Harry Potter rides - not roller coaster people

BraveLittleToaster2

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My kids love Harry Potter, which is why we are going to tUniversal for the first time for one day only. We are not roller coaster people. We will be going to Disney parks first (we've been there many many times) so that will help me gauge what my youngest (10) is comfortable with.

Can you tell me which ride at Disney is the equivalent to each HP ride, as far as motion sickness, speed etc.

We can all do soarin, but that is gentle. I'm not planning on doing any of them but want to see which my kids can go on without having them watch the POV videos and ruin the surprises.

Thanks for any and all help!
 
What is it that you don't like about coasters - the speed, the thrill, the drops, etc.?
 
Hogwarts Express: a very slooooooow version of the train, with some simulations.

Flight of the Hippograff: kiddie roller coaster that is longer than Barnstormer but the same level of intensity. The theming is pretty weak because they repurposed an existing attraction for it.

Hagrids: Sort of a combo between Tron and Everest. Fast launch and smooth like Tron, but with surprise elements

Forbidden Journey: Not really any equivalent to anything at Disney. I don't have motion sickness issues but this one really makes queasy. It's a simulation ride but you are moving side to side instead of forward, it's VERY jerky.

Escape from Gringotts: Guardians is the closest approximate. It's not a fast but it has the combo of roller coaster + screens. Maybe imagine if Guardians and Ratatouille had a baby.
 
What is the maximum intensity you can tolerate at Disney? Can you do Guardians, Everest, FOP, Tron? Were you ok on Splash? What about the last drop on Rise?
 

FJ doesn't have any drops (or even realistic simulated drops that "feel droppy"), but it does have scary elements (spiders, dementors) and there is motion every which way, including laying almost on your back. You are seated in a 4-across "bench" mounted on a robotic arm that moves through actual sets and synched screens. You cannot really see those next to you during the ride. It and Simpsons are the two biggest motion sickness culprits in Universal. It is not even remotely coaster-like. It is really a unique ride, and well worth doing if you think it's on the cusp of your tolerance.
 
You have gotten some great advice so far. I can be a bit of a ride chicken, even with that Gringotts is one my favorite rides. Are your kids completely ok with the drop on splash? Is Big Thunder coaster no problem for them, if yes then they could easily do Gringotts. Its just one drop at the beginning and then turns into more of a fast Remy (love the comment of Remy/GOTG had a baby lol) with some small drops and a fast uphill take off at the end.
 
Simpsons ride is kinda like Star Tours, your kids would probably really like it. BUT if you get motion sick do NOT ride it or HP’s FJ (the castle ride).

You 100% can just do a castle walk through and just let the ride attendant know you aren’t going to board the ride and easily exit. Lots of people just do the walk through. - you can find a FJ ride through with the lights on, on YouTube so you can see if it would be ok for your kids.
 
Agree with what a lot of others said here.

Forbidden Journey is a thrilling dark ride with lots of motion, but there are not drops or launches or anything. As mentioned though it can cause some motion sickness for many so might try to do it later in the day, but definitely with checking out for fans of the series. Most of the motion sickness for people seems to come from the screen based portions versus the physical sets too so if you have to can close your eyes during those, just peek to see if it's done for when to reopen. [Not really a ride to compare to honestly. You can see pictures if you want to get a better idea online without watching a video. Or for an idea of the vehicles/system can search robocoaster]
Gringotts gets classified by a roller coaster by many but really it's more of a dark ride with some roller coaster elements. Id' say 90% of the ride is a dark ride with 3D screens, but it does have one small drop (estimated at around 30' but no exact details have been given - for comparison Splash's big drop is 50') at the start and a launch at the end that mainly goes uphill to get you back to the starting level. Neither are too intense and are very short segments that only last a few seconds each. [Overall it's very Rataouille-esque with just a couple very small coaster elements added]
Hogwarts Express is a train with video screen windows. Definitely recommend it, and do know that the experience is different each direction so do ride it both ways (Kings Cross to Hogsmeade, and vice versa). Also keep in mind, you said you did not plan to ride any with them, but this is more of a transportation system then a typical ride. You board the train in one park and get off it in a different park so you would probably need to ride with them. If you are not a ride person just know it is a very slow moving system that is a themed experience to move you from one land to another more so than a standard ride. Honestly biggest comparison outside the train would even be the parking lot trams at Disney. There aren't even restrains or seatbelts you just sit on cushioned benches.

The other two rides are coasters.
Flight of the Hippogriff is a small kids/family coaster. It's sort of Barnstormer level. You can see the entire thing as it is all open in a small footprint so can decide for yourself. It has a great Hippogriff animatronic at the start, but not really missing much if you skip it.
Hagrid's is a large family coaster with multiple launches and a couple small surprises. However, there are no real big drops on it. There is just one spot that does peak up higher but if you sit to the back of the train you will no go very high at that point. The start of the queue line gives a view of a portion of the ride so you can check it out and see if it's something you all think you could handle. It is a lot of fun and not too intense, and very smooth, but if you all hate coasters it might not be as enjoyable.
 
FJ doesn't have any drops (or even realistic simulated drops that "feel droppy"), but it does have scary elements (spiders, dementors) and there is motion every which way, including laying almost on your back. You are seated in a 4-across "bench" mounted on a robotic arm that moves through actual sets and synched screens. You cannot really see those next to you during the ride. It and Simpsons are the two biggest motion sickness culprits in Universal. It is not even remotely coaster-like. It is really a unique ride, and well worth doing if you think it's on the cusp of your tolerance.
Spiders? Thank you so much for saying that. Count me out.
 
What is the maximum intensity you can tolerate at Disney? Can you do Guardians, Everest, FOP, Tron? Were you ok on Splash? What about the last drop on Rise?
I don't do any of those. My kids have done 7DMT. We've never done the others. ROR we are planning on doing.
 
You have gotten some great advice so far. I can be a bit of a ride chicken, even with that Gringotts is one my favorite rides. Are your kids completely ok with the drop on splash? Is Big Thunder coaster no problem for them, if yes then they could easily do Gringotts. Its just one drop at the beginning and then turns into more of a fast Remy (love the comment of Remy/GOTG had a baby lol) with some small drops and a fast uphill take off at the end.
We have not been since Remy opened. We are planning on doing it. Is it sort of like the speed and turning from TSM but with screens?
 
All of it. HAHA
As a fellow ride coward, I'm right there with you. I did Gringotts once and that was it. I love Forbidden Journey but it's my absolute limit. I also find my balance is a bit off after I ride it. What you can do for Forbidden Journey is the Castle Tour. The Castle Tour is amazing. It's worth going through the entire line if there are major serious HP fans. You go through the queue and then tell a team member you do not want to ride and they will send you a different way. I'm not sure what happens with lockers in this situation.

Some Universal rides require lockers. They are either right before you get in line, or right before you ride. It is not a big deal. Unless you are bringing a gigantic backpack or diaper bag, your bag will probably fit in the lockers. I use the same bags in the park I use in my regular life and I have never had a problem getting the bag to fit in the locker.
 
Gringotts has the big suspenseful tilt down into blackness right at the beginning of the ride, but the actual drop is only maybe 15' down past the nose of the car. The last row might drop 30', the first row only 15'. After that there are some simulated drops matching action on screens. It is a smooth and comfortable ride. That said, my Mom is not a coaster person and disliked Gringotts because the simulated drops made it "feel" like more drops & speed there really were. She was fine with FJ.
 
I think you should watch videos of each.

- Hagrid's is a thrill coaster, they have to like coasters for this.

- Gringotts is on a track, coaster like, but I feel like with the big cars, dark inside and all, fun but tame. Queue is incredible!!!

- Forbidden Journey, again not a coaster, you are in a car on an arm .... but it makes me nauseous so I don't ride.

- Train is awesome.

- Kiddie coaster, you can see the whole thing and decide.
 
All of it. HAHA
Definitely do Hogwarts Express and I think Forbidden Journey if you don’t have lots of issues with motion sickness. As others mentioned, you’ll be able to see Flight of the Hippogriff and judge for yourself. I think the height of it would be the only concern if you don’t like heights. It’s a little off the ground but not super high.

Hagrid’s is a lot of fun but I think it’s a bit more intense than it appears and think you may not like the multiple launches based on what you’ve said.

I love Gringotts and don’t personally think it’s intense and would hate for you to miss it, but I have been surprised by others who did find it a little intense. If you don’t have bad motion sickness and are prepared for the first drop I think you would be fine. Definitely ask for seats in the front of the car to make the drop shorter.

The HP areas are amazing, have fun!
 
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Crazy question but do any of them have a gforce? I have an issue that requires no gforces on rides and that info is hard to find for Universal
 
Crazy question but do any of them have a gforce? I have an issue that requires no gforces on rides and that info is hard to find for Universal
If you really cannot have ANY g forces-I think the only thing that is safe is Hogwarts Express. Flight of the Hippograff would be very low gforce, especially at the front. But you are still going down minor hills and turns.

Forbidden Journey you are on a robotic arm tilting and turning, sometimes you are flat on hour back, sometimes upright, moving side to side, so as you move around there's definitely some gforce effect.

Gringotts has drops and acceleration-definitely a no-go

Hagrids is a roller coaster and has the highest gforce of them all.
 














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