Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Reopens from Multi-Month Refurbishment
Rock ānā Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith closed for a multi-month refurbishment beginning in Winter 2023 at Walt Disney World, but since had a surprisingly early soft reopening. This post covers dates & details about what to expect from the project, what will likely NOT change and why this probably isn’t a reimagining. (Updated May 29, 2023.)
Historically, the winter months have been the top time for ride closures and maintenance, as lower crowds make that easier to accomplish. The 2023 Walt Disney World Refurbishment Calendar bears this out. Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Kali River Rapids had closures this winter, and Splash Mountain permanently closed for conversion into Tiana’s Bayou Adventure in Winter 2023.
Those planning Walt Disney World vacations are always disappointed when their favorite attractions are down, but on a positive note, this list is not that bad. That’s especially true now that the start of summer season has arrived, and there are almost no major closures–and that now includes Rock ānā Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith!
May 29, 2023 Update: Rock ānā Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith unofficially reopened at the start of the Memorial Day holiday weekend following its multi-month refurbishment. At present, this is still only a soft opening, as the refurbishment banner is still up on the official Walt Disney World website: “Rock ānā Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith will be temporarily closed for refurbishment. This rocktastic attraction will resume its super-stretch limo rides in summer 2023.”
However, that same page on the official Walt Disney World website lists the attraction as operating and has hours for it on the calendar; additionally, the wait time is now posted in the My Disney Experience app. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster still isn’t available as part of the Genie+ service, but that could be more a matter of staffing the Lightning Lane than anything else. It’s also unknown whether Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster will operate for the remaining 2023 After Hours at Disney’s Hollywood Studios events, but our guess is that it will.
Previously, the company had signaled that the aim was to reopen Rock ānā Roller Coaster by the Independence Day holiday, but the work to update the attraction’s ride system (see below) was finished early. Following that, brief Cast Member previews were held to bring the operations team up to speed, and the attraction quietly reopened to guests.
We won’t be on the ground to check out the fruits of the Rock ānā Roller Coaster refurbishment until later this week, but social media reports indicate that almost nothing has changed. It’s still Rock ānā Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith, and although a couple of props and photos of the band have been removed, Steven Tyler and co. are still front and center.
Other reports have indicated that it’s been a rocky reopening, with Rock ānā Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith experiencing downtime on at least a couple of occasions since it soft opened. This is not necessarily indicative of the underlying issues the plagued the ride persisting–downtime is common as operations teams find their footing with new or returning attractions.
In any case, if you’re visiting Disney’s Hollywood Studios over the Memorial Day holiday weekend, be sure to head back and see if Rock ānā Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith is (soft) open! We’ll update further once the refurbishment of Rock ānā Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith officiallyĀ ends.
Prior to this, Walt Disney World filed two construction permits for Rock ānā Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith’s lengthy closure over the winter before work actually started. One is for work being done by Adena Corporation and expires on September 7, 2023. Adena is a regular collaborator with Walt Disney World.
Adena Corporation’s core team has former Imagineers who have decades of experience on global projects.Ā They’ve worked on everything from TRON Lightcycle Run in Magic Kingdom to TRON Lightcycle Power Run in Shanghai Disneyland, and just about everything in between and beyond that.
Adena’s work on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is described as general construction, which could mean any number of things. Their involvement does suggest a more comprehensive and complex project. There’s also a permit for Maddox Electrical Company to do…you guessed it…electrical work!Ā This one expires on September 14, 2023.
Both permits are significant in that they specify end dates. If no date is listed, the default duration for these permits is a year, meaning they would expire in February 2024. Going with actual end dates–and both in September–suggests this project is going to be done around then, or at least that the work of these two contractors will finish around then.
This would mean that Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster will not reopen in June or July during the heart of summer season, when it’s most needed. Reopening in September doesn’t make a ton of sense, as that’s the off-season at Walt Disney World. However, it wouldn’t be unprecedented.
Just last year, Walt Disney World did a stealth refurbishment of Tower of Terror during the peak of spring and summer, and that wrapped up “in time” for the early fall off-season. It’s also possible that the reopening date for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster isn’t until closer to (or in) October 2023, and that’s just when those contractors will be finished.
As for the scope of the work, it’s hard to believe that this will be a complete track replacement. Quite simply, ~8 months is not enough time to remove andĀ rebuild a roller coaster inside an existing gravity building. Anyone who watched the construction of TRON Lightcycle Run would understandably be skeptical of Disney’s ability to do anything with that amount of speed.
What’s more likely is that portions of the track are replaced, or the launch system is upgraded. This is yet another Vekoma coaster, the same manufacturer of Cosmic Rewind and TRON Lightcycle Run. The redone Avengers Assemble: Flight Force at Walt Disney Studios Park, which was previously Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster before the reimagining, is also a Vekoma. It’s possible Imagineering and Vekoma have partnered to refresh components of the coaster and extend its life, having learned lessons from those projects or others around the world.
Honestly, I don’t know what such an update would entail, but it would presumably be achievable in an 8-9 month timeline. By contrast, there’s no conceivable way that Walt Disney World could essentially rebuild the roller coaster in that time. I don’t think there’s a way they could do that in anything less than 18 months.
As discussed below, Walt Disney World previously denied that changes were coming to the guest experience of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster as a result of this “routine refurbishment,” but that was a few months ago. If the scope of the project has grown since then, it’s entirely possible some guest-facing changes are also made.
The longer the project and the more it costs the company, the more pressure/desire there will be for this to be a full-scale reimagining that gives the ride new life and marketability. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is already a popular ride, but it could certainly have even more drawing power!
Operationally, this is a big blow for Disney’s Hollywood Studios, which already is lacking in enough attractions to absorb the heavy crowds the park sees. This will only make that worse, especially if there’s overlap with any other closure. Here’s hoping that Walt Disney World brings back Jedi Training Academy or some other entertainment soon.
It also will put even more strain on the already imbalanced Lightning Lane lineup. Already, return times are often pushed out into the late afternoon and early evening, and this will only worsen that. Expect to only score 2-3 good Lightning Lanes via Genie+ if you don’t have a strong refresh game. (Here’s hoping that Fantasmic is added to the Genie+ lineup sooner rather than later to help offset this.)
Now let’s turn to speculation about what’ll occur during this lengthy closure–or rather, what will not happen. According to Walt Disney World, the ride is going down for regular maintenance, and “there will be no changes to the Guest experience as a result of this routine refurbishment.”
Some of you might recall that back in November 2018, the New York Times did a puff piece about how much Disney was spending on expansion that included a tidbit about Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster being rethemed. The company quickly issued a denial–that there were “no current plans” to retheme Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster “at this time.” (Famous wiggle words!)
My belief then and now was that the story as originally published was accurate, and Disney unintentionally let the cat out of the bag early. The company clearly participated in the piece and its author is a seasoned Disney fan, not just some random journalist who would’ve confused the Paris and Florida versions of the ride. Regardless, it didn’t come to fruition pre-closure, and pretty much all plans since have been derailed.
Nevertheless, there undoubtedly will be “rumors” of a Marvel re-theme or a different band replacing Aerosmith. If we’re going to throw around bands that would be perfect, my vote is for Led Zeppelin. It’ll never happen for a number of reasons, but it should. Kids these days need to learn history–and good taste in music!
Another band replacing Aerosmith or another theme entirely would be plausible speculation in the absence of official word from Walt Disney World. However, the company has released an unambiguous statement that no changes are planned to the ride experience. This one doesn’t even have wiggle words! That should put those rumors to rest, at least for now.
Instead, the refurbishment will revolve around roller coaster’s launch system and entail other general preventative maintenance. While that’s the official word, this is arguably more than just preventative. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster has been experiencing extended downtimes in recent years, and that’s only gotten worse this year.
There have been a few multi-day stretches when the attraction has been closed, and it has become one of the most unreliable rides at Walt Disney World. (It was down for most of the morning today, in fact!)
I’m not a roller coaster expert, so I can’t speak to the likely causes of the downtime (dispatch, unload, or other backups?). It’s also possible that the ride manufacturer recommends certain maintenance after X years of operation, and the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster will soon hit that. Regardless of the reason, it is desperately needed.
This also likely explains Walt Disney World’s seemingly perplexing choice to take one of the elevator shafts at Twilight Zone Tower of Terror out of service (again) during the holiday season. Previously, it was unclear whether that was planned or unplanned downtime. Now I’m leaning towards planned, with the goal of finishing that before starting this–or at least prior to the end of the winter off-season.
Earlier this year, the other side of Tower of Terror was refurbished and that project took a few months. That wrapped up midway through the summer season, and Walt Disney World didn’t take the other side down for refurbishment immediately thereafter. That’s now a perplexing decision, as the other half could’ve been done in August through October when crowds were lower. (Suggesting that this Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster closure was not added to the internal schedule until more recently.)
Down the road, a substantive overhaul is still likely. I personally love Aerosmith, but I’m nevertheless surprised that Walt Disney World is taking the attraction offline for so long and not giving it a retheme. Popular thrill rides can always become even more popular with the integration of more popular intellectual property. Just look at Guardians of the Galaxy: Mission Breakout at DCA.
Iconic as they may be, it’s probably fair to say that Aerosmith doesn’t have the same cachet or name recognition with younger guests. I can’t think of another contemporary band that is popular, crowd-pleasing, non-controversial, and fits the ride profile. Then again, the Guardians of the Galaxy have demonstrated that classic rock can transcend its era. (So here’s hoping Led Zeppelin is in the next movie!)
Another thing the Guardians of the Galaxy attractions have taught us is that fun and upbeat music can go a long way in elevating thrill rides. This is also true with Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, although I’d say to a lesser extent. The roller coaster doesn’t really have the same energy as Cosmic Rewind, which is part due to the ride profile and part due to song selection.
Whatever ends up happening down the road with Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, I hope Imagineering incorporates fitting and fun songs. They also need to take the time to test a ton of different options. The end result on Cosmic Rewind is awesome–even with the songs I don’t personally love. By contrast, Cosmic Rewind: Holiday Remix falls flat even though it’s the exact same underlying attraction. (Still very good, but does not measure up to the regular ride!)
One thing that might explain why Walt Disney World isĀ not reimagining Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster in 2023 is because that’s a card they want to play later. With TRON Lightcycle Run opening in Spring 2023, they’re already going to have a new roller coaster to market in the coming year.
By contrast, the only thingĀ maybe in 2024 is Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, which is going to struggle to debut by that Christmas and very well might slip into 2025. (I would bet on it.)
With little in the way of physical props or sets outside of the pre-show, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster could be meaningfully transformed in the span of a few months (the company could actually remove Aerosmith overnight in the event of a scandal!).
Perhaps Walt Disney World is ‘saving’ the reimagining for next year, and a “new” Marvel roller coaster will be the marketable draw for Walt Disney World in 2024? There are plenty of characters that are off-limits due to the Universal contract, but that still leaves plenty of options–including ones that are popular in the Marvel Cinematic Universe: Phase Four.
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Your Thoughts
What do you think about the multi-month closure of Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith at Walt Disney World? Disappointed that it’ll be down during your trip? Think Disney is being coy, and it’ll actually get a retheme in 2023? What about in 2024 or 2025? Thoughts on potential bands, brands, or super heroes to replace Aerosmith? Any questions about the current refurbishments at Walt Disney World? Do you agree or disagree with our assessment? Any questions we can help you answer? Hearing your feedbackāeven when you disagree with usāis both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!
Over the last few years, Vekoma has been refurbishing a lot of its rollercoasters around the world to make them more pleasant to ride (Vekoma has historically been notorious among major roller coaster manufacturers for providing unpleasant and downright painful ride experiences). Most notably, they have been removing older model trains with hard over-the-shoulder restraints and replacing them with softer vests that don’t lead to head banging in addition to significant retracking to make the ride smoother overall. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s a significant portion of what this refurbishment will focus on along with probably refreshing the electrical components and making sure everything is working properly. Given the custom nature of the RnRC ride vehicles, I imagine refreshing them won’t be as simple as usual for Vekoma (not to mention that most parks with Vekoma roller coasters don’t operate year round). All in all, it will likely lead to a far more comfortable ride experience than in the past.
Thanks for sharing that! I didn’t even consider the possibility of replacing the trains, but that also makes sense.
Even though there are a lot of unknowns, it already seems like this is going to be a more involved and time-consuming project than a routine refurbishment. Will be interesting to see whether all of this can actually be accomplished before the end of summer.
I wish (and my apologies if this has already been suggested in the comments) they could use the success of Guardians and keep the same pre-story (we are late and need back stage passes) but we don’t know WHAT band we are late for until the car takes off. Then several bands could be used – fun!
“preventative maintenance does not seem to have been occurring as it should”
I’d argue this has been true at WDW for the past ten years or so. Disneyland clearly puts more resources into short term and long term fixes for their attractions. While I like to argue that WDW needs to be forced to have a nighttime parade, it’s even more important for senior management to start enforcing the higher standards I’m seeing at other parks.
I donāt necessarily see a retheme here relying on identifying a replacement band. The Incredicoaster does a good job of delivering an exciting ride with a somewhat traceable storyline and a soundtrack that reflects the IP. I can easily imagine RRC being taken in a similar direction, particularly now that Mission Breakout is delivering a more integrated musical thrill experience. Iāve seen a lot of chatter about changing RRC to a variable song format, ālike Mission Breakout,ā but IMO, without a very strong storyline, that will just spur Rip It Rock It comparisons. Universalās ride is much more thrilling, and I think Disney needs to win this one on the strength of their creativity.
I still love the Aerosmith theme, but then I have aged out of Disney’s target demographic. That being said, I don’t enjoy all the Star Wars and Marvel themed attractions. Cosmic Rewind is now my favorite coaster at WDW in spite of it’s Marvel theme. I found the theme boring and uninspired–but then I haven’t seen any of the Marvel movies. I saw the first Star Wars movie when it came out (yes, in the 70’s). It just isn’t my thing. I see that including Marvel and Star Wars are good moves for Disney to attract younger visitors, but I hope they won’t overdo it.
So I can shed a little light on this. When I was there in November, my dad and I stood in line, and spent a great deal of time in the launch room, for them to keep entering and exiting show mode. We were told that the launch computer is going out of sync with the ride system, and itās happening multiple times a day. So that itās being closed doesnāt surprise me. The whole computer and brains of the ride needs an overhaul, not the theming.
I was talking about this with friends the last time we were in line to ride RNR. If they were to replace the ride with an updated musician, who would it be? There’s not really any rockstars today.
So the Rock n Roller coaster will not be up and running by June 1,23?
Antmanā¦itās happening
Probably changing it because steven tyler facing charges against a minor
Unless Disney was tipped off about that, that lawsuit news broke two days after this closure was first added the calendar. Odd as it sounds, I think it’s probably a coincidence. If Disney was worried about the litigation, they would make changes ASAP and not wait.
As mentioned in the post, there’s actually a contingency plan in place to remove Aerosmith overnight in the event of a scandal. (With the way Disney moves these days, it might take a week or two–but still.)
This is the first time that you’ve ever mentioned Led Zeppelin. Just when I thought your blog couldn’t get any better, you dropped a “Whole Lotta Love” into the equation! The kids and younger adults who visit Disney would definitely benefit from a Zeppelin indoctrination!
Good stuff Tom and a Happy New Year to both you and Sarah as well as your families.
I love this ride, but it is time for a retheme. I understand that now might not be the time for WDW. I would like to see them do something within the next 5 years though.
My daughter is gutted. Our last trip to WDW was in 2017 and she was too young for RnRC. Weāre booked in for May 17 thru May 31.
Retheme Frozen….it’s a pretty lame ride.
I agree, the 90’s millennials is a target market they’re neglecting.
There are plenty of missed opportunities….a Gummi Glen quick car ride?! That would be an awesome roller coaster.
A ride based on the original Duck Tales could definitely counter/compete with It’s A Small World, worldly travel and adventures and not a 40yo ride.
A Tailspin ride that incorporates pirate adventures…..it would be fun and can include little ones unlike Pirates of the Caribbean.
This also would alleviate lines and crowd congestion.
There just isn’t enough entertainment in the parks to absorb the capacity. That’s the core issue, and then it gets worse by the price gouging, dirty and unkept park.
Housekeeping everyday.
Spot on Jaimie. Great ideas. I am glad for all those that love Frozen, but I have to “let it go” LOL. Muppets would be awesome.
Here’s to a better 2023 and for things to get better:)
lol I am a millennial and I had to Google Gummi Glen! Probably because it is more elder Millennial as I was born in 1993; however, I am almost 30 and I think targeting us with now obscure shows is not going to work for long. It’s like asking for the great mouse detective to be something at the parks. I’d personally love it, but it doesn’t really make financial sense.
Dang! We’re scheduled to go in May of 2023. Any chance it could be done sooner? I know this is Disney we’re talking about, but gosh I hope so.
My guess is no. The earliest date for Summer 2023 is the Friday before Memorial Day (by Disney calendar-keeping standards) and this says the ride will reopen “in” summer, not “by” summer.
I know that’s parsing words, but I’d expect sometime in mid to late June given the language used. That’s just a guess, though–nothing is official!
Planning first part of June 2023 trip. Hope the maintenance goes great and it will be operational by then.
Tom – what about a Goofy Movie/Powerline retheme? Iām sure itās a long shot but I can dream..
I’d definitely file that one under long shot.
For what it’s worth, I do think Walt Disney World should do more to lean into Millennial nostalgia, but probably not with a high-profile thrill ride. That needs to be more mainstream.
I would very much endorse a Disney After Hours: 90s Nite in Magic Kingdom with characters from Disney Afternoon and cult classic 90s movies.
Why would it have to be super hero? Really wish there was a way for it to be Disney related? Why not Cars themed? Just seems strange to put a random marvel ride at Hollywood studios. But I guess thatās what they did with guardians in Epcot. I am in the minority to not be into super heros, but I would rather more Disney things or another band vs. marvel.
IMO, Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is too intense to be themed to anything Pixar or Disney Animation. I know that Radiator Springs Racers also has a height requirement (albeit 40″ v. 48″ at RnRC), but that’s a tame attraction. It would alienate a lot of families with smaller children to have a ride themed to their favorite characters that they cannot ride.
I also do not want to see Marvel overwhelm Walt Disney World, but I think that makes the most sense here.
I agree, I think thereās be a ton of pushback if it had a Cars theme but preschoolers are too short to ride it. If it is going to be rethemed to something from the animation department it needs to be something that doesnāt skew so young
Ahh Tom that makes a lot of sense. I was forgetting young kids canāt ride it. I think another band would be a good fit.
Not that I disagree with the intent, but I think the Incredicoaster proves that Disney is willing to select one of its family properties for a thrill ride that already exists.
We just rode the Avengers Assemble reskin of the ride in DLP. It was enjoyable, the pre-show AA is great, and the exterior of the building is much nicer, but I think they could have done a better job with the ride itself. The big-city back-alley of the queue and the launch is great (better than the Avenger’s queue). Plus, I’m not an Aerosmith fan, but I think the music on R&RC is more enjoyable than generic Avengers music. So if they did a reskin, I’d hope they do a better job than in DLP. (Though, again it is still an enjoyable ride.)
This is probably the most positive review of that ride that I’ve read, and that’s obviously not saying much.
Glad Disney “tested” the overhaul on the Paris version first. Hopefully they learned some lessons in the process!
I really enjoyed the Paris ride! Itās a fun roller coaster and while the on ride Marvel elements arenāt amazing, they get the job done and are frankly better than just being a regular roller coaster in the dark. Maybe Iām in the minority, but we rode the Avengers ride in Paris several times while we have skipped RnRC on our last two trips to Disney World (and only one of those times because it was down anyway)
I spoke too soon! Now Jared holds the crown for most positive review of this ride redo that I’ve read. Any other challengers?!?!? š
if a re-theme is coming, Electric Mayhem or nothing
I would be on board with this!
I would sooooo love this ancient rumor to come true, but I highly doubt it. Still, not going to bet against the Muppets–Disney has surprised us with their usage before!
I can Picture That! ride in the Electric Mayhem bus through the streets! would be so amazing if the parks added any new Muppets themeing, but we couldn’t even find decent merch in the parks.
They are coming out with an Electric Mayhem show…. just sayin…
That would be such a perfect re-theme!!! Itād be worth the wait!
That would be fun!