Ben A.
Yelp
This past summer was my family's first trip to Universal Orlando, where we enjoyed three days in the park. As annual pass holders for Universal Studios Hollywood, we were mostly excited to see the things that don't also exist closer to home. certainly, there are parts of the Harry Potter land in Orlando that are far superior to our California version; among these, was Hagrid's magical creatures ride.
As others have mentioned and you no doubt would have guessed anyway, the wait time in line can be downright geological! We enjoyed this ride two times, once during the day, and another at night. In both cases, I think we waited around 90 minutes in line, although others with whom we spoke while waiting shared they had previously waited even longer than that.
Sprayers and fans do their best to keep the queue cool, and the designers of the exterior did their best to distract you from your watch with themed decorations.
The ride itself is one of the best I've ever enjoyed. Hagrid is one of the favored characters among fans, affable and huge in size and personality. His comic relief in the books is matched in the narrative of this ride, which Jets you along on either a motorbike, or in the sidecar. as a bigger guy, I appreciated that I could ride the motorbike, and unlike a few other rides in the park, nothing crushed my rib cage to the point of being unable to breathe in the restraints.
Plenty of twists and turns, some surprise accelerations, and a few other non-ballistic motion spoilers that I won't ruin for you. All the while, Hagrid sort of narrates the ride, complete with corny humor that is not entirely unpleasant.
Pro tip: watch the weather, and try to learn a thing or two about climatology and meteorology as you time your visit to this or any other ride. Because part of the ride is outside, lightning in the area will delay or shut it down outright. during our visit the first week of July, big Florida thunderstorms rolled in around 11 AM, and blew out by 5PM or so. You may want to plan your visit, especially during the summer, in a way that allows you to enjoy these fair sky - reliant attractions when they're open. As it turned out, we were among the last group to get on the ride before they delayed operations due to thunderstorms. That is a real downer when you've already waited in line for over an hour to be shut down right at the gate. Sorry it happened to the people behind us, but glad it wasn't us I suppose. All part of the gamble of visiting a theme park in Florida during the summer.
Pro tip number two: purchase your cooling towels and plastic parkas online or at your favorite retail store before you arrive at the park, where are you will pay a premium for both. both of these items came in handy during our visit.
We can't wait to visit again, and we look forward to enjoying this roller coaster as a family.