Ever want to hop on a motorbike with Hagrid and take a cruise through the Forbidden Forest? Now is the time at Universal Orlando with the all-new roller coaster, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure. This ride claims the title of Florida’s longest roller coaster at nearly one mile long! We recently got a chance to experience this for the first time and I wanted to share our experience of this ride with you.
If you are looking for this ride it can be found on the Universal Islands of Adventure side where Hogwarts and the rest of Hogsmeade are located. This ride is located in the previous location of Dueling Dragons which was then rethemed to Dragon Challenge. The whole setting is you are a Hogwarts student attending a Care of Magical Creatures class taught by none other than Hogwarts Keeper of Keys, Rubeus Hagrid.
Warning: there are plenty of spoilers ahead! So STOP reading if you want Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure not to be spoiled for you. If you are like me and need to know everything before you head on a big ride then keep reading!
The Queue
I was amazed to see all the detail and attention put into the queue for Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure. Even if you have no intention of going on the ride I highly recommend that Potter fans still wait in line through the queue. On the day we were there the line was running about 120 minutes but I was happy to find that it did consistently slowly move the entire time.
One of the first things you see once you get into the main part of the queue is Hagrid’s hut! It was so reminiscent of his house that we see in Harry Potter and the Prisoner of Azkaban.
Once you get past the area of Hagrids hut it’s time to enter the ruins on the outskirts of Hogwarts castle. This is where all the fun Easter eggs for the Harry Potter fans are as well as in the Florida heat it’s a relief to get into the shade for a good chunk of your wait in line. Instantly on your way in you are greeted with some statues of Merpeople a nod from the Triwizard Tournament at Hogwarts.
Once you get inside the building make sure you look up at the ceiling. There are quite a few creature cages located up there and some of them are even moving, so watch out!
Now it’s time for the preshow movie. I won’t say too much here because we are going to explain more about it below. After you leave the preshow area you will head into one of Hagrid’s workshops.
Preshow for Hagrid’s Adventure
The preshow movie for this ride features Hagrid and Arthur Weasley. They break down what to expect in your upcoming class, like the mission to encounter a Blast-Ended Skrewt. Then it’s on to prepping the motorbike so it’s in tip-top shape for your adventure. It’s got a tune-up that includes a dragon’s breath boost. I guess that explains the high speeds we were talking about earlier!
Watch out during this little pre-show you will get a little sprinkling on, which is pretty welcome on the hot Florida summer days.
The Ride Vehicle for Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure
For this adventure, we are going to be taking a spin on Sirus Black’s famous motorbike. This of course is the same bike we read all about in the first Harry Potter book when Hagrid drops Harry Potter off to live with his Aunt and Uncle. During the preshow, we see Arthur Weasley jazz up the bike a bit and get it ready for a trip out into the Forbidden Forest.
Now as you might suspect the experience is totally different whether you opt to take the bike seat or the side cart seat. It was said that the sidecar was a bit tamer experience so I quickly opted for this. The bike seat actually sits you about six inches higher in the air, plus this seat leaves you more exposed to everything! Though I will say this seat can get a better view of everything that is coming at you.
If you want to ride on the bike make sure you stay to the right. You will need to load first so keep your order. The actual load zone has you on a conveyer belt that is continuously moving. So everything goes fast, be prepared!
Ride Restrictions
In order to ride Hagrid’s Magical Creature Motorbike Adventure, you must be at least 48 inches (121 centimeters) tall to ride. Due to the restraints inside the vehicle, Universal is advising guests with waistlines larger than 40 inches to use the test seat. They actually have a stopping point about 3/4 through the line where you can get in and test out the seat.
Our Experience Out on the Track
Be prepared to speed along on your bike at speeds up to 50 miles per hour! I was so surprised at how fast we took off! The coaster really flies you down the track and around Hogwarts school grounds. One of the best parts is how themed this coaster is! You get to meet so many different creatures from the books plus a creature never before seen in the movies!
The first creature to keep your eyes peeled for is a Blast Ended Skrewt. He is giant you can’t miss him! This creature is one that never appeared in the movies so it’s a chance to get a look at this creature. Be sure to say hi to Hagrid while you are here as well!
After a quick turn keep your eyes peeled for the enchanted car Harry and Ron stole from Ron’s dad. So another great Easter egg from the movie.
You will get to meet Fluffy, that giant three-headed dog from the first of the Harry Potter saga. He was a little too awake and a little too close to the track in my opinion.
When you are sent backward into a dark cave you find your car stopping as you become tangled up in Devil’s Snare. This is where you find yourself dropping to escape. We go more into the details for this drop a little bit further along.
As a reward for your wild adventures around the forest, you get to catch a glimpse of a pair of Unicorns at the end of the journey. It’s a mom with her baby so adorable!
Not that you will be paying much attention, but it’s pretty cool to note that over 1,000 trees were planted to give this ride the illusion that you are actually in the Forbidden Forest.
The Drop on Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
Okay, let’s talk about the most important thing you are all wondering about, the drop. Every time I am faced with a new coaster ride it’s all in judging if I can handle the drop. Donno why, but I just hate dropping big distances, so for me rides like Tower of Terror are a hard no. So when I heard about a track drop feature I was worried this would be a ride I would need to pass on.
During one portion of the ride you free-fall nearly 17 feet in a vertical drop. This seemed like a LOT at first but when you compare that to Splash Mountain, which is actually a 49-foot drop, it doesn’t seem as bad. It’s closer to the Pirates of the Caribbean drop which is just shy of 15 feet. So once I compared the stats, that put my mind at rest a great deal that I would indeed survive. Since I knew the drop was coming I was more than prepared and the drop wasn’t as startling as a totally unsuspecting guest. If you want to be prepared as well, the drop comes about 3/4 through the ride. After you fall backwards you will enter a dark portion of the ride where you get tangled in Devil’s Snare. This is where you escape by dropping through! All the same as Hermonie, Ron, and Harry and the first book the Sorcerer’s Stone.
The other intense portion of this ride is when track suddenly catapults you 65 feet into the air at a more than 70-degree angle. Try not to panic when the find the track in front of you is suddenly missing. Much like Expedition Everest at the Animal Kingdom, this track ending is followed by a backward drop. I somehow missed this portion of the ride when doing my research prior to the trip. This is by far the most intense part of the whole thing.
How to Reduce your Wait Time
So the wait times for this ride have been pretty wild. On opening day, some people reported they waited up to 10 hours! Good news now the rides seems to be hovering more around a one hour to two hour wait time during their non-peak season.
Hotel Early Entry
If you opt to stay at one of the Universal hotels you will get an extra special perk of getting into the parks an hour before they open. This includes hotels like Cabana Bay, Aventura Hotel, and Loews Sapphire Falls.
Express Pass
While an Express Pass will not gain you entry into this ride I want to note that it does work on all the other Harry Potter themed rides in both parks. This includes:
- Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts™
- Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey™
- Hogwarts™ Express (Park-to-Park admission ticket required)
- Flight of the Hippogriff™
VIP Tour
You may just assume that a VIP would be out of your price range but surprisingly VIP tours start at $189 per person.
Single Rider
If you don’t mind your party getting split up you could always try out the single rider line. This line tends to always have a shorter wait compared to the mainline.
Overall Thoughts on the Motorbike Adventure
I love the blend of intensity while still keeping this a family ride. I think the smoothness of this ride helps keeps the intensity of the ride from feeling too overwhelming for ride chickens like me. It was seamless with just the right amount of fun. I would say this took me right to the edge of where I like to go as far as roller coasters without crossing the line of too intense. If you are a fan of Harry Potter you will love all the details the team packed into this attraction.
Pro Tips for Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure
- Wear a fanny pack, all other bags will have to be packed away in a complimentary locker. Who wants to worry about losing a phone?! So just buckle up a three-prong fanny and you will be able to take it with you!
- Download the Universal Orlando app and keep an eye on the wait times. While they are still working out the kinks this ride has been known to shut down for large portions of the day.
- Don’t forget that theme park ticket if you have to use a locker. You will need a ticket in order to open your locker again when you are finished with the ride.
If you are looking for more tips for your day at Universal be sure to check out Universal From Walt Disney World: How to Double Your Vacation and also How to Send Owl Post from the Wizarding World of Harry Potter.
I have been visiting the parks annually since my parents first brought me at just a year old. Recently I was able to fulfill my life long dream of being a Florida local and moved from the wintery Northeast to the sunshine and fun of central Florida. Now I am hoping to share my Disney knowledge with you so you can have the best vacation possible!