When approaching the loading area, you catch your first glimpse of the “enchanted benches” that you’ve been told will guide you out of the castle and to a Quidditch match. These four-seat vehicles glide horizontally along a mirrored back wall, reflecting floating candles above and making the room seem much larger than it is (though it is already a large room to begin with). The “benches” really appear to be nothing more than that. There is no indication at that time that they will do anything except slowly float along the ground, but that couldn’t be any further from the truth.

Once you sit down in the snug seats and pull the harness down, you realize that there is no way this ride is going to be a slow-moving adventure.

Upon entering the floo network, you find your enchanted bench suddenly lift up off the ground, through the green fog, and instantly begin flying through tight stone corridors. At the time of riding, I thought these were meant to be Hogwarts hallways but now I realize they are representative of flying through the chimney to get to the observatory.

Lifting off of the ground should be rather unexpected for any guests not realizing that the “enchanted benches” are actually some of the most technologically-advanced ride vehicles currently employed in any attraction, anywhere. These seats are attached to the end of a giant robot arm, created by a company called Kuka Industrial Robotics.

The arms utilized in Forbidden Journey are often referred to as a “robocoaster”, as the entire arm assemblies travel along a track while also offering complete freedom of motion in any direction for riders. The system is incredibly smooth and never jerks riders around. Quick motions from left to right, upward and downward, and any combination in between are never coupled with any harshness or unpleasant feelings. While the arms are technically capable of placing riders completely upside down and spinning them around, Forbidden Journey never does.

Once you have flown out of the observatory, Harry Potter and Ron Weasley emerge, flying on brooms ahead of you. They are dressed in their Quidditch outfits and want you to follow them to the match. However, upon approaching a large Hogwarts Castle bridge, you briefly slow your flight as you spot Hagrid standing there, holding a large broken shackle at the end of a chain. He wonders if you’ve seen a dragon around. Well, sure enough, a huge dragon appears moments later and begins to chase you, Harry, and Ron, spitting fire while twisting and turning around you. Ultimately you take a turn toward what appears to be the Forbidden Forest.

This entire sequence is a video projection onto a dome surrounding you on all sides. Since the projection stretches all around you, you and the other three passengers with you in your vehicle are essentially immersed in your own private flight around Hogwarts. It’s a very unique twist on the motion simulator technology that makes The Simpsons Ride and Soarin’ possible. Unlike those attractions during which you’re likely to catch a glimpse of other riders and their vehicles, there is no chance of this happening on Forbidden Journey.

This entire sequence is made up of real-life elements. You make a left turn out of the previous video projection sequence and into an area surrounded by wooden beams. Along the right side are wooden embers glowing red along with what appear to be claw marks. Just beyond those, a giant dragon wing is flapping outside the building as the roars get louder and closer. The wing is a memorable moment as it’s the first time in the ride you encounter a real life character of any kind. But it’s only setting the stage for the surprise that’s to come.

Just past the wing is one of my favorite moments of the ride. You continue weaving through the building until directly ahead a big expanse opens up revealing that you have reached the top of the structure. The ceiling comes to a point above you and you think you’re going to head along the top but suddenly you take a fast dive down back into the building.

Just beyond that drop, the entire room lights up glowing red as an enormous animated dragon head appears right before your eyes. It’s horned, grizzly, and quite angry. Fortunately, it appears that it could only lodge its head into the building and can’t quite get you. But it is literally only a few feet from you when it opens its mouth, screams, and blasts you with “fire” created by a whole lot of fog and flickering lights. It’s definitely one of the highlights of the ride.

You’ve obviously found Hagrid’s missing dragon, but that’s the last you’ll see of him. You’re separated from Harry and Ron and nowhere near the Quidditch match. But rather than your enchanted bench leading you back to them, instead you suddenly find yourself deep within the pit of the Acromantulas (giant spiders). Darkness surrounds you but the occasional flash of light reveals that you’re surrounded by spiderwebs and plenty of 8-legged creatures. While at first they don’t seem so bad, as they’re no bigger than a large dog, it’s not long before they begin to launch venom at you. If that wasn’t bad enough, you encounter Aragog, parent to all of the smaller Acromantulas. You spend a moment getting to know Aragog up close before moving on deeper into the pit. Fortunately, Hermione magically appears amongst the spiders to whisk you out of there and back to the Quidditch pitch.

Leaving the Acromantulas pit, you are on your way back to Hogwarts Castle and, along the way, come mighty close to the famous Whomping Willow. In fact, you’re close enough to get whomped into the next scene.

You’re swung around and tilted on your back, facing upward, and you find yourself dangerously close to the Whomping Willow. And it’s really there. I’m sure there’s some clever visual trickery used here, but because you’re facing upward and staring at the top of this giant tree, you feel like you’re fifty feet in the air flying within inches of it. But the Whomping Willow is famous not only as a giant tree, but as a giant tree that swings its branches at you. Sure enough, that’s exactly what happens here. This is once again a real-life scene and just as this real-life branch comes swinging at you, you’re you’re thrust to the right and directly into the halfway point of the ride.

Suddenly, you’re caught back up with Harry and Ron in the middle of the Quidditch game. Harry yells out, “Where have you been,” as if you’d simply been strolling around a field. If only he knew you were nearly burned by a dragon, consumed by an Acromantula, and pummeled by the Whomping Willow. But it doesn’t matter, as the Quidditch game is in full swing and you’re in the middle of it.

The match is between Gryffindor and Slytherin and that means Harry is going head-to-head with Draco Malfoy. As always, Malfoy’s game is a bit dirty, talking trash and bumping Potter off course. After a few passes around the arena, it suddenly becomes clear that winning Quidditch is no longer the most important task at hand. Dementors have arrived.

Potter urges you to follow him as he leads you out of the Quidditch pitch and into total blackness.

Dementors. Lots of them. They’re big, scary, and come way closer to you than you would ever have imagined you’d get to one. You’re twisting through complete darkness with more Dementors popping out from every corner. Some even follow you. Somewhere along the line you realize you’re in the Chamber of Secrets, as you fly by the skull of the Basilisk and through the giant statue of Salazar Slytherin. And just when you think you’re safe, you spot Lord Voldemort’s Dark Mark appearing amongst a cloud of fog and you know your luck just ran out. After that, more Dementors get even closer to the point where you can no longer escape their grasp. One locks you in its kiss, at which point you literally see your own soul being ripped from you in the form of your own face materializing in the fog.

I believe this is the first time I have ever actually been physically startled by a dark ride scene since I rode Disney’s Haunted Mansion when I was very young. These Dementors are SCARY and they’re real. This is no video projection. As your vehicle gently glides through blackness, as if you are in a daze, you are suddenly thrust into super close proximity to the first Dementor, which seems to appear out of nowhere. It is huge, likely 10 feet tall, with skeleton bones emerging from its black draped cloth. And it’s fast. Something so large shouldn’t be able to creep up on you this quietly and quickly.

The first Dementor is unexpected and frightening. The next is scary. After that, unfortunately, the next few get a bit repetitive. They’re still extraordinarily cool, but you begin to scrutinize them a bit more the longer you have a chance to see them.

The last Dementor you come face-to-face with has a wide open glowing mouth, simulating the Dementor’s Kiss, which is said to suck your soul right out of you. This hilariously creepy effect is achieved by projecting an image of your own face onto the same type of fog screen as above. Earlier in the ride, flashes of light were actually flashes used to take your photo for this moment. Out of the three times I rode it, I only saw my own face once, as the effect doesn’t always work. But when it does, it makes for a really excellent experience.

The scene ends with Harry exclaiming, “Get away from them!” Presumably he’s yelling at the Dementors and not you.

Just as your soul is being ripped from your body, Harry Potter flies into the Chamber of Secrets with you and unleashes an “Expecto Patronum” onto the Dementors, driving them away. Unfortunately, at that moment, the chamber begins to cave in, but Harry leads you to safety and back to Hogwarts Castle. “To the Great Hall!”

The flight back to Hogwarts Castle is a beautiful scene, passing over water and around a few turns before entering the Great Hall. Since you actually get to take a breath and look around for a second, it’s one of the better uses of the video projection sections of the ride.

Your Forbidden Journey concludes when you reach the Great Hall and are immediately welcomed back by the entire Hogwarts school. At first you see a large crowd of students all cheering you on, including Harry Potter, the Weasley twins, and Ginny and Ron Weasley. After passing through there, you wind up in the moving portrait hallway where Dumbledore and more students wave and say goodbye. Dumbledore suggests that you “tuck your elbows in” just before you pass through the floo network once more on your way back to where you began.