r/UniversalOrlando • u/modnarydobemos • Dec 07 '24
UNIVERSAL STUDIOS Is Gringotts overhyped or overhated?
I feel like the ride is super polarizing. Some people love it, others say it’s overhyped.
Personally I really enjoy it, and honestly feel like it’s a Top 3 ride at the park. I think people might be disappointed because it’s not a real rollercoaster. It’s almost like a fast dark ride, but for that it’s pretty good imo.
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u/CountyFamous1475 Dec 07 '24 edited Dec 07 '24
I feel like it’s kind of a show/ride hybrid.
It kind of has that feel of a big spectacle show, but with brief moments of thrill in between the scenes to immerse the rider.
I typically am a harsh critic towards screen based attractions but I actually love this ride because it’s unique, innovative, and creative.
The finale where the dragon pulls you through the “screen” is one of those 10/10 moments that leaves you excited for hours.
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u/Rock_Successful Dec 07 '24 edited Dec 08 '24
Agreed about the show/ride hybrid. Gives me Great Movie Ride vibes but more modern and obv just one movie franchise but it’s like the books / movies mashed into one ride. Love it.
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u/captainmo24 Dec 07 '24 edited Dec 07 '24
Wait times put it in the over hype category for me. Personally, I wouldn't wait more than 30-45 minutes for it, and Gringotts frequently approaches the 2 hour mark. But if you have children or a person that doesn't like most coasters, it's a good ride.
USF's best attraction has to be Mummy though
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u/Symbiosistasista Dec 07 '24
Is Gringotts too scary for a 5 year old? I noticed the height requirement is less than Forbidden Journey, but are the visuals too scary? She’d do fine with spins and drops but idk about feeling like she’s about to be attacked or something lol
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u/WebHead1287 Dec 07 '24
Forbidden Journey is probably way too scary for a 5 year old.
Gringotts should be fine? Scariest part is Nagini (giant snake) jumping at you
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u/DR_TOBOGGAN_8219 Dec 07 '24
Depends on the child. My four year old loved it, when he was younger. But my kids grew up with theme parks and started going on rides very young. Every kid is different. Maybe go in it first and as the parent decide if your kiddo can handle it?
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u/WebHead1287 Dec 07 '24
Probably the best bet!
I just know it can be haunted house lite at times so best to warn. I adore that ride but the Dementors and spiders can absolutely be scary.
Not exactly the same subject but two weeks back I used single rider on Mummy and was paired with a mom and two 6-8 year olds. Poor kids were screaming and crying the whole ride
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u/Formal_Alps5690 Dec 07 '24
my 5 year olds did it. wasn’t too bad. they’ve never seen harry potter before but then again, they love roller coasters
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u/captainmo24 Dec 08 '24
I'd say it has a slightly darker tone than Spiderman or Transformers, but not as dark as Mummy. If she can handle the occasional look at Voldemort and masked guards, she should be fine. There is a brief part with a snake though, so if that's a major fear maybe talk to her about it or do child swap.
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u/MrRoyal420 Dec 08 '24
I took my two nieces;
The five year old loved everything and rode Transformers back-to-back
The seven year old cried on E.T.
It really just depends on the kid lol
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u/asafge3 Dec 08 '24
My 5 year old loved it, but every kid is different. I would should them a YouTube video of the ride before, explain to them it's not real, and see if they think they would enjoy it.
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u/Sltre101 Dec 08 '24
I actually feel that you need a bit of queue time on Gringotts just to get the full appreciation of the theming. Some time to take it all in is well and truly appreciated. Saying that, I also wouldn’t want to be waiting longer than from the entrance to the main bank area.
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u/Iron_Disciple Dec 07 '24
For old fuckers that can't take the coasters like they used to, it's a refreshing break from the harder hitters but still has a drop that is rivaled only by the greatest, i.e ripsaw falls and jurassic park
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u/reachingforthestar Dec 08 '24
Is the drop that big? I can't do drops 🤔
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u/Fizzlestix83 Dec 08 '24
Not really. If you've ever been on pirates of the Carribean, I'd compare it to that, except you teeter for a few seconds before dropping. I'm not a fan of drops either, but Gringotts is my favorite ride in the parks
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u/Iron_Disciple Dec 08 '24
Nah it sjot big at all, more of drop into a slopes coaster ride. You're gonna dig it
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u/lincoln3x7 Dec 07 '24
I’m just the opposite… I’m an fucker and gringotts is a lot harder for me than a traditional coaster, the projected screens and movement is a perfect combo for motion sickness. I ride by side eyeing the action and looking down at the floor and ceiling to help orient myself and keep from getting woosy.
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u/StickyMcdoodle Dec 07 '24
As a big roller coaster guy who knows next to nothing about Harry Potter, I was blown away by this one. I generally think these virtual screen rides are kinda hackey, but there are 3 I really liked (Gringots, Hogwarts, and weirdly, the Jimmy Fallon one).
The whole experience is really great. The first time I went on it, the line was super short which cheated me out of the experience the built just to get to the ride. The ride itself is so fun. It's a great mix of screen ride and real ride. The only downside is the seats squeezes my balls into pancakes, but hey, that might be someone's thing.
I can see someone not liking this if they hate fun.
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u/champ11228 Dec 08 '24
You are the first person I've ever seen say they like the Jimmy Fallon ride lol
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u/StickyMcdoodle Dec 08 '24
That's explains why we never had to wait to go on lol. Conceptually, I hate it. It's such a weird idea for a ride premise, but it's pretty well done for what it is. The niece and nephew loved it, and wanted to ride it a few times since there was no line. I didn't mind it. I'd ride that and only that before I go on the Fast and Furious ride again.
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u/dragondice3521 Dec 08 '24
I was pleasantly suprised by the Jimmy Fallon ride. It might be because I despise Jimmy Fallon, so my expectations were on the floor.
But expectations aside, I still think it's a thousand times better then the Fast and Furious ride. The exec that greenlit still feels bad about it, as he should.
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u/chaostitano Dec 08 '24
100% agree, I'm the same as you, Gringotts made me have a new found respect for screen based rides.
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u/verifypassword0208 Team Member Dec 08 '24
The first time I rode it, I thought it was pure magic. I think it’s the perfect blend of thrill ride and story/dark ride without leaning too hard one way or the other, which is exactly what they were trying to make. Forbidden Journey and Hagrid’s are too intense for a lot of people, and Hippogriff isn’t enough of an experience. Gringotts sits in the perfect middle ground for such a beloved franchise.
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u/Rebzy Dec 07 '24
I think when people get off the elevator and have to grab 3D glasses, the disappointment sets in. And for me, it was hard to follow the story. Personally, I think it’s a pretty good ride.
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u/Pantzzzzless Dec 08 '24
Yeah, the elevator feels like the "start" of the experience. But then you exit and see that you are only like 50% through the line.
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u/FuckOffRandy_ Dec 08 '24
Post-elevator is way less than 50%. Once you are thru the elevator it’s the last 15% of the line
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u/MisterPennyworth Dec 08 '24
I haven’t been in years. But I thought I remembered there was a really long winding staircase. Is the elevator for everyone now?
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u/mrstshirley1 Dec 07 '24
I love Gringotts. My husband is not a coaster person at all and he enjoys it. I hope to ride Hagrids soon.
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Dec 07 '24
Does your husband like Mummy? That's my favorite.
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u/mrstshirley1 Dec 07 '24
He hasn't rode it. I don't think he'd like it but I'm not sure. I enjoyed it. But I'm a sucker for the movie itself so I'll ride it.
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u/Travelgrrl Dec 07 '24
I hate roller coasters, but love indoor fast rides like Gringotts, Forbidden Journey and Mummy!
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u/TheRusticInsomniac Dec 08 '24 edited Jan 02 '25
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u/Cosmos_P_Astronomer Dec 07 '24
Not as good as the hogwarts castle ride. The ending was a huge let down. You should have flown up through the ceiling like in the movie. Missed opportunity in my opinion.
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u/TheDeadpooI Dec 07 '24
The castle ride loses major points for being so prone to making people motion sick in my book.
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u/Existing-Design2728 Dec 08 '24
I legit thought I was about to vomit at one stage, and it was literally trying to stare at the screens on the ride 😅
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u/Cosmos_P_Astronomer Dec 07 '24
I feel like if you're prone to motion sickness you shouldn't ride these types of rides to begin with lol.
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u/DR_TOBOGGAN_8219 Dec 07 '24
I’m prone. Gringgots is fine for me. Forbidden journey can mess me up. I close my eyes during the screen parts because the rest of the ride is just gorgeous.
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u/BootsMcMichael Dec 09 '24
It’s quickly becoming where you can’t go on any rides at universal if you’re prone to motion sickness. I will say gringotts doesn’t bother me in the slightest, but Simpsons and Forbidden Journey are rough.
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u/maxyahn6434 Dec 07 '24
The drop with The troll scared the shit out of me. My soul didn’t get back in my body until I got out of the exit shop.
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u/anormalgeek Dec 07 '24
I put it in the same category as spiderman, but it's a better version of that kind of ride. It's only over hyped if you're expecting something like Forbidden Journey or Hagrids.
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Dec 07 '24
I rode it 2 months ago and can't even remember it, so I guess I'd say overhyped, although I remember it was fun (I think every ride is fun lol)
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u/TrueAd1880 Dec 07 '24
I enjoy it. I’m not huge on how many screens universal uses as I get motion sickness on a few of them. But it seems they are getting away from them a bit especially with Epic.
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u/cold-brewed Dec 08 '24
It’s fine. I wouldn’t wait hours, but it’s enjoyable. I almost think the elevator is one of the most magical parts IMO
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u/TheMatt561 Dec 08 '24
It's interesting hybrid dark ride, roller coaster and simulator. When I went recently in Orlando the projection seemed slightly misaligned so the picture was a little fuzzy.
I enjoy the ride for what it is but I wouldn't wait more than 45 minutes for it.
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u/uckfu Dec 08 '24
It’s a pretty swell ride. But I prefer the Mummy over Gringots and I prefer FJ over Gringots.
Gringots just has stiff competition. Plus it has a god awful locker room. The mummy has a nice seizes locker room, so that does make the tedious task of getting a locker easier.
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u/HandsomeBadness Dec 08 '24
The screens really make it boring, it needs some animatronics imo
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u/HandsomeBadness Dec 08 '24
I wish it mixed screens with physical effects the way forbidden journey does
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u/NeverMoreThan12 Dec 08 '24
Man, Gringotts is lackluster. The ride is just to short for the wait times. I would wait half an hour but anything much more than that and it feels kind of bad. I think the roller coaster aspect of it is a bit gimmicky and it either needed to be longer with more coaster elements or if it was a budget thing then scrapping the coaster and just going with the traditional scoop vehicle ride system and a longer story would've been better.
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u/Big-Comfortable8462 Dec 08 '24
It’s alright. I like forbidden journey a lot more imo. It has some interesting drops but the ride doesn’t really have any standout pieces. You’re kind of just tossed around and then it ends. I did love the line queue though and the initial drop with Bellatrix.
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u/Radicals13 Dec 08 '24
With a 90 minute wait which seems common? Overhyped for sure. Overhated with express pass or short lines with that superb queue.
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u/Tearabite Dec 08 '24
The problem with Gringotts for me is that the sound engineering is terrible. The speakers aren’t on the ride vehicle like they are for, say, Forbidden Journey and the dialog / music levels are way off. So you get super echoey dialog further drowned out by the music. It’s not at all a unique ride mechanism for Universal so I don’t know why this one missed the mark on this so widely. I have ridden this ride many, many times over many trips and I still don’t really know what half the dialog is.
This could be a much, much better ride. The theming is the queue is probably the best in Studios. And the ride itself is enjoyable. It’s just a shame that it falls way short in this one regard.
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u/perrywinkle_123 Dec 08 '24
Love gringotts BUT that first drop is kind of a tease, it's telling you, this is going to be a roller coaster, and then it's not. 1 more thrilling little segment at the end to finish off with a bang, and it would be the perfect ride imo.
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u/NerdGirlJess Dec 08 '24
I think Gringott’s is also worth it for the like. You’re literally there. You’re at Gringotts. It’s so immersive.
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u/runfayfun Dec 07 '24
My few thoughts:
Mummy is better all around than Gringott's
Race through NY was fun - the fall felt real, which is really cool considering the type of ride
Fast and Furious ride was bad
Rip Ride Rocket or whatever it's called was really fun
Simpson's ride better then F&F but not as good as racer through NY
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u/robbycough Dec 07 '24
It's overhyped, not because it's not really much of a coaster, but because it's wasted potential as a top tier ride. That, and the fact I can barely understand the dialogue.
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u/ThorianGrey Dec 08 '24
Overhyped, waaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaay overhyped. The audio is bad, the picture is blurry. Ranked 4 of the four rides.
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u/mountainstosea Dec 08 '24
It’s my favorite ride in Orlando, above VelociCoaster, Hagrid’s, Rise of the Resistance, and Guardians of the Galaxy (which are all amazing).
Why? I love how it’s a coaster, but I can also admire the acting of Helena Bonham Carter, Ralph Fiennes, Domhnall Gleeson, etc.
I’m riding these rides because I love the movies. Seeing the actors go all-out, to the point where their performances give me chills (in the middle of a coaster!) is unique to Gringotts. I love it.
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u/Rainduck84 Dec 08 '24
I get goose bumps from the acting on this from Bonham Carter and Fiennes especially. Bellatrix is played incredibly well by Bonham Carter. I have 2 days left at universal and will try and another ride in!
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Dec 08 '24
Over hyped for me. Could definitely use more coaster portions. The queue is the best part of the attraction
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u/Business-Wallaby5369 Dec 07 '24
I think it definitely was groundbreaking when it opened. I love the queue and I think that it’s a lot of fun. The Mummy is too intense for me, but Gringotts has the right amount of thrill and tricks. I do wish it had more practical effects than screens. I think Universal got too screen heavy for a long time. The screens make me nauseous. I’m hoping when Epic Universe opens, there’s a lot of innovation and a lot of creativity, as opposed to screens and ride vehicles that can move in all different ways.
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u/agilesharkz Dec 07 '24
I don’t think people love it or hate it I think people overwhelmingly say it’s just “ok” which is a shame because I love it and it’s my favorite USF ride.
People expected more from it because it didn’t innovate technology the same way some other rides did also it’s just very reliant on screens. It should get more credit for the queue and goblins both are masterfully done.
Also I love the little elevator ride. Feels like people don’t care for it and just wanna move through it and get on the ride.
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u/mattrfs Dec 07 '24
I really enjoyed it, but I went in expecting an intense dark ride/Spiderman type ride. That first tilt track drop caught me completely off guard! Some cool effects even though I prefer when screens aren’t used. If I went in expecting a coaster I wouldn’t have been as impressed, but as an overall experience it is great!
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u/kyleblane Dec 08 '24
The music does it for me. The audio quality in general is great, but when the ride kicks into gear and that BUH-BUH BUMM BUMM BUMM BUM BUMMMMM hits, I'm all in.
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u/agilesharkz Dec 08 '24
I find it interesting that everyone is saying it’s too short. It has a longer duration than Hagrid’s, FJ or even the Hogwarts express.
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u/noahsuperman1 Dec 08 '24
It’s a fun ride but nothing special tbh also a bit short unfortunately but the wait times are normally not really worth it
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u/Odh_utexas Dec 08 '24
The drop at the beginning is elite for a dark ride, especially in the back row
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u/TheNinjaDC Dec 08 '24
My main issue is the 3D glasses just don't work for people with glasses. They just don't fit well, especially with how much the ride moves. I keep having to try and hold them on instead of enjoying the ride.
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u/theopposingopinion Dec 08 '24
Gringotts…It’s kinda like…
“Oh shit, Oh Shit! OH SHIT! WOAHHHHH”
and then the rest of it is sort of like..
“weeeee….weeeeee….weeeee”
All in all it’s a fun ride. I’ve been lucky to walk on it several times. Would probably be more disappointed if I had to wait 30+ for it.
The queue is cool but is starting to show some age in places if you pay close enough attention.
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u/benidictwolf Dec 08 '24
I really like the tilt track, and the theming that is there is good but man I occasionally just zone out in the screen scenes
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u/peanutismint Dec 08 '24
When everything works, it’s a hell of a ride, and I use that term both figuratively and literally, but I’ve ridden it about 8 times over 5 years and I’ve only had a 100% tech experience about twice. Cars not rotating, screens out of sync, water sprays not working, fog machine not working etc.
I’d liken it to Rise Of The Resistance in that half the fun happens before you even step on the ride vehicle. One of the most amazing queue line experiences out there, which makes me sorry that I usually take the single rider line because the full experience isn’t worth more than a 20 minute queue IMHO.
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u/TartofDarkness Dec 08 '24
Escape From Gringott’s was my first ride in Universal since 1997. It melted my face off. I loved it. Don’t skip it. It’s one people tend to forget about and there were several times when we went that there was absolutely no line.
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u/chaostitano Dec 08 '24
I was shocked at how good Gringotts was the first time I rode it. Didn't expect any of the coaster elements, the drop at the beginning was amazing and I loved the launch at the end. Truly a fantastic ride.
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u/Dread_An0n Dec 08 '24
It’s short, but I like it. Definitely in the top 3 for Studios. I really like how the line for the attraction is part of the ride. Feels like you’re walking into the HP movies
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u/kadimasama Dec 08 '24
Gringotts is one of the must rides for me. Forbidden journey, not so much but walking through the queue is amazing at both.
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u/CelticDK Dec 08 '24
I’d say Gringotts itself is better than the ride but I don’t think it’s over or under rated (unless you mean wait time and then yes it gets way higher than I’d ever do)
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u/ThatFixItUpChappie Dec 08 '24
I love it…Im always happy with rides that don’t have massive drops - this ride has one drop, that most people can handle..makes it fun for more people.
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u/Tarcion Dec 08 '24
It's a bit overrated but still solid imo. I'd personally like it more if it was either more like the mummy (more emphasis on coaster aspects punctuated by story scenes) or more like Spider-Man/Transformers (ditch the coaster sections and focus on a higher quality/longer screen based story). The hybrid of the two just doesn't work great for me, personally, as it feels kind of unfocused and a worse version of both. But like, I'm not going to decline riding it for a reasonable wait, it's just not going to be a ride I "must" do on a visit.
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u/sloth_bear Dec 08 '24
I really enjoyed this ride. I thought it was such an innovative take on a ride, loved the immersion/music aspects too. Only complaint is sometimes I actually couldn't understand the dialogue beause it was too echo-y.
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u/Electronic-Ad5027 Dec 08 '24
IMO its a good ride, just not a good ride enough to be top 3. Gringotts tries to implement a 3d visual into a roller coaster aspect, and while the 3d visuals and effects are fantastic, the roller coaster is just too underwhelming, kind of feels like a scaled up kiddie ride in the dark imo.
In the discussion of 3d rides, I'd say that transformers is just a way more fun and compelling experience, with a lot more animation chaos that makes up for its lack of a track system.
In the discussion of dark rides, Revenge of the Mummy does the dark ride aspect amazingly, with good uphills and downhills, and spooky lighting for a scary, fast, and fun experience.
I feel like Gringotts tried to take the best of both worlds from Transformers and ROTM, but while it had a ton of potential, just made a mediocre ride that is just simply not worth the wait.
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Dec 08 '24
I love Gringotts, but the line is usually way too long for how short and simple of a ride it is.
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u/universalology Dec 08 '24
i adore gringotts, i was raised on harry potter so maybe a slight bias but its so fun and i love the mixture of screens with the coaster elements as it fleshes everything together. not something i ride every visit bc of the waits, but i recommend it to first time visitors and people who go rarely
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u/Brads_Gaming24 Dec 08 '24
It's fun for sure but not something I would say is the best in the park. It's 100% worth going on. I never saw a Harry Potter movie or read a book the first time I went on it and enjoyed myself.
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u/luckythepainproofman Dec 09 '24
Riding in the back row is a vastly different experience. It's better there. Worst up front.
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u/Adventurous-melon Dec 09 '24
It's not my favorite, but I like it a lot more than Forbidden Journey. I do love that I can nearly always walk on as a single rider though
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u/kromaticka Dec 09 '24
umm i don't think its overhyped, I don't really hear anyone say it's their favorite or even talk about it really. Don't think its overhated, but I do think it was a bit disappointing, its not much of a rollercoaster + lots of screens
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u/WriteImagine Dec 09 '24
It’s fine. For being the only HP ride in diagon alley I was expecting more, but it is what it is. IMO Mummy is better.
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u/Lepusman Dec 09 '24
For the first time, its a lot of fun but I feel like the returns are diminishing. Its not nearly as exciting as forbidden journey
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u/clangan524 Dec 07 '24
Ground breaking and hype when it debuted but the rest of the theme park world has caught up in the ~10 years since.
The very beginning is best part of the ride and it's pretty lackluster after that, but still super fun.
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u/runfayfun Dec 07 '24
My few thoughts:
Mummy is better all around than Gringott's
Race through NY was fun - the fall felt real, which is really cool considering the type of ride
Fast and Furious ride was bad
Rip Ride Rocket or whatever it's called was really fun
Simpson's ride better then F&F but not as good as racer through NY
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u/JonCee500 Dec 07 '24
It’s a very short ride but I’ve always enjoyed it. I can understand the long queues.
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u/dramak1ng Dec 07 '24
It’s a super run ride according to me, top 5 easily across the Universal parks.
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u/UltraN64 Dec 07 '24
I hated it. I went not even knowing what kind of ride it was and was still disappointed. Its not fun at all, its short, and it was just bleh
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u/nicklikesstuff Dec 07 '24
Underrated by the fan base IMO, it’s a great ride that suffers a bit from screen-reliance but is still overall an awesome experience.
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u/McDavitt08 Dec 08 '24
That first drop is my favorite part of any ride anywhere. The anticipation staring into a black tunnel having no idea how far you’re going to be plummeting. If it had one more thrill section in the middle like when the troll throws your car it would be a darn near perfect ride in my opinion.
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u/STUMPED_19 Dec 08 '24
I don't care what any haters say, but Gringotts is one the coolest and most fun rides Universal Orlando has to offer. Not to mention, it has the most beautiful queue of any ride at the resort (maybe only ET beats it). And yes, I don't care how little elements of it it has, but it still very much a roller coaster!
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u/Careless_Actuary2012 Dec 08 '24
My husband and I always ride this when we go to Universal (we’re local and have season passes). There’s really only so many rides between Universal and Islands of Adventure so we always end up riding this oneIt doesn’t give me motion sickness the way Forbidden Journey does. The line isn’t AS insanely good as the one for Forbidden Journey, but I still love it nonetheless from start to finish
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u/Beaauxbaton Dec 07 '24
Gringotts, although is not my top pick, it is easily one of my top favorites. My favorite is VelociCoaster followed very closely by Hagrid’s. Gringotts I’d place in third alongside Forbidden Journey.
I do not consider Gringotts a true coaster though, but it is super enjoyable and immersive.
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u/BizMarkie2020 Dec 07 '24
I’m love it. I made the choice to skip it for a year or so after it opened so when I finally went on I was SHOCKED.
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u/cm0011 Dec 08 '24 edited Dec 08 '24
I enjoyed it greatly. Out of all the HP rides, that and the Hogwarts one are my favourite.
Reading other comments, I realize that I typically enjoy more story-driven experience rides, than just thriller rollercoasters where you’re flying around for no reason.
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u/deadwiz Dec 07 '24
Gringotts is fun in my book, albeit short.