Extinct Disney Attractions Rocket Rods One of Disney’s Worst Rides EVER & Why It Wasn’t that Bad

Extinct Disney Attractions : Rocket Rods - One of Disney’s Worst Rides EVER & Why It Wasn’t that Bad
Welcome to Extinct, where we discuss the rise and fall of Theme Park attractions, that no longer exist in their original form. Take a journey with us as we explore the History of Disneyland’s Rocket Rods. The Rocket Rods were a short lived and some see it as one of the WORST rides to ever exist until it’s track was eventually left abandoned!
In this series we discuss rides that were changed or even abandoned. No rides are safe as we discuss Disneyland Resort, Walt Disney World, Universal Studios, and more. Whether it's Extinct Disneyland, Extinct Walt Disney World, or other Extinct Attractions from around the world, this is the place!
We just moved! Get to know Florida with us!
We are Theme Park Brews. Disney loving, drink chugging, Theme Park vlogging, park hopping adventurers and we want to share our lives with you!
From Walt Disney World to Universal Studios. Theme Parks to Amusement Parks. Orlando, Florida fun is what we are about! We vlog, so I guess you can call us vloggers.
Places we love! Epcot, The Magic Kingdom, Hollywood Studios, Animal Kingdom, Universal Studios, Islands of Adventure, and many many more!
Rocket Rods
Rocket Rods was a high-speed thrill attraction located in Tomorrowland at Disneyland, Anaheim, California. The ride was themed around a hypothetical “drag race” of the future, as well as a futuristic rapid transit system. The ride opened in May 1998, utilizing the existing PeopleMover track and infrastructure as part of the New Tomorrowland refurbishment project. Rocket Rods was shut down indefinitely for renovations in September 2000; ultimately, the ride would be fully shut down, as confirmed via an official press release in April 2001, after two years of sporadic operations. While Rocket Rods' queue was replaced with the Toy Story-themed dark ride Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters in 2005. In the 1990s, Disneyland wanted to refurbish the Tomorrowland section as part of the "Disney Decade", started by Michael Eisner.[citation needed] This project was originally called Tomorrowland 2055. Unfortunately, Tomorrowland 2055’s plans were cancelled following the underwhelming opening figures of Euro Disney. In early 1996, Disneyland announced that Tomorrowland would be remodeled with a variety of new attractions, including Honey, I Shrunk the Audience, Rocket Rods and Innoventions. Rocket Rods was set to be the area's star attraction.[6] It would take over the former PeopleMover, with construction beginning in 1997. Rocket Rods opened on May 22, 1998 as part of the New Tomorrowland. The high-speed attraction ran on a renovated PeopleMover track. Rocket Rods was also operating sporadically due to constant downtime and mechanical problems. The original PeopleMover was able to traverse these turns smoothly as it did not travel more than seven miles per hour. However, the original support structure was not designed for the much greater speed and weight of Rocket Rods’ ride vehicles, causing the structure to weaken. Guests then continued through the "transit tunnel" (formerly a backstage area) where guests passed "proposals" for extending the Rocket Rods system to the nearest commercial airport, John Wayne Airport and other nearby destinations. The Transit Tunnel led to a series of stairs that circled around the inside of the tower that held the Rocket Rods platform and the Observatron (the former location of the Rocket Jets attraction.) The stairs led guests to the elevated Rocket Rods station in the center of Tomorrowland. In the queue area, near the stairway to the boarding area was a fictional map titled Rocket Rods Proposed System Expansion, showing guests where Rocket Rods was to expand in the future. Guests boarded an unusual 5-seat Rocket Rod before moving forward to a staging area similar to one used for drag racing. Due to the long, slightly curved nature of this stretch of track, the Rocket Rods were able to accelerate to a comparatively high speed here. After leaving the other side of Innoventions, another charging sound effect was heard and the vehicle took riders to the next area. Guests zoomed through a series of turns and dips above Autopia and the Submarine Voyage, which closed only a few months after the opening of Rocket Rods. Rocket Rods was the first Disneyland attraction to house a Single Rider line due to its long lines and limited capacity

[@TheMortyMouse]

Did you ride Rocket Rods?