- Feb 15, 2012
- 17,123
- 47,005
Y’all please keep this thread for reviews for people who have actually ridden and keep the chit chat at a minimum. Thanks.
Reviews & Media - Hagrid's Magical Creature Motorbike Adventure
- Thread starter Parkscope Joe
- Start date
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- Sep 15, 2015
- 1,492
- 1,783
So you mean a story other than you're in his class for a lesson on magical creatures? I know how it sounds but i swear that's not a smartass statement im being genuine.
Just before boarding the ride, I started to get worried that my expectations were too high and that it would end up disappointing me, but once we boarded the train, the hype took full control of me. The turnaround out of the station gave a great view of the ride while hiding the spike and finale with trees and the wall beside you. Launch one provides a much stronger punch than expected and puts you into a few downwards turns. The final turn provided enough positives to push my restraint down a bit but the seat was still very comfortable. Launch 2 provided another good kick and the transition out of it was far snappier than expecter. The turns didn't provide any noteworthy forces as expected, but the hill gave a small pop of airtime. The mounting point for the skrewt was very obvious and the movements seemed to be exaggerated, but the set dressing and Hagrid animatronic both looked amazing. Then we entered a small dip into the third launch, which felt much faster than it is. The hill didn't do much but the twists and turnaround following it were fairly snappy and intense. Launch 4 didn't feel like it increased the speed much, but there was definitely a bit of acceleration. The overbank/turnaround gave some interesting forces, then the small hill after it had another small pop of air. Fluffy looked great, but you don't spend much time at that scene. The spike didn't do much back row, but the backwards section was pretty snappy going in and out. The centaur didn't move much, but the environment inside the show building was great. Devil's snare scene looked far better and more alive than expected, and the drop track was tons of fun. There was a bit of a dip down out of the drop track and into the final launch, which definitely helped keep the ride moving. Final launch (again) had a nice punch and flying up along the treetops in the final overbanks was an amazing feeling. The unicorns looked great and were a nice touch at the end of an incredible experience. Overall, the ride far exceeded my expectations and absolutely did not disappoint. It definitely felt like the show scenes were rushed, but I'd take rushed scenes and near perfect pacing over constant stops. I waited nearly 6 hours to get on and it was worth every second.
Thank you so much for this review! It gives a much better account of the actual rollercoaster and not just the scenes.
It sounds like a great ride that tells a fun story but still remains a rollercoaster and not just a show ride Even without the theming, it would still be tons of fun. The whole package is a whole other story.Thank you so much for this review! It gives a much better account of the actual rollercoaster and not just the scenes.
- Feb 15, 2012
- 17,123
- 47,005
Hey y’al, as a reminder this is a thread for reviews for people who have been on the attraction. Please refrain from posting first impressions from POV videos here. Thanks.
- Jun 7, 2016
- 1,179
- 2,219
I didn’t catch a lot of stuff inside the devils snare room but I was mostly looking across at my girlfriend waiting for her reaction when we dropped :exclap:
- Jun 21, 2016
- 3,802
- 8,322
Thank you. It’s getting hard to figure out who actually rode it.
If you didn’t ride it; I don’t care what your impressions are about the pole, the look of the unicorn or the best spot to sit on this thread.
We have tons of people here and otherwise who have actually ridden it with first-hand opinions. Save the second-hand for the general thread.
Banks Lee said in his review on Attractions the Show that it's already in his top 3 rides in Orlando. HMCMBA is undoubtedly a winner!
- Jun 7, 2016
- 1,179
- 2,219
I’m bad at catching behind the scenes stuff on the first ride and I noticed the pole. But the AA is impressive in size and movement
- Dec 24, 2015
- 873
- 1,501
Went on it twice.
Imo...
Night is much better than day.
Front is much better than rear.
Either way, best coaster ever made. I prefer FJ overall however, when considering the coolness factor of FJ queue and uniqueness of ride.
Imo...
Night is much better than day.
Front is much better than rear.
Either way, best coaster ever made. I prefer FJ overall however, when considering the coolness factor of FJ queue and uniqueness of ride.
Last edited:
Question for anyone with a 40" or greater waistline: did you attempt the sidecar? My pants size is anywhere between 40 and 46 depending on brand, so I opted for motorbike based on early word it was more accommodating than sidecar. I didn't try the test seat in order to save some time, but for future reference it'd be nice to hear of any of y'all's experiences.
Universal Orlando has released a walkthrough of the queue.
I’m 42 waist and rode in sidecar. Thighs were a little tight, but otherwise was fine. Has more room for belly area than I was expecting. Seemed similar as Gringotts to me. Motorbike seat is better for leg room of course.
I’m still formulating my thoughts, and want to ride again soon because Skrewt was off for my ride, but...
Pros:
- Super fun, non stop, action-packed experience
- Fun as in a smile on my face and hands in the air entire time (not too thrilling just for thrills sake, just good clean fun!)
- Theming is top-notch, really feels like this area belongs here next to Hogsmeade, and queue feels more fitting for Potter than the light Dragons retheme
- Launches are punchy! Got a little kick, especially that last one
- Lots to see, will be great for re-rides, and I wasn’t expecting there to be more Skrewts and effects on bottom of drop track. That was neat!
- Love the preshow. Nice to see more effects in a musion preshow
- Devils snare was Neato. Lots of different things moving at once
- The baby Unicorn was actually my favorite AA, and had great realistic motion
- I noticed the Skrewt pole too, but I didn’t get fog effect or movement there so mighta been better had it been on, I guess
- The mural while going backwards was extremely noticeable and downright distracting during daytime, probably biggest con to me
- I’ll admit it, I don’t like Fluffy’s skin material. Works for a Dinosaur, but looks weird for something named Fluffy, but this is just a little nitpick
- The trees in upper level behind Centaur could use some fading black paint leading up to the roof. I don’t think it’s a lighting issue, it could just benefit from a fading black paint job. I’ve seen similar effects on other rides and it’d probably work here. Otherwise, the inside looked amazing.
Some footage of my experience in line yesterday, as well as more of my thoughts on the ride, in this quick video:
- Apr 19, 2019
- 749
- 1,691
Brief context for this review- We got in line at 3:05, Got Off past 10 (the exact time escapes me).
To make this an easier read (and write), I will be breaking it down into four sections: quick letter grades, how Universal dealt with the opening (specific to my experience), the queue and the ride.
Letter Grades:
Uni's Actions Yesterday Overall- C
Uni's Actions with my Group Specifically- D-
Queue Theming- B+
Pre-show- B-
Queue Structure/Organization- D
Ride- A
Uni's Actions:
I entered the ride in the Sinbad Courtyard around 3 in the pouring rain. That was our choice, and I hae no regrets about being stuck out in the rain because that was our choice. A lightning delay late, we finally reach the main queue to learn that there was a delay. Even for the first hour of the delay, I was ok: this is what I had signed up for, so why did I give their actions a D-? Beside the fact that nobody that entered the queue after 12 was offered the much heralded free water (medical got called on someone ahead of us), once the ride was back up and running, those of us towards the back of the line (after they made the people at the very end leave because of the delay) began to be hounded by Guest Services employees around 8 PM.
Despite the ride running (albeit at a reduced capacity, these team members were trying to do everything in their power to get us to leave the line, so much as saying that we would not be able to ride, and that it would close before we reached the line: all they offered? A guest services card to email them and *maybe* get compensated. We took the business card, but declined in favor of waiting in line. (Side Note: This is when Yelling Matches and Mini-Riots Broke Out).
In the middle of this guest services crisis, the line kept moving, allowing us to see the preshow. Shortly after, we backtracked to the singles entrance just before they closed it, and managed to get off around 10.
I did not appreciate being all but forced out of line. Some people that could barely speak English left thinking they had to. It was bad.
Queue:
I mean, it's okay? I would rather wait in the F&F queue. everything just feels very dark, dreary, claustrophobic, and static. Nothing even moves until the big room before load (admittedly I skipped some parts of the queue).
As for the preshow, it might just be better to turn it into a passthrough queue room. It was not a good use of the musion, as it barely interacted with physical sets. They definitely could have at least used a practical motorbike. Also, the water effect feels a little forced.
The Ride
Ride was great, but a few things were just off for me. First of all, load and unload are painfully slow (they need to crank it up to FJ or Rockit levels, and definitely can given the length of the platform), and the audio is often muffled and hard to hear. The first part of the ride is great, leading up to the barn. You barely see Hagrid, but he looks great. My only issue is that the skrewt is more like a canon on a (very visible) pivot than a blasting creature. It swivels unnaturally, and its fart nozzle/coloration ring is very visible.
The following coaster segment through the Abbey and over the lake is fantastic, up until the bank over Fluffy. It's barely noticeable, but Fluffy doesn't move until you approach him, just leaving an awkwardly static figure until you zoom by. I really wish they would have slowed us down just a little for Fluffy. During my ride, the mist under the Anglia crept in front of it, making it barely visible.
The spike is lame in the back; you don't even get tilted the full angle. Going backwards is nice, but they need to obscure the show building more. Once inside, it was way too bright with everything bathed in a bright, light blue light. The Snare looked bad to me, and lighting made it hard to tell that it was skrewts after the drop. the final launch and Unicorns are fantastic.
To make this an easier read (and write), I will be breaking it down into four sections: quick letter grades, how Universal dealt with the opening (specific to my experience), the queue and the ride.
Letter Grades:
Uni's Actions Yesterday Overall- C
Uni's Actions with my Group Specifically- D-
Queue Theming- B+
Pre-show- B-
Queue Structure/Organization- D
Ride- A
Uni's Actions:
I entered the ride in the Sinbad Courtyard around 3 in the pouring rain. That was our choice, and I hae no regrets about being stuck out in the rain because that was our choice. A lightning delay late, we finally reach the main queue to learn that there was a delay. Even for the first hour of the delay, I was ok: this is what I had signed up for, so why did I give their actions a D-? Beside the fact that nobody that entered the queue after 12 was offered the much heralded free water (medical got called on someone ahead of us), once the ride was back up and running, those of us towards the back of the line (after they made the people at the very end leave because of the delay) began to be hounded by Guest Services employees around 8 PM.
Despite the ride running (albeit at a reduced capacity, these team members were trying to do everything in their power to get us to leave the line, so much as saying that we would not be able to ride, and that it would close before we reached the line: all they offered? A guest services card to email them and *maybe* get compensated. We took the business card, but declined in favor of waiting in line. (Side Note: This is when Yelling Matches and Mini-Riots Broke Out).
In the middle of this guest services crisis, the line kept moving, allowing us to see the preshow. Shortly after, we backtracked to the singles entrance just before they closed it, and managed to get off around 10.
I did not appreciate being all but forced out of line. Some people that could barely speak English left thinking they had to. It was bad.
Queue:
I mean, it's okay? I would rather wait in the F&F queue. everything just feels very dark, dreary, claustrophobic, and static. Nothing even moves until the big room before load (admittedly I skipped some parts of the queue).
As for the preshow, it might just be better to turn it into a passthrough queue room. It was not a good use of the musion, as it barely interacted with physical sets. They definitely could have at least used a practical motorbike. Also, the water effect feels a little forced.
The Ride
Ride was great, but a few things were just off for me. First of all, load and unload are painfully slow (they need to crank it up to FJ or Rockit levels, and definitely can given the length of the platform), and the audio is often muffled and hard to hear. The first part of the ride is great, leading up to the barn. You barely see Hagrid, but he looks great. My only issue is that the skrewt is more like a canon on a (very visible) pivot than a blasting creature. It swivels unnaturally, and its fart nozzle/coloration ring is very visible.
The following coaster segment through the Abbey and over the lake is fantastic, up until the bank over Fluffy. It's barely noticeable, but Fluffy doesn't move until you approach him, just leaving an awkwardly static figure until you zoom by. I really wish they would have slowed us down just a little for Fluffy. During my ride, the mist under the Anglia crept in front of it, making it barely visible.
The spike is lame in the back; you don't even get tilted the full angle. Going backwards is nice, but they need to obscure the show building more. Once inside, it was way too bright with everything bathed in a bright, light blue light. The Snare looked bad to me, and lighting made it hard to tell that it was skrewts after the drop. the final launch and Unicorns are fantastic.
I’m hearing multiple different takes on the ride...some similar to my ride experience, others completely different.
The good:
-the trains were beautiful.
-very long ride for a launch coaster.
-loved the animatronics and sets.
-pure fun and speed throughout the ride.
-Fluffy And Hagrid looked fantastic.
-the drop track portion was a smooth drop.
The bad:
-my ONLY issue was like others have said, being in the back, at one point the show building was quite obvious. Add some trees up close around it and maybe that’ll help that specific area.
Overall,I wasn’t bothered with the mural on the building from a distance. I also never noticed the ‘pole’ on the Screwt...but maybe that’s because as we were pulling in, it was practically facing us and followed our trains movement.
The devils snare surprised me. I did not expect the amount of moving parts in there.
This ride is an absolute winner and even though I waited 8 1/2 hours to ride, I was not disappointed. I can’t wait to get back on this ride. Best ride added to Orlando since Forbidden Journey.
The good:
-the trains were beautiful.
-very long ride for a launch coaster.
-loved the animatronics and sets.
-pure fun and speed throughout the ride.
-Fluffy And Hagrid looked fantastic.
-the drop track portion was a smooth drop.
The bad:
-my ONLY issue was like others have said, being in the back, at one point the show building was quite obvious. Add some trees up close around it and maybe that’ll help that specific area.
Overall,I wasn’t bothered with the mural on the building from a distance. I also never noticed the ‘pole’ on the Screwt...but maybe that’s because as we were pulling in, it was practically facing us and followed our trains movement.
The devils snare surprised me. I did not expect the amount of moving parts in there.
This ride is an absolute winner and even though I waited 8 1/2 hours to ride, I was not disappointed. I can’t wait to get back on this ride. Best ride added to Orlando since Forbidden Journey.
I waited 10 hours to ride on opening day, and boy was it a long one. My boyfriend and I both agree: it was worth it for the ride, but we will never do an opening like that again lol.
I enjoyed the waiting in line originally despite the heat and sun, as I was prepared to wait and broke out my sketchbook. Once we reached the entrance, I was getting antsy a bit, but seeing the archway in person was worth the money shot. Hearing the motorbikes buzz distantly from Sinbad was exhilarating, but seeing them fly by was downright jaw-dropping.
The line was creeping along once we were inside, and we kept getting delay after delay, feeling delirious and hungry. Everyone in the queue was handling it well. I cannot imagine what it must have been like going through the outdoor queue in the storm, though. I wanted to ask for some sort of meal voucher as we were in line and starving, but ended up deciding against it.
The queue itself is meticulously designed when there are hero spots, but the buffer spots are unfortunately long and winding. I really loved the empty hallway scene with the eggs, as it gives the whole impression that this building has been abandoned for centuries, and the lighting shifts subtly so as to give the illusion of clouds passing by. The graffiti is cute - I saw one that reads “Celestina is brilliant” which was cute! I also appreciate the preshow for its story, the first roundabout in the tower for its glorious chandelier, and the final scene under the loose planks. I did not appreciate getting stuck in those caves though lol.
Finally, after the final hooray from the crowd (I’ve never been more happy to hear a british lady’s voice announcing “good news” before) we were allowed onto load. I snapped a quick pic, sat in the penultimate row, and let out a squeal. I got motorbike - my boyfriend was lovely enough to allow me the throne after raving about this attraction to him for months lol. And we were off! Ten hours for 3 minutes of glee.
The motorbikes roared to life with that first launch, offering us a unique view of the ride. It really feels like a flying motorbike (as though I know exactly what one feels like), and the feeling is magical. With the deep, brassy rumble, deep slaloms, and dips, it’s one hell of a multisensory experience. The next launch shows off the bikes to the queue, and lands in the outhut with Hagrid, whose articulations are impressive and whose eyes and face look warmly familiar.
I’m not fazed by the lack of realism with the skrewt as I love theatre and suspend my disbelief when I’m having fun. I feel as though some people should learn this lesson from theme parks - the puppet is as important as the stage, proscenium, and puppeteer. It was fun! The movements are showy and it’s a great comedic break. The mise en scéne is also gorgeously decorated.
Nothing is more amazing than the view of going through the abbey. It’s timed so that you’re flying over people landing in the final scene. Amazing! And then the swoops and slaloms that follow are so tight and intense. After the next little booster launch, the right turns dig deep and whip you around.
Fluffy is great from the rear seats, but as soon as we rounded the corner, the spike scene was whipping us really quickly into the cave, and before we knew it, we were rushing backwards into the main caves. I think the mural is great, but needs to bring the trees up and avoid the whole sky treatment. There should be a cutout flat like above Skull Island. But that’s a nitpick, and as a muralist I still enjoy seeing it for what it is.
The indoor scene was everything I’d hoped it would be. The pacing was amazing, and even though I was the only one to say it, the spell casting of lumos solem was a super awesome flashback to Sorcerer’s Stone. But oh man, the drop and go sequence is iconic. Once you start making your way out, that last launch with button press scene is akin to what Flight of Passage makes you feel at the end. Pure, unadultered, youthful bliss. The ending is a great epilogue and the unicorns are such a beautiful treat. I love them so f****n much. I miss them. Also, there is an official unicorn mane comber. Amazing.
All in all, the ride was a pure ecstasy trip for me and my boyfriend. We were giddy and jittery and teary at the end, and he’s only a novice fan! I am enamored with the magic and hope that everyone is able to experience it when it’s running 100%. To those whose experiences were far less rewarding than mine, I am truly sorry. But I know that operations appreciates everyone’s ride experience and try their absolute hardest to create a worthy experience for everyone. This ride is a complex show machine with serious safety guidelines, and you need to luck out to get a good ride. At least until the TMs are able to get a good grip on their handlebars and learn the ride’s language.
Overall “I just died” score: 999/10
Overall realistic score: 9.6/10
Thanks for reading! And for those who are interested, I’m working a painting to commemorate the opening and hope to have it on sale as a print in the near future.
I enjoyed the waiting in line originally despite the heat and sun, as I was prepared to wait and broke out my sketchbook. Once we reached the entrance, I was getting antsy a bit, but seeing the archway in person was worth the money shot. Hearing the motorbikes buzz distantly from Sinbad was exhilarating, but seeing them fly by was downright jaw-dropping.
The line was creeping along once we were inside, and we kept getting delay after delay, feeling delirious and hungry. Everyone in the queue was handling it well. I cannot imagine what it must have been like going through the outdoor queue in the storm, though. I wanted to ask for some sort of meal voucher as we were in line and starving, but ended up deciding against it.
The queue itself is meticulously designed when there are hero spots, but the buffer spots are unfortunately long and winding. I really loved the empty hallway scene with the eggs, as it gives the whole impression that this building has been abandoned for centuries, and the lighting shifts subtly so as to give the illusion of clouds passing by. The graffiti is cute - I saw one that reads “Celestina is brilliant” which was cute! I also appreciate the preshow for its story, the first roundabout in the tower for its glorious chandelier, and the final scene under the loose planks. I did not appreciate getting stuck in those caves though lol.
Finally, after the final hooray from the crowd (I’ve never been more happy to hear a british lady’s voice announcing “good news” before) we were allowed onto load. I snapped a quick pic, sat in the penultimate row, and let out a squeal. I got motorbike - my boyfriend was lovely enough to allow me the throne after raving about this attraction to him for months lol. And we were off! Ten hours for 3 minutes of glee.
The motorbikes roared to life with that first launch, offering us a unique view of the ride. It really feels like a flying motorbike (as though I know exactly what one feels like), and the feeling is magical. With the deep, brassy rumble, deep slaloms, and dips, it’s one hell of a multisensory experience. The next launch shows off the bikes to the queue, and lands in the outhut with Hagrid, whose articulations are impressive and whose eyes and face look warmly familiar.
I’m not fazed by the lack of realism with the skrewt as I love theatre and suspend my disbelief when I’m having fun. I feel as though some people should learn this lesson from theme parks - the puppet is as important as the stage, proscenium, and puppeteer. It was fun! The movements are showy and it’s a great comedic break. The mise en scéne is also gorgeously decorated.
Nothing is more amazing than the view of going through the abbey. It’s timed so that you’re flying over people landing in the final scene. Amazing! And then the swoops and slaloms that follow are so tight and intense. After the next little booster launch, the right turns dig deep and whip you around.
Fluffy is great from the rear seats, but as soon as we rounded the corner, the spike scene was whipping us really quickly into the cave, and before we knew it, we were rushing backwards into the main caves. I think the mural is great, but needs to bring the trees up and avoid the whole sky treatment. There should be a cutout flat like above Skull Island. But that’s a nitpick, and as a muralist I still enjoy seeing it for what it is.
The indoor scene was everything I’d hoped it would be. The pacing was amazing, and even though I was the only one to say it, the spell casting of lumos solem was a super awesome flashback to Sorcerer’s Stone. But oh man, the drop and go sequence is iconic. Once you start making your way out, that last launch with button press scene is akin to what Flight of Passage makes you feel at the end. Pure, unadultered, youthful bliss. The ending is a great epilogue and the unicorns are such a beautiful treat. I love them so f****n much. I miss them. Also, there is an official unicorn mane comber. Amazing.
All in all, the ride was a pure ecstasy trip for me and my boyfriend. We were giddy and jittery and teary at the end, and he’s only a novice fan! I am enamored with the magic and hope that everyone is able to experience it when it’s running 100%. To those whose experiences were far less rewarding than mine, I am truly sorry. But I know that operations appreciates everyone’s ride experience and try their absolute hardest to create a worthy experience for everyone. This ride is a complex show machine with serious safety guidelines, and you need to luck out to get a good ride. At least until the TMs are able to get a good grip on their handlebars and learn the ride’s language.
Overall “I just died” score: 999/10
Overall realistic score: 9.6/10
Thanks for reading! And for those who are interested, I’m working a painting to commemorate the opening and hope to have it on sale as a print in the near future.
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- May 16, 2019
- 12
- 30
I'm seeing a lot of people complain about the belt speed on here. Well it's actually the fastest belt speed in the park according to a tm i asked the only reason it was "slow" was because it was in an "ADA" speed (needed because they were only using one drop because the other one went down). But when i got on the belt seemed very fast by the time i sat down and had the restraint pulled down i was half way down the belt
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