Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit at Universal Orlando stuck on 10/9/13

[IndyGuy4KI]

ORLANDO, FL (WKMG/CNN) – Some visitors to Universal Orlando got more than of a thrill ride than they expected. After being stuck for more than two hours, 12 passengers - including one child - have been rescued and returned to safety. One passenger was taken to the hospital after complaining about neck pain,according to WKMG. The Hollywood Rip Ride Rocket coaster malfunctioned at the top of the track. No word on what caused the ride to stop, but park officials did say the ride stopped on its own. Depending on the findings of technicians, park officials said the ride may or may not be open on Thursday. The park goers left stranded in the air on Wednesday night when the roller coaster they were riding got stuck. Universal Orlando said the riders were not in any immediate danger, and the theme park officials were doing whatever they could to make them comfortable while fire crews worked to get them down.

http://www.fox19.com/story/23652140/riders-rescued-from-stalled-universal-studios-roller-coaster

Technical glitch traps 12 on Universal's Rip Ride Rockit for hours

Technicians and crews at Universal Orlando will work Thursday to determine why a roller coaster stopped vertically during a ride, leaving 12 people stuck for nearly three hours Wednesday night. Jeff Day, district chief at the Orlando Fire Department, said a technical glitch forced the ride's safety features to lock in place. The ride will remain closed as a crew works to determine exactly what went wrong.

http://www.orlandosentinel.com/news/local/breakingnews/os-passengers-stuck-roller-coaster-universal-studi-20131009,0,3026424.story

[TheCrypt]

I wonder what YoungStud would have to say.

Edit: oops.

[homestar92]

I wonder what YoungStud would have to say.

He probably doesn't care a great deal one way or the other because Rip Ride Rockit is not an Intamin.

[upstop]

Here we go with the Young Stud drooling again....give it a rest.

[TheCrypt]

I wonder what YoungStud would have to say.

He probably doesn't care a great deal one way or the other because Rip Ride Rockit is not an Intamin.

Boy, that's embarrassing.

Oops.

Crypt, back to lurking.

[gad198]

The safety systems did what they were supposed to do and everyone is OK. Not really sure why this is a story.

I really believe that Universal Orlando should have been a junior B&M hyper along the lines of Hollywood Dream instead of Rip Ride Rockit. It would have interacted much better with the park and had a much higher capacity. Does the state of Florida have a moratorium against speed coasters?

[Shaggy]

The safety systems did what they were supposed to do and everyone is OK. Not really sure why this is a story.

I really believe that Universal Orlando should have been a junior B&M hyper along the lines of Hollywood Dream instead of Rip Ride Rockit. It would have interacted much better with the park and had a much higher capacity. Does the state of Florida have a moratorium against speed coasters?

Bingo... it always amazes me when the news carries a story about a ride getting stuck. Getting "stuck" is a good thing when it comes to malfunctions IMO.

I rode RRR this past January. I wasnt really impressed. I found it jerky, and rough, and ultimately not that thrilling. The choice of music was the best part of the ride. I will say that climbing the lift is a bit intimidating... just gives you an uneasy feeling.

[IndyGuy4KI]

Good points gad198 and Shaggy! I would rather be stuck than run into the train in front of me!

[upstop]

In the vertical position, I'd rather be in front for two hours. In the back you'd have potential to be the catchall for vomit and other stuff...lol

The seats have that crazy divider. my friend calls the ride Rip Ride and Rackem. I have to agree!

[bkroz]

Being on the vertical lift is what makes this newsworthy. On a block brake or a lift hill, at least there are opportunities for a smooth evac. The position of the vertical lift is incredibly awkward just for the few seconds you're traveling up it, so being stuck for hours would be a really awful situation. And the evac did require the Orlando Fire Department, so the question of "what's the big deal?" is sort of silly... This was a pretty big deal.

Especially on a ride that's consistently called mediocre and has had quite a few issues before this. The rumor is that a whole new fleet of trains is on the way due to constant complaints and technical problems anyway.

[The Interpreter]

...which begs the question, would they have made a difference?

[homestar92]

All in all, it's still better than what happened on Demon at Six Flags GAm circa 1998. That would have been horrible and was very much newsworthy.

[bkroz]

...which begs the question, would they have made a difference?

In this case probably not! But in the rest of the considerable complaints lodged against the ride, maybe!

I enjoy the ride and think it's good fun, but I do recognize how the constant start-stop layout and rough rides would leave many wanting more. I'd say they're not going to lengthen the trains, remove the blocks, change the lift, or demolish the ride, so maybe it'll just be a case of balancing the pros and cons and getting HRRR into its best form. We'll see what happens.

For now, I hear that the ride reopened, business as usual, this morning.

[Spectrum91]

As goodyellowkorn182 mentioned, needing the assistance of the fire department to evacuate the guests makes it noteworthy and newsworthy. On the contrary, the article over the summer about Kings Island's Adventure Express being evacuated (Link - http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/news/kings-islands-adventure-express-evacuated/nYGX8/) is far from newsworthy.

And regarding HRRR, I personally found the ride pretty enjoyable when I rode it last summer

[bkroz]

As goodyellowkorn182 mentioned, needing the assistance of the fire department to evacuate the guests makes it noteworthy and newsworthy. On the contrary, the article over the summer about Kings Island's Adventure Express being evacuated (Link - http://www.middletownjournal.com/news/news/kings-islands-adventure-express-evacuated/nYGX8/) is far from newsworthy.

And regarding HRRR, I personally found the ride pretty enjoyable when I rode it last summer

I find it enjoyable too! Nothing wrong with that no matter if every other person you speak to hates it. For me at least, it's at its best when listening to the Muppets' "Movin' Right Along."

[Delirium_Guy]

Especially on a ride that's consistently called mediocre and has had quite a few issues before this. The rumor is that a whole new fleet of trains is on the way due to constant complaints and technical problems anyway.

One is currently already running the course. It definitely provides a much better experience and is much smoother. Not B&M smooth, but enjoyable. While a lot of enthusiasts find it mediocre, it consistently gets high guest satisfaction scores...so the GP eat it up. Being able to ride it at least once a week usually, I guess I've just grown to enjoy it for what it is and now I really do enjoy riding it. By the way, GYK, great song choice!

[thedevariouseffect]

I love when the news blows this stuff up...

Thank God Sandusky Register doesn't TTD like a hawk xD

[The Interpreter]

If Crdar Point had to deal with the NY/NJ media like a certain NJ park...