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Reviews & Media - Hagrid's Magical Creature Motorbike Adventure

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.
Such a thoughtful, beautiful, wonderful review. Thank you!!! :thumbsup::toast:
 
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.

You sure the ride is an “A” ? that’s a lot of negative thoughts about the quality of the overall theming.

That’s too bad you got into a shouting match about leaving the ride early. I would have just listened to the cast member and left if they asked me too.
 
You sure the ride is an “A” ? that’s a lot of negative thoughts about the quality of the overall theming.

That’s too bad you got into a shouting match about leaving the ride early. I would have just listened to the cast member and left if they asked me too.
To me it is a 93/100, I just skimmed over the very good, as I believe we are all very familiar with that.
Also, I, thankfully, did not get into a yelling match. In fact, I tried to break one up. That was just an “everybody around me” type thing.
 
One comment id like to see in reviews is wether you feel this is a proper replacement for Dueling Dragons. I would imagine it will be for most people, but I’m curious if there are any hold outs
 
One comment id like to see in reviews is wether you feel this is a proper replacement for Dueling Dragons. I would imagine it will be for most people, but I’m curious if there are any hold outs

Havnt ride yet but from everything I’ve seen I feel it’s a more than worthy replacement for dragon challenge after it stopped dueling. Now I loved dueling dragons the queue was fantastic and the roller coaster was revolutionary. But after the switch to DC it lost a lot of what made it special and the end of dueling made it a regular coaster.
 
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
Cons:
  • 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.
I’ll ride again next week hopefully and see how I feel after then. For now, this seems to be a fun ride I like way more than Gringotts, and probably just as much as Forbidden Journey. Definitely the best Universal ride since FJ if you ask me. By far.

Some footage of my experience in line yesterday, as well as more of my thoughts on the ride, in this quick video:



Thank you for the fair and even review. I’m glad I’m not alone in the pole/mural
moment being a bit of a detractor. I hope it can be plussed in the future.
 
One comment id like to see in reviews is wether you feel this is a proper replacement for Dueling Dragons. I would imagine it will be for most people, but I’m curious if there are any hold outs
Absolutely worth it. Dragons was a fun coaster, but by the end it was little more than that.

Hagrid is a step up in nearly every way, and it is a better representation of what Universal is capable of in 2019 and beyond than Dragons ever could be.
 
Havnt ride yet but from everything I’ve seen I feel it’s a more than worthy replacement for dragon challenge after it stopped dueling. Now I loved dueling dragons the queue was fantastic and the roller coaster was revolutionary. But after the switch to DC it lost a lot of what made it special and the end of dueling made it a regular coaster.

Yup. Dueling Dragons was collectively one of the best attractions in Florida. But neither on their own--without the awesome queue or the dueling--were anywhere near as good as Montu. I wish they could rebuild them at FW but I know that ain't happening.
 
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I’ll post an in depth review sometime soon but in the meantime wow this is one heck of an incredible experience. It’s not the most themed, or most immersive or technologically advanced. But it is the most fun ride on property and easily the most re-rideable. They hit an absolute home run with this one y’all. I mean it, it’s incredibly good!!
 
This ride just did not let up once it gets started. As long as it is, it didn't actually feel that that it was when you're on it because the pacing is that relentless. I'm not gonna lie.. I actually there was going to be more after the unicorn scene because I was like.. I don't think that was 3 minutes. :lol:

The queue.. keep it. I don't need to see it again. Single Riders and Express will be fine, especially since the most impressive room is the one right before load which I'm sure all guests will experience. Loved that ceiling effect.

But this is really about the ride and honestly you'd be hard-pressed to find a better themed coaster that offers this much THRILL stateside. This is another ride in the upper echelons for Universal and a total knockout. Everyone will love this ride from a pure fun standpoint.

Is it the greatest attraction ever? If you ask me, no way. Does it hit my top 10 of rides ever? If we're talking strictly Orlando, yes. It was full of surprises for me even being glued to these boards. So either I wasn't paying attention or I did a good job of keeping away from spoilers.

As far as it how it ranks amongst the other Harry Potter attractions, I'd probably still give to the edge of Gringotts. That experience just starts at the entrance to the bank, plus the queue, preshow, elevator... all that makes it tops for me. If we're looking strictly ride to ride, that can be debatable.

But this ride is such a strong addition to the resort, especially when the focus on thrills has been pretty absent from both resorts but seems to be changing in the next few years. It deserves all the hype it gets. Come end of August, y'all enjoy "Star Tours with buttons." I'll be on Hagrid's.
 
AWESOME! Waited about 3 hours and was lucky enough that it broke down in the devils snare scene for a minute so they let us re-ride.

Motorbike side is amazing, the speed is incredible, the thrills are top notch....Universal has killed it with this ride and created something that has no true equivalent in Orlando.

Is it my favorite ride?...that’s tough. On first inspection, possibly, but it’s definitely top 5 at least.

The queue is the only part that I thought was good, but not nearly as high-grade as FJ or Gringotts. That said, the musion scene in the pre-show is the most flawless implementation I’ve seen yet. They finally got the colors right where the characters don’t appear brighter than their environment.

This ride will go down as one of the best Universal has ever put out...and as someone who has been on the “no more Potter train”, I kind of want the Ministry of Magic now :)
 
Not that it counts for anything but in my ever going quest to get my parents to return to Orlando, i showed the POV to my parents. My dad was blown away but my mum simply said: is that it?
 
In The Loop posted their Saturday impressions video featuring me, the male pattern bald spot I just found out about, and my massive maw. Yay!


Guessing you got a full ride through, with no breakdowns, on your second ride. Did your impressions change from what you said on Friday, after an incomplete ride......
 
So today rode it, and have to say the videos do not do it justice. The twists and turns were fun, Hagrid looks much better in person, and that last launch really packed a punch. I have to kind of disagree about the musion pre-show though. So much of it was video, it pretty much looked just like a film to me
 
In The Loop posted their Saturday impressions video featuring me, the male pattern bald spot I just found out about, and my massive maw. Yay!



Don’t be so hard on yourself you look great considering morning Florida humidity can ruin anybody’s look, even Beyoncé and Dolly Parton
 
One comment id like to see in reviews is wether you feel this is a proper replacement for Dueling Dragons. I would imagine it will be for most people, but I’m curious if there are any hold outs
B&M inverts are one of my top favorite models of coasters...I loved the Dragons...I was not happy about their removal....but my goodness the replacement does not disappoint. Maybe someday Universal will revisit an Invert...
 
Got lucky both days I decided to go. Saturday and Sunday right at park opening, first hundred people. Ride was amazing. 10/10. Sure there are a few things I would change, just like on any other ride, but it did not distract me from the rest of the experience. Universal definitely has a win.
 
So I'm working on two article on Hagrid and I need some place to spit out some ideas. These thoughts are not fully processed and some might be copied into the articles. I just gotta bounce them off people.

  • The coaster dynamics and track layout is unlike anything in Orlando. Most of Disney's coasters and some of Universal's focus on helixes and small hops. Even SeaWorld and Universal's B&Ms can feel same-y. Hagrid kicks that all to the curb from the second Hagrid hits the gas. Immediately you are in a slalom drop to a massive launch. After that the coaster kicks into high gear with tons of lateral forces over the lake; the forces aren't shaky or rough but feel like someone with their foot on the peddle taking some tight curves too quickly.
  • Several parts of the attraction feels like you are actually riding a flying bike piloted by a guy who barely has it under control. While turning the ride vehicle pops up and down, the bike dips and curves out of tight spaces. This is even more heightened when on the bike.
  • This is not a family coaster or kids coaster, this thing doesn't pull any punches. I've seen comparisons to Slinky, I love Slinky, this is several notches above Slinky in intensity and speed.
  • Once you hit the backwards portion the ride seems to lose some steam and pace. The speed as you go into the forbidden forest feels weak and not natural. Due to that slowness some of the issues of the centaur scene are more noticeable. Thankfully that scene just needs two fixes: 1) add some fake leaves hanging from the roof to disguise the tree tops and lighting rigs 2) add a lighting effect to reveal the centaur and make it seem like it's moving. Yeah, it's the damn Disco Yeti thing but they use it because it works.
  • The final launch is intense and packs a punch, especially with how exposed you are on the track. But after you take that launch the ride ends, making it feel a little perfunctory. I would have liked just a few more seconds of track after it to sell it.
  • There are some small touch up items that they need to fix: 1) TV screen in the reshow that was quickly added to show the load procedure 2) lighting on the bridge is semi-hidden by fake plants, a more permanent solution is needed 3) the unicorns and fawn need some major fixes. The unicorn's ears look bad and the fawn's coat looks like a cheap plastic toy, seams and all.
  • If you're a coaster head like me you'll find the ride very similar in many aspects: the tight turns of Maverick, the drop track from Verbolten, etc. For most guests this will be unlike anything else they experienced, for me it's more of a greatest hits experience. This doesn't make it bad, it just doesn't feel as unique as the two other Potter e-tickets.
  • If I had to rate the ride I'd give it five stars out of five, it really is fantastic and unique.
 
So I'm working on two article on Hagrid and I need some place to spit out some ideas. These thoughts are not fully processed and some might be copied into the articles. I just gotta bounce them off people.

  • The coaster dynamics and track layout is unlike anything in Orlando. Most of Disney's coasters and some of Universal's focus on helixes and small hops. Even SeaWorld and Universal's B&Ms can feel same-y. Hagrid kicks that all to the curb from the second Hagrid hits the gas. Immediately you are in a slalom drop to a massive launch. After that the coaster kicks into high gear with tons of lateral forces over the lake; the forces aren't shaky or rough but feel like someone with their foot on the peddle taking some tight curves too quickly.
  • Several parts of the attraction feels like you are actually riding a flying bike piloted by a guy who barely has it under control. While turning the ride vehicle pops up and down, the bike dips and curves out of tight spaces. This is even more heightened when on the bike.
  • This is not a family coaster or kids coaster, this thing doesn't pull any punches. I've seen comparisons to Slinky, I love Slinky, this is several notches above Slinky in intensity and speed.
  • Once you hit the backwards portion the ride seems to lose some steam and pace. The speed as you go into the forbidden forest feels weak and not natural. Due to that slowness some of the issues of the centaur scene are more noticeable. Thankfully that scene just needs two fixes: 1) add some fake leaves hanging from the roof to disguise the tree tops and lighting rigs 2) add a lighting effect to reveal the centaur and make it seem like it's moving. Yeah, it's the damn Disco Yeti thing but they use it because it works.
  • The final launch is intense and packs a punch, especially with how exposed you are on the track. But after you take that launch the ride ends, making it feel a little perfunctory. I would have liked just a few more seconds of track after it to sell it.
  • There are some small touch up items that they need to fix: 1) TV screen in the reshow that was quickly added to show the load procedure 2) lighting on the bridge is semi-hidden by fake plants, a more permanent solution is needed 3) the unicorns and fawn need some major fixes. The unicorn's ears look bad and the fawn's coat looks like a cheap plastic toy, seams and all.
  • If you're a coaster head like me you'll find the ride very similar in many aspects: the tight turns of Maverick, the drop track from Verbolten, etc. For most guests this will be unlike anything else they experienced, for me it's more of a greatest hits experience. This doesn't make it bad, it just doesn't feel as unique as the two other Potter e-tickets.
  • If I had to rate the ride I'd give it five stars out of five, it really is fantastic and unique.
What's your feelings on the Hagrid Barn, Fluffy, Ford scenes and the sensation of the drop track? Seems like lack of coaster uniqueness may be due to your experiencing so many coasters in your travels. Do you think it will feel unique to the typical guest.
 
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