Need HELP! Hagrid’s Strategy - With Specifics!!

[Erica Ladd]

We go for 3 days, Sunday 12/6-Tuesday 12/8. We have tickets for the meetup on Sunday, and we purchased Seasonal AP’s that we have not activated. We are also staying at HRH so will have EP’s. I am hoping to get on Hagrids during the meetup but for our next two days we would like to sleep in at least one of them

Park hours for M&T are
10-6 IOA with EA at 9
9-5 US

What time do we need to arrive at IOA to have the best chance to ride on either morning? Hoping Monday since check out day is Tuesday.
can we wait til Monday to activate our APs to make them last one day longer or is that a pain to do morning of a park day?
Can we activate them at HRH before we walk to the park Monday morning?

Our plane lands around lunch so hoping to eat and get into our room before the 3 pm start on Sunday

Thanks for any advice! This is our first time ever!!!

 

[CAPSLOCK]

If you arrive to IoA gates by 8:30-8:45am, you should be able to get on Hagrids as a 15min wait or less, assuming decent weather. If you arrive by 8:15-8:20am it should be effectively a walkon, once you get through the locker area (which unfortunately you have to get tangled up in whether or not you actually use the lockers, the whole line is a cluster passing that area).

The line seems to balloon up in the mornings then shrink down again by afternoon. Right at the end of early entry can also be a good time (right before non-EE folks can get in line).

Someone else posted that the line is 30-40min once you pass the archways to the official queue (immediately after the lockers) and this was consistently true. Actually, it was frequently less if the whole queue wasn't full.

Nighttime is also good - neat to see at noght! - for a reasonable wait.

Actually, our longest wait was when Hagrids had the shortest posted wait (50min) but broke down for about 10min, so we waited a total of maybe 45min.

Granted this was weekdays this past week. Saturday had long posted waits all morning then went to Virtual Queue for the rest of the day. Eventually some evening VQ times opened up.

Friday afternoon - it had 60min posted wait but we could see the beginning of the line was just past the lockers and the wait was only 20min. In the morning the line beginning of the had snaked all over.

TLDR: Get in IoA line before 8:30-8:45am, or watch for the line to be reasonably short before the lockers since it is only 30-40min from the entry archway.

 

[donnishobson]

Is Hagrid's "no bags" or "no anything" like Hulk and Rip Ride Rockit?

 

[cschaaf]

Is Hagrid's "no bags" or "no anything" like Hulk and Rip Ride Rockit?

Hagrid's is "no bags". Pocket items are allowed and there are no metal detectors in the queue.

 

[donnishobson]

Hagrid's is "no bags". Pocket items are allowed and there are no metal detectors in the queue.

Thanks for the information. Good to know beforehand.

 

[Erica Ladd]

Are hip sacks ok? I have a good one that could fit everyone’s phones if necessary

 

[jdrum3]

Are hip sacks ok? I have a good one that could fit everyone’s phones if necessary

Has to have a 3 prong buckle to secure and has to be around waist, but yes that is allowed on Hagrid and Mummy.

 

[Rash]

Are they still doing virtual queue for Hagrid ‘s? If not, is there express line?

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Are they still doing virtual queue for Hagrid ‘s? If not, is there express line?

This week (and the last few weeks) they had virtual line only on weekends. Otherwise it is standby only. No express at any time.

 

[hlrubin507]

Still currently virtual line on weekends only. No express, ever. It is excluded from Universal Express (of any type).

 

[hlrubin507]

If you arrive to IoA gates by 8:30-8:45am, you should be able to get on Hagrids as a 15min wait or less, assuming decent weather. If you arrive by 8:15-8:20am it should be effectively a walkon, once you get through the locker area (which unfortunately you have to get tangled up in whether or not you actually use the lockers, the whole line is a cluster passing that area).

The line seems to balloon up in the mornings then shrink down again by afternoon. Right at the end of early entry can also be a good time (right before non-EE folks can get in line).

Someone else posted that the line is 30-40min once you pass the archways to the official queue (immediately after the lockers) and this was consistently true. Actually, it was frequently less if the whole queue wasn't full.

Nighttime is also good - neat to see at noght! - for a reasonable wait.

Actually, our longest wait was when Hagrids had the shortest posted wait (50min) but broke down for about 10min, so we waited a total of maybe 45min.

Granted this was weekdays this past week. Saturday had long posted waits all morning then went to Virtual Queue for the rest of the day. Eventually some evening VQ times opened up.

Friday afternoon - it had 60min posted wait but we could see the beginning of the line was just past the lockers and the wait was only 20min. In the morning the line beginning of the had snaked all over.

TLDR: Get in IoA line before 8:30-8:45am, or watch for the line to be reasonably short before the lockers since it is only 30-40min from the entry archway.

I was at IOA this past week (on Tuesday and Wednesday) and can report that unless you were queued up by 8am for 9am early entry, you would face a 120-minute wait. I found this out the hard way our first day when I figured IOA would be nothing like Disney but boy was I wrong. I arrived at 8:45am and didn't even get into the park until 9:30am (with said 120 minute wait).

The second morning I wised up and lined up for security (from the resorts) at 7:40am. Security opened at 8:15am (by which time the line was looong). The opened the front gate a few minutes before 9am. We race-walked to Hagrid's and waited maybe 15 minutes (mind you, we were maybe 8 groups back in one of the gate lines). When we walked off the ride at 9:10am it was a posted 120-minute wait.

The line did abate by day's end. On our first day, we rode it with about a 50 minute wait at around 4pm. The second day we rode it with the 15-minute wait but we had to line up 75 minutes prior to park opening -- so you can decide which you prefer.

 

[schumigirl]

We go for 3 days, Sunday 12/6-Tuesday 12/8. We have tickets for the meetup on Sunday, and we purchased Seasonal AP’s that we have not activated. We are also staying at HRH so will have EP’s. I am hoping to get on Hagrids during the meetup but for our next two days we would like to sleep in at least one of them

Park hours for M&T are
10-6 IOA with EA at 9
9-5 US

What time do we need to arrive at IOA to have the best chance to ride on either morning? Hoping Monday since check out day is Tuesday.
can we wait til Monday to activate our APs to make them last one day longer or is that a pain to do morning of a park day?
Can we activate them at HRH before we walk to the park Monday morning?

Our plane lands around lunch so hoping to eat and get into our room before the 3 pm start on Sunday

Thanks for any advice! This is our first time ever!!!

How did your trip turn out?

 

[Erica Ladd]

Thanks for asking! I was a ton of fun!!! We felt like we missed a lot of things but as it was our first time I now have a better handle on things and with our seasonal APs I’m hoping to do everything we missed the first trip. My daughter left a bag of hoodies from Hard Rock at Bubba Gumps! They were very nice and are shipping them back to us . It was my oldest’s favorite meal!

Honestly it all seems like a blur to me as we were going 100 miles an hour from 7:15am Sunday when our scheduled UBER didn’t show up to bring us to the airport, then to the meetup all the way until we left Tuesday afternoon. I will say that although we had fun at the meetup we were tired from an early flight and would have been better served to skip it during the pandemic and spent the $$$ at a lavish dinner at The Palm as all my kids love steak!! Live and learn!

We slept in on Monday morning so no EA advantage for us and we did uber to Chef Mickey’s as my kids love breakfast but hate characters!! It was very enjoyable but took a good chunk of time. I wish that the Kitchen had their family style breakfast during the week but maybe in the future!!

Also HRH gave us extended checkout on the 2 queen portion of our 2 BR king suite (adjoining rooms) and that was very helpful as we did not leave for MCO until 4pm.

Question- we loved being able to walk from HRH to the parks. How much further is the walk from RPH? I’d like to try there sometime but I can be a creature of habit!

 

[schumigirl]

Thanks for asking! I was a ton of fun!!! We felt like we missed a lot of things but as it was our first time I now have a better handle on things and with our seasonal APs I’m hoping to do everything we missed the first trip. My daughter left a bag of hoodies from Hard Rock at Bubba Gumps! They were very nice and are shipping them back to us . It was my oldest’s favorite meal!

Honestly it all seems like a blur to me as we were going 100 miles an hour from 7:15am Sunday when our scheduled UBER didn’t show up to bring us to the airport, then to the meetup all the way until we left Tuesday afternoon. I will say that although we had fun at the meetup we were tired from an early flight and would have been better served to skip it during the pandemic and spent the $$$ at a lavish dinner at The Palm as all my kids love steak!! Live and learn!

We slept in on Monday morning so no EA advantage for us and we did uber to Chef Mickey’s as my kids love breakfast but hate characters!! It was very enjoyable but took a good chunk of time. I wish that the Kitchen had their family style breakfast during the week but maybe in the future!!

Also HRH gave us extended checkout on the 2 queen portion of our 2 BR king suite (adjoining rooms) and that was very helpful as we did not leave for MCO until 4pm.

Question- we loved being able to walk from HRH to the parks. How much further is the walk from RPH? I’d like to try there sometime but I can be a creature of habit!

I am so happy to read that Erica......going anywhere for the first time can be quite daunting, so I`m glad it was a success.

And glad Bubba Gumps staff got you the hoodies back!! I`ll bet you were glad to see them.

The Palm is an excellent choice, you`d have loved it I`m sure. The meetup does sound fun, but if you were a little tired, it`s understandable you felt the way you did. We were gifted tickets for the meetup on the 5th, but obviously we didn`t get to go as we can`t fly yet....but it did sound like a fun evening if a little busier than usual.

It takes us about 7 minutes to walk to the parks....and we don`t particularly rush.....that`s to IOA, it is very close, and a few extra minutes if we are going to the Studios. It`s really no time at all to walk from RP too. And the walk is so beautiful too.

But, again, I`m happy your trip was a big success......and yes, next trip you`ll have a better idea where everything is and get everything done that you may have missed.......

 

[Erica Ladd]

Looking forward to trying RPH for our next couples trip!!

 

[schumigirl]

Looking forward to trying RPH for our next couples trip!!

You`ll love it I`m sure.......

Have you any idea when your next trip will be?

 

[Erica Ladd]

Hoping for end of February beginning of March if my hubby can get away from work!!

 

[schumigirl]

Hoping for end of February beginning of March if my hubby can get away from work!!

Will keep fingers and toes crossed for you Erica.......