Credit: DisneyThere are some Disney World rides that feel bigger than the track they sit on. They feel like a whole era of the parks. And right now, that exact feeling is hitting Disney’s Hollywood Studios in a major way.
As Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster gets closer to its final days, fans aren’t treating it like a normal “last chance” attraction. They’re showing up with real emotion, taking extra photos, posting farewell videos, and lining up like it’s opening day all over again.
It’s not subtle.
Guests are giving this ride the kind of sendoff Disney attractions don’t always get.
And if the wait times lately are any clue, the goodbye tour is officially underway.
The Ride That Made Disney Feel a Little More Intense
For a long time, Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster stood out because it didn’t feel like a typical Disney ride. It felt fast, loud, and just slightly chaotic in the best way.
The story was memorable but straightforward: you’re trying to catch an Aerosmith concert, and instead of taking a regular limo ride, you launch into a high-speed race through Los Angeles.
The coaster didn’t waste time either. That launch from 0 to 57 mph hit hard, especially for first-time riders who didn’t fully understand what they were about to experience.
Inside, everything felt like a neon-soaked concourse, with music blasting and inversions that made it one of the most thrilling attractions Disney World has ever built.
And for years, it wasn’t just popular — it was a Hollywood Studios staple.
Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Has Been Here Since 1999
It’s easy to forget how long this ride has been part of the park.
Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster first opened at Disney’s Hollywood Studios on July 29, 1999, and it quickly became one of the resort’s most recognizable attractions.
Back then, Hollywood Studios had a different personality. It leaned more into stunts, action, and thrills. It wasn’t trying to be the “cute” park. It wanted to feel edgy.
Between The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror and Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster, guests had two rides that genuinely felt intense compared to most of what Disney offered.
For many longtime fans, riding it became automatic. If you visited Hollywood Studios, you rode it. No debate.
New Attractions Slowly Changed Crowd Patterns
Over time, though, the park changed.
Hollywood Studios didn’t lose its popularity — it gained too much of it.
Once Disney added major new headliners, the crowd flow shifted. Guests started prioritizing newer experiences and building their day around them instead.
Toy Story Mania! became a huge draw.
Then Slinky Dog Dash arrived and quickly turned into one of the longest standby lines in all of Walt Disney World.
And once Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance opened, it completely reshaped Hollywood Studios into a park where most guests felt like they had to plan every moment just to survive the day.
With all of that happening, Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster started feeling like an “extra” ride for some visitors. Not everyone skipped it, but it wasn’t always the main goal anymore.
For a while, it seemed like the coaster’s best days were behind it.
But Disney fans clearly had other plans.
The Aerosmith News Lit a Fire Under Disney Fans
Once Disney announced that Aerosmith’s version of the attraction would be permanently removed, the entire tone around the ride shifted.
Suddenly, it wasn’t “we’ll ride it if we have time.”
It became, “We need to ride it now.”
Because even fans who hadn’t been on it in years realized something important: this version of the coaster is a time capsule. It represents a version of Hollywood Studios that Disney no longer builds.
And once you remove Aerosmith and the famous race-to-the-concert storyline, the ride won’t just feel updated.
It will feel like a different attraction entirely.
That reality hit fans hard, and now the ride is experiencing one of its most significant surges in popularity in years.
Disney Confirmed the Final Closing Date
Disney officially confirmed that Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith will permanently close on March 2, 2026.
That means there’s no more “someday.” No more guessing. The countdown is real.
And with that date now locked in, the attraction has basically turned into a farewell event inside the park.
This isn’t just a ride going down for refurbishment.
This is the end of the Aerosmith era.
Wait Times Are Suddenly Sky-High
If you needed proof that fans are taking this closure seriously, just look at the wait times.
Not long ago, this coaster could have had a manageable standby line compared to other Hollywood Studios headliners. Some days it even felt like one of the easier thrills to squeeze into your schedule.
That has changed fast.
The ride has reportedly hit waits as long as 185 minutes.
That’s right — guests have been willing to wait more than three hours just to get one final ride in.
And it honestly makes sense. There are fewer than two weeks before the attraction closes forever, and fans don’t want to miss their last chance to race through LA with Aerosmith blasting in the background.
For longtime Disney World visitors, this isn’t just nostalgia.
It’s personal.
The Muppets Are Taking Over the Coaster
Even though Aerosmith is leaving, Disney isn’t getting rid of the coaster itself. Instead, the attraction is getting a complete retheme.
Disney has confirmed the replacement: Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets.
And yes, it’s going to feature The Electric Mayhem, the Muppets’ iconic band.
That means the ride will likely lean into comedy, chaos, and that classic Muppets storytelling style. It’s a very different vibe compared to Aerosmith’s rockstar theme, but it also feels like something Disney can do really well if they fully commit to it.
It’s also a significant win for Muppets fans, especially since Hollywood Studios has been one of the last places in Disney World where the franchise still feels present.
If Disney builds the new storyline the right way, this could easily become one of the funniest thrill rides Disney has ever created.
When Will the New Version Open?
Right now, Disney hasn’t announced an exact opening date for the rethemed coaster.
However, the attraction is currently scheduled to return sometime in Summer 2026.
That likely means Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster will be down for several months after March 2, which could put even more pressure on the rest of Hollywood Studios during the busy spring and early summer travel seasons.
Still, Disney seems motivated to move quickly. Hollywood Studios can’t afford to lose a major thrill ride for too long, especially when the park already struggles with crowd levels.
A Final Goodbye to a Different Hollywood Studios
Even though the ride will still exist, Aerosmith’s version of Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster feels like the end of something bigger.
It represents an era when Hollywood Studios leaned harder into thrills and a more grown-up tone. It was a park where the theming didn’t always feel “safe,” and that’s precisely why it stood out.
Now that Disney is shifting toward IP-heavy lands and newer franchises, this closure feels symbolic.
It’s the end of a ride that helped define Hollywood Studios for more than two decades.
The End of an Era
Disney fans aren’t letting Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith fade away quietly.
With the ride officially closing forever on March 2, 2026, guests are showing up in droves, turning the attraction into a full-fledged farewell. Wait times have spiked, nostalgia has taken over the park, and the coaster is suddenly one of the most talked-about rides at Hollywood Studios again.
Soon, the neon LA race and Aerosmith soundtrack will disappear for good.
And while the Muppets retheme could end up being a fun new chapter, it’s clear fans want one last chance to experience the ride exactly as it’s been since 1999.
Because for a lot of Disney World visitors, this isn’t just a coaster.
It’s a piece of their history.