Disney World’s Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Closed Indefinitely

Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is arguably one of the best rides at Walt Disney World Resort. The high-speed thrill ride was also the first Disney Park attraction in the United States that took guests upside down.

But unfortunately, this beloved coaster has been closed for nearly a month with no reopening date in sight.

Related: Facts About Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster You Never Knew

Goodbye Aerosmith?

In the past year, there has been much speculation about a retheme coming to the coaster.

Many have suspected Disney would replace Aerosmith as the headliner with a more family-friendly artist. Due to multiple sexual assault allegations against Steven Tyler, the lead singer of Aerosmith, many have expected Disney to drop the band connected with the company altogether.

Related: Aerosmith Singer Accused of Sexual Assault Again, Is It Time For a Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Retheme?

However, this has yet to happen.

Or at least, has yet to officially be announced. But the idea of swapping out the rock band for someone else has been brought up again in this recent refurbishment news.

Related: Top Rock Band Rumored to Be Replacing Aerosmith on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster

Massive Refurbishment?

The roller coaster closed for refurbishment on January 8, 2024, and as of this writing, it has no reopening date but a time frame of “summer 2024.” Currently, Disney has not provided any details on what work will be done to the ride during its refurbishment.

But this closure is particularly unusual, as the popular roller coaster just had a refurbishment in May of 2023.

Back then, it was expected we’d discover they dropped the band for a different group or singer.

Jeff Yorkes, co-creator of The Muppets Mayhem, implied on X (Twitter at the time) that incorporating the Muppet band Electric Mayhem into the ride was part of the original show pitch.

However, considering the Muppets Mayhem show on Disney+ has not been renewed after its first season, it’s unlikely the Muppets would take up residency.

Nevertheless, the “Aerosmith” part of the ride is just a subhead to the actual attraction named the “Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.” It’s always seemed like the ride was designed to swap out different artists every few years easily.

Related: Three Possible Aerosmith Replacements for Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster

After all, the Aerosmith band members’ presence is pretty minor. Swapping out the pre-show and songs played on the ride with a different band while keeping the queue and ride system almost identical should be a very easy retheme.

Walt Disney World Resort’s operating calendar, which goes until the beginning of April 2024, shows the ride closed the entire time.

It looks like we’ll have to wait for summer 2024 to enjoy this one again!