Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

Harry Potter and the forbidden journey!!!
I absolutely love this ride! I could get on it over and over and over again! Universal did a wonderful job of capturing the essence of the Harry Potter story and making you apart of it!
The line itself is amazing! As you begin your journey you walk through the hog warts castle and see all types of memorabilia from the movie, that you WILL recognize! The pictures look motionless and then start to move and begin talking to you and to other paintings!
You see 3D holograms of professor Dumbledore, Harry Potter, hermione, and Ron! You walk through the gardens and get to see so much great replicas of the movie!
The ride itself is a virtual reality and believe it or not it moves pretty quickly! It whips you around as if your flying on a broom stick right there with the Wizards! I truly enjoyed this ride and honestly the Harry Potter rides and attractions are the only thing that keeps bring me back to universal!

My favorite ride at Universal Studios and the Islands of Adventure. We loved it so much that we rode it again the next day!
The first time, we waited 60 minutes. The second time, we did the single-​rider line, which cut the wait time by more than half. I still recommend the regular lines, however, because you will miss a lot of the castle and the ride will make more sense. However, if you want to ride again, I definitely recommend the single-​rider option!
I won’t spoil it much, but definitely worth the long wait. Tip: If you arrive at the park by opening time and head straight to the line, the line is shorter!

I am rating this ride more on what my husband thought than what I thought. He loved it and said it was the best ride he had ever been on. I didn’t agree but it was mainly because of the motion and almost turning upside down. I didn’t know what to expect and didn’t like that part of it.
I read the signs but he assured me it was amazing. He loved it. I didn’t. I also didn’t like the fact that purses had to be locked in lockers. The locker area was dark, packed and confusing. Thank goodness they have human monitors because my locker wouldn’t open.
Oh well … he loved it.

This was my FAVOURITE ride out of both parks.
All the decorations while waiting on line? AMAZING. It feels like you’re really IN Hogwarts Castle!!! Luckily if you go early or late enough in the day = NO LINES. I went on it 3 times with max waiting 3 – 5 mins! And that’s just because I kept looking at all the decorations and checking out the talking artwork.
All the staff members are Hogwarts students so they’re wearing their robes. I had on my full Slytherin costume (YES I’M A NERD!) and got teased by some Gryffindors. Another Slytherin came to my rescue. It really felt like we were at school! It was SO much fun to play in character with them.
The actual ride itself? AMAZING. If you just relax and enjoy the ride, it really feels like you’re flying behind Harry Potter the whole time.
If you don’t like rides and get motion sickness, yeah, you’ll hate it. But come on! This isn’t for the faint of heart!!!
So don’t give it a bad review because you’re a fricking pansy and couldn’t handle it because you hate heights, movement, etc.
IT WAS AMAZING.
And I wish I could go on this ride DAILY because I loved it so much. I really could’ve ridden this ride 1000 more times and not gotten bored of it.

Going on this ride is the only way to get into Hogwarts, so it had to be done. Waiting in line (which wasn’t long at all for me the days I was there) lets you walk through the hallways of Hogwarts and see the sorting hat which is pretty neat.
The 3D roller coaster ride has lots of jerks, ups and downs and you get some very bumpy flying lessons as Hermione levitates you and you follow them on their brooms. Racing through quidditch fields, escaping the womping willow, and soaring high over the castle is everything you get to experience on this ride. If you can stomach it.
It’s a bummer that you don’t get to walk through any of these places. I would love to see the womping willow or a quidditch field, or just have more access to the castle in general. I think it’s great that you can at least experience them on the ride.
As I’ve mentioned in other reviews I definitely struggle with motion sickness and this was the worst ride for me to get through. I just had to close my eyes at one point because I was so dizzy. The ride got stuck upside down for about five mins so that was fun.
Overall, I’m glad they incorporate some more of Harry Potter into this ride, but I wish you could see more of the castle. Also, for anyone with motion sensitivity, it’s a rough one.

I love roller coasters and have been to my fair share of amusement parks. I have to say that this is the best ride I’ve ever been on. It was so realistic that you actually have the sensation that you are flying around with Harry and his friends. For the time that I was on the ride I truly felt transported into a different time and a different land. Having VIP access we didn’t have to wait on line for this ride but my understanding is that it can be very very long. As others have said one of the times we went on this we did get stuck and we were also stuck on the other Harry Potter ride as well. I loved everything about this ride and Hogwarts castle in which the ride is housed.

Until today I was ambivalent about amusement parks.
I avoid roller coasters like the dickens (being the wimp I am), and having heard of the twists and turns of Forbidden Journey I had stayed away too. Nothing but my love for Harry Potter spurred me to sit my @$$ in those chairs. I then proceeded to do it another three times.
I’ve been on my fair share of simulation rides. Spiderman, Transformers, and Star Tours all have a special place in my heart. But none of them combine immersive screens, movement on a robotic arm, and the childhood nostalgia of a captivating series. (I’m not going to post photos, because it’s worth seeing with your own eyes.) Imagine Sum of all Thrills from Disney’s Epcot, rigged onto a track that takes you from screen to screen. The range of motion creates an incredibly smooth and immersive experience without any real stomach churning drops – even when you’re tipped backwards. I get carsick but I didn’t have trouble. If you are motion sensitive, consider taking dramamine beforehand.
The wait will be long, but if you don’t care about staying with your group, I’d highly suggest going single rider, though you don’t get to see the castle. You should then request a tour of the castle separately from standing in the queue. Also, you can skip part of the line by getting to the lockers from the back; enter through the gift shop.
Plot summary ~spoilers!~
You begin by going up through floo powder (guided by Hermione) and along the track with a few set pieces. You then are surrounded by a screen that simulates flying alongside Harry around Hogwarts until you encounter a dragon. You are then swung through another series of set pieces that include a fire (smoke) breathing dragon. You also encounter the spiders from the forbidden forest (one spits water at you) and the Womping Willow. The next simulation footage is of the quidditch pitch that eventually swarms with dementors. The next series of set pieces is of dementors. You then end by flying back to Hogwarts, where you are greeted by the Harry Potter cast congratulating you. You then use floo powder to travel back to where you began.
The only improvement I can imagine is a more coherent story line. The ride is presently an excuse to showcase the range of enemies Harry encounters throughout his time at Hogwarts. But that’s a minuscule gripe amongst a bevy of positives. It really is unlike any other ride I’ve been on.

I have to say that I’m surprised at how many people like this ride. I was shocked at the end at how boring and lame it was! Though it should be noted I have little fear in life about heights, motion sickness, and I enjoy whitewater rafting, ziplining, and really want to skydive. So my expectations are quite high!
To be honest, the only thing I found worthwhile was the trip through the castle and the cool stuff while you wait in line. That was fantastic and let me geek out about Harry Potter. I pointed out so many little things that people in line were amazed at the details from the books.
The plot or story line is completely lame and strange. They have to sneak you out to the quidditch pitch for some reason and then you get chased by something or another. It was just a lame reasoning.
Their goal to make it between kid friendly and still fun for adults falls flat. Not to mention that if you truly love Harry Potter, you expect a good story line to be dragged into the plot and hold your interest. This just didn’t make sense.
I enjoyed waiting in line more than being on the ride. I hope they can update or change the ride before I come back. Older kids or younger teenager will enjoy it, but for an adult adrenaline junkie like me (no motion sickness or fear of heights), I was left unimpressed.

This ride completely blew me away! As a big fan of the novels, I really enjoyed the line queue. So much thought was put into this attraction. It’s remarkable! As for the ride, it utilized the typical screen simulation style of most Universal Rides while putting in great practical effects that really enhanced the ride experience! The only note that decreased a star on my review is that my dad got motion sick off of the ride, leaving him disappointed.
Other then that, I would’ve gave this ride a strong 5 stars.

Be VERY careful if you get motion sickness easily. Yes, there are many signs along the queue line that warn of this… and they are rightfully placed. Listen to these signs!
Unfortunately I had to close my eyes for 80% of the ride because of the rapid jerking in front of simulation screens. Five people out of our six people party had to go find somewhere to lay down after the ride. Two threw up. (And no, this wasn’t due to imbibing excess Butterbeer prior ;))
Notably, we had no problems on any other rides in both parks, and are big coaster-​geeks.
The best part of this ride was the queue going through the castle before! That in itself is worth the wait time. Next time I will wait in line, say hey to the holograms, and leave before I get on the ride.

This ride really is awesome. I dare to say it’s the only reason to come into this park. I will say every time that I am on this ride, this year, last year or the year before, I have to close me eyes for a few seconds. It does feel like you’re flying — I assume, I’ve never been flying on a broom. It’s worth the rate. Be advised here is a sample seat outside so you can find out sooner rather than later at the end of the line you may not fit. Also, if you’re one of those folks coming to the park with a book about full of crap you’ll need to stow it in a locker. Don’t miss this ride if you’re in the park even if you’ve never cracked open one of the Harry Potter novels.

This isn’t just the best ride at Islands of Adventure, but probably the best ride I’ve ever been on, without asterisks. From start to finish, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is an experience that must be had if you are in the park. The queue line can be an experience in itself as you walk through Hogwarts castle and experience all the magic it has to offer. Living paintings, the sorting hat, the majesty of the architecture; it’s amazing. This is one of the only queue lines which I don’t mind standing in and sometimes even skip the single rider just to experience the castle.
The actual ride is on a four seater mechanic type arm, which is filled up all the way. The arm then takes you in front of large screens, and animatronics and wisps you away on the journey around the Hogawarts castle to avoid dragons, spiders, Dementors, and the Basilisk. The actual ride is only moving about 5mph, but because you are then on another arm moving, it makes it feel as if you are really flying around with Harry and friends.
I’ve actually been stuck on this ride before, which wasn’t bad because I was positioned on a slight lean back, so I could relax. This also gives you a chance to look around and see how the actual ride is put together, which is really cool, but if you are stuck in the wrong position, it might not be so fun. Luckily, as soon as we got off the ride (only stuck for about 5 minutes), they let us if we wanted get another chance to ride without having to wait in line. All I am saying is that being stuck on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey can actually a blessing in disguise.
Don’t Wait Longer Than 65 Minutes: By far the worst part about this ride is the wait time. However it can also be a positive because you get to explore Hogwarts castle during the wait, which is an attraction within itself. If your just more interested in the ride, go single rider and you can cut your wait time down greatly.
Who’s This Attraction Best For: Children & Above
Ride/​Attraction Rating (A+), Queue Line/​Area (A+), Wait Time (D+)

Listen, I have gotten stuck on this ride 3 out of 4 times riding it. If it weren’t for that, I would have given it 5 stars.
I’m just as much of a Harry Potter fan as the rest of you witches and wizards, so you can imagine that it pains me to give this ride anything less than a 5 star review. But, the bottom line is that it is unreliable, which ruins the experience. Ever since I got stuck this last time, I vowed to never get on it again. What’s the problem, Forbidden Journey? Are the safety locks turning on because folks are dropping phones? (If you are still bringing phones onto rides in 2015, you are ruining the experience for everyone else). Not to go on a tangent… BUT did you know that every time someone loses a phone, hat, keys, etc on any ride, they have to shut it down for hours to look for the item and do testing? Don’t be a douche. Whether that is the case, or the ride is just plain glitchy, get your life Forbidden Journey.
Do you know how stressful it is to be stranded at a 90 degree angle with someone on the other side of you kicking his legs and thinking it’s fun? Very. The reason I refuse to go back, is because there is a part in the ride where you are upside down. If you think I would risk getting stuck in that position, you’re out of your mind!
Besides the glitchiness, this is a fantastic ride and I wish it didn’t have so many problems :-(

This is the ride at Universal Studios that takes you through a journey in and around Hogwart’s School of Witchcraft and Wizardry at Universal’s Islands of Adventure.
You start out entering the line in the greenhouse and then enter the castle. You’ll see Dumbledore speaking to you as well as other details before you enter the ride area.
There are 4 people to a car. And they group smaller people in the middle seats and larger people in the outside seats. There is a small pouch behind you to store your items. Larger items should probably be put in a locker.
After a short ride down the conveyer, Hermoine Granger casts you off on your adventure and you are off on your journey following Harry Potter and Ron Weasley around the outside of the castle avoiding dragons, quiditch balls and the castle itself before ending up back in the castle.
The car twists and turns you in every direction and the reason this is the only ride I have ever gotten sick on, both times I rode it. So that’s the reason this is a 4 star review instead of a 5.
Still, I love the ride, the theming and the effects but as Michelle B. said, DO NOT ride this if you get motion sickness. Also do not ride this is you had a few too many alcoholic beverages the night before.

This is probably my favorite ride at Universal Studios and its Islands of Adventure. It was the first ride we went on when we visited the amusement park. It was SO MUCH FUN! Since we had fast passes (TOTALLY ENCOURAGE EVERYONE TO GET THEM), we got to skip the long line and walked right on the ride. Even the walkway to get to the ride is very fascinating and you’re walking through various areas of Hogwarts Castle (the ride is located within the Hogwarts Castle structure).
The ride itself is worth it. You zoom up and down around the Hogwarts Castle grounds — you dodge the whomping willow, soar through the air at a Quidditch Match, and encounter a lot of magical creatures. It’s totally worth the wait, even if there was one. I much prefer this ride to the Escape from Gringotts ride in Universal Studios.
The only downside is that you have to lock your loose belongings up in a locker before the ride. I was a bit wary of this at first, since we didn’t have to do that on any ride at Disney World. But it works out well — you just lock your belongings up and put a code on the door and you’re all set. It seems pretty secure and we did that for all the other high-​intensity rides we went to in Universal.
This is probably the only ride at Universal that I would have wanted to ride twice!

By far this was my favorite ride in the park. Do NOT ride this if you get motion sickness, as a few members of our party really were unhappy due to this. I liken this ride to The Simpsons, Transformers, and the Minions ride, but it’s a bit more intense in its movements.
I LOVED the walkthrough of the castle. The outside line is pretty boring, but once you’re inside, you get to see dumbledore, talking paintings (these look SO real), and a classroom with Harry, Hermione, and Ron. It was an awesome build up. The sorting hat also makes an appearance too.
On the ride you get glasses (looks like some people who reviewed earlier on didn’t) and you get on a 4 person row that straps you in. You do have to lock your bags in a locker, which I hated the whole trip, but this ride is totally worth it. The entire expereince of the ride is super fun and you feel like you’re flying. You get to see the castle, a Quidditch Match, and a bunch of your favorite characters. This was definitely better than Escape from Gringotts for me (I also like simulators more than rollercoasters though to be fair).
I also loved that there was an employee who was in the front of the ride ready to explain it. He reassured me that it was like the other simulators and could only move in ways your wrist does (so not forward or backward or upside down). This description really hit home for me and made me feel comfortable. I hope it helps you too if you’re considering it!

If this is your first time on this ride, it’s worth standing in line, so you can enjoy a tour through the Hogwarts. From the garden and greenhouse where you can imagine the students taking the herbology class, on to the Defense Against the Dark Arts classroom, Dumbledore’s office, and more. They are replicated from the movie scenes in great detail. You’ll see the animated portraits, including the Fat Lady screaming «I can’t let so many people pass through!» and the sorting hat singing its verses. However, if you don’t care at all for the movie and just want a ride, or if you’ve seen it all, then go ahead and run to the singles lane, right by the lockers. One time I had only 7 people ahead of me, but usually it’s about 20 people or so. It was pure fun going on the ride again and again.
Also, they have lockers and asked you to deposit everything there. I’ve found, however, that if you have a pocket on your clothes you can easily carry a small camera or phone to take pictures as you wait. Once you sit down on the ride, they have this restrainer, so if you have the camera/​phone tucked inside your pocket it’s unlikely to fall off. Though of course, do at your own risk I won’t pay for your lost gadget. ;)

Raise your hand if you wanted to attend Hogwarts as a child? Real question is: do they accept FAFSA?
Forbidden Journey is a no brainer for all Harry Potheads. The entrance to the ride starts by taking you though a tour of the castle, where you witness signature pieces from the Potter universe like moving portraits, sorting hats, and also the trio themselves Ron, Hermione, and Harry at one portion of the line. They’re pretty judgemental if you ask me!
Each seating portion of the carts sits a party of 4 side by side. The ride simulates an adventure on the grounds of Hogwarts from the school all the way to the forbidden forest. If you’re a afraid of spiders you might not like part of the ride. I know I didnt!
The cast of the movies added their voices and likeness to the ride so the quality of production is definitely there.
The line to the ride will get LONG. Make sure you go to the park early and ride this first if you don’t want to wait too long.
Overall the ride is amazing and it does an excellent job of emerging you in to world of Harry Potter. This is a must ride for anyone regardless if you’re a Harry Pothead or not.

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is the ultimate attraction for anyone with a deep love for anything Harry Potter!
Hogwarts Castle, dementors, Quidditch, Harry, Ron, and Hermione — they are all here! You get to have an adventure just as if you were a Hogwarts witch or wizard, yourself.
I could tell you everything else that I enjoyed tremendously, but I do try to be kind. I am afraid that doing so would risk me robbing some of the magic for first time visitors who are yet to make it to this amazing attraction.
Are you a Harry Potter fan? Just GO!

As you queue up for Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride, you get a tour of Hogwarts Castle. If you don’t have any medical conditions that would otherwise restrict you from participating in this ride, then you get to take full advantage. But even if you do, you still have the opportunity to go through the castle, exploring the greenhouse/​garden, Defense of the Dark Arts classroom, and hallway full of talking portraits, seeing the house jewels, meeting the Fat Lady as you go through Gryffindor’s common room, and going through Dumbeldore’s office and passing by his desk and the pensive.
The books describe Hogwarts in such great detail that it’s not possible to include everything in this castle, but I wished the Great Hall and entrances to each of the houses’ common rooms (not just Gryffindor’s) were incorporated.
Wait time can be up to two hours, but thankfully our weekday visit left us with only 30 minute wait for standby (single-​rider is half the time, or less, though you’ll miss majority of walking through the castle). The fact that there’s so many things to see inside the Hogwarts castle makes the queue time more bearable. I suggest first-​timers to go through the entire castle, regardless of wait time; but for people who’ve seen the castle once already, take the single-​rider line to save yourself the time.
The journey is a fun ride that lasts about four minutes, where you soar through Hogwarts and the quiddich field, go through the forbidden forest to meet Aragog (rather unpleasantly), dodge the Whomping Willow tree, escape the chamber of secrets, and face dementors. The robotic arm design of this ride isn’t something I’ve experienced before and is a very different style compared to the Dragon Challenge and Flight of the Hippogriff, and it’s especially not for those who suffer from motion sickness. The great aspect here is that riders sit side by side in groups of four, in a single row, so each rider has the same perspective, thus eliminating the longer queue issue for front seat or best view.

Probablement la meilleure attraction de tout le parc!
Mélange de féerie et de sensations, le défilement de l’attente né se fait pas ressentir, tant les décors sont superbes (cadres animés qui communiquent entre eux, choixpeau, etc.)
Seul hic (d’où une étoile de moins) l’attente au casier!