One of our very favorite thrill rides in Disney’s Hollywood Studios is the Rock n’ Roller Coaster ride staring the legendary rock band Aerosmith.
This ride gets by many names – the Aerosmith ride, the Rocking Roller Coaster, the Aerosmith coaster, or the Aerosmith Roller Coaster.
The Rock n Roller Coaster opened July 20, 1999 and is one of the most popular rides in Hollywood Studios. There are constant rumors about this ride. We often hear that it is closing or that it is being rethemed. As of now, there has been no official messages from Disney confirming any of that.
Rock n Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith continues to be one of the most sought after rides in Disney’s Hollywood Studios! Lets take a look at what makes this ride so great!
The Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Story Line
The coaster is located near the end of Sunset Blvd, near The Hollywood Tower Hotel (Twilight Zone Tower Of Terror attraction). To get on to the ride you will first pass through an outdoor queue.
You will then enter the building, which is the offices and recording studio of the fictional “G Force Studios.” Guests are then led into a room where you see Aerosmith finishing up a recording session.
Aerosmith is interrupted by their manager who informs them they are late for a concert. Steven Tyler feels bad about leaving the fans (you!) and requests backstage passes for the entire group.
The band leaves by limousine, and the band’s manager requests a super stretch limousine for the fans to take them to the concert. At this point, the “fans” exit the room and find themselves in a parking garage lot. Here you can see the ride.
Be sure to look up at the curtains in the “windows” – you can see them move from the force of the roller coaster! The fans/guests then ride the 24 seat “limo” for an incredibly fast ride on Los Angeles freeways to the concert venue.
The Rock n’ Roller Coaster Ride
This ride is one of the most thrilling rides in all of Walt Disney World. This indoor roller coaster goes from 0mph to 57mph in 2.8 seconds and you will experience a force of almost 5Gs! This is one of the fastest rides in all of Disney World – definitely on the top 10 list.
The feeling is absolutely intense. It is during this initial force that the souvenir photo is taken (keep scrolling to see ours!).
During this ride you will experience three inversions. You will go through two rollover loops and one corkscrew twist.
While incredibly fast and intense, this is not a jerky ride. The ride itself is smooth and relatively comfortable. The roller coaster lasts about 90 seconds and is more than half a mile long.
Aerosmith Soundtrack
Photo Credit Alexis Larcy
The rollercoaster super-stretch limo cars are themed to look like 1962 Cadillac stretch limos. Music lovers will love that each car has 120 speakers, 2 tweeters, 2 mid-bass drivers, and 1 sub woofer. Each passenger has their own 5 speakers!
Each of the five cars has their own Aerosmith soundtracks. Eagle eyed guests should pay attention to the license plates of each of the cars. They are each unique, fun, and will give you a hint at which Aerosmith songs you will hear on your cruise to the Aerosmith concert.
The different Aerosmith songs you will hear are:
- 1QKLIMO, Nine Lives
- UGOGIRL, Love in an Elevator and Walk This Way
- BUHBYE, Young Lust, F.I.N.E. and “Love in a Roller Coaster”
- 2FAST4U, Sweet Emotion
- H8TRFFC, Back in the Saddle and Dude Looks Like a Lady
Photo Credit Alexis Larcy
Lightning Lane For Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
Because this is an extremely popular attraction you will find regularly find the average wait time to be over an hour. If you have purchased Lightning Lanes you can utilize lightning lane to bypass the lines (this is formerly the fast pass system).
Single rider line is also available for this ride. You will be split up from your party, but this is a great option if you don’t mind riding alone. The wait time will be significantly shorter without having to utilize Genie+.
Chicken Exit
Some people may not want to ride this ride but would like to see the decor inside and watch the Aerosmith “show.” Good news! You can head into the attraction with your party and experience the ride all the way up until the group is ushered into the “garage.”
At this point you can simply inform a cast member that you do not wish to ride the coaster and you will be escorted to the exit. You can wait for the rest of your group here.
Rock N Roller Coaster Height Requirement
You must be 48 inches to ride this ride. Disney is strict on their height restriction guidelines.
If you have young kids with you a good option is to walk right next door to Lightning McQueens Racing Academy. You can enjoy this attraction while other family members are on the roller coaster.
Rider Switch for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
Another option that you need to know about is rider swap (also known as Rider Switch or Child Swap)! If the entire family wants to go on a ride but one person is too short to go on it, use the rider switch program!
The non-rider can stay with one adult while another adult rides the ride. Then, when the adult who just rode the ride is finished, you swap places and the person who was with the non-rider can now go on the ride! The one who just rode the ride stays with the non-rider. You can find out more detailed info on how this works here.
6 Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Fun Facts
- The lobby of G-Force records is decorated with posters of real life acts signed by The Walt Disney Company
- The Stratocaster guitar at the entrance to the attraction is 40 feet tall and and has a 32 foot long neck
- During a Star Wars special event, Star Wars medley’s were played instead of Aerosmith songs on the ride.
- In case of a technical issue, the song “What Kind of Love Are You On” is played
- This is the second fastest ride in Walt Disney World. Test Track is a faster attraction than the Rock n’ Roller Coaster.
- This is the only looping roller coaster in all of Walt Disney World
Hidden Mickeys At The Rock ‘n’ Roller coaster
You can find hidden Mickey’s all over Walt Disney World, and the Rock n Roller Coaster is no exception! You can look for hidden Mickey’s in the following areas:
- A small chalkboard in the bottom right corner of the sound room
- One in the pre-show on the ground – look for the wires
- Check the carpet in Studio C
- One found on a yellow sign behind a red limo while on the ride
- One on the ground in a cityscape area while on the ride
- The tile mosaic in the rotunda near the marble doors.
- One in place of each “Expiration Date” for the license plates on the limos.
- One in the post-show area to the right as one enters this area.
- Steven Tylers shirt on the outside poster
Final Tips
Overall this is an incredible thrill ride. It is loud, fast, and dark with a high-speed launch. Most of our family really loves this ride! Our other favorite roller coasters in Disney World are Space Mountain and Big Thunder Mountain in the Magic Kingdom and Expedition Everest in Disney’s Animal Kingdom.
We recommend getting to the park early and heading to the end of Sunset Boulevard and ride Rock n Roller Coaster as soon as the rope drops. You can then go right next door to the Tower of Terror and potentially hit up both of those without having to use any of your Genie+ passes and have a short amount of wait time.
Another great option would be to go to Aerosmith right away and pick Tower of Terror for your Genie+ pass (or vice versa). If you love roller coasters be sure to hit this one up.
Rock n Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith FAQ
No, Disney is not getting rid of the Aerosmith ride. It did close on Feb 20, 2023 for refurbishment.
Splash Mountain is the ride that is permanently closing Rock n Roller coaster is not permanently closing at Walt Disney World.
While there are constant rumors about Rock n Roller Coaster being rethemed Disney has not made any official announcements. It closed in February of 2023 for refurbishments. It will reopen in the summer of 2023.
For other great tips on how to skip the lines while at Walt Disney World, go here!
