Credit: UniversalWhen spending long days and hundreds of dollars to visit the Disney and Universal theme parks, the last thing any guest wants to happen is to be stuck in the same place for over an hour, wasting much of their day. Unfortunately, that’s exactly what happened with a recent guest visiting the Universal Orlando Resort.
Universal Orlando is known for its thrill rides and highly immersive areas, including areas inspired by the Despicable Me Minions, the Simpsons, and the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. In addition to the two parks that already exist at the resort, Universal Studios Florida, and Islands of Adventure, as well as the water park, Volcano Bay, a third park is expected open sometime next summer, called Epic Universe.
The brand new park will feature areas inspired by How To Train Your Dragon and the Universal Classic Monsters, as well as an expansion of the Wizarding World of Harry Potter and Orlando’s very own SUPER NINTENDO WORLD. Excitement is high for the new park, especially considering it will be the most significant addition to one of the Orlando theme parks within the last decade. However, that doesn’t mean that everything is perfectly magical at the rest of the resort.
In a post recently shared to Reddit, one guest shared a video of them being stuck on Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey for over an hour. The video, posted by u/ChazDomingo, shows the guest in the ride vehicle suspended in the air but doesn’t explain what the issue might have been.
Stuck on Gringotts in the air for an hour 😵💫
byu/ChazDomingo inUniversalOrlando
In the comments, the OP states that once the ride started back up, “it was genuinely the worst feeling ever, the words didnt even line up & it felt like it was out of sync or going faster…i was genuinely holding on for my life.” They also state that their mom, who they were riding with, immediately got off the ride and had to find the nearest trashcan…right off the moving walkway in the ride.
As u/Overall-Scientist846 states, “if I was stuck on FJ I would die.” Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey is often criticized for being “literally one of the worst rides at Universal (motion sickness wise).” The attraction will spin guests around, flip them almost upside down, and uses a fish-eye projection style, a combination that can often cause extreme motion sickness for guests. As u/likely-scenario replies, getting trapped on the ride can be a “nightmare scenario.”
Attractions at both Universal and Disney often break down for various issues as well as undergo regular downtime for scheduled maintenance and regular refurbishment. Unfortunately, sometimes these breakdowns do happen suddenly and unexpectedly, and can last anywhere from a few minutes to over an hour, like this guest’s experience. Often times when an unexpected breakdown occurs with guests on board, team members will offer return or express passes for another ride in order to make up for the convenience. The OP confirmed that they were offered a one time “line skip pass” for any ride except Hagrid’s Magical Motorbike Adventure.
With the spring break season now fully upon the parks, they’re guaranteed to be busier and much more crowded, with rides consistently operating throughout the day. This could lead to an increase in breakdowns over the next few weeks while the spring break crowds flood in, so be prepared for long waits and potential break downs, just in case.
Unfortunately, there’s no way of knowing if the ride will get stuck while you’re onboard, although rest assured that the park employees deal with these issues pretty often and work hard to either get the ride restarted or evacuated. If you find yourself stuck, remain as calm as possible and trust the team/cast members to do their jobs. You may at least find yourself with an express pass or Lightning Lane at the end of it.
What’s the worst ride you’ve ever been stuck on? Share your experience with us in the comments below!