Over the weekend, the new Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride went down. Now, any of you that have been to the park may say, “So what?” You see, the ride’s gone down quite often. Most rides that include new technologies like the Forbidden Journey have continuity issues when they first open. Spider Man was known for breaking down when it first opened.
What made this break down different? A rider got out their cell phone and called in fire rescue, claiming he was stuck upside-down in the ride. Obviously, the local news picked up on the rolling fire engines and rescue vehicles heading to Islands of Adventure and eventually, Wizarding World of Harry Potter. Woot! We have a story for a slow Friday news cycle! Ultimately, it spread to national news and I even got a few notes on the item.
Now, I’ve been on the Forbidden Journey ride several times. You don’t go upside-down in the ride. I’m not even sure you get that close. You get flat on your back looking up at the ceiling a couple times, but that’s it. Could it be uncomfortable? Maybe. Life threatening? Not likely. Dying from heat exhaustion in the Florida summer heat is more likely.
I’ve been on the ride when it stops. Universal has been very quick to get the passengers out. From the sounds of this incident, the fire rescue did not need to come out to the park and not one person was transported for treatment. The ride broke down close to closing time, so it did not re-open Friday night, but was open Saturday morning with the rest of the park.
Fortunately, every one was OK and safe on this ride break down. It certainly hasn’t changed my mind on riding Forbidden Journey, again. What about you? Does this change your mind about going to the park or riding Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey?
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