Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rocket

Hollywood Rip, Ride, Rocket – The highly anticipated new ride at Universal Studios, Orlando, Florida
My brother and I were able to experience the new Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket roller coaster during our visit to Universal Studios in August 2009.  It took us just over an hour to queue up as single riders, the regular line was about 120 minutes and although the single rider line was shorter they seem to forget you exist because the ride itself only has twelve seats, so as you can imagine the likeliness of there being an empty seat isn’t that high as there is only two to a row, so be prepared for a long wait either way.
We had a 7 day park ticket from 18-24th August and were lucky enough to ride the roller coaster on our first day (18th). We didn’t expect to get the chance to ride it during our 7 day day visit, as we thought it hadn’t officially opened, so when we saw it was open we jumped at the chance to ride it and didn’t hesitate. After the long wait we were finally able to have our turn and the nerves only kicked in once we were strapped in - it is a bizarre feeling to be knocked flat on your back as you climb 17 stories in vertical lift, I know it sounds silly but it was like taking off in a space ship!  And once you drop from the vertical lift at 65 mph you shoot back up into a loop that twists at the top and then descends rapidly into the next maneuvers.  Some of the maneuvers have never been built before, so be ready to experience something out of this world!
In our opinion the ride was too extreme for our liking as it throws you around a bit too much, but the roller coaster enthusiast, I am sure, will absolutely love it!

Other top tips for Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure


 1.  Try and go on as many of the outside rides earlier on in the day as there can often be thunderstorms in the afternoon which may result in rides such as The Incredible Hulk temporarily closing for safety reasons if there is lightning within close proximity.
2.  Go as a single rider for as many of the rides as possible, it is the best way to beat the queues as you can often end up virtually walking straight onto rides such as The Revenge of the Mummy, Men In Black and The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man.  Although you will not be able to sit right next to other members of your party you may end up being on the same carriage as them anyway and will still get to share the experience with them, so take full advantage of this if you can, it will really make a difference to your day.
3.  If you have been to both parks in the past but haven’t been for a few years then you will be in for a pleasant surprise because some of the attractions such as Terminator 2: 3D, Twister…Ride it Out, Disaster! and especially JAWS, have all been improved so brace yourself for the excitement!
4.  If you go to Islands of Adventure and are there for the roller coasters then head straight for Duelling Dragons first as it is at the back of the park and the queue is much shorter than The Incredible Hulk, which is situated by the entrance, so everyone always goes on it first and you can come back to it later. 
5.  Duelling Dragons has two totally different roller coasters, an orange and a blue one, and from our experience, the blue one is much better!
6.  If you don’t feel brave enough to sit at the front of roller coasters but want to experience the best out of the ride then try and sit in the second row, you get the comfort of feeling enclosed but still get the best views! (This is especially great on Duelling Dragons!)
I hope this will prove to be useful! Have a great holiday! :)

 

Written by Leila Bibizadeh
Lake Thomas Villa