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On Monday morning, a favorite Harry Potter-themed attraction opened at Universal Studios Orlando, thrilling visitors–but there was one huge drawback.
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In the summer of 1990, Central Florida welcomed another entertainment giant to its theme park haven near Orlando. Universal Studios opened just down the street from the Walt Disney World Resort, giving Disney some very real competition for the first time since it opened in 1971. Twenty years later, a brand-new expansion at Universal’s Islands of Adventure park would become cause for Disney to be nervous and forever change the look of the Disney/Universal rivalry.
In 2010, the Wizarding World of Harry Potter opened at Islands of Adventure, and the Harry Potter universe of fandom descended upon the parks, drawing crowds that no one could have predicted.
Credit: NBC News
The expansion allowed Potter fans to explore locations from the Harry Potter book series written by author JK Rowling. From its first day of operation, the new expansion was popular, and it continues to be to this day. But in June 2019, a brand-new attraction opened inside the Wizarding World of Harry Potter–a thrilling ride called Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure opened that summer, and on its first day of operation, wait times were rumored to be longer than 8 hours at times.
thousands of guests, each one anxious with anticipation over the brand-new experience inside the Universal park. On the attraction’s first day of operation, wait times in the queue for the ride were rumored to be as long as 8 to 10 hours.
Credit: Discover Universal
The exciting experience features a steel motorbike roller coaster located at The Wizarding World of Harry Potter in the Hogsmeade section of Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure park. The ride itself, as well as the way in which it was made and operates, makes it one of the most exciting and immersive coasters in the Sunshine State.
At the attraction, Universal Orlando invites guests to “join Hagrid as you fly deep into the wilds of the Forbidden Forest, beyond the grounds of Hogwarts castle, on a thrilling roller coaster ride that plunges into the paths of some of the wizarding world’s rarest magical creatures and experience Universal’s most highly themed, immersive coaster.”
Hagrid’s is one of the most popular rides at the Universal Studios Orlando Resort. But guests who visited the parks between February 21, 2023, and March 5, 2023, were denied the opportunity to revel in the thrills of hopping on a motorbike with Hagrid. That’s because the attraction was closed during that time, presumably for necessary maintenance and/or repairs.
On Monday, the ride was once again operational, and it looks like very few visitors missed that news bulletin. Universal’s Islands of Adventure park opened at 9:00 a.m., but by 8:54 a.m., there was already a 3-hour wait to experience the revived attraction.
Credit: Screenshot
Hopefully the wait times will become shorter as the “newly-opened” status of Hagrid’s Adventure fades.
