Does the Universal Express Pass still NOT include Hagrid's Motorcycle ride?

[barb969]

I would like to see a 1 ride/day EP for Hagrids and VC.
I have health problems that prevent me from standing in line for long periods. I don’t qualify for a disability pass.

 

[DoryGirl1963]

I know I'm in the minority, but I'm kinda glad Hagrid's and VC don't take express. Imagine how backed up the lines would get if express people were all going ahead, and riding over and over. VC might get it soon, as lines aren't nearly as terrible, but Hagrids, is way too popular. I've done the VQs for Rise and GotG at WDW, and I'm not a huge fan. We were able to get them every time we tried, but knew a lot of people who didn't ride Rise for any of their trips, when it was VQ only. I think there should always be an option for standby.

I agree - hope they leave Hagrid's as is - otherwise, non-EP folks have no hope of ever getting on it

 

[saskdw]

I know I'm in the minority, but I'm kinda glad Hagrid's and VC don't take express. Imagine how backed up the lines would get if express people were all going ahead, and riding over and over. VC might get it soon, as lines aren't nearly as terrible, but Hagrids, is way too popular. I've done the VQs for Rise and GotG at WDW, and I'm not a huge fan. We were able to get them every time we tried, but knew a lot of people who didn't ride Rise for any of their trips, when it was VQ only. I think there should always be an option for standby.

VC is definately ready to have EP added. We were there from Dec. 11th-24th and wait times were under an hour most of the time.

Hagrids must be a slow loading ride. It just doesn't process enough people for the popularity of it. It's a great ride, family friendly, everyone wants to ride it. I don't know what the solution is. I've read that even at the Orlando Informer events you have to wait 30-45 mins for Hagrids. Every other ride is walk on at those events.

 

[saskdw]

I agree - hope they leave Hagrid's as is - otherwise, non-EP folks hav eno hope of ever getting on it

We always have EP so normally for my own selfish reasons I would disagree!

However adding EP to Hagrids right now would cause unimaginable chaos. It just isn't feasible with the current set-up and demand.

 

[DoryGirl1963]

I would like to see a 1 ride/day EP for Hagrids and VC.
I have health problems that prevent me from standing in line for long periods. I don’t qualify for a disability pass.

This might be a good solution all around - EP folks get a ride without too terrible of a wait but the stand by shouldn't be too terribly affected because there wouln't be the ginormous amount of rerides.

 

[GoingSince1990]

You would think Universal would be sorely tempted by the massive revenue possibilities of starting their own version of a Disney ILL-style pay-to-ride add on.

 

[mort1331]

You would think Universal would be sorely tempted by the massive revenue possibilities of starting their own version of a Disney ILL-style pay-to-ride add on.

The difference is US has a pay system. And its a big pay. Disney is a small pay, but everyone has access to it,,its downfall.
Both have plus and minus

 

[CAPSLOCK]

You would think Universal would be sorely tempted by the massive revenue possibilities of starting their own version of a Disney ILL-style pay-to-ride add on.

I think Universal likes to sit back and watch everyone flame Disney's *adjective* system while just smiling...

 

[GoingSince1990]

The difference is US has a pay system. And its a big pay. Disney is a small pay, but everyone has access to it,,its downfall.
Both have plus and minus

I guess it also could be that the current setup adds a powerful selling point to Universal VIP tours (which I assume provide immediate access to both of those rides).

 

[spewey]

I agree that with its current capacity adding an EP line would probably not be feasible for Hagrid's at the moment. But they gotta do something - as I and others have pointed out, although standby-only seems fair, with multi-hour lines it effectively excludes a considerable number of people who for whatever reason simply cannot stand in that cramped space for long periods of time.

To me, a virtual line is far fairer. And it could be tweaked to allow "early access" to resort guests - ie they can sign on an hour before the GP - should UO choose. Remember, the ride will service what the ride will service - but with a VL (which they did employ for a bit when it first opened, and seemed to work OK) instead of standing in line for 2-3 hours, you get a return time, which also frees you up to spend money elsewhere in the parks, which I think UO would want (and was, frankly, the whole impetus behind Disney developing their original (free) Fastpass system).

 

[Smugpugmug]

You would think Universal would be sorely tempted by the massive revenue possibilities of starting their own version of a Disney ILL-style pay-to-ride add on.

I don't think Universal will do that for Hagrid's in particular because according to the licensing contract J.K Rowling (and Warner Bros.) has with Universal, they would receive a cut from the profits if any of the Harry Potter rides had an equivalent of a Lightning Lane. They don't receive anything for Express.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

Hagrids must be a slow loading ride. It just doesn't process enough people for the popularity of it.

The first statement isn't really true - although the second is. It loads much more quickly than Velocicoaster, and also loads more quickly than RRR, and Hulk. But as you said - it's just such a wide audience for it, with such great re-rideability, that even with the fairly fast moving loading platform and people constantly loading, it just has a hard time keeping up with demand on busy days.

 

[spewey]

The first statement isn't really true - although the second is. It loads much more quickly than Velocicoaster, and also loads more quickly than RRR, and Hulk. But as you said - it's just such a wide audience for it, with such great re-rideability, that even with the fairly fast moving loading platform and people constantly loading, it just has a hard time keeping up with demand on busy days.

If I recall correctly, the manufacturer (Intamin) max hourly throughput for both rides is about the same - 1700. Pretty good, but each ride has its issues.

Hagrid is simply unreliable. Sorry to say, probably one of the most unreliable major new coasters built in recent years. Has been since day one - not sure what the fix is.

For Velocicoaster, I think the issues start in the morning with the locker set up, which greatly slows down the flow of people up to the platform. Once that area is full for good, the lockers are probably not an issue. But to hit that 1700 mark, they have to run all the trains all the time, and have a pretty tight window to launch. Hard to hit those marks consistently. Still, it is a people eater, all things considered, and handles what is thrown at it fairly well. I agree they can add an EP line without causing chaos at this point.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

If I recall correctly, the manufacturer (Intamin) max hourly throughput for both rides is about the same - 1700.

Really? Just from an observational standpoint, I can't see that having a single coaster stop, unload, load, & check restraints, and go, can be as quick as the moving continuous loading platform on Hagrids, at the pace they usually have that platform going.

Of course, down time screws up their ideal throughput. But if both rides are working optimally, it's always seemed to me that Hagrids gets butts in seats & coasters leaving the station so much faster.

 

[spewey]

Really? Just from an observational standpoint, I can't see that having a single coaster stop, unload, load, & check restraints, and go, can be as quick as the moving continuous loading platform on Hagrids, at the pace they usually have that platform going.

Of course, down time screws up their ideal throughput. But if both rides are working optimally, it's always seemed to me that Hagrids gets butts in seats & coasters leaving the station so much faster.

All true .... BUT - there's more to it than load/unload. VC can run up to four 24-passenger trains at once, and they often do, meaning (max) 96 guests on the course at once. I've never seen it with fewer than three.

Hagrid's trains only hold 14 people, which counts for most of its loading advantage. And here is where it gets tricky - I've heard it has 12 trains available. But how many can be used at once? That actually seems to be a bit of a mystery. Some say ... 10? But how? I think the ride has only seven "blocks" - that is areas where a train can be stopped and held if need be, to prevent a collision (think load/unload platforms, launch or lift hills, etc). That to me means seven on the course at once, tops. Which equals 98 patrons, about the same as VC, and that adds up to about 1700/hr given normal load times.

However - come on. I doubt there's EVER seven trains out there. I've seen four at once; has anyone seen more? Even if they do six, they're taking a hit capacity-wise. And remember, any issue with a sensor, or launch, really backs things up with that many trains needed to keep people moving.

I LOVE the ride. As good as it gets for a family-type themed coaster. But to enjoy it, you gotta get on it. The thing cost $300 million, or so they say, and for that you'd hope it would be more reliable, or at least handle the crowds it draws in a more efficient manner.

There's a reason Intamin's reputation took quite a few hits a couple decades ago (and I'm referring to inconsistency, not the, um, "incidents") and why some of the big parks turned to B&M for their major coasters, even though they (again, or so I've heard) cost far more. But those issues seem to have been ironed out. It just could be this ride is simply too complex to fix easily.

 

[CAPSLOCK]

There are a lot of trains at the load/unloading areas at once (usually at least 3 IME), plus another 1-3 at the end heading around that corner to the unloading area. I've got no problem believing there are routinely 8+ trains going at once.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Yeah I don’t think the current set up for Hagrids is working great. This week - admittedly as busy as it gets - the line never dropped below 120 minutes, often closer to 180. And it has yet to open with EE.

Meaning thousands of resort guests hustling to Hogsmeade then having nothing to do but swarm Velocicoaster. That had a 90 minute wait by the time we got there today at 8:30AM. Why they don’t employ a virtual queue at times like this is beyond me. That worked great for us for Guardians of the Galaxy on our recent Disney trip, and it seems like a much more equitable process. Can’t imagine many families with smaller kids - or even older adults - wanting to commit to waiting for hours in a claustrophobic line.

EXACTLY THIS!

When we went in 2021, while we found it odd Velocicoaster hadn’t opened up single rider or express pass the days we were there, we also knew it was a newer coaster.

Hagrids had no virtual queue, no single rider and no express pass, and we didn’t want to wait over an hour posted (I know it could’ve been shorter as wait time are usually inflated but still).

It’s what makes me mad about the genie plus versus the cores pass versus quick queue/whatever any other theme park calls it. argument: you should be getting what you pay for. And if you’re not gonna do virtual queue every day or have it open during EE or not utilize things like single rider, people aren’t going to ride it. Especially when even one ride only express passes are super expensive depending on the day.

 

[lisam70]

Plenty of folks willing to stand in line for 2 hours so I’m doubtful for any changes anytime soon.

 

[BroadwayHermione5]

Plenty of folks willing to stand in line for 2 hours so I’m doubtful for any changes anytime soon.

Sadly this is true.


However, this is also a capacity issue as unlike Velocicoaster its capacity is lower. This is where consistent use of virtual queue might help.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

Yeah I don’t think the current set up for Hagrids is working great. This week - admittedly as busy as it gets - the line never dropped below 120 minutes, often closer to 180. And it has yet to open with EE.

Meaning thousands of resort guests hustling to Hogsmeade then having nothing to do but swarm Velocicoaster. That had a 90 minute wait by the time we got there today at 8:30AM. Why they don’t employ a virtual queue at times like this is beyond me. That worked great for us for Guardians of the Galaxy on our recent Disney trip, and it seems like a much more equitable process. Can’t imagine many families with smaller kids - or even older adults - wanting to commit to waiting for hours in a claustrophobic line.

I'm not a fan of virtual queues. I don't like being tied down like that. People forget how long it took for the HP rides to get EP. USO does it right IMO by holding back EP on the new in-demand rides. People will wait. We had a great conversation with a dad and his daughter in line at Hagrid's for an hour or so. Our experience is people are much more fine with waiting at USO than Disney hands down. At Disney everyone is a cranky mess demanding to wait less than 20mins for every ride and angry at the world (I exaggerate about angry at the world..but only slightly )