Hagrid's Coaster Queue Updates / Questions / Reviews

[Linkura]

I really appreciate all of you who report your experience. We have one day at universal (I know it's not enough - but it is what it is) we are doing both parks and can get in early to USF . . . but we really want to ride Hagrid's.

Or should we get that extra hour in at USF and head over mid-day and get right in the line for Hagrids? We'll be there November 4th. Appreciate all your help!

I'm leaning toward skipping the early morning and waiting to rope drop Hagrids then doing all the other stuff we can . . . thoughts? We won't be doing much of the huge roller coasters, but do want to do all the Harry Potter and Jurassic stuff.

I’d do rope drop for Hagrid’s. Already experienced what it’s like if you wait until midday... you might never get on. Lots of gutted people who left the line and it was their last day....

 

[nikkita]

I really appreciate all of you who report your experience. We have one day at universal (I know it's not enough - but it is what it is) we are doing both parks and can get in early to USF . . . but we really want to ride Hagrid's.

Or should we get that extra hour in at USF and head over mid-day and get right in the line for Hagrids? We'll be there November 4th. Appreciate all your help!

I'm leaning toward skipping the early morning and waiting to rope drop Hagrids then doing all the other stuff we can . . . thoughts? We won't be doing much of the huge roller coasters, but do want to do all the Harry Potter and Jurassic stuff.

Rope drop. We are gonna do it again on Thursday

 

[wisblue]

I agree with the recommendations to start the day at Hagrid’s.

Today was our Universal day and, after following this thread and watching wait times for the last few weeks, we decided to get to UO early and hope for the best in terms of the ride actually opening on time and staying open long enough for us to get on.

We arrived about 8, bought our tickets, and got in line at the IOA entrance gates. There were 6 people ahead of us in line, and about 12 lines forming. They did not let anyone into the park until about 8:40 and, unlike what some others have reported on their park days, they let people go unchecked all the way from the gate to the Hagrids ride. That probably worked out well for us. Although we are not inclined to ignore the rules and safety considerations, my 67 year old arthritic knees preclude me from going any faster than a fast walk. After we got through the gate, dozens, if not a few hundred, people sprinted past us. But, after a while we had gotten enough of a head start on the folks going through the ticket scanning process that only an occasional group was able to charge past us. If there had been an intermediate stop that would have allowed another wave of runners to get ahead of us.

As we entered the Lost Continent area, the parade to Hagrid was funneled into a narrow path that circled around the Poseidon building before heading to Hogsmeade. We did not have to stop walking until we were well inside the building immediately preceding the ride. We got there about 8:55 and the ride was operating. We were on an off the ride at 9:07, much earlier than I imagined in my most optimistic moments.

So, we waited about an hour to get on the ride, but it was all before IOA‘s official opening time. With that start we were able to ride Forbidden Journey, get the train to Kings Cross, and ride Gringotts, all with short waits and all by 10:15. That allowed us to spend the rest of the very hot day doing other rides and walking through Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley.

BTW, the ride was as good as advertised. By far my favorite of the three main Harry Potter rides.

 

[StarGirl11]

Got in the DAS/express line around 2:50. Saw trains going as I walked through the queue. As soon as I get indoors I hear a “minor delay.” At 3pm sharp I checked and it’s at capacity. They just said at 3:17 it’s going to be “an extended delay.”

Of course.

I’m gonna wait till a few minutes after 3:30 a just come back tomorrow if we’re still stuck. I got through Saturday morning.

Question were you in that line due to DAS or because of a return express ticket? I’m asking because I have yet to find anything about DAS and riding Hagrids with all the going down.

 

[Linkura]

Question were you in that line due to DAS or because of a return express ticket? I’m asking because I have yet to find anything about DAS and riding Hagrids with all the going down.

Express ruby pass, but most people were in there with DAS. Not sure what type of recompense was given to DAS people. I at least didn’t have to give up my pass, but I still wasted over an hour with no recompense.

I leisurely got to the park around 930 today since I had my pass. Unfortunately around this time even ruby pass people need to go in the Lost Continent line to the lockers, when they can go in the DAS/express line. Thankfully this only took like 15 minutes, though the first person I asked said a half hour, which I find unacceptable for someone who already got a pass for waiting and not riding.

At any rate, probably another 15 minutes after the lockers and was finally on. 150 minutes posted. By the time I got out, there was no extended queue. So my suggestion is #1: go at rope drop and if you can’t make rd, go after 10 to avoid the extended queue. But not much later because you don’t want to end up getting screwed by a breakdown and unable to ride for the rest of the day.

Ride is phenomenal and I’d wager the only reason why Universal’s poor ops management is trapping people in lines for hours with almost no info and getting away with it. Imagine if they did this with something like Jimmy Fallon or F&F.

 

[istillbelieve]

We had a great experience today! We got to the parks a bit after 1 ish and stopped to get some snacks and water and headed to the ride. We had to use the lockers, which was a bit of a mess. We got into the line with our snacks and water at 2:03 with a posted wait time of 90 minutes. We were off the ride at 3:10 and it seemed to go by really fast. The ride was worth every minute we were in line. We should have gotten back in because they were letting people but as much as we loved it, my kids wanted to go hit up other rides.
We just arrived today so this was our first day in the parks and hagrids was just amazing. I am so happy we didn’t research the ride in advance so it had so many surprises. Can’t wait to ride it again!

 

[kittylady1972]

Finally posting also about my Hagrids experiences.

Monday got in line around 1:20pm with a 120 minute wait shown. Pretty much took that long. There was a time when I got just inside the building that we didn't move for forever. It is right before they release you to the room for the way too early preshow. There was no announcement about a delay but rain was approaching as I entered the building. Met another single rider in line and chatted with her so by the time we reached the front we were a party of 2. This was her second time riding so she gave me the bike. It was awesome. Also the way they do that single rider line opening and closing at random times is just a joke.

Today for in line at 3:08pm with a 90 minute wait shown. Line was clearly moving very well. There was NO preshow operating. I was on right around 60 minutes and rode sidecar with a rider from the single rider line. Still awesome.

Glad I was finally able to experience it and hope they continue to improve the coaster and the wait.

 

[C&B Young]

Rode it on Tuesday. Had a 90 minute posted wait time most of the morning. Entered queue at 12:12, was in show building at 12:31, on ride at 1:10, total wait 58 minutes. By the time we were finished wait time was posted at 120 minutes.

 

[nikkita]

Riding for second time this morning. In line at IoA by 745. DH was eager to get here today!

My turn for the bike today
I let DH ride bike first time around

Updates later/below....

App saying ride "closed" at 815am. Expecting delayed opening maybe? (other day opened right on time)

Park opened 840am
At Lockers 845am
Walk onto ride by 850
Off ride by 857am

Heading to Gringotts now!

P. S the bike is definately the more intense experience
P. P. S, we never run. We just walk as fast as we can. Plenty of others run ahead though

 

[CPanther95]

What are the restrictions for what needs to go in a locker (fanny pack? as restrictive as Hulk?)

... and does it make a significant difference in wait time at opening if you don't require a locker?

 

[nikkita]

What are the restrictions for what needs to go in a locker (fanny pack? as restrictive as Hulk?)

... and does it make a significant difference in wait time at opening if you don't require a locker?

Fanny pack fine. Everything else, put it away or risk losing it
Tuck lanyards into shirt

Designate one party member to be locker person while the rest continue in line and then they can catch up.
Takes about 30-60 seconds depending how much stuff you have

 

[MeridaAnn]

What are the restrictions for what needs to go in a locker (fanny pack? as restrictive as Hulk?)

... and does it make a significant difference in wait time at opening if you don't require a locker?

You're allowed to have items in your pockets as well, unlike on Hulk, but no bags other than the 3-prong fanny packs (and they do check the clasp). If you're wearing a hat, they'll ask you to hold it or sit on it. And, the last I saw, you're allowed to wear the wizard robes on the sidecar, but not on the motorcycle.

The lockers only take a few seconds - if you're there solo and you have no one else in the group to catch up to, you might slip back a couple places in line, but it's totally negligible compared to the overall wait. The lockers at Hagrid's use your park ticket, not a fingerprint, so have the ticket out already as you approach the lockers to make it as quick as possible, and make sure you have a pocket or lanyard where you can keep the ticket while you ride.

Also note that the free lockers have *very* low clearance top to bottom. I've had to take items out of my purse before and set it in the locker separately because otherwise my bag is too "fat" to fit in, even though everything fits fine in the locker separately. I wouldn't recommend a backpack, unless it's very small and flat or unless you're willing to pay for the larger locker.

 

[istillbelieve]

Rode again today with a 75 minute wait at 2pm and waited less than 45 minutes and my kids agree, it is worth it!

 

[Candycane83]

I heard you can put a notification on the app to alert you when the wait is a certain time? Is this true? And how do you do it if it is?

 

[The Pho]

I heard you can put a notification on the app to alert you when the wait is a certain time? Is this true? And how do you do it if it is?

Go into the App and select the ride, it’s the first option within the ride screen.

 

[Hopingforpixiedust]

When does everyone thing the Express Pass will be allowed for this ride?

 

[nikkita]

When does everyone thing the Express Pass will be allowed for this ride?

Well, I believe Forbidden Journey only received express in 2017 (opened in 2010), so I'd say Hagrid's will have a long wait too

 

[imprint]

I don't remember how long it took for Gringotts to get Express, but it wasn't too long (2 years?). Since the new park is scheduled to open in 2023, I assume it would have Express in 1-2 years. Fingers crossed it will have Express next fall, because it is a ridiculously awesome ride.

 

[MeridaAnn]

I rode again on Saturday and it was great! (I tried to post my timeline as soon as I got off, but the popups on this site are so awful on my phone that I couldn't even click on the text box before being redirected, so I had to wait to get back to a real computer.) Here's my timeline -

8:35 - got in line at entrance (I had been aiming for an 8:00 arrival, but I got off to a later start than I had intended and some rain during the drive from St. Pete slowed me down a bit, too.)

8:40 - gates open, start scanning guests in

8:47 - I scanned in and started at a quick walk towards the back. The extended queue was set up, but they didn't make us go down beside or into the Sinbad theater - we only had to use the section in front of the theater. One of the TMs stated that the wait time was 90 minutes (though I actually waited much less than that).

I didn't have pockets, so I had to put my phone in the locker and I don't know the exact times for the line after this, but they had us walk straight through the preshow room without running the show and the line didn't stop moving until I was in the cave hallway after the egg room. The Single Rider line wasn't open when I passed it, although I wouldn't have used it anyway because I wanted the bike.

They have rearranged the very last segment of the line since my last visit, as some other people have mentioned in here, so you have to be single file, eliminating the problem I had last time with the person from the Single Rider line ending up closer to the bike when we reached the car. This time, there was no question of who went where, and it went very smoothly.

I got the front seat again, which is just so cool! You can't see anyone else behind you and it feels like you're on your own private ride. The spur for the reversal definitely feels a bit more intense from the front, with nothing in front of you but sky, contrasting with when I rode closer to the back, where it felt more like just a gentle rocking motion before we started going backwards. For anyone concerned about heights or drops, this is the only part I think might be a bit of an issue - just try to get towards the back of the train where it's more mild.

9:40 - Already off the ride and back at the lockers. The listed wait was over 2 hours at this point, though I don't remember the exact number they said. As a side note, I really dislike the new lockers that scan your ticket. Like I said, my outfit didn't have pockets (I got dressed in a hurry and didn't think about it), so I had to stick my ticket in my shoe. I guess I need to get a lanyard, but I find them really uncomfortable.

The ride was as awesome as on my previous visits. I still won't call it my absolute favorite ride, because Flight of Passage holds that place in my heart, but Hagrid's is definitely in my top 3!

My gut impression from following this thread and from my own visits is that they seem to have the ride ready to go at park opening more consistently on Saturdays than on weekdays, but I haven't done any formal tracking to be able to back that up - it's just the general feeling I've gotten.

 

[NYHeel]

Anyone know if they're going to start having IOA be the early park opening for Universal hotel guests? We're going in mid-January and plan to be at Universal 1/20-1/21. The only issue is that 1/20 is MLK day and 1/21 is our last day in Universal and I really don't want to miss Hagrid's. We do have Express Pass so if we have to wait 2 hours, at least we can do the other stuff quickly.