How to Ride Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure at Universal Orlando

Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is easily the most popular ride at Universal Orlando. This Harry Potter-themed attraction is located in Universal Orlando's Islands of Adventure inside the Wizarding World of Harry Potter land. This thrilling motorbike-style rollercoaster takes you on a smooth journey through the Forbidden Forest and castle grounds encountering multiple magical creatures along with an animatronic Hagrid.

This is easily my favorite ride at Universal Orlando and the one I prioritize riding the most frequently! On each of our visits, we managed to ride this attraction a few times despite the challenge of Universal Express Pass NOT being offered for this popular ride. Keep reading for all my best tips on how to ride Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure!

Is Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure Worth It?

This is hands down one of the best new attractions in all of Florida, not just Universal Orlando! Yes, you read that right. This attraction is one of the best even when compared to some of our favorite rides over at Walt Disney World.

Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure combines the thrills of a family-friendly roller coaster with Harry Potter-themed animatronics and storytelling. The ride itself is extremely smooth and fast enough to appeal to the more hesitant roller coaster types and teens who love thrill rides. But the best part is the animatronics on this attraction which include a life-size Hagrid that stands at 7 feet tall and is Universal Orlando's first human-like animatronic.

The attraction also features animatronics of popular magical creatures from the films such as:

• Fluffy, Hagrid’s Three-Headed Dog
• Blast-Ended Skrewts
• Magorian, the Centaur
• Devil’s Snare
• Cornish Pixies

Plus the attraction and queue feature more details of magical creatures including fire crabs, manticores, gnomes, and salamanders.

Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is also the longest roller coaster in Florida and the coaster with the most launches in the world with 7 launches in total. You have the choice of riding on Hagrid's motorbike or in the adjacent sidecar, both offer two completely different experiences.

Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure also features a ride photo and this is one of the best ride photos you can get at Universal Orlando. This is our ride photo from enjoying the experience at night, you can get a good look at the ride vehicles in this image. If you are a bit nervous about rollercoasters, I suggest the sidecar for your first ride.

You can watch a full ride POV in the video below from Universal Orlando but I do not recommend this as it will spoil some of the fun surprises in the ride! But it can be a good way to get an idea of what to expect if you have any riders who may be nervous about roller coasters.

 

Does Hagrid's Have Express Pass?

Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure does NOT offer Express Pass which is often disappointing news to guests. While I absolutely recommend purchasing Universal Orlando Express Pass, you can read more about why I think it's worth it in our Universal Express guide, this is one popular attraction that you cannot use it on.

There are only two ways to ride Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure: using the standby queue or the single rider line. There are also options for guests with disabilities (more on this below) and occasionally (although this is rare) Universal Orlando will offer a virtual queue option.

Let's get into all the specifics of how to ride Hagrid's at Universal Orlando!

Planning Your Universal Orlando Vacation

While you're planning your Universal Studios Florida trip, you should refer to our various planning guides in addition to this Universal Studios Florida best rides guide. I have shared our complete guide to Universal Orlando with tips for taking advantage of everything offered at the entire resort and the best information on saving money with discount Universal Orlando tickets.

You'll also want to dive into our specific guides on the hotels at Universal Orlando, celebrating Christmas at Universal Orlando, tips for Universal Orlando park touring, and more.

Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure Single Rider

Hagrid's does offer single rider but this line can get pretty long and might not move quite as fast as you may expect. Universal will periodically close and reopen the single rider line depending on length. Keep in mind that if your party opts to do the single rider line, you will not be seated with your group and you will be split up. Typically those in single rider fill the seat of the sidecar so this is also important to keep in mind if you have your heart set on the bike.

Using single rider is usually pretty hit or miss depending on the day so you may end up shaving some minutes off the wait but you will skip the preshow and any of the interactive queue elements.

However, the single rider line can be a good way to shave some minutes off the standby line but there's no guarantee you will ride much faster than using the regular standby queue. Universal Team Members are quite efficient at loading guests onto Hagrid's and the line is often very fast moving.

Virtual Queue for Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure

Universal Orlando will periodically use Virtual Line for Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. This was a more common practice when the ride first opened but since then Universal Orlando has used it less frequently.

However, just in case, it's wise to have an idea of how to use Virtual Line for Hagrid's. The way Virtual Line works is you reserve your place in line virtually using the Universal Orlando app and then you arrive at the attraction when your group is called.

How to Use the Virtual Line

1. Select an Attraction

1. In the app’s left-hand menu, select “Virtual Line.”
2. Tap on the “Virtual Line Venues” tab to see a list of available attractions.
3. Select the attraction you want to ride and tap “Virtual Line Pass – Reserve”

2. Set Your Pass Details

1. Select how many people are in your travel party.
2. Select your return time.
3. Tap “Reserve Virtual Line Pass” to complete.
4. Relax, play and explore until your ride time.

3. Head to the Attraction when it’s Your Time to Ride

1. Head to the attraction entrance within your return time window.
2. Make sure you have your QR code accessible and that your entire party is with you.
3. Once your time has passed, you can get another Virtual Line return time.

Virtual Line Tips

• The Virtual Line process is completely free.
• You can make two virtual line reservations for two attractions at the same time as long as their return times don't overlap.
• You cannot have two reservations for the same attraction at the same time until your first return time passes.
• Everyone in your group can make Virtual Line reservations for your party at the same time which is a great way to get as many virtual line passes as possible.
• Some rides, like Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, may run out of return times so those popular rides should be prioritized first.
• You have to be in one of the two theme parks or City Walk in order to make a Virtual Line reservation.
• You don't need to use the Virtual Line if you have Express Pass but keep in mind that Express Pass isn't offered for Hagrid's Magical Creature Motorbike Adventure so you will have to learn to use for at least that attraction.

Rope Drop Strategy for Hagrid's

The best way to rope drop Hagrid's is to make sure you are visiting Islands of Adventure on a day that the Universal Orlando hotels do not have Early Entry. Most hotel guests go right for Hagrid's during their Early Entry so this line will be quite long by the time you enter the park.

However, if Islands of Adventure is not doing Early Entry, then you have a good shot at riding Hagrid's with a lower wait of the day. Plan on arriving at least 30 minutes prior to park opening and follow the signs (and other guests!) to line up facing Hogsmeade. Once the park opens, you will be walking towards Hagrid's with a large crowd of other guests with a similar idea so don't expect a walk on… but it you will be a far lower wait than middle of the day.

If you have Universal Orlando Early Entry then your plan should be riding Hagrid's during Early Entry! This will be the shortest way to ride the attraction as hotel guests get access to the park an hour before the official park opening.

Best Time of Day to Ride Hagrid's

The best time of the day to ride Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure might actually be later in the day around evening! We have found the wait to be drastically less and to move far more efficiently if we wait until later in the day. This is how to ride Hagrid's at Universal Orlando with a lower wait time.

Despite that good news, I do not recommend this option. Hagrid's often closes due to inclement weather and we know how unpredictable the Orlando weather can be. During our last visit, Hagrid's was closed for most of the day due to high winds. Luckily we rode it first thing in the morning but if we had waited then we would have missed out. So while you may get a shorter wait later in the day, you run the risk of missing out on the experience if the ride shuts down due to bad weather.

Hagrid's will typically close for high winds, lightning in the area, and heavy rain.

How to Ride Hagrid's for Guests with Disabilities

Guests with disabilities visiting Universal Orlando can utilize the Attractions Assistance Pass to ride. Simply take your pass up to the Team Member at the entrance of the attraction and they will issue a return time based on the current wait time. Since Hagrid's can often have a long wait, this will tie up your AAP for quite awhile since you cannot use it for another ride until you redeem your spot for Hagrid's. I recommend going to Hagrid's first thing in the morning to get your return time and then enjoy the other attractions in Hogsmeade until it's time to return. They will often have low waits the first hour of park opening as many guests focus on Hagrid's.

The process for guests with disabilities has changed at Universal Orlando and guests are required to provide documentation before their arrival. Read more about how to apply for an Attractions Assistance Pass in our guide to navigating Universal Orlando with disabilities.

Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is one of my favorite theme park rides and I truly feel it is worth the wait! Make sure to make time within your day to ride this incredible rollercoaster now that know how you know how to ride Hagrid's at Universal Orlando.

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FAQS- How to Ride Hagrid's at Universal Orlando