Never Tickle a Sleeping Dragon

Hogwarts School of Witchcraft and Wizardry

Motto: "Draco dormiens nunquam titillandus"

Never tickle a sleeping dragon.

 
(In case anyone is wondering, why yes, that IS a Ghostbusters chasing Pac-Man t-shirt!)

Proton packs OUT! Power pellets IN!

This is another long and photo heavy post (but totally worth it!)  

The Forbidden Journey is the biggest reason why WWoHP is so amazing. For roller coaster enthusiasts, The Forbidden Journey = Hogwarts + Magic + (Superman Ride)^2. In other words, FREAKING AWESOME. It's unlike any ride I've ever been on, combining 3D, 4D, and real roller coaster motion - totally sick!

 Braving Mt. Fanny Pack was totally worth it.

To get to The Forbidden Journey ride, you enter Hogwarts castle and wind through the castle halls. The castle exterior is so massive that I nearly missed the the entrance to Hogwarts. Past a huge stone entryway flanked by stone pillars, topped with signature winged boars, you see white script blossoming over the Hogwarts crest on the stone facade as if written by an invisible quill-wielding hand - and then disappears like magic! It's nearly impossible to tell how the lettering materializes unless you've pushed past the mountain of fanny packs and mashed your nose six inches away from the transient lettering. (Because I braved Mount Fanny Pack to find out, I'll tell you - embedded fiber optics.)

So, the idea is that the school has welcomed Muggles into their hallowed halls for the first time ever. Meanwhile, Harry, Ron, and Hermione plan to sneak you into a Quidditch match. The plan is for you to meet them in the Room of Requirement and fly out with Harry and Ron (riding brooms) on a school bench that Hermione has enchanted. But you're in for far more than just a Quidditch match!

The line starts in the greenhouse where live exotic plants hang from a paned glass ceiling. A fenced off area houses a row of potted mandrakes and other Herbology tools (rakes, spades, and other toxic plant extraction tools.)

 

Inside the castle, you are greeted by a large, gilded wizard (the architect of Hogwarts, as seen in the Chamber of Secrets movie), with a small lion and badger at his feet and holding a miniature Hogwarts castle in his extended hand. Another gilded wizard (the first Hogwarts headmaster; while the Four Founders were professors, none held the title of headmaster) imperiously points his finger at you.

 I want YOU...for Hogwarts.

In between the golden wizards - the four House point hourglasses!  (Why is Ravenclaw so deficient in gems when they're the brainiest of the lot? Gryffindor is leading the pack here, which means that Harry and Ron probably have not yet had Potions.)

SNAPE: Five MILLION points from Gryffindor!

I'll think of a reason later.

At the end of the hallway stands the giant bronze phoenix statue leading up to Dumbledore's office in the movies. Clearly, I'm just a tad excited to be here. The entire castle is filled with choice nuggets like these from the books and movies. I almost wished the line was longer so I would have more time to SEE EVERYTHING.

 OMG! Faaaaaawkes!

It was too dark deep inside the castle for my camera to take any decent pictures, but you next enter a central hall with huge vaulted ceilings and walls covered in talking portraits, including the Four Founders - Godric Gryffindor, Salazar Slytherin, Helga Hufflepuff, and Rowena Ravenclaw. Gryffindor and Slytherin were easy to find; Hufflepuff was harder to find, and someone had to point out Ravenclaw to me. Anyways, it's quite impressive. I borrowed this picture from Google:

"Helga, dear, do these robes make me look fat?"

Afterwards, you move into Dumbledore's office with cabinets FULL of wizarding gadgets. Even the Pensieve makes an appearance! 

FOR SALE: One Pensieve.
May consider choc frog card trade.

Thankfully, they used the proper stone basin as shown in the Order of the Phoenix movie and not the ridiculous Silver Surfer surfboard that replaced it in the Half-Blood Prince movie. (What the hell, David Yates? WHY? WHY?? You cut me deep.)

Next is the Defense Against the Dark Arts (DADA) classroom where a huge skeleton of something sinister hangs from the ceiling, and jars of pickled things and creepy skulls lurk in windowsills. Holograms of Harry, Ron, and Hermione are beamed onto a balcony where they reveal themselves from underneath the Invisibility Cloak. They convince you to ditch History of Magic and come play Quidditch with Harry and Ron instead! The dialogue is peppered with Ron and Hermione's classic bickering (Ron: Prof. Binns is such a dead bore. Hermione: Ron! Prof. Binns IS dead! He's a ghost! You're so insensitive.)

Right before you board the ride, the Sorting Hat offers bits of sage advice. The pic here doesn't do it justice - it looks so much more sentient in person.

 Oh you may not think me pretty,
But don't judge on what you see,
I'll eat myself if you can find
A smarter hat than me.

That's it! I won't spoil The Forbidden Journey surprise. Trust me, you'll want to find out on your own.