Help me convince myself to try Rip Ride Rockit? How do Universal rides compare to WDW?

I just skip the really intense rides and I still love Universal. I don't like Rock and Roller Coaster (except for seeing Ken Marino in the pre-show) or Everest, so you sound braver than I am. But in my experience you can have a great time at Uni without riding Hulk, RRR, or anything with really big drops.
 
If you hate drops Fearfall, RRR, Jurassic Park are the ones that has the dramatic drops. I personally do not like drops, but I can do with RRR and Jurassic Park.

Fearfall I do not like due to the longevity of the fall, I hurt my neck last time I went, and it only drops once and that's it. So, nothing interesting and fun, only gives me anxiety. RRR, I simply do not enjoy due to the head bashing I experience no matter how much I press my head against the back of the seat. If that didn't occur it would be more enjoyable and I'd actually go on the ride (but I've only been on it twice due to those issues). Also, it does have one "headchopper" moment as you refer to, however it's not nearly as close as the ones in Space Mountain feels and it's only one moment, not multiple. Jurassic Park, I love the ride, as most of it is peaceful and I love the AAs and the movie and the attraction is great and nostalgic, there's only one drop in the end so I suck it up. It doesn't make my heart drop too bad.

Ripsaw Falls is like Splash Mountain, only more wet. Has a little drops throughout, one drop at the end, it is probably the same height of a drop as Splash Mountain as well, but less of a height of a drop than Jurassic Park.

Rock N Roller Coaster reminds me more of the Mummy, so you should be able to do that, only less barrel rolls. Mummy is more like a bunch of a little dips, compared how drops normally occur on roller coasters. However, the ride does go backwards briefly (it literally only lasts a second).

Hulk is a lot of spirals and speed. I cannot think of a ride to compare Hulk to in relation to Disney. However, it is intense for some, but it doesn't seem scary to me however.
 
RRR and Hulk are both more intense coasters than anything Disney serves up - LOTS of inversions (Hulk has 6 inversions, I think RRR has 4.) There are certainly worse coasters in the world, but if Everest and RnRC are pushing your boundaries you may not want to ride these. I think they are well worth riding and as I approach 50 still enjoy them. Definitely "Big Boy" coasters, though. Would more compare them to California Screaming / Incredicoaster if looking at a Disney coaster.

Nothing else at Universal is THAT intense, but almost everything there will shake you around more than at Disney. We actually get really tired of being shaken around on everything, but not because it's scary. Forbidden Journey is the worst for causing nausea, we take Bonine on at Uni, but I always get off FJ feeling a little queasy, but I would NOT miss it for anything.
 
RRR is the only ride DH won't touch
Me, I'll ride anything. Love them all. It's intense as heck though. Nothing at Disney is even in the same planet of intensity
 


Our family loves the Hulk (daughter started riding it at 9 yo), and really want to love RRR. I love the idea of music I chose, but it beats my head around something fierce. I've tried pushing my head as far back as I can with as much force to trying to stay more relaxed. Only my daughter (who is shorter) does not get boxed about the ears. I still ride it each visit and later think "why did I abuse myself!" I recommend trying Hulk which is thrilling and smooth, and see if you are up for thrilling, rocking and rattling.
 
Pteranodon Flyers!? Is it the height? For sure my son will want to ride. My poor helicopter parent DH will probably have a stroke seeing his lad so high in the sky.

So high, so slow and back and forth-y. Not enjoyable for me.

Hubby should just go amuse himself elsewhere while you two are on it, rather than watching for you.
 


I'm a thrill ride enthusiast and I only rode RRR twice. I thoroughly enjoyed it and thought that it wasn't as scary as it looked. It's a different league from any Disney coaster, but I feel like it's still manageable. Plus, I absolutely loved the experience of listening to a song from your favorite music genre and thought that the drops weren't too bad.

But man, did my head HURT after that. The head bashing that other posters have talked about is so very real. It doesn't matter how well you position and lean back against the seat. My head rattled against the harness throughout the whole bloody ride. I suffered that one more time because I loved everything else about it and wanted to try the ride with another song, but after that, my husband and I were done with that ride (and in fact the whole park for that day).

The Hulk, on the other hand, I absolutely ADORE. Despite how huge it is, I feel like it's a really relaxing coaster. It's velvety smooth, so no headaches like RRR, and you get such a great view of the park. Feeling the breeze in your face is wonderful, and I think the only truly scarier experience is sitting in a front row seat. Anything else, to me, is maybe only slightly more thrilling than a Disney coaster. It's one of my favorite rides in any Orlando park and one of the gentlest coasters I've ridden. I highly, highly recommend that one.

Dr Doom's Fear Fall, I despise. There's nothing thrilling about that one, and Disney's ToT is just such a more superior ride in every and any way. I wouldn't waste my time with this one.
 
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I’m of the age now where everything gives me a headache, but I hate the initial ascent of the RRR SO MUCH. I’d rather ride The Hulk, because it shoots your right out of the gate and you don’t have time to think about the horrible mistake you’ve made in riding this thing, lol. That straight up vertical climb where you feel like you are going to slide out of your seat is a slow burn of terror for me.
 
That straight up vertical climb where you feel like you are going to slide out of your seat is a slow burn of terror for me.

At least you know what you're getting yourself into, I thought I was going to die when in Gringotts, they have the track physically tip forward into a downward position. However, once you disappear into the darkness you find out it wasn't really that much of a dive, but by the initial looks, they make it appear as if you're going into a downward spiral of darkness and doom. :laughing:
 
RRR and Hulk are both more intense coasters than anything Disney serves up - LOTS of inversions (Hulk has 6 inversions, I think RRR has 4.)

Just a point of clarification, Rip-Ride Rock-It has no inversions. It has a very steep drop (almost 90 degrees) and a loop, but the track twists so that you go over the top of it. You will never be upside-down on RRR. It would require shoulder restraints if you did. It is still a pretty intense ride, though nothing like the mega-coasters you find at places like Cedar Point. It's a bit more intense than Disney rides, but not too much worse than Rock'n Roller Coaster. It's actually one of my favorite rides anywhere!
 
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This is a great thread but the OP has not posted since the original post. With all our wondering advice, is @APH going to ride or not?
 
This is a great thread but the OP has not posted since the original post. With all our wondering advice, is @APH going to ride or not?

:)

I have reading all the very helpful and informative contributions so far (thanks all). It’s been such an interesting thread that I didn’t want to interrupt.

I think, on balance, they’ve boosted my confidence to try RRR and I think I’ll definitely now be able to pluck up the courage to try the others.

What I might do is try Hulk first. If I find that ok it might boost my confidence to try RRR. It seems that if I can get through the initial climb and first drop it could be bearable. I won’t know for certain though until I’m in front of the ride, looking up at it and hearing the screams.

It’s been a good thread, reading people’s different perspectives, so I’d welcome continuing thoughts and opinions.
 
It seems that if I can get through the initial climb and first drop it could be bearable.

If you're worried about "the climb and drop" concept, you might also want to try Jurassic Park first, as that is the only ride I can think of that has a dramatic drop (other than Rip Saw Falls) and I believe is longer than RRR. Your first initial climb into Jurassic isn't a dramatic drop, nor is the second one once you get into "the building" portion, but the big drop itself is where the TRex is (after you been boating along the river awhile). So if that is what you're really curious about, Jurassic Park might be a good tester as well.
 
If you want to see something funny... look up jimmy Fallon and Kevin hart riding rip ride rocket

We always YouTube videos of the rides
It puts my kids mind at rest so see that they dont die at the end...lol
 
If you want to see something funny... look up jimmy Fallon and Kevin hart riding rip ride rocket

We always YouTube videos of the rides
It puts my kids mind at rest so see that they dont die at the end...lol
Oh my god, I experienced hard-core second hand anxiety just watching that ascent. See, it's good that I saw that. Now I know not to look directly at the ride at any point during our visit :)
 
I rode RRR once and don't care to again--not because of the scare factor (though it did take me a bit to work up the nerve, despite being a coaster lover!), but because, like others have experienced, it gave me a headache. I just don't think it's a well-designed coaster; there's a lot of speed but not a lot of moments of weightlessness and it's not a great combo. It's also lower capacity than many other rides, and when I went on it in 2015 the crew running it were very slow and inefficient, so the line takes forever.

I'd still recommend to do it the one time just to experience it. I just wouldn't tell you to expect to love it. :confused3

The Hulk coaster, though? Love it, and agree with the earlier assessment that there's less psychological buildup since it launches you when you're only halfway up the "lift" hill. I'd say if you can ride RnR, you can ride the Hulk coaster. I think it has better thrills since you can actually see where you're going, but there's not a big psych-out moment at the start; you just go straight into the fun part.

Finally, Doctor Doom's Fearfall is a ride I actually really like because I find it much, much less frightening than an ordinary open-air drop tower. Every time I ride one of those things, there's the slow buildup as it hauls you to the top, the sickening moment where you hang there, waiting to drop--I like some drop rides (ToT is a favorite), but the psychological buildup on the open air style of drop tower is too much for me. Every single time I ride one I experience intense regret as it nears the top of the tower. Since Fear Fall is actually a launch ride, not a drop ride, you get none of that--they build up a little anticipation with a countdown, but it's absolutely nowhere near as scary as it looks. Registers completely differently in my brain and I can actually enjoy the launch and fall sequence instead of hating the anticipation. It's kind of a silly ride, but I really enjoy it.
 
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I used to be a total rollercoaster wimp. Big Thunder Mountain was too much for me once upon a time. DH convinced me to ride Hulk and said just do it, it’ll be over in a few minutes and if you don’t like it you’ll never have to ride again. I now love the Hulk.

It took me over 10 trips to ride Rip Ride Rockit and I only regret not riding it sooner. I find it less intense than Hulk and it helps with the music so you have something to focus on.
 
RRR feels like you are going up an elevator - quick and smooth. Nothing like the click-clack-click-clack long slow climb up the huge hill of a standard coaster where it starts looking like you're on a balance beam 300 feet in the air.

You also have the benefit of facing the track up ahead instead of looking out the sides of the steep fall on either side of a huge hill. The view looking at the sky is the same at 167 feet up as it is when you are laying on a picnic blanket on the grass. The view of the ground looks dramatically different at the top of a roller coaster than it does when you are laying on it. ;)
 
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