">"Yer ranking the rides, Harry!"
It’s my favorite time of the year again, friends, where I rank rides that everyone on the internet is going to agree with and no one is going to complain. This time, let’s touch a very famous fanbase that surely won’t be angry if I put Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey in last place when it comes to the best Harry Potter rides in Universal Orlando.
Yep, that’s right, it’s time to rank all four main Harry Potter rides in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter, and we are going to take a look at both Universal Studios and Islands of Adventure.
This ranking takes into consideration a lot of important and intricate details, like… nah, scratch that, it only takes into account how fun a ride is. Are you ready to nod in agreement with every single choice? Okay, let’s do it
harry-potter-and-the-forbidden-journey">Number 4: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey
We are starting with the right foot, guys! Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is the least impressive Harry Potter-ride in Universal Orlando. Sorry. Please, don’t raise your pitchforks, I know a lot of people love this one. I have to agree that the queue is one of the best ones in Universal, and there are a lot of awesome easter eggs for the fans. You also come face to face with the original actors and there are a lot of fun things to see for the diehard fans.
As a ride, however, Forbidden Journey is just… okay, honestly. I think the visuals don’t look that good, and it shakes way, wayyy too much. I swear that the mechanical arm shakes you more than 90% of the roller coasters in Florida. It’s just not that comfortable. I hope they change it somehow in the future, by completely replacing the vehicles or just improving the visuals.
flight-of-the-hippogriff">Number 3: Flight of the Hippogriff
I can already hear some fans being like: “Rawr, how is a junior coaster ahead of Forbidden Journey!?” yeah, it doesn’t make a ton of sense, but I am considering the target audience for this one. For a junior coaster for kids, Flight of the Hippogriff is completely fine. It’s even better than The Barnstormer at Magic Kingdom! It takes a minute from beginning to end, has short drops, a few fun turns and that’s it. You can’t ask for much more.
harry-potter-and-the-escape-from-gringotts">Number 2: Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts
I really like this one! The queue is great, even if not as amazing as the one you find in Forbidden Journey, but the ride experience is just better. Escape from Gringotts is almost like Revenge of the Mummy made for Harry Potter fans, with Emma Watson & friends replacing Brendan Fraser. There are a lot of cool setpieces in both the dark ride part of the attraction and also the roller coaster portion. Do I wish that the visuals were better and a bit less blurry? Sure, but that is still an awesome ride at Universal Studios.
hagrid’s-magical-creatures-motorbike-adventure">Number 1: Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
That was an easy choice. Hagrid’s is not only the best Harry Potter ride at Universal, but one of the best rides in Florida. Period. This is a really fun family coaster with seven launches and awesome setpieces and tricks that will make you smile. It’s comfortable, it’s fast and it’s just pure fun. I don’t even like to say a lot about this ride, since the surprises are really good, so make sure to read our review if you want to know a little more about it.
What about you, do you agree with our choices? Love it? Hate it? Do you also think that it will be hard to beat Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure when it comes to the best Harry Potter ride in Universal? We’d love to hear your thoughts. Until the next one!
