Sara Writes: The Forbidden Journey

~ Our picture, as we screamed on top of our lungs while riding The Forbidden Journey ~

Dragons, armies of Acromantulas, Dementors ... I'm talking about just some of the challenges you face if you decide to venture through The Forbidden Journey at the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It is my absolutely favorite ride in the entire world. All rides, all experiences, everything on one side. And the Forbidden Journey on one side. It is literally THE BEST!

You know what's funny is that I'm not a roller coaster person at all. Not just roller coasters, I stay away from pretty much all kinds of violent rides. Call me wise or scared, your choice, but I do not allow anybody to throw me around, turn me upside down, or twist me in the most vomit-able ways ever. And yet, you'd find me the most excited when in line for The Forbidden Journey. That is one ride where I am pushed into all kinds of weird positions, thrown in the face of so many dangerous things (including my greatest fear - spiders!), and made to fall whooshing down through a pretend 3D screen but I do not mind at all. I love it! I love the thrill, I love the fun, I love everything about the Forbidden Journey!

Listen to me here folks. What is not to love about The Forbidden Journey? From its waiting experience, to the entrance, the actual ride, and the end - everything is just bloody brilliant! It begins as you enter the magnificent castle of Hogwarts. Just to stand near that gorgeous castle is enough to make me cry with emotion so imagine my feelings as I enter its gates. My heart feels like it would explode from all the excitement. After stowing away our bags and everything we make our way through the castle to reach the area where the ride begins. On our way through Hogwarts we come across various iconic sights including the Mirror of Erised, The Fat Lady's portrait, Dumbledore's office with the Pensieve, a door to the Potions classroom, the DADA classroom, and the Gryffindor Common Room. We also get to see the Golden Trio in the DADA classroom which is just mind blowing. You really are standing inside Hogwarts for real. It's an insanely awesome feeling!!! And then comes the Sorting Hat with its warnings about the ride and that is where I feel my heart pumping ten times faster. I know then that what is next is the loading/docking area for the ride.

The ride never really stops for you - something that I always find builds the adventure even more. "How many?" the Wizard or Witch asks. "Two!" Abbie and I reply. "This way, please, enjoy the ride!" ... We take our seats on the already moving platform and pull down our safety latches until they click in place and then bump each others feet on the sides and wish each other luck. "Observatory!" Hermione says. "Observatory!" we repeat. And whooooooosh. We feel our feet lifting away off the floor, our seats band backwards as we are bent onto our backs and launched into the experience of a lifetime. THE RIDE BEGINS!

I'd like to note here, I AM GETTING GOOSEBUMPS WRITING ABOUT THIS!!!

The next few minutes are like right out of Harry's life. You feel every single page of the Harry Potter books in those moments. You feel every single scene of the movies. You feel the entire Wizarding World. You feel the magic. It is just beyond words.

It is impossible to write about every single bit of that fantastic ride, to be honest. There is just so so much you see, face, and experience. You encounter a dragon and have it breathe fire on you. You fly over the grounds of Hogwarts. The Chamber of Secrets with the massive Basilisk skeleton lies in your path. There's also a Quidditch game and it actually does feel like you're flying on a broomstick with Harry and Draco thanks to the way your seat is. You see Hagrid too which is always a treat. There's also a Dementor attack and your soul gets sucked out of your mouth. The Whomping Willow attacks you. And my least favorite are the SPIDERS. Acromantulas. Millions. Hahahaha! There is so much more ... lots and lots and lots of awesomeness!

The Forbidden Journey is so awesome that I'm screaming my lungs out, my eyes are open wide with excitement, and I refuse to ever ever return to the normal world while I am in there!!! Trust me, it is not easy returning to normal life when they finally let you out. The ride finishes off with applause for you from familiar faces including Dumbledore darling, as you feel your feet touch the ground again. You slow down and then the latches release and you jump off the moving platform onto hard, still ground. WOW. Just WOW. Your face is flushed, your head feels light and full of air, and your knees don't really have much feeling - it's like you're walking on air, through air. Nothing is real anymore because the only reality you want is what JUST happened to you in there on that ride! It is bloody brilliant!

They let you out into Filch's Emporium of Confiscated Goods. Abbie and I make our way through the crowd to get our bags back from the lockers. Even after all of that has happened we still don't feel like our mind is back in place. After that, we walk over to the picture counter thingy to see what we looked like when our picture was snapped while on the Forbidden Journey. It is always such fun to look at our faces - we're just too excited and too happy in there and it shows on our faces!

I think we've done the Forbidden Journey at least ten times now. Most of the times we had a long long wait - the max wait time we've done is 120 minutes, if I remember correctly! Hahaha! It is insane but so worth it. I could do anything to ride The Forbidden Journey - even wait for hours in line to get there. Funny thing is, make me ride a non Harry Potter themed ride of the exact same type and I'll refuse and possibly die with fear. But I don't feel scared at all when I'm on the Forbidden Journey. It's unbelievable. It is unbelievably AWESOME!

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