This just posted on OrlandoSentinel.com:
Universal Orlando is releasing details -- and a new opening date -- Thursday for its under-construction Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster at Universal Studios theme park.
The attraction, announced in March 2008, now is slated to debut sometime in "late spring/early summer," a Universal official says, rather than the previously announced "spring" time frame.
"Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is the most sophisticated roller coaster we've ever created, so we're working to make sure it's going to be an amazing experience for our guests," Universal spokesman Tom Schroder said Wednesday.
"We're going to open it when we believe it's absolutely ready," he said.
Universal had been thin on ride details beyond its musical themes. Individual guests will select from five genres of music -- rap/hip hop, country, classic rock/metal, pop/disco and club/electronica -- to play during the Rockit ride. They will be able to purchase a video of their experiences. Those elements remain, Schroder said.
Segments of the planned 3,800 feet of orange steel rail have been visible from within the theme park and from the adjacent Universal CityWalk for months. The coaster will top out at 167 feet -- 17 stories high -- and the cars' ascent will be at a 90-degree angle at 11 feet per second, Universal now reveals.
What goes up then comes down at 65 mph and proceeds into three moves that Universal touts as "first-ever maneuvers" -- with melodic monikers:
* The Double Take, a 103-foot diameter circle in which cars flip from inside the loop to outside of it. This element is situated behind the park's concert stage.
* The Treble Clef, which forms the musical symbol as seen from above. It bursts through the building facades in the New York area of the park.
* The Jump Cut, which is designed to give the effect of a corkscrew maneuver without actually going upside down.
The coaster also will pass over spectators 33 feet below, later dropping below ground level near the front of the park and completing a 360-degree turn to return to the loading station, Universal says. Ride duration will be 1 minute, 39 seconds. The coaster is being constructed in a narrow band between the park's soundstages and the Blue Man Group building.
Rip Ride Rockit, manufactured by Maurer Söhne, will be the second roller coaster introduced in Orlando theme parks this year. Manta, a flying coaster, is scheduled to open at SeaWorld Orlando on May 22.
Universal Orlando is releasing details -- and a new opening date -- Thursday for its under-construction Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster at Universal Studios theme park.
The attraction, announced in March 2008, now is slated to debut sometime in "late spring/early summer," a Universal official says, rather than the previously announced "spring" time frame.
"Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit is the most sophisticated roller coaster we've ever created, so we're working to make sure it's going to be an amazing experience for our guests," Universal spokesman Tom Schroder said Wednesday.
"We're going to open it when we believe it's absolutely ready," he said.
Universal had been thin on ride details beyond its musical themes. Individual guests will select from five genres of music -- rap/hip hop, country, classic rock/metal, pop/disco and club/electronica -- to play during the Rockit ride. They will be able to purchase a video of their experiences. Those elements remain, Schroder said.
Segments of the planned 3,800 feet of orange steel rail have been visible from within the theme park and from the adjacent Universal CityWalk for months. The coaster will top out at 167 feet -- 17 stories high -- and the cars' ascent will be at a 90-degree angle at 11 feet per second, Universal now reveals.
What goes up then comes down at 65 mph and proceeds into three moves that Universal touts as "first-ever maneuvers" -- with melodic monikers:
* The Double Take, a 103-foot diameter circle in which cars flip from inside the loop to outside of it. This element is situated behind the park's concert stage.
* The Treble Clef, which forms the musical symbol as seen from above. It bursts through the building facades in the New York area of the park.
* The Jump Cut, which is designed to give the effect of a corkscrew maneuver without actually going upside down.
The coaster also will pass over spectators 33 feet below, later dropping below ground level near the front of the park and completing a 360-degree turn to return to the loading station, Universal says. Ride duration will be 1 minute, 39 seconds. The coaster is being constructed in a narrow band between the park's soundstages and the Blue Man Group building.
Rip Ride Rockit, manufactured by Maurer Söhne, will be the second roller coaster introduced in Orlando theme parks this year. Manta, a flying coaster, is scheduled to open at SeaWorld Orlando on May 22.
