Theme Park Rangers Radar: Rockit remixed, WDW ambassador advice, Orange Garage change

Theme Park Rangers Radar is monitoring the change that’s blowing through Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit at Universal Studios and the Orange Garage at Disney Springs while also having a flashback with Walt Disney World ambassadors.

Radar is a weekly collection of to-dos and developments at Orlando’s theme parks and attractions. It publishes at OrlandoSentinel.com on Wednesdays.

How to Rockit now

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit roller coaster is playing new tunes at Universal Studios theme park. The ride’s onboard playlist recently was thinned to five songs, which represent the five genres originally featured on the ride.

The operation – and the actual ride – is the same. If you never rode before, you probably won’t be confused. And confusion was what Universal was trying to reduce. The change would “simplify the selection process” was the official stance.

But let’s back up into the queue, which, in the old days, blared information about possible song selections. There were six choices per genre, so 30 pieces were showcased along with the steps to pick the music that each rider could hear during Rockit’s rounds, courtesy of on-board speakers.

The animation in the queue is an edited version of the original that debuted with the coaster in 2009. The characters and messaging are the same. Loading issues are addressed, and we see still the woman in boots carefully step over the ledge to get to the ride vehicle seats. (There’s also a repeated warning – emphasized with special effects – about keeping your head back against the seat during the ride.)

But queued-up folks do not hear or see a list of the songs. There are visuals showing how to select the genre and then the song, but they feel like old-school Rockit instructions. We are warned there are 30 seconds to make the choice.

Full disclosure: It took five trips to Universal for me to get on the ride since the changeover. I had bad luck with weather, mechanical delays and my unwillingness to linger at the park.

On the fourth trip, there was a long delay, but I could hear the video instructions clearly. The crowd was quiet, which was odd because no one had their phones, which must be stowed in lockers before entering the queue. But on the fifth trip, it was so loud there I couldn’t hear the instructions at all.

Full disclosure, too: I really just wanted to know if the word “Hasta!” remained in the script. Historically, it annoyed me, but if it were gone, I might be sad and annoyed by that too.

On trip five, as I rounded the corner to the stairs, I heard “Hasta!” even though it was not heard during the quiet trip four. At the top of the stairs, the safety spiel was on again, complete with claim that we’re about to make rock ‘n’ roll history, and the on-screen captioning reads “Awesome!” not “Hasta!”

Next, I’m headed for the seat and the curved lap bar with small, embedded touch screen for song selection. Five genres are listed. Touch one and then you see a choice of … one song from that genre. That’s your selection. You can hit a “back” button to see the genres again to browse, but that’s a little clunky too.

In my dreams, the five songs are the only things you see and you touch the one you want to hear. And you’ve seen the list in the queue. I ended up, somewhat blindly, with ABBA’s “Waterloo,” from the pop/disco genre.

As a reminder, here is a clip-and-save / screenshot version of the current songs on Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit:

• “Man! I Feel Like a Woman” by Shania Twain (country)
• “Humble” by Kendrick Lamar (rap/hip-hop)
• “Sandstorm” by Darude (club/electronica)
• “Welcome to the Black Parade” by My Chemical Romance
• “Waterloo” by ABBA (pop/disco)

Hasta! Or Awesome!

Ambassador advice

Walt Disney World recently named ambassadors who will serve a two-year term representing the company and its 75,000 employees. Shannon Smith-Conrad and Serena Arvizu will make many appearances and speeches in the coming months.

On the day of the announcement, I asked current ambassadors Ali Manion and Raevon Redding what they wished someone had told them on the day they got the job. As it turns out, they’re good life lessons overall.

“Be as flexible as possible,” Redding said. “You come into this role and you’re like, ‘Wow, I’m gonna do all of these …’ and it’s like … well, it’s more than just you. We have public affairs, and we have public relations. And we have communications. We have our cast members and the community, and then you have your resorts and you have your water parks and Disney Springs.”

Redding and Manion previously had roles with Disney Live Entertainment.

“You have to remain flexible. Entertainment is subject to change,” he said.

They were named the 79th and 80th ambassadors in WDW history more than two years ago.

“I was so excited. I felt like, my gosh, this dream came true. But I still had that nudge of ‘Is this really real? Do I really deserve to be here?’” Manion said. “I think I would tell myself to have that confidence that you earned this and that you’re going to grow so much over the next two and a half years. … And it’s going to be amazing.”

Orange Garage alert

A few changes and options are coming to parking at Disney Springs, particularly in the morning.

Starting Oct. 1, the Orange and Lime garages, plus the Watermelon and Mango surface lots will open at 9 a.m. for visitors.

But wait, there’s more, Orange Garage lovers. The secondary access from Orange Garage into the shopping area is reopening. Springs people call this the Orange Node, and it leads to the West Side walkway between Splitsville and Everglazed.

It will be like pre-pandemic times but with security checks.

Orange is the garage that westbound Interstate 4 drivers can access by using the ramp that’s built into Exit 67. Lime is farther up Lake Buena Vista Drive. Grapefruit Garage, on the opposite side of the street from Disney Springs, opens to guests at 3:30 p.m. and connects via pedestrian bridge to the entertainment complex.

Weekend outlook

• Boyz II Men begins a four-day run, starting Friday, in the Eat to the Beat concert series, part of the Epcot International Food & Wine Festival.

• Universal’s Halloween Horror Nights is now in its Wednesday-through-Sunday schedule (plus Tuesday, Oct. 31) through Nov. 4. SeaWorld Orlando’s Howl-O-Scream is Friday, Saturday and Sunday for the next two weekends.

• SeaWorld’s Spooktacular is Saturdays and Sundays through Oct. 29, plus Oct. 30-31. Legoland Florida’s Brick-or-Treat is set for this Saturday, then a Saturday-Sunday schedule starting Oct. 7. Mickey’s Not-So-Scary Halloween Party at Magic Kingdom is down to availability only on Nov. 1.

• Orange County Regional History Center presents Sam Rivers 100, an event marking the 100th anniversary of the jazz musician’s birth, on Saturday. There’s a panel discussion at 2 p.m. at the museum and a 7 p.m. concert at the Social in downtown Orlando.

• “Backyard Adventures,” a nature exhibit, opens at Orlando Science Center on Sunday.

• Icon Park’s Community Day Celebration, spotlighting local nonprofits, is Saturday.

• Museum of Illusions’ Noche de Sabor, a celebration of Hispanic Heritage Month, will be Saturday evening.

What’s on your radar? Email me at dbevil@orlandosentinel.com.