Between Friday and Saturday I rode Hagrid five times and had many amazing experiences.
Friday
Posted Wait Time: 90 minutes
Actual Wait Time: 48 minutes
Saturday
Posted Wait Time: 120 minutes
Actual Wait Time: 77 minutes
Posted Wait Time: 105 minutes
Actual Wait Time: 91 minutes
Posted Wait Time: 150 minutes
Actual Wait Time: Roughly 75 minutes
Posted Wait Time: 90 minutes
Actual Wait Time: 45 Minutes
As usual left Fluffy head and the Skrewt fog blast are still not working,the preshow is running, however there was no awkward pause between the thestrals scene and the first launch on any of my rides. I was not aware of how many trains were running, however the belt was definitely running at full speed.
According to an employee when the belt is running at full speed you have three seconds to get to your seat. With the belt running at full speed there is no time for nonsense if something happens and you don't fit in your seat there gonna yank you right out. I was riding sidecar yesterday and sat down in the seat with my legs to close to my chest. I was swiftly taken off the ride and put into a test seat and was fine for both. So if you are a bigger, broader person like myself be extra careful positioning yourself into the vehicle and of course if there was any serious issue the belt would slow or stop which I witnessed earlier that day. There's a rose for every thorn though, after being taken off, I was placed on the front row Motorbike as the sun was setting.
Both drop tracks are working again!! However there seems to be a tendency for the the motorbike to stop for a few seconds longer than it should after falling. This is extremely unnoticeable to most guests and happened to me twice yesterday. On the topic of stops... on one of my rides all the vehicles came to a stop for a few minutes. This happened to me right before heading into Hagrid's hut. It was a rather unique experience and I really got take in the amazing scenery and set work. It was also pretty incredible to see the trains start up again one by one.
I was in such a state of happiness when six o clock rolled around and the ride was still not closed. With a wait time of 150 minutes I was expecting the ride to hit capacity at any minute, however people just kept piling in behind me. I kept checking the app while I was in line and even as seven rolled around the ride was still not at capacity. When I got off the ride was still open, I quickly ran to ride again to get my first night ride. The night ride was awesome and rather unique for a coaster. Almost none of the track is lit by any exterior lighting and relies mostly on the bikes headlight severely limiting the view of the track. For some odd reason it gave me this weird sense of nostalgia reminding me of a childhood Halloween Hayride through the forest. A nighttime ride also really brings out the braking effects on the bikes with the brakes lights flaring up every time you slow down. It also really brings out the dragon fire lighting effect towards the final launch. The only downside to the night time ride is that you can very clearly see the roof of the soundstage in the drop scene due to you not being night blind. However you do get to notice the insane amount of detail that went into the forest and vines. When exiting the night ride the Death Eaters were out and messing with guests exiting the ride. It really brings a new level of energy to the area
It appears that the single riders line never closed down and was running well into the night. From my observation the single rider line moves slow as molasses compared the regular line. The regular line moves almost constantly.
After this last visit I believe Hagrid to be running the best it has ever run and is heading towards being open all day(lets hope last night wasn't a fluke). I was so joyed an almost honored to luck out and accidentally be there on one of the few days Hagrid was admitting guests quickly and efficiently well into the night. Cheers to the future of one of Orlando's greatest attractions :toast: