Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure Review
This ride is capable of casting a Beautiful Smilus spell on anyone
Who could have imagined that Hagrid would be the one to bring the best Harry Potter-inspired ride to Universal Orlando? The goblins tried their best with Escape from Gringotts in Universal Studios, and Forbidden Journey has a big fanbase in Islands of Adventure, but it’s hard to deny that Hagrid’s Motorbike adventure is the best attraction in the Wizarding World of Harry Potter. In fact, this fun, fast roller coaster is often regarded as one of the best in the world, and you should definitely, certainly, absolutely cast Wingardium Leviosa and fly to this beauty as soon as possible.
Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is a lot of things. It’s a dark ride. It’s a roller coaster. It’s a story driven attraction. It's a name way too long and unique. It’s charming. It’s sometimes a scary ride, it’s sometimes a very fast ride, but it’s always a very fun ride. That’s why we go to theme parks after all, right? To have fun. Let me tell you that Hagrid’s delivers on that front. While the VelociCoaster is perfect for roller coaster enthusiasts, I can safely say that Hagrid’s is perfect for everyone.
The Good
Hagrid’s is, in theory, a roller coaster. In fact, it features one of the longest steel tracks in Florida and, until recently, it also held a record for the highest number of launches in a roller coaster with seven in total.
The story is simple. Hagrid wants to take you on a tour through the Forbidden Forest, where he will show some Magical Creatures that are under his protection. The queue is pretty fun, even if it’s not as spectacular as the ones found in Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey or Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts. It’s funny to see that the layout copies a lot of what was used previously on Dueling Dragons, a great dual roller coaster which debuted with Islands of Adventure back in 1999. In fact, there are even a few Dueling Dragons easter eggs you can find while waiting in line, like a mural with an ice and a fire dragon. Neat.
As for the ride itself… it’s great, fun and will make you smile for three minutes straight. That pretty much sums it up. This roller coaster focuses more on speed than on airtime, corkscrews, or loops. Throughout the ride, you'll mostly zip around and take sharp curves which always feel smooth. It's not your typical roller coaster with crazy twists or drops, making it perfect for those that are afraid of heights.
This coaster features not one, not two, but seven launches throughout the ride, with some of them catapulting you from 0 to 50 mph in less than four seconds. It’s great, yet never feels too intense. I believe the vehicles contribute to this, since Hagrid did a good job and made them so comfortable. Speaking of which, they resemble the motorbike from Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade, with one person riding the bike and the other in the sidecar. You know the one I am talking about, right? I love how stylish it looks.
Hagrid’s is fast, but it’s also charming. This is a story-coaster, after all. Each motorbike comes with their very own speakers, where you can hear Hagrid talking to you and a few sound effects with music. This ride also has a lot of very fun animatronics that you can only see while riding. I won’t spoil them, but there really are a lot of Magical Creatures in this Motorbike Adventure.
Phew, what else? Oh yeah, there are also a lot of cool tricks used during this ride. You think Hagrid’s is only about speed? Think again, friend. I bet Hagrid attended Hogwarts and learned a trick or two to surprise us during this adventure. He already made us smile with seven launches and a bunch of animatronics, but he also decided to include a backwards launch section and even a sudden drop in the middle of it all, similar to what we see in Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance.
The Bad
So, this is a great, fun ride, and three minutes is a pretty good time for a roller coaster. Of course, this means that queue times will be huge in Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure. It’s safe to say that this is the most popular ride in all Universal Orlando, with queue times almost always at two hours. Even early park entry doesn’t guarantee fast queues, since most of the time only Hagrid’s and the VelociCoaster are open before the park officially opens, and almost every guest heads to the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
Another well-known issue associated with Hagrid’s is the numerous technical problems the coaster has encountered since its opening day. Seriously, this ride closes down… a lot. Since this roller coaster has a lot of neat tricks, from seven launches to a bunch of animatronics to tracks changing direction, if one thing isn’t working properly then the entire ride shuts down. Now, imagine staying in line for two hours only for it to break down midway through. Yeah, that’s how Avada Kedavra was born.
Will Kids enjoy it?
Kids will have a blast in this ride, and it doesn’t matter if they love Harry Potter or not. There is so much for them to enjoy here! High speed thrills, awesome animatronics, neat tricks, awesome environments and much more. This is one of the best roller coasters for kids simply because it feels so different from all the others, and it’s not even too intense.
There is a section near the end which might be scary, since your ride will be inside what looks like a dark, misty cave. It’s also when the sudden drop happens, which could take your children by surprise. Other than that, it is smooth sailing from beginning to end, and most kids won’t have a problem coming here again and again.
