Hagrid's Coaster Queue Updates / Questions / Reviews

Okay, I am late to the game. I don't know if I could read 78 pages. Is there a place with a summary of the best strategy currently? What is the general consensus on best strategy to minimize wait time? Rope drop? Checking the app and getting in line when it hits....90 minutes, 60 minutes, what?

We used 60 minutes as our guide.
 
Any updates? I think yesterday I looked at the app pretty late in the morning, or early afternoon and it said it was either delay, or closed. Could be wrong though on the timing. Anyone have any recent stories?
 
Any updates? I think yesterday I looked at the app pretty late in the morning, or early afternoon and it said it was either delay, or closed. Could be wrong though on the timing. Anyone have any recent stories?

It's showing as open right now (with a 120 min wait listed), so that feels like a good sign. I'll be there tomorrow, so I've got my fingers crossed for a smooth opening. (Actually for two smooth openings, as I'm going to attempt getting a BG for Rise of the Resistance first before heading over to rope drop for Hagrid's.) I'll do my best to post updates while I'm there.
 
So yesterday we did rope drop and two members of our party had to go to the bathroom on the way to the ride. Despite that they were off at 9:40. Today we did it again and they were off at 9:30. Yesterday they talked me into trying it when the wait time said 90 minutes. We entered at 2:30 and got off at 3:20. So for us it was 50 minutes not 90 as posted.
 


So yesterday we did rope drop and two members of our party had to go to the bathroom on the way to the ride. Despite that they were off at 9:40. Today we did it again and they were off at 9:30. Yesterday they talked me into trying it when the wait time said 90 minutes. We entered at 2:30 and got off at 3:20. So for us it was 50 minutes not 90 as posted.
What was your arrival time at the park gates?
 


Here today.
Arrived at park 830am
Waited right in the middle line
Park opened at 0845 am
Got just outside Wizarding world 0855
In line at Hagrids at 0900
Wait time showing 120min at entrance
On the motorbike at 0920hrs
Pretty much zero wait. Entire time spent walking through queue and waiting for people to stop and take pictures.
Gonna do the same thing tommorrow!
 
It's showing as open right now (with a 120 min wait listed), so that feels like a good sign. I'll be there tomorrow, so I've got my fingers crossed for a smooth opening. (Actually for two smooth openings, as I'm going to attempt getting a BG for Rise of the Resistance first before heading over to rope drop for Hagrid's.) I'll do my best to post updates while I'm there.
What is a BG? There's too many abbreviations and acronyms on this site for me to keep up :o.
 
We’re headed down in just under two weeks so I’m starting to keep an eye on wait times now to plan a possible strategy. (We also have one night booked at RPR for possible EP needs for other rides, so as we near the cancellation date I’m trying to keep an eye on those wait times too!)

I had been casually hoping that after the Christmas/New Years rush they might add EP for Hagrids and we’d be in luck with our timing, but I’m guessing that’s not going to happen if they’re still struggling to keep it running consistently. Oh well.

But it looks like it’s been posted at 90 minutes a lot of the day today, and in my sporadic check ins I haven’t seen it closed at all. That’s refreshing! Hoping that luck continues.
 
This morning, I managed to ride both Rise of the Resistance AND Hagrid's before 9:30am. I got very lucky with the timing of both rides!!!

4:15 - left apt (St. Pete)
5:50 - parked
6:17 - line starts moving to enter park
6:30 - scanned in @ DHS
7 - Got boarding group 9
7:15 - BG called right as I reached RotR entrance. Walked straight on, rode w/ just 2 other people! No delays, all elements of the ride working properly.
7:38 - exited DHS
8:07 - parked @ Uni
8:19 - in line @ IoA entrance
8:40 - scanners open / line moving
8:43 - scanned in @ IoA
8:54 - lockers
9:25 - rode Hagrid's

Already a great adventure today and now I'm eating a lovely breakfast at The Three Broomsticks before heading out for more fun!
 
Our experiences the past week --

We never tried for rope drop because that wasn't what we wanted to do on this trip, and the one time we were in IOA at opening, Hagrid's was down. Which is not to say that it's not a good choice, as long as you are not at the back of the opening crowd and don't have bad luck.

Hagrid's was operating almost every other time we checked during park hours, except when it was closed temporarily once for some type of filming. And I assume it was down when IoA had a power outage issue one day, but we were at US and not paying attention.

Wait times are overstated when it's operating. A posted 90 minutes was 70 minutes, but typically the difference was even greater.

The ride was typically operating until closing time (or after for those already in line).

The single rider line is sometimes but not always open. What people were being told is that there are no specific time frames, and that it's only open when it would actually be a shorter wait. It's hard to know without conducting an experiment how much time it saves because posted standby wait times are overinflated, but I would guess our wait was cut in half.

I won't post any spoilers, except to say that my kid was willing to wait in line every day because it was worth it.
 
This morning, I managed to ride both Rise of the Resistance AND Hagrid's before 9:30am. I got very lucky with the timing of both rides!!!

4:15 - left apt (St. Pete)
5:50 - parked
6:17 - line starts moving to enter park
6:30 - scanned in @ DHS
7 - Got boarding group 9
7:15 - BG called right as I reached RotR entrance. Walked straight on, rode w/ just 2 other people! No delays, all elements of the ride working properly.
7:38 - exited DHS
8:07 - parked @ Uni
8:19 - in line @ IoA entrance
8:40 - scanners open / line moving
8:43 - scanned in @ IoA
8:54 - lockers
9:25 - rode Hagrid's

Already a great adventure today and now I'm eating a lovely breakfast at The Three Broomsticks before heading out for more fun!
Did you apperate
 
I was thinking the same thing especially with parked at 8:07 and at IoA gate by 8:19. That's tackling a lot of people out of your way, going through security, and hightailing it the rest of the way to IoA.

Lol, nope. :P There was only one person ahead of me in the security line (and Universal's security is so much more efficient that Disney's anyway!) and most of the moving sidewalks were actually working. And I got a spot right at the close end of a parking row, so I was right beside the escalators already. Just a steady walking pace from the car to the line at the IoA gate.
 
If we are planning on trying to RD, last week of January, what time should we aim on getting to the parking deck? We haven't been since 2015, and I do remember the walk through Citywalk can take time. Opening at 9am. I'll have an 8 and 10 year old in our party, so no strollers, but not super fast.
 
If we are planning on trying to RD, last week of January, what time should we aim on getting to the parking deck? We haven't been since 2015, and I do remember the walk through Citywalk can take time. Opening at 9am. I'll have an 8 and 10 year old in our party, so no strollers, but not super fast.

Curious to know this too as we're going the first week of February (mid-week). Coming from Disney Springs area, hoping to be able to arrive about 8:15, get to the gate at 8:30 and not have a huge wait. I don't love the idea of getting up earlier and waiting at the gates, but we'll see.
 

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