I was checking Twitter on Monday evening and I saw that Gingotts was down to a 150 min wait. Since I live only about 25 minutes away from Universal I thought I would finally go brave the crowds and try the ride. We got in line at 6:10 p.m. and the wait time was 150 mins, but the TM's were tell people 3 hours when we were getting in line. The line moved pretty well except for one 25 min period when we didn't move at all which I assume was one of the breakdowns it has been having. That being said it still was only a 105 minute wait for us to get onto the ride, which I didn't think was to bad. I bet they are telling people longer wait times assuming there will be more breakdowns right now. As far as the queue goes I would say that it is better than FJ for sure. The animatronic goblins look great in the lobby and for now anyways the screen in Bill Weasley's office is very crisp and clear and look great. The fake elevator ride is awesome too! So for sure once you get inside Gringotts the queue is well worth a slow walk through.
OK now to the ride itself. Keep in mind I have only ridden it once so it is hard to take it all in. I was on the very front row of the ride which was pretty cool for my first ride. The 3D on the ride was awesome! Very hard to tell what is real and what is a screen for sure. On the second screen (the one where you fist seen Harry and others then get pushed down the track by trolls) I think our carts messed up. I think they are supposed to turn and face the screen but they didn't so everyone was trying to look over their shoulders at the screen and people on the right side of the cart could not see at all. I could be wrong as I only rode once but it seems like they should face the screen if they don't. Other than that it seems like everything else worked perfectly. The ride is pretty awesome I must say and I was not expecting the carts to turn and spin so that was a cool surprise. There is not much of a coaster aspect to this ride as others have said and I think they missed a great opportunity to have it at the last seen when the dragon is supposed to pull you out of the vaults. I think they could have done more of a mummy type launch and went into kind of a dark ride coaster sequence through the caves of Gringotts. That would have made it a perfect ride for me. I will say I was not nearly as blown away with how cool this ride is as I was when I rode FJ for the first time. The true feeling of flying that FJ gave me just blew me away the first time it rode it. Especially when FJ was new and the screens were really bright and crisp. But really any complaining about Gringotts ride is just nitpicking because it is a brilliant ride for sure.
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So you don't have to get a reserved time ticket over by Men In Black anymore to get into Diagon Alley? Seems like I heard from somewhere that you had to do that...
Usually, by about 1 pm there is no need for crowd control for Diagon Alley. The 'rope drop' rush is still huge everyday. Remember, getting into Diagon Alley and getting in line for Escape from Gringott's coaster is really two separate rushes even though you have to get into DA to get on EGF.
Oh okay, thanks. Headed there Sunday, guess I'll hold off on leaving the house until around noon or so.
This is exactly my thinking of Gringotts as well. It is not a thrill ride, in my opinion. They seemed to "Disney" this ride down to keep smaller children from freaking out.
Other than the initial drop, it seems like a people mover traveling through the rest of the ride. It worked flawlessly both times we rode it, but I would rather spend three hours exploring Diagon Alley than ride it again.
I enjoyed the Hogwarts Express just as much as EFG.
I rode it yesterday for the first time with my teenage daughter and 10 year old son. We are all thrill ride enthusiasts, and HP fanatics to boot. We have annual passes to Universal (and WDW, too, BTW) so we have been on FJ many times.
Escape to Gringotts was clearly marketed to a broader rider audience- meaning for younger children and those who felt FJ was a bit too "rough" for them- along with the diehards like us who want to be immersed in the experience. I believe it was a smart move, and we were not disappointed.
We loved this ride! From the goblins in the main bank hall, to the "elevator", to the ride into the caves, we thoroughly enjoyed it. The 3D glasses were not an issue- I've read a lot of people getting all worked up over "how are the glasses going to stay on" etc here on other threads and it is not an issue. And the entirety of Diagon Alley is AMAZING- but that's for another thread.
We waited for 2 hours (the longest I have ever waited to ride anything except FJ- which was also 2hours). There was one 15 minute delay, so take that into account. We were there at park opening. Wait times increased throughout the day, so I'm glad we decided to go early.
We are returning next week and staying on property to utilize the express pass and early entry perks. I believe that will enable us to do more exploring in Diagon Alley without the large crowds before open.
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Fantastic thoughts... Thanks for posting this info...