Hulk or Rock N Roller Coaster.

 

[Pumbas Nakasak]

I've never done this myself, but a previous poster mentioned a hidden track list which could make it more fun. I definitely agree with you on the "on board" tracks.

Here you go. All old stuff and at a guess Id say all acts signed to Universals associated record labels.

http://themeparkcentral.host56.com/index.php?p=1_13

 

[AswaySuller]

It's so odd I have not experienced any of the problems people are talking about here.

I don't think it's rough at all, the music worked fine (I love picking the hidden Jane's Addiction track "Just Because"), It never broke down at all and I thought the loading system was excellent, overall I think its a really fun coaster that I did probably 6-7 times. At night it looks great so I recommend riding both at night and in the day.

Hulk makes me feel more sick than this... as does Dragons Challenge. I

 

[JordanNite]

It's a monstrosity, awfull theming that doesn't belong in Universal. It's completely ruined the theming around there.

Just some lazy exec at Universal thought of a way to add a cheap attraction, and hey presto came up with a roller coaster. It just cheapens the park.

 

[captainkidd]

Just rode it for the 1st time this weekend (3 times actually). Themed poorly - Yes. Great ride - Yes. I loved it!!!

 

[FLYbyNITE]

Anyone know if this ride has gone "Express Pass" yet? I might like it better if I didn't have to wait in line.

 

[SiriusBlack]

It was pretty intense and a lot of fun. I prefer Disney's ability to hide coaster tracks, but this ride is a great one for thrill seekers. Universal isn't quite as concerned with theming at times, and this is a pretty cool ride.

 

[Coach81]

We love it!!! Can't wait to ride it in just 8 days!!!

 

[captainkidd]

Anyone know if this ride has gone "Express Pass" yet? I might like it better if I didn't have to wait in line.

No, they don't.

Best bet is to be there right when park opens, or hope single rider line is open. if not, expect to wait.

FTR - This is a great ride, but I've never seen such an inconsistent ride in terms of how many cars are on the track at any given time. And it has nothing to do with crowd levels. The ride had a constant 60 minute wait on Saturday, and there were times where you'd see 5 cars a minute going up the lift, and other times you'd only see 1 car a minute. They definitely have operating issues with this ride.

 

[jlandis44]

Rode it last week for the first time. Near the end of the day on Thursday, it was only a 10 minute wait for the entire last hour of the day. Got on twice, once near the front and once near the back. I have ridden almost every coaster on the "East Coast" (including everything at Cedar Point and Kings Island too). I thought it was a neat design, but a very rough ride no matter where I sat. The sudden stops were too jarring, and my head was banging around the whole time. Not nearly as smooth as Intimidator 305 (Kings Dominion) or even Maverick (Cedar Point), which until I rode HRRR got my vote for the roughest steel coaster. If I want to be beat up, I'll ride wood. This ride generally felt like a steel coaster, but when it felt wooden, it felt wooden! But, for a 10 minute wait, it was worth it. I wouldn't wait much longer...I'd rather spend my time shooting aliens in MiB.

 

[Bairstow]

I know I'm raising a dead thread here, but I finally made it down to Universal and wanted to weigh in.

The real problem with Rock-It seems to be its unreliability. I was there last week when the park opened and went right to the coaster. Wait time was about 45 minutes and one of the trains wasn't running.

Thought the ride itself was pretty fun. The constantly-moving conveyor-belt station platform was unique but looked as though it probably caused more problems than it solved. I really liked the first loop-heartline roll "double take" element, but other than that it just seemed like a series of low-speed hills and turns hobbled by constant block brakes. I don't think I've ever seen so many brakes on a coaster.

As for the music, my first time riding I used the hidden song function to listen to Zeppelin's "Immigrant Song" and while it synced up pretty well to the lift hill and the first drop, and the coaster in general, I was really disappointed that no effort had been made to edit the songs to better fit the layout of the coaster. I thought that was the whole point of the ride...

Anyway, shortly after getting our one ride in the coaster broke down, and stayed non-functioning well into the afternoon. Just before we left, around 6 a long queue had formed across the astroturf pads in front of the stage outside the entrance to the ride, as the park announced they would be re-opening rock-it. We got back in line, and this time waited about 20 minutes, due to the coaster stopping and starting and now 2 of the trains were being dead-headed. As luck would have it, we managed to board the second-to-last train of the day, as after that the whole attraction went 101 and every car behind the one behind us was empty. I got a lot of dirty looks from all the riders in line behind us in the queue who wouldn't be able to ride that day.

I wasn't willing to fork out the $30 or whatever for the DVD, but I did buy an on-ride photo downstairs at the kiosk under the platform. The dude running it said that this was typical of the ride, and it had been shut down for hours on end practically every day for as long as he had been working there.

All-in-all it's certainly not worth the hype. It reminds me of Eurofighter-type coasters like Mystery Mine or Daredevil Dive, but without the trademark Gerstlauer smoothness. The I-pod stuck into the restraint is hardly a saving grace.

I guess that's what Universal gets for not sticking with Bolliger and Mabillard.

 

[captainkidd]

The DVD is the biggest rip-off. You get to see yourself for like 8 seconds, and the rest is just animation.

It's too bad they're having so many problems with it. It's a great coaster.

 

[AswaySuller]

I went to USF twice in april and I saw no problems at al with it.

Maybe it needs a little maintenance,

 

[Bravo 229]

I rode it for the first time in July and my music didn't work. Its not as fun without the music, but I've ridden it twice since with music and it definitely makes the experience better. The one thing I've noticed is that after it rains, it takes them forever to get the cars running again. I was queued up for IMPACT wrestling a couple of Sundays ago, and they sent empty cars for at least 15 minutes while I was waiting out there. Not to mention, when I was in line to ride it earlier that day, they weren't running full cars for a while - they even sent several empty cars, while the queue was full of people. Its a good ride, just not the most efficient.