Here's how to **avoid** the long line for Forbidden Journey!

[snoopboop]

As far as I'm concerned, if I paid to be in the park, the castle is there for me to see just as much as it is there for everyone else to see.

Right. You can walk through that queue, or any other, for that matter, if you wish. As I said, it's nice that Uni has the castle tour line for those who know they're going to bow out of the line before the ride.

This is being touted as a way to outsmart the system - get a shortcut through the castle and then hop in line, rather than waiting with all of the other bozos who aren't so clever.

 

[ladybugx]

Right. You can walk through that queue, or any other, for that matter, if you wish. As I said, it's nice that Uni has the castle tour line for those who know they're going to bow out of the line before the ride.

This is being touted as a way to outsmart the system - get a shortcut through the castle and then hop in line, rather than waiting with all of the other bozos who aren't so clever.

Well, I don't see it that way. I see those in the regular line as people who do not want to ride singly and/or who are not pressed for time because they have tickets for more than one day. I only have one day to tackle both parks, so my sister and I will be doing a lot of rides singly to save ourselves some time. The compromise is that we don't get to experience everything together. This doesn't mean we're not allowed to go on a castle tour as long as Universal provides us that option.

 

[Kelli4Cy]

Just now planning our first family trip to Universal. Our youngest is too short (44") to ride this ride. But if just my husband or I wanted to walk her through the castle, we could do the tour so she could see it all and then not ride the ride???

 

[CTDisneyfan816]

As I have never done the tour I have no idea what the rules are, but assuming you can join the single rider line, I think the option should be to join it at the end. They do need to do something to make sure they do not go in the middle row.

 

[damo]

Just now planning our first family trip to Universal. Our youngest is too short (44") to ride this ride. But if just my husband or I wanted to walk her through the castle, we could do the tour so she could see it all and then not ride the ride???

Yes, just tell Team Member what you would like to do and they will direct you to the right place.

 

[BrinkofSunshine]

Keep in mind that if the single rider line is too long, they won't let you do this. Because then you'd be skipping the single riders as well.

 

[Bluer101]

Eventually there will be no castle tour. The castle tour will eventually become express. There is no signage for a castle tour and was not built this way. Universal decided that many people wanted to see the great theming and allowed this. But at the entrance there is a regular line and single rider line. No where does universal advertise hey come do the tour first and at the end you can choose to ride single. If you wish to do this go out the door after the tour and down the steps. Proceed outside and get in the proper single rider line like everyone else. No matter how you put it the tour to single rider is not correct. TM's will allow this as a courtesy when slow because people cannot follow directions and don't want to upset the guest.

 

[johnvree]

Stuff like line cutting/avoiding lines normally drives me crazy. But I try not to let it upset me when I am on vacation. I'm just happy to be on vacation.

 

[captaindavidhook]

I'm going solo and was wondering if I can take advantage of this "tour"? Also where will the cast member be for me to ask them for this special tour. Are they at the entrance to the ride?

 

[Bluer101]

I'm going solo and was wondering if I can take advantage of this "tour"? Also where will the cast member be for me to ask them for this special tour. Are they at the entrance to the ride?

Just ask any of the TM at the ride. They will direct you to the tour. It's nor really a tour but walk through at your own pace.

 

[captaindavidhook]

Just ask any of the TM at the ride. They will direct you to the tour. It's nor really a tour but walk through at your own pace.

Thanks

 

[dpuck1998]

We did the tour over christmas, note that they don't allow tours when the line is over 90 mins (I think that was the cutoff). I had no idea they would ask if we wanted to ride, in fact as we were leaving they stopped and asked if we wanted to ride. I was take back a little and explained we were on the tour, she said its okay if some of you want to ride. I declined because I wasn't prepared to ride, but next time I would take them up on it.

 

[bumbershoot]

Just now planning our first family trip to Universal. Our youngest is too short (44") to ride this ride. But if just my husband or I wanted to walk her through the castle, we could do the tour so she could see it all and then not ride the ride???

You could even all go in the normal line and see it all until the sorting hat. Then you would all exit or you would do child swap at that time, with the little one and a parent going to a room to watch part of a hp movie, then switching out.

Op, when you are done with the tour, where in the single line does it put you? Are you ending up being put in front of others in that line? IMO that's a disconnect in this conversation.

I feel that the sr line's trade off is riding solo, not the aspect of not seeing the line.

 

[damo]

You could even all go in the normal line and see it all until the sorting hat. Then you would all exit or you would do child swap at that time, with the little one and a parent going to a room to watch part of a hp movie, then switching out.

Op, when you are done with the tour, where in the single line does it put you? Are you ending up being put in front of others in that line? IMO that's a disconnect in this conversation.

I feel that the sr line's trade off is riding solo, not the aspect of not seeing the line.

I agree. If you are put in the back of the SR line, I don't understand the issue here. Continually, posters on this forum tell people that if they want to have a shorter wait, to make sure they use the single rider lines. We tell them that if they want to take a leisurely tour through the castle, to use the tour first and then use the SRL for subsequent rides. Are people trying to say that only those who go solo to the parks should be using the SRL now?

 

[dpuck1998]

I agree. If you are put in the back of the SR line, I don't understand the issue here. Continually, posters on this forum tell people that if they want to have a shorter wait, to make sure they use the single rider lines. We tell them that if they want to take a leisurely tour through the castle, to use the tour first and then use the SRL for subsequent rides. Are people trying to say that only those who go solo to the parks should be using the SRL now?

I'm not sure where the single rider line starts, but there wasn't anyone in front of us when we reached that point, so it looked like you were put in the back of the single rider line. That is likely why they have a time limit, so the single rider line doesn't back up past the merge point/sorting hat area. People that sneak into the regular line are a different story. I had several people try to get past me to 'catch up' with their family and I told them no, I'm waiting in a line. They proceeded to duck under the rail and get about 10 people ahead and didn't make it any further. Selfish and disrespectful people exist everywhere, not just at theme parks.

 

[Bluer101]

 

[hopemax]

You could even all go in the normal line and see it all until the sorting hat. Then you would all exit or you would do child swap at that time, with the little one and a parent going to a room to watch part of a hp movie, then switching out.

Op, when you are done with the tour, where in the single line does it put you? Are you ending up being put in front of others in that line? IMO that's a disconnect in this conversation.

I feel that the sr line's trade off is riding solo, not the aspect of not seeing the line.

The "tour" finishes in the same area where the test vehicle/merge point is. There is a door, on the left, that leads to the exit. When the ride first opened, the SR line would often extend past this point, into the Gryffindor Common Room, so it would lead to "cutting." But when we were there in September, the SR line only had a handful of people (5 or less), and one time was completely empty by the time we loaded. Now that I think about it, my summer visits were like that too.

At this point, the regular standby may be short enough that the appeal of the SR line has worn off, other than for true SR's and maybe some teens packing in as many rides as possible. Better to just wait 15-20 min (these were the waits we experienced) and see the whole castle and ride together, than save a few minutes and ride separately.

 

[hpriamson]

I agree. If you are put in the back of the SR line, I don't understand the issue here. Continually, posters on this forum tell people that if they want to have a shorter wait, to make sure they use the single rider lines. We tell them that if they want to take a leisurely tour through the castle, to use the tour first and then use the SRL for subsequent rides. Are people trying to say that only those who go solo to the parks should be using the SRL now?

Maybe they're the same people saying you shouldn't get a hotel room at the "other" parks unless you actually sleep in the room.

 

[macraven]

I'm not sure where the single rider line starts, but there wasn't anyone in front of us when we reached that point, so it looked like you were put in the back of the single rider line. That is likely why they have a time limit, so the single rider line doesn't back up past the merge point/sorting hat area. People that sneak into the regular line are a different story. I had several people try to get past me to 'catch up' with their family and I told them no, I'm waiting in a line. They proceeded to duck under the rail and get about 10 people ahead and didn't make it any further. Selfish and disrespectful people exist everywhere, not just at theme parks.

i go solo and use the srl a lot for this ride.
i also stay onsite and don't always use the express lines for other rides.

when you enter the building, there is a sign on a stand that points to the left.
it states, single riders.

go up those stairs.
the tm's upstairs will direct you to the srl.


if you are not taking the tour, you can hit this line immediately inside the castle, well, it's at the point where the tm's will look and make sure you have checked you don't have bags with you.
you are sent back to the lockers if you do.

 

[mischief32]

When we were there during Christmas we were waiting in the express line for the Mummy and there was a boy in front of us. It was just him. The next thing I know his whole family pushes past everyone to get to him basically cutting the line. There were 7 of them. They then proceeded to talk as loud as possible to each other but why not no on else around them seems to speak the language they spoke. I was pissed but did not say anything. We get up the were they ask how many and they are placed against the wall because they all want to ride together so we hopped on before them anyway.