- Dec 8, 2009
- 424
- 28
Is Rockit a Success or Failure?
- Thread starter Brian G.
- Start date
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That first drop is sensational. Especially with the hard rock music on I always have a good time on this ride...in pain or not.
People also find thing's like the current JII or Honey Boo boo entertaining. So the general public isn't the best measuring stick.
I wouldn't really class this as a failure. I've always enjoy it the times I've rode it and that for me means it is a success.
Throughout the years, Rockit has done the opposite of growing on me. It's WAY too rough, and it needs a really nice makeover. Something to the effect of a Universal Music Group VIP tour. Something that adds MUCH softer colors during the day and can reflect the beauty of LEDs at night.
rode this for the first time Monday, I gotta say, I loved it! It was a great coaster and the music made it better. I've gone on some rough coasters in my life and this wasn't bad at all! However, I'm not a fan of the vertical lift.......
Anyways, this is a success to me
Anyways, this is a success to me
I have a love/hate relationship with this ride as well, and have experienced some absolutely SPINE-CRUSHING rides on this piece of junk. Then again, I've had some wonderfully smooth rides and really enjoyed it as well.
As for success or failure? It's both. In terms of a people-eating, crowd-drawing attraction for the resort, it's a resounding success. Every time I've gone (the last time being during Grinchmas a few months ago), it's had a hefty line of 45-90 minutes. But as a ride, personally I think it's a dismal failure. The "theming" is horrid, the pre-show and associated characters are bland and annoying, the trains are inconsistent in the ride they give (jackhammering and painful, or silky and smooth), the ride suffers from a real sense of gimmicks...in the elements it features, as well as the now-forgotten kitsch names of those elements (the "Treble-Clef," the "Jump Cut," the "Double-Take," etc), and Universal hasn't backed up the ride in the way they said that they would. In other words, there's no CityWalk access after closing, they didn't continuously update the song tracks like they originally advertised they would, etc. And then there's the most frustrating aspect of the ride for me (besides the brutality of the rides it offers depending on which car/train you get): the ride design suffers from WAY too many brake-blocks, which kills any sense of pacing. The whole ride is "WHEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!.....brake block....WHEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!.....brake block" repeated several more times. I understand why this was done, but it's a poor design that kills what could have been a REALLY COOL RIDE.
All in all, it does what it should at its most basic level: it packs in the peeps and acts as a beacon to resort-goers everywhere. However, it is a failure in my eyes because it was rushed/negatively changed in the design process which led to a flawed design that in turn led to an EXTREMELY rocky start for the ride and unnecessary growing pains. Universal could have done SO much more with this ride. I always ride it when I'm at USF, but not if the line is long...it's not worth the wait. :down:
To those who love it, I am happy for you! I'd just much rather ride Mummy or Hulk myself.
As for success or failure? It's both. In terms of a people-eating, crowd-drawing attraction for the resort, it's a resounding success. Every time I've gone (the last time being during Grinchmas a few months ago), it's had a hefty line of 45-90 minutes. But as a ride, personally I think it's a dismal failure. The "theming" is horrid, the pre-show and associated characters are bland and annoying, the trains are inconsistent in the ride they give (jackhammering and painful, or silky and smooth), the ride suffers from a real sense of gimmicks...in the elements it features, as well as the now-forgotten kitsch names of those elements (the "Treble-Clef," the "Jump Cut," the "Double-Take," etc), and Universal hasn't backed up the ride in the way they said that they would. In other words, there's no CityWalk access after closing, they didn't continuously update the song tracks like they originally advertised they would, etc. And then there's the most frustrating aspect of the ride for me (besides the brutality of the rides it offers depending on which car/train you get): the ride design suffers from WAY too many brake-blocks, which kills any sense of pacing. The whole ride is "WHEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!!.....brake block....WHEEEEEEEEEEEE!!!!!.....brake block" repeated several more times. I understand why this was done, but it's a poor design that kills what could have been a REALLY COOL RIDE.
All in all, it does what it should at its most basic level: it packs in the peeps and acts as a beacon to resort-goers everywhere. However, it is a failure in my eyes because it was rushed/negatively changed in the design process which led to a flawed design that in turn led to an EXTREMELY rocky start for the ride and unnecessary growing pains. Universal could have done SO much more with this ride. I always ride it when I'm at USF, but not if the line is long...it's not worth the wait. :down:
To those who love it, I am happy for you! I'd just much rather ride Mummy or Hulk myself.
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I just read about the train rebuild project that's coming up. I'm ALL for this...it will improve the ride greatly. Will it change my views on it? Perhaps a small amount, but the fact that there's major brake-blocks every 10 feet (okay, I'm exaggerating there), it will still kill the pacing of the ride for me. I wish they would have built it exactly as they originally planned. 
Elaborate backdrop with the Hollywood sign on the soundstages (from my understanding), light up LED lift-hill (instead of the chintzy banner they've been putting up instead), and 2 endings for the coaster (via a switch-track that would allow the coaster trains to take 1 of 2 different coaster tracks before meeting up with another switch track at the brake run), etc. Lots of things have been discussed on here for what was originally designed, but sadly things ended up getting scaled back for several reasons. Hatetofly and the other insiders could give you much better insight than I! :smiley:
HTF is one of the "insiders" who's talked about it on here. There's also some evidence of the original design in some of the artwork that was released when the ride was officially announced. If true, it was brilliant...but was scaled back by the wonderful management of GE and Blackstone, who didn't seem like they enjoyed spending money on the parks. At least, not to the extent that Comcast does, wow!
I vote success. It brings in the guests and Universal finally got something in their skyline. Although the brakes can take some adrenaline out of it, the ride to me is all about moments. I just wish, one day they can remove that tall hill that goes to a stop and do something different with the track........i can dream.ray:
ray:
- Dec 8, 2009
- 424
- 28
OK, finally got to ride it and while a little rough (I was in car 6) it was an amazing ride and I wish I could change my vote from too early to tell to success. It really had some good lift and some really neat different parts to it. If they clean up the roughness (which it looks like they are) this would probably be one of my favorite coasters. Now with express I will be riding it more.
