Birt Family Focus

Disney MGM Studios - Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith on Sunset Blvd. -- 12/04/02
Photos by Carol and Catherine

Howdy!

Well, today as promised we are going to a concert with Steven Tyler and AEROSMITH!!! This is one of my favorite bands. I must say, when they were getting a name for themselves as a metal band in the '70's, the thought of them being the theme for a Disney ride would have been laughable. How uncool! But times, and AEROSMITH have changed a bit. In fact, I saw Steven Tyler playing Santa on a show on the Disney Channel that my daughter was watching the other day. Talk about culture shock! I was looking at that and thinking "Oh my word - I really AM old! If the American Mick Jagger is mellowed out enough to be Santa on a kids' show! The heavy metal is definitely rusting!" In any case, rusty or not, they ARE the theme for the Rock-n-Roller coaster and it is DEFINITELY WAY COOL!

Huge Guitar In Front Of Rock 'n' Roller Coaster

Toss on those bellbottoms and grab that tie-die t-shirt. Don't forget that fringed leather jacket and your American Flag do-rag because we are going to see Aerosmith! . The Rock-n-Roller Coaster is an inside roller coaster like Space Mountain. The pre-show has you going to a recording session of Aerosmith and having Steven Tyler invite you to his concert, imminently playing right there in LA. He is late and so are you so his manager calls you a limo to get you there on time. All of this is a film, of course, shot to look like you are just standing on the other side of the sound proof booth from the band. They are all life sized and looking right at you when they talk. With just a bit of imagination, you can feel like you are really there.

Once the pre-show is over and Steven and the gang have left for the concert, you are ushered into the "alley" to catch your "limo" to get to the concert. You must be 48 inches tall to ride and, as it is very fast and very dark, younger folks may want to bow out regardless of height. There is a baby swap available and it is also a fast-pass ride, so you don't have to miss this one - unless you are pregnant or have back problems, that is.

There are several cars and each one has 5 speakers PER RIDER. That's correct, there are 5 speakers arranged around your head in your seat. One of 4 Aerosmith hits is played -LOUD - on each car- right in your ear, so I hope you enjoy the band! You will get either "Dude Looks Like a Lady", ":Love in an Elevator", "Walk This Way", or "Sweet Emotion". My DH plays air guitar and air drums while riding this- he loves it.

There are several firsts for Disney in this ride, not the least of which is having a heavy metal band theme for a ride. ;-) There is also the AWESOME launcher. It launches like a cannon rather than climbing slowly up a hill and dropping like most roller coasters. Once you board and are safely strapped in, you hear a little spiel and then the music starts and you are launched! The car goes from 0-60 in 2.8 seconds. It is a MAJOR rush!! This is also Disney's first ride with inversions. There are 3- the launch sends you immediately into a corkscrew and then there are 2 more loops afterwards. You actually pull 5 g's doing this. To put that in perspective, the astronauts in the space shuttle launches pull 3 g's. You go so fast that you will barely notice that you were briefly upside down, though. I would ride this over and over, given the chance. I love it!

The seats are nice and roomy, so those of us visiting WDW "at large" will not have a problem fitting. You may have a little difficulty getting in and out because it is low. If this is a problem for you, ask to wait for the handicapped car- it has a door that opens on the side making entry and exit simple. Wheelchair bound individuals must be able to exit their chairs to ride this ride. There is baby swap and a chicken exit.

Front Seat L to R: Catherine Lamey and friend Lynne. Girlfriend Janet in rear.

The photo they take on this ride is the largest and most expensive of it's kind in WDW, but if you buy the one at TOT, you will get a coupon good for a discount on the photo here at RnRC.

Be sure not to miss this one, thrill ride fans. ROCK ON!!!!

Next week we will travel down another road and see what's there. Then I'm going to Disney World myself, so the following week's Focus will be on Wednesday on purpose. ;-)

See you next week-