Comments on: Harry Potter & The Forbidden Journey Review

By: CoasterCritic

CoasterCritic — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 03:46:27 +0000

I didn't need to find the the single rider line since the queue was empty. But, it's good to know that there is one.

By: CoasterCritic

CoasterCritic — Thu, 02 Aug 2012 03:45:38 +0000

You should definitely make it down there. It was quite an experience. Unfortunately, I didn't get the Hippogriff credit. The park was closing so I had to run. But, I had the same thought.

By: Mike

Mike — Thu, 03 May 2012 10:14:19 +0000

I got to enjoy this ride all the way back in March and I still think about it daily. I would say it's best to go into this ride spoiler free. I never read a Harry Potter book nor seen any of the films. I didn't know the ride mechanics or what was involved with this ride. To be honest as a person who is used to mostly amusement parks and not theme parks I wasn't even excited about this ride. and then POW!!!! First it has to have the longest queue I have ever seen! It took longer to walk thru the queue with no line the actually riding the ride. And I had also never seen such a well themed queue. My friend and I commented on how if we were Harry Potter fans we would probably be losing our collective minds! I have to say I loved the technology of the ride and was not expecting that. Also the integration of contrasting elements as mentioned above in the review. I liked how the more times I rode that more things I heard or saw and that made it even better. All I can say as a theme/amusement park fan is I'd love to see more rides like this and it is a must ride so get down to Universal!!

By: Prof.BAM

Prof.BAM — Wed, 02 May 2012 19:02:03 +0000

I was down there opening year and it was epic! I loved the entire theming of the whole area. Did it break down on you at all? Did you locate the single-rider line?

By: 2coastercrazy

2coastercrazy — Wed, 02 May 2012 17:35:02 +0000

Unlucky for me, the last time I'd came to Islands Of Adventure, The Wizarding World Of Harry Potter was still in construction. Seems like I have really missed out; though i am hoping to go to Orlando again.

By: Mike M.

Mike M. — Wed, 02 May 2012 16:19:57 +0000

I actually still enjoy Spider-Man better than Harry Potter actually, and that's before the Spider-Man HD upgrade. Don't know if its the 3D, the special effects (lighting, explosions, etc.) or just my love of Spider-Man in general though. Forbidden Journey is still really good though, and I definitely could see people spazzing out in excitement over the experience.

I'd actually like to see a robocoaster ride geared towards thrill seekers. Probably would never happen due to the sheer expense of the ride, but seeing what the capabilities of the robocoaster arms are (The Sum of All Thrills at Epcot let's you design a rollercoaster and ride it on a robocoaster-powered simulator). The arms are definitely capable of inversions and other thrilling maneuvers, so I'd like to see that type of stuff realized while moving along a track like Forbidden Journey. Don't know what theme park I'd expect to invest that type of money in for a high thrill ride though.

By: Jeff

Jeff — Wed, 02 May 2012 12:49:18 +0000

I finally made it for the first time in February (and only my second visit to IOA). I was pretty much blown away. The ride motion is intense and I felt pretty shaky when I got off the ride the first time. The videos of the ride on You Tube don't do the traditional dark/scary parts justice. It is amazing how close to the animatronics the the robo arm appears to swing you. I really thought the Whomping Willow was going to hit me. Although it does not technically go upside down, the arms swing you backwards pretty far–far enough that I had some hang time. I agree the main weakness is the bad resolution of the video, and at times the edges of the video domes are not blended into the live scenes that follow. Unfortunately Spiderman was down for its rehab so I couldn't do a side-by-side comparison.

Congratulations on finally getting down there!

By: Gearhart

Gearhart — Wed, 02 May 2012 12:20:29 +0000

I'm not a huge Harry Potter fan but I've been wanting to ride this thing soooo bad. Can't believe I haven't made it back down there to check it out yet, as I don't think I've read a bad review. I could also use the Hippogriff credit even though it's just a large roller skater.

By: Zachary Freeman

Zachary Freeman — Wed, 02 May 2012 07:44:03 +0000

Wish I would've known you were coming. I work for Universal Studios.