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2013 Theme Park Insider Tournament: Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey vs. Splash Mountain

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Published: March 21, 2013 at 7:47 AM

Time to pick the second finalist in the 2013 Theme Park Insider Tournament, to determine Theme Park Insider readers' pick as the world's best themed ride.

Our first semifinalist today is Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey from Universal's Islands of Adventure, which defeated Popeye & Bluto's Bilge-Rat Barges in the first round and defeated Kilimanjaro Safaris in the quarterfinals.

Hogwarts Castle

Potter is up against Disneyland's Splash Mountain, which upset Radiator Springs Racers in the first round, then took out Transformers: The Ride in the quarters.

Splash Mountain

The winner today advances to Friday's final. Voting is open for just 24 hours, so spread the word quickly on behalf of your favorite.


Tomorrow: The final!

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Readers' Opinions

From Dominick D on March 21, 2013 at 8:14 AM
No contest, FJ. I do have to give WDW props for making Splash look great again.
From James Rao on March 21, 2013 at 8:30 AM
Splash Mountain has had a very surprising run in this tournament. Personally, I love the attraction with all my heart, but it should not have bested RSR and Transformers. It will be interesting to watch this vote as the day progresses.
From Daniel Etcheberry on March 21, 2013 at 9:24 AM
Just the face-effect makes FJ the better one. Honors to Splash Mountain for being a long and cheering ride.
From Brian Emery on March 21, 2013 at 10:29 AM
Splash Mountain is a nice ride, but no comparison to FJ… I always wanted a better hill for Splash Mountain. The angle needs to be steeper and 10 to 15 feet higher..

From Rob Pastor on March 21, 2013 at 11:20 AM
Splash is an excellent attraction. But FJ is a few notches above Splash. FJ for the win.
From 173.162.139.169 on March 21, 2013 at 11:20 AM
I know I am in the minority when I say that FJ is overrated.

I love the feel of "Potterland" and how it immerses you into the story. It does an excellent job of making you feel like you are really there.

The queue is amazing with how it takes several pieces from the movies and builds on them too.

Unfortunately, for me though the actual ride is just ok. Maybe it was because the one and only time I rode it was about a year after the opening and it had been hyped up so much that it couldn't live up to the hype.

At USO alone I like Spiderman and the Mummy better.

From Jay R. on March 21, 2013 at 1:15 PM
Agree with James, I don't think Splash should have beat RSR.

With that said, I don't think it's going to beat FJ.

From Mike Brilhart on March 21, 2013 at 7:57 PM
You all aren't giving credit where credit it due. Splash Mountain is in many ways equal to the Haunted Mansion and Pirates of the Caribbean. It's a very long attraction that relies on practical effects instead of video screens; plus, it's a combined Dark Ride & Thrill Ride. Sorry Harry, but you aren't better than a classic. I can't ride Harry more than three times without starting to feel dizzy. I can ride Splash Mountain all day and never get tired of it.
From Mark Kausch on March 22, 2013 at 2:25 AM
I meant to vote for Splash Mountain. I really did! After all, I've been on it - and on the better upkept version at that.

My finger just slipped. Robert, maybe in the future you can think about making those little teeny-tiny radio buttons bigger.

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