Hagrids right before close

[jenniferahardin87]

hi! my teens want to ride hagrids at night and the plan is to get on a few minutes before close (we’ve ridden multiple times before so not a huge deal if it goes down and they can’t ride)

if i’m not up to riding can i wait for them in hogsmeade after the park closes and they’re still in line/riding? or will they try to clear me out of the area?

thank you!

 

[CAPSLOCK]

You can wait. The spells still work too if you have a wand. As long as Hagrids is open, they don't bother to clear Hogsmeade (no point, with more people constantly getting offloaded back into Hogsmeade). Sometimes they continue the evening entertainment past park closing (such as the Hogwarts light show or the Death Eaters).

They will eventually block off the bridge towards Jurassic Park.

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

How long is the wait right before close? (I'm looking at mid August)

 

[jenniferahardin87]

How long is the wait right before close? (I'm looking at mid August)

i’ve seen mixed results, i might selfishly hope for a not too short wait so i can hang in hogsmeade longer

 

[AaronRif]

How long is the wait right before close? (I'm looking at mid August)

It varies, but I usually have waited 45-60 minutes. It depends on the crowd level for the day. Keep in mind that if Hagrid's goes down within the last hour of park operations, they may not reopen it. We experienced that on our last trip--it was down for a bit before the end of the night, and they did not reopen the ride/line. Also, team members usually shut down the lockers 10-15 minutes before park close. I'd plan to get in line at most 10 minutes before park close, not within a minute or two unless you don't have bags.

 

[Skywalker3]

One of these days, we're going to do this! I would love to try Hagrids at night, if possible, but I also worry about weather delays or ride issues, so if I really want to ride something, I don't wait until later in the day...just in case. I probably wouldn't wait until the very last minute.
I have been successful at WDW with that strategy, but haven't tried at Universal, and have read accounts that rides might stop the line earlier.
No experience at Hogsmeade with being hustled out, but the few times I've waited for my kids to finish riding at WDW, I was approached by a CM, and just said I was waiting for my kids. I was near the exits, not just wandering, so even if they do ask, just explain to the TMs.

 

[Deb1993]

We've done Hagrid at close a few times with around 60 minute waits, but did encounter once that capacity was full and so we were not able to ride.

 

[PrincessArlena'sDad]

Thanks all for the helpful replies!

We're staying a week offsite prior to our Universal stay at RPR for a family reunion. We got the military freedom passes. So, I'm thinking we can sneak away from the family 1-2 evenings and try to ride Hagrids then!

Then, when we have the EP, we can do everything else!