Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster has reopened after a 6-month refurbishment at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and the improvements to the ride are rather significant. Earlier today, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster experienced a delayed opening, but the ride opened shortly after 10am. We visited Disney’s Hollywood Studios to ride Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, and here’s what we noticed.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Updates (2024)
At a high level, the ride is still the same. The story has not changed, and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is still themed to Aerosmith. These days, whenever Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster closes, fans start armchair Imagineering new themes for the ride. So far, no changes to the songs or theme of a stretch limo race through Hollywood on the way to an Aerosmith concert.
In terms of changes to the queue or pre-show experience, there are only a few prop adjustments, including the return of a black Les Paul guitar and the removal of a banner, among other changes in the pre-show room. Here’s a look at the before and after of the room.
There were no significant changes to the load and launch area. Some props were shuffled around, added, and changed during the refurbishment.
Here’s a look at a few details from the load area, including a change to the calendar. Cast Members tell us that it used to reflect the opening year for the ride, but that it has been updated to a 2024 calendar.
In terms of the ride itself, photos aren’t allowed, so we’ll have to stick with descriptions. Cast Members told us that the ride system for the attraction was overhauled and that there were audio updates as well. Note that there are no changes to the songs, but rather the audio system.
One of the things that was immediately apparent was an update to the lighting system. In the past, the blacklight set pieces were generally steadily lit. Some of the pieces were lit up when the ride vehicle passed by, but the majority were constantly activated.
Following system updates, we noticed that nearly every set piece is now only lit as the roller coaster vehicle passes by. This makes the massive show building space a bit darker than we remember, with nearly no ambient light from set pieces lighting up the warehouse-style room.
We have reached out to Walt Disney World for more details about updates to the ride, but Disney has not returned a request for comment.
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!
Wow. I was an annual passholder for 17 years. I once held the record of riding Coaster 111 times in one day, 13 September 2001. Overall I estimate I’ve ridden this great ride over 10,000 times. I’m still in contact with many of the great cast members .
Thank you all for my great memories.
Biker Jim.
Is the ride smoother? It became challenging to ride because I felt my head intensely vibrated and was banged up. I assumed because the ride was getting old. Also, I’m starting to feel that Space Mountain is doing the same thing.