15 Rockin’ Facts About Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith

On July 29, 1999, Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith officially opened its doors at Disney’s Hollywood Studios and allowed guests in to rock out with one of the greatest bands in history. That’s not to mention that they’d get to do it while flying through the span of G-Force Records.

It was fortunate for me that it opened during the summer of my first Walt Disney World College Program and during one of my stints as as a Cast Member.

Making matters better is that I was one of the first groups of people to ever ride Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster during soft openings. There was one day I actually got to ride it eight times in succession, and one time was with the lights on inside. It was awesome.

Enough about me though.

It’s the 15th anniversary of Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster starring Aerosmith, and here are 15 rockin’ facts that you may or may not have known.

1.) Aerosmith was indeed there for the opening ceremony on July 29, 1999.

2.) Guests riding the attraction will experience a G-Force between 4-5 when they are entering the very first inversion on the track.

3.) The license plates for each of the super-stretch limos are quite awesome and need to have attention paid to them:

1. UGOGIRL
2. BUHBYE
3. H8TRFFC
4. 1QKLIMO
5. 2FAST4U

Making the license plates even cooler is that there is indeed a Hidden Mickey on each plate and Imagineers put their birthdays on them.

4.) While the entire band does appear in the pre-show, Aerosmith band members Steven Tyler and Joe Perry rode the attraction 12 times in a row for a preview. They also helped a lot in planning the pre-show and some other things by letting Imagineers know where guitars and other items should be placed.

5.) Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster was the very first Walt Disney World coaster to feature multiple inversions. There is one corkscrew and two full loops.

6.) The huge electric guitar that sits outside the entrance and exit of Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster stands a whopping 40 feet tall.

7.) The super-stretch limo was influenced by a Cadillac from around 1962.

8.) As you stand in line walking through G-Force Records, you’ll hear intercom calls for different people. The names being called are those of the Imagineers that worked on developing the attraction.

9.) Classic rock jock from Los Angeles, Uncle Joe Benson, was the great voice you hear originally “broadcasting live” from the Aerosmith concert and preparing you for the ride of your life.

10.) Actress Illeana Douglas stars as Aerosmith’s manager. You may know her from her roles in “Stir of Echoes,” “Goodfellas,” “Cape Fear,” and so many other titles.

11.) Five speakers surround each and every single one of the 24 guests while in their super-stretch limo. There are four speakers around their head and one subwoofer under their seat.

12.) The track for Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster runs a whopping 3,403 feet and you travel it by hitting 57 mph in just 2.8 seconds to start it all.

13.) There are five super-stretch limos you can get in while at Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster and each plays a different song:

1. “Love In An Elevator” and “Walk This Way”
2. “9 Lives”
3. “Young Lust,” “F.I.N.E.,” and “Love In A Roller Coaster” (“Love In An Elevator”)
4. “Back In the Saddle” and “Dude Looks Like A Lady”
5. “Sweet Emotion”

14.) Some parts of Rock ‘N’ Roller Coaster were manufactured and built in Germany and the Netherlands.

15.) The attraction was built on an area that used to be a Walt Disney World Cast Member parking lot.

BONUS: You remember Chris and his retrieval of the “black Les Paul,” right?

This is the second birthday/anniversary this year for big attractions at Disney’s Hollywood Studios as Twilight Zone Tower of Terror just turned 20 near the end of June.