How scary is HP's FJ ride?

[excited4dis]

My kids and I will be visiting US/IOA after our DW trip.

My sons (10 & 7) are HP fans. I noticed the HP rides look scary, but I was wondering if the FJ ride is?

My kids and I don't like rides that are too scary (the oldest one especially), but I heard the ride was awesome. So I don't know if we should give it a try. I don't want my kids freaking out.

 

[Badge]

The Harry Potter ride IS FJ. At the HP area of the park you have three rides. The Dragon Challenge are two dueling inverted roller coasters with loops and high speeds. The Hippogriff ride is a family friendly roller coaster that does not go very fast. The Forbidden Journey ride is the highlight of the HP area. It is an AMAZING, high tech, indoor ride. You will have big spiders, a dragon, and dementors in your face at some points during the ride. I do not like scary things at all. I HATE scary movies and stuff like that. Heck, I will not even watch that ghost hunters show on TV. However, the FJ ride was just fine. The dementors look pretty bad (like a black sheet over a big stick and then add a "face" to it. Not the greatest part of the ride) and really are not that scary. The dragons head does get close to you and blows smoke at you. The spider is big (just like the movies) and spits water at you. If they are HP fans and have watched the movies and are not scared, they should be fine. Give it a try. I think you will love it!

 

[excited4dis]

Ok, thank you. So the scariest things are the effects?

I wasn't sure if it was like being on a rollercoaster or not. I take it that it is more like a flight simulator?

I think my kids will be fine with the effects. I can't wait to go!

 

[yankeepenny]

to me, FJ was like flying my own Firebolt.

wicked awesome!

 

[Que_Sarah_Sarah]

Some of the effects are scary as **** though. I mean, I am 21 and I was freaked out. There was a basilisk in my face and I screamed like a little girl. So while the ride mechanism isn't overly terrifying, the effects are really quite intense. Just saying.

 

[fairyprincess88]

I've been on this ride at least 20 times and the effects and the motion can be scary depending on who is riding. The main effects of the ride are an up close, in your face meeting with a fire breathing dragon, a section filled with many spiders, including an acromantula(think Aragog from Chamber of Secrets) that spits on you, there is also an attack by the Whomping Willow and finally and encounter with dementors. These effects are all done using animatronics that are large in size and do at times get directly into your personal space, for example the dementors hover over your face and suck out your soul(with a pretty awesome effect of your face getting sucked away from you).

Also the ride movements are not that of a typical flight simulator. This ride gives you a true feeling of flight and it quickly moves you in various directions. In 20 seconds you can go from sitting straight up to sideways, to on your back and then back to sitting straight up all while ducking and dodging the forementioned spiders, dementors and Whomping Willow. It's not like a gentle flight such as Soarin and is certainly on par with a thrill ride.

 

[tink20]

I don't know if this is possible, but if you could ride first by yourself and see if they can handle it. I rode first (single rider line) and decided that it would be too much for DS (9). He gets motion sickness, and I didn't think he would do well on this ride. I liked the special effects, I just didn't like how jerky it was. (I get motion sickness too) Good luck.

 

[cindianne320]

I also got very scared on the ride! Not by the motion, but by the effects! I spent a lot of it with my eyes closed, and would like to ride again, now that I know what to expect!

 

[damo]

Scariness is very subjective. Big spiders, dementors, darkness, dragons, etc. They are all there but I don't find them scary and there are tons of small kids who ride who don't seem to find it scary. However, I'm sure there are many who do find it scary.

 

[carmiedog]

I'll refrain from posting my age, but I screamed my head off the first two times through. Your 10 yo will love it. 7 is a little iffier - depends on the kid. My 6.5yo is too short, but I wouldn't have taken her even if she was eligible to ride. She kept her eyes closed on jaws and spiderman, so no way she would have been ok with forbidden journey.

 

[excited4dis]

Thanks everyone.

We will be doing Disney first. Maybe by the time we leave there and go on some other rides at US/IOA (like Jaws/Spiderman), I will be able to tell more if I think they can handle it.

 

[SmallWorld71]

As was mentioned it depends on what you define as "scary." We went on it last summer and DH and DS(11) and DS(14) LOVED it and thought it was one of the best rides they ever went on. They ended up using single rider to go multiple times.
DD(7) didn't like it, but she was OK. I have a feeling that she will end up liking it when she is a little older.
My experience was completely different. I am fine with coasters and motion simulators and the like, but hate things that jump out at me. (I avoid Dinosaur at WDW.) I also hate spiders. The combination was just too much for me and even though my eyes ended up closed for about 3/4 of the ride and I did my best to block out all sound, I was terrified! I actually ended up bursting into tears when the ride was over. I haven't cried over a ride since I was a kid!

 

[Mnementh]

Also the ride movements are not that of a typical flight simulator. This ride gives you a true feeling of flight and it quickly moves you in various directions. In 20 seconds you can go from sitting straight up to sideways, to on your back and then back to sitting straight up all while ducking and dodging the forementioned spiders, dementors and Whomping Willow. It's not like a gentle flight such as Soarin and is certainly on par with a thrill ride.

I had the same worries as the OP and it seems that most people are saying that the effects are the scariest part, which I can handle, but this post takes a different approach and now it has me wondering. Do you literally go completely on your side and back while riding? And how about facing the ground? How far does it tilt you forward?

Also, is there a floor in the car you ride in or do your feet dangle, because that makes a huge difference to me.

 

[damo]

I had the same worries as the OP and it seems that most people are saying that the effects are the scariest part, which I can handle, but this post takes a different approach and now it has me wondering. Do you literally go completely on your side and back while riding? And how about facing the ground? How far does it tilt you forward?

Also, is there a floor in the car you ride in or do your feet dangle, because that makes a huge difference to me.

Your feet dangle. I don't think you ever completely face the ground or go completely on your side but you do lay on your back.

 

[fairyprincess88]

I had the same worries as the OP and it seems that most people are saying that the effects are the scariest part, which I can handle, but this post takes a different approach and now it has me wondering. Do you literally go completely on your side and back while riding? And how about facing the ground? How far does it tilt you forward?

Also, is there a floor in the car you ride in or do your feet dangle, because that makes a huge difference to me.

Your feet dangle. Yes you literally do go completely to your back so at one point you're laying back and looking straight up, and the same facing sideways. This is what the ride vehicle looks like as it moves through the scenes:

As you can see the "magical bench" is attached to a robotic arm that moves along a track. The robotic arm allows for full rotation of movement, meaning it can go sideways, backwards, upside down ect. In Forbidden Journey you do not go upside down at all but you do explore a full range of the arms movement including sideways and to your back.

So yes the ride is designed to simulate flight but not a gentle flight such as Soarin but more of a thrilling fast flight such as what it would be like to be in the middle of a high stakes Quidditch game with Harry.

 

[SmallWorld71]

Also, is there a floor in the car you ride in or do your feet dangle, because that makes a huge difference to me.

I know you got your answer. But, I just wanted to add that DH, who is terrified on Soarin for this very reason, had no problems on FJ and rode many times. He said the difference was the over the shoulder harness which made him feel secure. He hates flying and Soarin freaked him out, but he loved FJ. YMMV

 

[Mnementh]

I know you got your answer. But, I just wanted to add that DH, who is terrified on Soarin for this very reason, had no problems on FJ and rode many times. He said the difference was the over the shoulder harness which made him feel secure. He hates flying and Soarin freaked him out, but he loved FJ. YMMV

My DW is the same with Soarin', though I enjoyed it. I'm still iffy about riding FJ though. DW wants me to test-ride it before she goes on to let her know.

 

[englishrose47]

I LOVE Dinasaur at AK, my DGKs hated it , and yet the girls LOVE all the rollercoasters !! They are also afraid of spiders so I am not sure how they would fare on this !! For once Grandma might be the brave one !! How long is the total ride ??

 

[klacey1]

Your feet dangle. Yes you literally do go completely to your back so at one point you're laying back and looking straight up, and the same facing sideways. This is what the ride vehicle looks like as it moves through the scenes:

As you can see the "magical bench" is attached to a robotic arm that moves along a track. The robotic arm allows for full rotation of movement, meaning it can go sideways, backwards, upside down ect. In Forbidden Journey you do not go upside down at all but you do explore a full range of the arms movement including sideways and to your back.

So yes the ride is designed to simulate flight but not a gentle flight such as Soarin but more of a thrilling fast flight such as what it would be like to be in the middle of a high stakes Quidditch game with Harry.

So, in terms of height, do you ever go that high off the ground? Can you not tell? Does the ride go through a series of rooms, like Spiderman, or just one, like Soarin?

 

[damo]

So, in terms of height, do you ever go that high off the ground? Can you not tell? Does the ride go through a series of rooms, like Spiderman, or just one, like Soarin?

You go through a series of rooms. You are between 10 and 20 feet off the ground and you vary. However, you never see the ground so you really don't realize how high up you are.