Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts

[captainmoch]

Yes

Is there any word on timeframe or even what the attraction will be? The next few years already seem pretty busy with so many new attractions, plus I still can't figure out what a MoM attraction would be like.

 

[Bulldog45]

Rode this for the first time over the weekend. I was a little disappointed my first ride because I was expecting more of a roller coaster like the Mummy is, but thoroughly enjoyed it after tempering my expectations. However, the lockers for this ride are a complete joke. It is like swimming upstream trying to get in and out of that area. They really need to do something about this.

 

[anihilnation]

Rode this for the first time over the weekend. I was a little disappointed my first ride because I was expecting more of a roller coaster like the Mummy is, but thoroughly enjoyed it after tempering my expectations. However, the lockers for this ride are a complete joke. It is like swimming upstream trying to get in and out of that area. They really need to do something about this.

Indeed, you can't even consider it a coaster, it just uses coaster elements, but that is really it. I am always glad I knew beforehand not to expect a coaster, so my expectations were on the low side, that being said, I have always liked the ride, it is very immersive and outside of (un)load you never encounter an other RV. As for lockers, I luckily never need them, but I agree, they did them really bad, I really find it odd.

 

[Lucky Planet]

this ride is not a coaster but it is not as good of a dark ride either, it is a mixture of both that doesnt deliver either.

It has too many screens and not enough cool pieces between the screens, The screens are nice but the ride feels short and quick.
it is almost a simulator ride that just happens to move around.
Transformers and Spiderman might be similar in length but they feel more complete for some reason and their sets feel more impressive.

Now Kong has some of the same problems this had. doesnt feel complete, relies too much on screens, goes by quick, seems like they spent more time on the queue than the ride itself etc.

 

[shiekra38]

this ride is not a coaster but it is not as good of a dark ride either, it is a mixture of both that doesnt deliver either.

It has too many screens and not enough cool pieces between the screens, The screens are nice but the ride feels short and quick.
it is almost a simulator ride that just happens to move around.
Transformers and Spiderman might be similar in length but they feel more complete for some reason and their sets feel more impressive.

Now Kong has some of the same problems this had. doesnt feel complete, relies too much on screens, goes by quick, seems like they spent more time on the queue than the ride itself etc.

I think they have the "people spend more time in line than on rides" mentality going on right now..Not saying it is right or wrong, just saying

 

[Galaxy Defender]

I think they have the "people spend more time in line than on rides" mentality going on right now..Not saying it is right or wrong, just saying

Let's face it, this is true. We do spend more time in lines than on the ride itself most if the time. Universal has put a series of mini shows in the HP queues. Each one does a great job of distracting from the fact that you are in a line.

 

[Mad Dog]

Let's face it, this is true. We do spend more time in lines than on the ride itself most if the time. Universal has put a series of mini shows in the HP queues. Each one does a great job of distracting from the fact that you are in a line.

I love a great queue. That's as important to me as the ride itself. Instead of 3 or 4 minutes of good entertainment, a great queue gives you fantastic entertainment many multiples the ride time. I won't rate a ride in my top tier unless the queue is very good also. Barebone rope lines, or long passageways without anything meaningful to experience, detract from an attractions' totality of experience. It's the "Total Package" that is most meaningful to me and separates the great attractions and great theme parks from the ordinary.

 

[ET_The_Alien]

this ride is not a coaster but it is not as good of a dark ride either, it is a mixture of both that doesnt deliver either.

It has too many screens and not enough cool pieces between the screens, The screens are nice but the ride feels short and quick.
it is almost a simulator ride that just happens to move around.
Transformers and Spiderman might be similar in length but they feel more complete for some reason and their sets feel more impressive.

Now Kong has some of the same problems this had. doesnt feel complete, relies too much on screens, goes by quick, seems like they spent more time on the queue than the ride itself etc.

Er i have to disagree with you here. I thought a lot of Gringotts effects were very well done (Like the first drop, the finale where you go through the screen, ect.) Gringotts isnt trying to fit into a dark ride or rollercoaster, it's just something different (I actually liked Gringotts a tiny bit better then Forbidden journey, i know unpopular opinion.) I feel like kong suffers from a lack of Story, Physical sets, and really no narration or pacing. (Let's admit it, putting in a random character like kate that the audience doesnt care about or know wasn't the best call for Universal, especially when she gets attacked by that crab arm thing seems humorous) It just seems Kong could of been so much more if Universal wanted it to be, but i'll take what i can get, Kong wasn't suppose to be on par to the harry potter attractions and rather just adding capacity, which is fine.

 

[Lucky Planet]

I think they have the "people spend more time in line than on rides" mentality going on right now..Not saying it is right or wrong, just saying

Let's face it, this is true. We do spend more time in lines than on the ride itself most if the time. Universal has put a series of mini shows in the HP queues. Each one does a great job of distracting from the fact that you are in a line.

I love a great queue. That's as important to me as the ride itself. Instead of 3 or 4 minutes of good entertainment, a great queue gives you fantastic entertainment many multiples the ride time. I won't rate a ride in my top tier unless the queue is very good also. Barebone rope lines, or long passageways without anything meaningful to experience, detract from an attractions' totality of experience. It's the "Total Package" that is most meaningful to me and separates the great attractions and great theme parks from the ordinary.

U guys make sense, make good points. It is true that we do spend a lot in the queue. A simple queue can make the wait boring.

I think for me the problem is when it feels like the queue was better than the ride itself. Or it feels like the queue was nicer to see. The gringotts animatronics in the queue feel nicer to see than the ride screens. I dont know, i guess i have the mentality that if i see a really really good animatronic i expect it to be part of the ride and not the queue, but ill admit maybe thats just old fashion of me. I know the future of rides is screens and maybe thats mt bias, i still expect to see robots as part of the ride and when i see them in the queue i guess it feels backwards.

Er i have to disagree with you here. I thought a lot of Gringotts effects were very well done (Like the first drop, the finale where you go through the screen, ect.) Gringotts isnt trying to fit into a dark ride or rollercoaster, it's just something different (I actually liked Gringotts a tiny bit better then Forbidden journey, i know unpopular opinion.) I feel like kong suffers from a lack of Story, Physical sets, and really no narration or pacing. (Let's admit it, putting in a random character like kate that the audience doesnt care about or know wasn't the best call for Universal, especially when she gets attacked by that crab arm thing seems humorous) It just seems Kong could of been so much more if Universal wanted it to be, but it'll take what i can get, Kong wasn't suppose to be on par to the harry potter attractions and rather just adding capacity, which is fine.

But does gringotts makes any more sense than kong if u havent seen the movie?
If a person has not seen potter they wont know who the creepy bald guy is or why theres a dragon all of the sudden out of nowhere. I dont think gringotts tells a cohesive story to a non potter fan.
Specially if they dont pay attention to the pre show.

I think i do like kong more than gringotts. And if u never saw kobg then the ride is easily just a safari ride where they go to a jungle with giant things attacking.
Sure it could have more story but i think a non kong fan wont be as confused as a non potter fan lol

 

[Mad Dog]

U guys make sense, make good points. It is true that we do spend a lot in the queue. A simple queue can make the wait boring.

I think for me the problem is when it feels like the queue was better than the ride itself. Or it feels like the queue was nicer to see. The gringotts animatronics in the queue feel nicer to see than the ride screens. I dont know, i guess i have the mentality that if i see a really really good animatronic i expect it to be part of the ride and not the queue, but ill admit maybe thats just old fashion of me. I know the future of rides is screens and maybe thats mt bias, i still expect to see robots as part of the ride and when i see them in the queue i guess it feels backwards.



But does gringotts makes any more sense than kong if u havent seen the movie?
If a person has not seen potter they wont know who the creepy bald guy is or why theres a dragon all of the sudden out of nowhere. I dont think gringotts tells a cohesive story to a non potter fan.
Specially if they dont pay attention to the pre show.

I think i do like kong more than gringotts. And if u never saw kobg then the ride is easily just a safari ride where they go to a jungle with giant things attacking.
Sure it could have more story but i think a non kong fan wont be as confused as a non potter fan lol

Good post. You make some interesting posts. One thing that I like about AA's in the queue is that you can linger and enjoy them, whereas in a ride, unless there's a long pause like there is with Kong, you kind of get rushed by and miss a lot. My favorite rides with Pirates of the Caribbean is when we would have a brief breakdown in front of one of the sets and I had more time to see the AA's. I like what Universal is doing with these great queues, especially if the have a few knockout AA's. It gives the attraction a nice long length and everything doesn't seem like it's over in a flash. As an example, I actually like Forbidden Journey better when it has at least a 30 minute line. That way I get to slow down and enjoy all the excellent queue scenes. I try to slow down and let people by when there's a short line, but it's a bit of a hassle since people get pushy when they're rushing by. It may take awhile for some of the people to begin enjoying the great queues as much as the rides.

 

[mitchada04]

So I rode this for the first time a few weeks ago (I'll get round to a Kong review later, so busy packing for university :shock: )

Last time I went was December 2013 so it was still a construction site and I have been living in a box since to avoid any spoilers. I'm so glad I did! The queue is great. We had a 40 minute 'wait' where the outside bit never stopped (can imagine that isn't much fun out back when it's rammed) and then entered the main lobby. Wow. The chandeliers are great, the goblins fab. Especially the main one talking to you about opening an account. My partner thought it was an actor in a suit at first! Then winding down and seeing the open vaults which I was told by my geeky partner are very accurate. No surprise there. Photo bit was alright, then that queue down to the batch point with all the offices, people walking past etc is simple but clever. Preshow is good fun, then the painting that talks to you before going in the lifts and the effects used there. It was all just great. And the seeing the station, stunning. So glad I hadn't read up on any of this.

Board the mine cart and off we go. Didn't expect it to have that much speed. The tilt track is great fun and well synced with Bellatrix. Then I realised how amazing squinching is, riding it in both front and back car I was astounded at how well it all lined up. Love that technique. The car movement when stationary is cool for a coaster, the physical sets between screens were great like the mine track above your head. Overall I really enjoyed it! I love the collapsing screen thing and launching into the darkness, definitely a cred.

So yeah, I really enjoyed it. As did everyone by all the cheering. Yeah, it's another screen ride but it was really good fun. If I'm to nitpick, I'm in the bottom of Gringotts, why am I going even further down to get out? Also, locker room is tiny. Other than that, was very happy.

 

[UNIrd]

Rode this for the first time over the weekend. I was a little disappointed my first ride because I was expecting more of a roller coaster like the Mummy is, but thoroughly enjoyed it after tempering my expectations. However, the lockers for this ride are a complete joke. It is like swimming upstream trying to get in and out of that area. They really need to do something about this.

And it's always disgustingly hot in there. I feel for the TMs who actually have to work there.

 

[ET_The_Alien]

Rode this for the first time over the weekend. I was a little disappointed my first ride because I was expecting more of a roller coaster like the Mummy is, but thoroughly enjoyed it after tempering my expectations. However, the lockers for this ride are a complete joke. It is like swimming upstream trying to get in and out of that area. They really need to do something about this.

I felt the locker situation at forbidden journey was equally if not worse than gringotts, a big issue was a lot of people where confused on how to open the lockers.

 

[Scott W.]

I rode for the first time yesterday and I loved it. I thought it was better than FJ. I have heard by so many people that it wasn't really a coaster so it was a good surprise to feel the speed and turns that I didn't really expect.

The queue was also equally as impressive. The main AA is hands down the most realistic one I have ever seen. About 90% of the time I would have sworn it was real.

The lockers at the end like people have mentioned were unbearabley hot. It's a problem that really shouldn't exist.

The only thing that almost spoiled it was a Brazilian family in front of us in the queue. The parents were all over each other, the dad kept chapping all the marble saying how fake it was, the kids kept trying to rip the fake newspapers and then the dad started singing loudly for most of the ride.

 

[ET_The_Alien]

The only thing that almost spoiled it was a Brazilian family in front of us in the queue. The parents were all over each other, the dad kept chapping all the marble saying how fake it was, the kids kept trying to rip the fake newspapers and then the dad started singing loudly for most of the ride.

Completely agree on your opinion of the ride, however how did they try to do that, did any of the staff say anything to them? O_O

 

[Mad Dog]

I rode for the first time yesterday and I loved it. I thought it was better than FJ. I have heard by so many people that it wasn't really a coaster so it was a good surprise to feel the speed and turns that I didn't really expect.

The queue was also equally as impressive. The main AA is hands down the most realistic one I have ever seen. About 90% of the time I would have sworn it was real.

The lockers at the end like people have mentioned were unbearabley hot. It's a problem that really shouldn't exist.

The only thing that almost spoiled it was a Brazilian family in front of us in the queue. The parents were all over each other, the dad kept chapping all the marble saying how fake it was, the kids kept trying to rip the fake newspapers and then the dad started singing loudly for most of the ride.

Glad you enjoyed it. And, good news, it gets better the more times you ride it. Plus different seats have different views and experiences. I ride it at least a dozen times each vacation visit.

 

[anihilnation]

I rode for the first time yesterday and I loved it. I thought it was better than FJ. I have heard by so many people that it wasn't really a coaster so it was a good surprise to feel the speed and turns that I didn't really expect.

The queue was also equally as impressive. The main AA is hands down the most realistic one I have ever seen. About 90% of the time I would have sworn it was real.

The lockers at the end like people have mentioned were unbearabley hot. It's a problem that really shouldn't exist.

The only thing that almost spoiled it was a Brazilian family in front of us in the queue. The parents were all over each other, the dad kept chapping all the marble saying how fake it was, the kids kept trying to rip the fake newspapers and then the dad started singing loudly for most of the ride.

Sorry to hear about the obnoxious idiots. And yes, the two coaster parts (drop and launch) are done really well. If you get to do the ride again and you sit in row 3 or 6 on the outside, in the second troll scene, where you drop down to meet Bill again etc., take of your goggles and observe the actuator, incredible to see how the track moves.

 

[Teebin]

As an example, I actually like Forbidden Journey better when it has at least a 30 minute line.

You realize that you can stop anywhere in that queue and backup against the rail and flag people by. That's what I did in the dark arts classroom so that I could see all three shows.

take of your goggles and observe the actuator, incredible to see how the track moves.

If one is able to ride numerous times, that is such a fun thing to do. Spider Man is fun like that too. Fold those glasses and keep them in your hand. It will also give you an idea how powerful and dangerous the machinery is.

 

[Mad Dog]

You realize that you can stop anywhere in that queue and backup against the rail and flag people by. That's what I did in the dark arts classroom so that I could see all three shows.



If one is able to ride numerous times, that is such a fun thing to do. Spider Man is fun like that too. Fold those glasses and keep them in your hand. It will also give you an idea how powerful and dangerous the machinery is.

Yes. That's kind of what I said I do in my post. But that doesn't stop people from pushing through. They get that "deer in the lights" look as they run by.

 

[Teebin]

Yes. That's kind of what I said I do in my post. But that doesn't stop people from pushing through. They get that "deer in the lights" look as they run by.

Up your rudeness just a wee bit.