A personal review of Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey & preview at Universal's Wizarding World

Click here for an updated, spoiler-filled blow by blow account of the Forbidden Journey ride.

The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Universal Studios Orlando opened to certain guests this weekend. You can get in if you purchased a vacation package through VIrgin Holidays or are a Universal on-site hotel guest. All of the shops are open, and Flight of the Hippogriff and Dragon Challenge are running reliably, but the brand-new high tech marvel, "Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey" is up and down sporadically. My husband and I arrived at Islands of Adventure around 7 a.m. to join several dozen people waiting at each turnstyle. We had heard the gates open around 7:45, with guests held back behind a rope in the park until 8. Then we would have exclusive access to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter until 10 a.m.

Our aim (and the aim of everyone else) was to get to Fobidden Journey as early as possible since it has a reputation for breaking down with its first hour of operation. Once we got in, we managed to position ourselves right behind the rope, which was help by several Team Members charged with keeping the peace. People were elbowing their way up, but my elbows have no problem fighting back. Somehow several people managed to get in front of hubby, but I knew he'd eventually make it back to me. Some people were downright crazed, like the woman literally dragging her small child on the ground as she tried to cut in front of people.

At 8 a.m. we all trooped behind the rope towards the Wizarding World. The orderliness deterioriated rapidly. I kept getting pushed in the rope (and the poor Team Member in front of me), and a group of kids at one end of the group were so obnoxious that they were warned the whole group would be stopped and they would be sent to the back if they didn't knock it off.

All hell broke loose when we reached Hogsmeade and the rope went down (you can see hubby and I later in the day under the sign in the photo above right). The TMs were yelling, "Don't run!" but they might as well have been screaming, "Run like a herd of rabid cheetahs." Somehow hubby had gotten in front of me, so I told him to keep heading towards Hogwarts (the entrance is pictured at left). I caught up and we managed to be within the first group of people (that has helped by many who brought bags, fanny packs, etc., which they must stop and put in lockers...cargo pants are your friend at Forbidden Journey as the locker stop eats up valuable time you could be waiting in line). You can see why it's good to get to the ride pronto by checking out the crowd that developed quickly behind us:

The ride was actually not open yet, and there was no guarantee it would be, but we decided to gut it out. The queue is amazing. My pictures came out dark, but you can find plenty on the internet.  I especially loved the talking portraits and the snow in the room where Harry and his friends invite you to ditch a lecture and head to a Quidditch game with them. It did get old pretty quickly tho', as that is where we waited the full hour. Finally we heard applause break out from the loading area...sure enough, it had been announced that the ride was in operation.

We didn't have far to go, but my husband was pulled out of line and put into a test seat because he's a big (although not huge) and barrel chested guy. Fortunately he fit in easily. You can see all the warnings for this ride at right.

The ride operator asked if we would mind being split up, since there were two groups of three in front of us, so we said "Sure." We were just excited at the chance to ride it.

The ride vehicles are four across, with your feet dangling down like on Soarin' at Disney World and shoulder harnesses like on looping roller coasters although you don't go upside down. Each car is on a robot arm as well as a moving track, but the arms are well concealed so you don't see them.

You can see me (far left) in the photo at right that I purchased after the ride, although the frame makes it kind of hard to see. I don't want to spoil too much of the ride, but you follow Harry and his friends but of course get diverted. Adventures including encountering Hagrid's dragon, being spit on by spiders and attacked by Dementors. The action blends seemlessly between screens and animatronics. It is all so smooth that I didn't feel queasy or motion sick at all. This ride is to 2010 what Spiderman was to its own area,,,a true techological marvel. The seats may look a little claustrophobic, but you don't feel that way at all once it gets going and you are surrounded by all the action. There is a photo of tester seats outside the ride shown in the photo below:

Motion simulators are okay, but I've never understood why someone would rather go through a fake version of a roller coaster or other ride rather than just ride a real one. Forbidden Journey is the best of both worlds. You don't go  upside down, but expect to tip backwards onto your back a time or two. It was not viciously intense though...really, I thought it was quite smooth despite the range of motion. It makes me sad this ride will probably have multi-hour lines all summer as I'd like to ride it several times to catch all the details.

Of course you make it through safely (with Harry's help, of course) and see all the Hogwarts students clapping and cheering for you in the end. It lets out into a gift shop (of course) with some great exclusive merchandise, including Wizarding World of Harry Potter t-shirts. The shop closes if the ride breaks down, so be warned you might not be able to get that stuff if it decides to quit for the day. We actually tried to ride again (by that time the wait was 90 mins., and you can see from the crowd waiting in the hot, muggy greenhouse area) and had almost made it to the end when it died for the day. It's painful to be able to see the loading station just ahead of you while you are being escorted out.

Even though the previews are only supposed to last until 10 a.m., we ended up walking around admiring the stores and indulging in Butterbeer (reqular and frozen) until about noon. The rides were closed but shops bring in revenue so perhaps that's why they stay open longer. None of the general public was let in, and there's still no word on soft openings for them or annual passholders.

Click here to read the next installment of this report, covering the second day improvements. Meanwhile, check out the video below from "Orlando Attractions" magazine. The ride is very dark so it's mainly just audio, but it's still pretty cool. Click here to read more of my articles, click here for Harry Potter videos and click here to ask me questions on Facebook.

Photos: Barb Nefer