Escape from Gringotts just.... meh

I'm actually quite glad it isn't intense. It means my DH will ride ;)

Plus FJ is the only ride I've ever ridden which made me motion sick. I love intense rides but that made me a bit queasy. Someone a few cars back actually threw up and they had to shut it down temporarily.
 
The original Hogsmeade and Forbidden Journey were so great and so intense, I don't think I had ever been more intrigued in my life. Fast FW to 4100 pages later and I had high expectations for DA, HE and EfG. Mind blown to say the least. Perfect in every way, especially for me b/c my 6yo who enjoyed the books and movies with me has joined in all the amazing fun!

The only improvement would be to get gringotts working consistently everyday from EE to close and to redub the actor's voices. Spoiler: Voldemort a and Bellatrix are great, the 3 main character new actors are bad and Hermione's voice is so off especially on HE. We need a petition for Dan, Emma and Rupert to come through for us!!
 
The original Hogsmeade and Forbidden Journey were so great and so intense, I don't think I had ever been more intrigued in my life. Fast FW to 4100 pages later and I had high expectations for DA, HE and EfG. Mind blown to say the least. Perfect in every way, especially for me b/c my 6yo who enjoyed the books and movies with me has joined in all the amazing fun!

The only improvement would be to get gringotts working consistently everyday from EE to close and to redub the actor's voices. Spoiler: Voldemort a and Bellatrix are great, the 3 main character new actors are bad and Hermione's voice is so off especially on HE. We need a petition for Dan, Emma and Rupert to come through for us!!

That is Rupert's voice. It is just Dan and Emma who declined to add their voices.
 
Oh thanks! It figures he was awesome and did it, I guess I was just so distracted by the others I couldn't figure it out.
 


I haven't ridden EFG yet, but I think that the immersion into the world of Potter is what many of us like about FJ and EFG. We get to be "in" the magical world.

In FJ, you get to be in some of the more exciting parts of the books/movies. I'm guessing it is the same with EFG.

So if UO does it with 3D, that is ok. At least we get to "be" in Diagon Alley and Gringotts and Hogsmeade and Hogwarts. Even if the rides aren't a thrill, they put you "there". And it's quite magical, especially for those of us who are Potterheads (and there are plenty here on the dis who are not Potterheads and enjoy it just as much).
 
I haven't read all the posts, but we were there a few weeks ago. DA is really amazing, but we waited close to 90 minutes for EFG and DH, both DD's (10 & 8 ), and I all agreed that it wasn't nearly as good as FJ. Being inside Gringotts was cool, but pales in comparison to the FJ queue, which is the best queue I have ever seen. We wouldn't wait more than 10-15 minutes to ride EFG again. In fact, both my DD's liked the Transformers and Minions rides better than EFG (and my DD10 is a huge Potter fan). On the other hand, Hogwarts Express exceeded our expectations. Maybe that's because we did not expect much, and I'm not saying it's necessarily better than EFG, but it was very cute and fun. All that said, having been to Disney a ton of times it made us think that Disney needs to up their game. The "new Fantasyland" cannot compare to DA and Hogsmead. We love Universal now!
 
Just wanted to say that I rode EFG twice in a row on our previous visit, and then had a looooong debate with my son over which is superior: Escape from Gringotts or the Forbidden Journey.

My son feels that EFG has the edge, mainly due to the strength and coherency of the storytelling during the ride. And it's smoother and doesn't make you feel sick. And the integration of 3-D and motion is seamless.

Me, I gave the edge to FJ, because I love the fact that it takes you flying out of the park and into a whole other world. And, no 3-D glasses needed! But, my son is right, the FJ story is a wee bit all over the place and some of the scene-to-scene transitions are jumpy.

But we both agree that these are the two best rides in the parks. :thumbsup2
 


We loved Gringott’s! I’m wondering if the 2 hr wait was with Express Pass? Our last Universal trip it wasn’t on EP so we rope dropped it. It was new and had lots of glitches, was down a lot but I’m sure those must be worked out now. Can’t wait for April trip!
Sorry I don’t see comparisons with 7DMT?
 
Here are my quick observations -- will post more -- we're still on vacation --- not much time to post. :thumbsup2

Gringotts ride --- if this doesn't impress, then I don't know what can impress a person. I loved it. My wife and son liked FJ a little more -- but they were still blown away by Gringotts. My daughter and I were blown away with both FJ and Gringotts. Gringotts attention to detail – incredible!

Diagon Alley -- I say this with a heavy heart. We have spent a great deal of time there over the past few days. Disney World and the rest of the Universal park - can't hold a candle to the immersive experience of DA. In a word it's 'spectacular'.

I will always love Disney World - but DA, especially in the evenings -- is untouchable. I am blown away by the experience, the detail, the whole story, the shopping, the shows, the ice cream, the depth of detail, the back alleys, .... the everything.

I don't say this lightly. Add in the Hogwarts Express -- it raises the bar to an entirely new level that I doubt Disney can challenge.

I said this to my wife – again with a heavy heart. Can the Disney imagineers make something as technically interesting? .... certainly without question.

Bottom line – Disney doesn’t have the most important ingredient – they don't have the content or story that is as beloved as the HP series of BOOKS and movies.

That's going to be the key. There were kids and adults, TRUE HP fans, fans of the story, wiping a tear from their eye, as they walked around exploring DA. When I saw that – I said, it’s over. Not Star Wars, and certainly NOT Avatar is going to evoke such passion. The depth and breadth of the HP story, and passion that comes with it --- movies will never eclipse the loyalty / engagement of a book --- cannot be overcome by flash. You can recreate the ‘flash’ and technical wonder --- but never the depth and breadth of the story.

Again I'm not a big fan of HP -- I'm blown away.
The evenings/nights --- dear I say it, 'magical'.

Wonderful quote! The magic you describe is like none other for us potterheads!
 
Ugh, I failed to look at dates :o

Just to get some closure, yes the wait times were pre-EP for Gringott's. The ride doesn't go down often like it did initially. If you have Express Passes, use it. If you don't, then the Single Rider Line is usually your next best bet. Have fun, and ride The Mummy while you are in the Studios! :)
 
Just to get some closure, yes the wait times were pre-EP for Gringott's. The ride doesn't go down often like it did initially. If you have Express Passes, use it. If you don't, then the Single Rider Line is usually your next best bet. Have fun, and ride The Mummy while you are in the Studios! :)
That’s good to know! Yes, we’ll have Express Pass from hotel. Love The Mummy!
 
I got to try it this weekend and loved it. My aunt had me so scared to ride it but it’s very mild and I get scared easily. I remember someone said this one was to family friendly while FJ is to scary. I agree. I’m still scared of FJ and I rode in 2014. The only bad things were the seats were uncomfortable and small. I really wish they had animatronics instead of all screens. I agree I didn’t know what was going on storyline wise. It seems like they pulled a Disney. Spend most of the budget on the area(Diagon Alley is breathtaking) and have extreme budget cuts on the actual attraction. We got there super late and were rushing to do everything. I didn’t get to explore Diagon Alley. I’m defintely planning a trip to go back. I’m going to spend half my day taking pics, exploring, and riding Gringotts.
 
Just went on Gringott's yesterday for the first time and absolutely LOVED it (this is coming from a Disney loyalist). For me, it's now tied for first with the Shanghai Pirates of the Caribbean.
 
Its cool ride, but I did wish it had more pure roller coaster "in motion" segments. It has the brief downhill segment after you are first"attacked". Other than that its mostly just shuffling from one screen to the next, watching scenes (yes with simulated motion and effects, don't mean to marginalize or imply you are just "watching a movie").

But I prefer Hidden Journey- you are in motion more, in a multitude of directions, and a lot more creatively, plus it has a lot of traditional props and animatronics to go with the screen stuff. As cool as Universal is- the trademark of virtually everything they have is in the newer attractions is using the screen technology they clearly love. It is neat, but it also makes me appreciate something like Jurrassic Park River adventure more, since its just a real moving ride with real objects/scenery used as the effects. Guess I'm "old school" now.
 
Weird how so many people say it is the best ride they've ever been on and then others say "meh". I've seen photos of massive cavernous sets, so it can't be just screens. Can't wait to ride it and make my own decision!
Its awesome! We are annual passholders at disney, universal, sea world and busch gardens and I make a point of riding this and rip ride rockit every visit.
 

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