Rollercoasters
Rollercoasters
I love rollercoasters. But, I am also picky about them. I like them to be fast, have drops, and be thrilling. I’m not too fond of rollercoasters that go upside down. That takes away a lot of rollercoaster options for me.
NOPE.
My dislike of upside-down rollercoasters stems from me being afraid my glasses will fall off my face while I’m upside down. This has never happened to me, but I don’t create opportunities for it to happen. I have since gotten Lasik and no longer need to wear glasses, so that worry is mostly gone. But, I still wear sunglasses (my eyes seem far more sensitive to light since Lasik) and those could fall off too. Granted, those are much cheaper to replace than my high prescription glasses were.
Universal Studios & Islands of Adventure
We got Annual Passes for Universal Studios/Islands of Adventure during our stay in Florida. We tried to go there at least once a week to get our money’s worth of the passes.
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit
On one of our first trips there, Jeff talked me into going on Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit. The ride claims to not go upside down. So, I decided to give it a try. The schtick of the ride is that you get to choose the song you listen to on the ride.
They play “advertisements” and have signage about being able to pick your music the whole way through the long line for Rip Ride. Yet, when you get in your seat, you have 10 seconds tops to choose your song. I picked Beastie Boys, even though I’m not particularly a fan.
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit
Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit doesn’t fully go upside down, but it’s close enough.
I knew the start of the coaster was a 90-degree angle going up. I thought it would be fine. Right away, my body shifted in my seat, because physics and all my confidence was gone. I was now afraid I would fall out of the rollercoaster.
90 Degree Angle at the start
I closed my eyes for a lot of the ride while Beastie Boys blared through my speakers. Lucikly for me, it wasn’t a long ride. When we got off the ride, even Jeff was winded because the ride had gone so fast. I declared that I would not be riding that again.
Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
On most of our trips there, we rode on my new favorite rollercoaster, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.
It’s not my favorite just because it is in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. It’s just that great of a rollercoaster. It has everything I love in a rollercoaster. It goes fast, it has drops, and it goes backward at times. Most importantly, while it has plenty of twists and turns, it doesn’t go upside down.
The seats are actually a bike and a sidecar, just like in the books/movies. The first time we rode it, we chose the single rider line. When you do that, you get paired with a stranger and they get to choose what seat they want. Most people choose the bike. Some people HAVE to choose bike because they are too big to fit in the sidecar. Jeff and I both sat in the sidecars for our first rides. The guy I was paired with was a big dude. I almost felt like I was riding with Hagrid!
Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
The second time we rode, we waited in the very long standby (regular) line. Jeff rode the bike and I sat in the sidecar again. I was a little nervous about trying the bike. I wasn’t sure I would feel secure.
The third time we rode, I chose the bike. I LOVED it. It was plenty secure and more thrilling overall. One of the times we rode, we were in the front seats. That was REALLY awesome! It felt great when the ride sped up. It might have felt how people feel when they drive actual motorcycles.
Front Seat on the Motorbike is the best. (Picture found on Google)
Long Line
As I mentioned, the regular line for the ride is crazy long. We got there for park open a few times and everyone runs straight to the Hagrid ride or Velococoaster. Those are the two newest rides at Islands of Adventure, so it’s understandable. Velocoaster goes upside down quite a bit, so Jeff went on that without me.
The line for Hagrid does have quite a bit to look at while you are walking through it (or at a standstill). The outdoor portion passes by Hagrid’s hut and has an overall Harry Potter castle feel, but not Hogwarts. You can see Hogwarts, which houses Harry Potter’s Forbidden Journey.
A line for Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure (picture from Google)
Once you get inside the castle, you go through multiple rooms that have different images of creatures, a room where Fang is just pacing back and forth on a large screen (that could be better utilized), rooms with all kinds of knickknacks, and finally, the room where you get on the ride.
One of the things I miss most about Florida is being able to ride Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. Plus the weather, the Butterbeer and all the other treats in the parks. But I digress, it’s such a good ride, I can’t really explain it. It’s just the perfect amount of thrill. It is worth waiting in the long lines.
