Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure is open

[mergatroid]

Looks fantastic and very fun. I'm not a Potter fan, saw the first two movies and decided they weren't for me. However I've always been able to enjoy the HP lands and attractions at Universal as they're fun even though I don't get anything from the connections to the movies, to me that's the sign of great attractions.

Reading this thread I'll probably be accused of having an agenda for saying this however the one slightly negative thing that stood out to me on the video was the painted Forrest on the 'go away blue' (or whatever it's called) building that is so criticised on here. It's a minor thing but looked 'cheap', hopefully though most will enjoy what looks a thrilling ride so much it won't be an issue to most. Everything else looked so perfect and seamless and then there's a few seconds where it stands out as not matching the rest of it.

 

[RustySpork]

Maybe we can focus this conversation away from the tiresome Disney vs. Universal nonsense?

It certainly sounds like the ride's opening has been, at the very least, problematic. Poor crowd control, the ride wasn't running when the park opened today, and multiple technical difficulties throughout the day.

Sounds more like the Universal of old. Or is this just because it's an Intamin ride?

Crowd control was fine, there were so many people in the park yesterday that it reached capacity. Think Magic Kingdom on New Years...it was pretty smooth from what I've read of visitor reports on twitter and various forums. The reason it was delayed this morning was due to the employees working until midnight last night so everyone in line could ride.

Technical difficulties happen, Frozen and FoP's openings were pretty problematic too.

 

[RustySpork]

Looks fantastic and very fun. I'm not a Potter fan, saw the first two movies and decided they weren't for me. However I've always been able to enjoy the HP lands and attractions at Universal as they're fun even though I don't get anything from the connections to the movies, to me that's the sign of great attractions.

Reading this thread I'll probably be accused of having an agenda for saying this however the thing that stood out to me on the video was the painted Forrest on the 'go away blue' (or whatever it's called) building that is so criticised on here. It's a minor thing but looked 'cheap', hopefully though most will enjoy what looks a thrilling ride so much it won't be an issue to most.

There's definitely some evidence of cost savings, although it could be due to timeline constraints.

 

[mergatroid]

Crowd control was fine, there were so many people in the park yesterday that it reached capacity. Think Magic Kingdom on New Years...it was pretty smooth from what I've read of visitor reports on twitter and various forums. The reason it was delayed this morning was due to the employees working until midnight last night so everyone in line could ride.

Technical difficulties happen, Frozen and FoP's openings were pretty problematic too.

I imagine many new attractions have technical problems when opening, it's how it does long term that is the real test.

 

[RustySpork]

I imagine many new attractions have technical problems when opening, it's how it does long term that is the real test.

That's exactly right, it's near impossible to consider and test every possible scenario when working on a large scale project like this.

 

[Tom Morrow]

No, they clearly weren't ready for opening. The ride's only running at half capacity, that's a major issue. This is hardly the first time this has happened though. Theme parks should stop shooting themselves in the foot by declaring an official opening date too early because it's the same song and dance every time and it gets old.

 

[RustySpork]

No, they clearly weren't ready for opening. The ride's only running at half capacity, that's a major issue. This is hardly the first time this has happened though. Theme parks should stop shooting themselves in the foot by declaring an official opening date too early because it's the same song and dance every time and it gets old.

Were all of the FoP theaters up on day 1? Nope.

 

[Stripes]

Were all of the FoP theaters up on day 1? Nope.

At least at some points they were. Universal has been running this attraction at 1/2 capacity maximum ever since it opened. These also aren’t theaters, they’re coaster trains.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Were all of the FoP theaters up on day 1? Nope.

That's why I said "theme parks" and not "Universal"

 

[JT3000]

At least at some points they were. Universal has been running this attraction at 1/2 capacity maximum ever since it opened. These also aren’t theaters, they’re coaster trains.

If the ride is running at only half capacity, I'm willing to bet the trains themselves are not the reason why. But where did this accepted "fact" that the ride is currently running at only half capacity even come from?

 

[DisneyfanMA]

It's pretty likely that it's being misreported. I just saw this in the Tampa Bay Times.

"Universal planted more than 1,000 live trees to create the Forbidden Forest and likely spent more than $300 million on this attraction, estimated theme park expert Dennis Speigel of International Theme Park Services. And it’s money well-spent, he said, given that attendance at Islands of Adventure jumped 76 percent from 4.6 million in 2009 before Harry Potter to about 8.1 million in 2013, according to estimates by the Themed Entertainment Association."

We rode the new Hagrid roller coaster at Universal's Harry Potter world

ORLANDO — Universal has had record-setting success with its Harry Potter-themed lands thanks in part to the cinematic flair of making visitors feel like they're in the movie. They can walk into...

www.tampabay.com

Leave it to the media to then repeat it as fact, removing all context. Fake news. Per usual from them.

 

[raven]

I saw on twitter that the ride was kept open until midnight last night so everyone in line could ride, and that's why there's a delayed opening today. The wait time reached 14.5 hours, and it's already at 10 hours now.

That’s 100% false. IOA only operated for 12 hours on opening day and Hagrid’s stopped operation after 11 hours (8pm). The highest it reached was 10 hours. The same person reporting this also said the ride “broke” several times. That was wrong. It stopped operations a few times for severe weather. This person also headed their story with a 2010 photo of the opening of Wizarding World showing the line going past the (long gone) NBA restaurant.

Lesson? Don’t believe everything you read is true.

 

[RustySpork]

That's why I said "theme parks" and not "Universal"

Sorry, I should have worded that better. I wrote it really quickly and ran out the door. I only meant to indicate that attractions often open at less than full capacity and that shouldn't be considered abnormal.

If the ride is running at only half capacity, I'm willing to bet the trains themselves are not the reason why. But where did this accepted "fact" that the ride is currently running at only half capacity even come from?

Who knows, it may be running at full capacity. The only official word that I've heard is that the virtual queue wouldn't open until today and that was delayed again. That doesn't affect loading unless the virtual capacity doesn't merge (like ET).

 

[RustySpork]

That’s 100% false. IOA only operated for 12 hours on opening day and Hagrid’s stopped operation after 11 hours (8pm). The highest it reached was 10 hours. The same person reporting this also said the ride “broke” several times. That was wrong. It stopped operations a few times for severe weather. This person also headed their story with a 2010 photo of the opening of Wizarding World showing the line going past the (long gone) NBA restaurant.

Lesson? Don’t believe everything you read is true.

What's 100% false? My source said nothing about the ride breaking, that it only went down for inclement weather and that it opened late today because it ran until midnight. That's not the same source that made the 14.5 hour claim though, so that may not be correct.

I haven't seen any photo of a line going more than a few feet past Confisco Grill.

 

[raven]

What's 100% false? My source said nothing about the ride breaking, that it only went down for inclement weather and that it opened late today because it ran until midnight. That's not the same source that made the 14.5 hour claim though, so that may not be correct.

I haven't seen any photo of a line going more than a few feet past Confisco Grill.

The parts of that story were a mix of items from several sources. The one I saw listed all of these and personally claimed these were “confirmed.”

Yes, that was a Disney blogger though.

The line was dumped at 8pm for most riders. But just checked with another source and they definitely rode late. Also it’s confirmed it opened late this morning.

 

[DeletedAccount55555]

No, they clearly weren't ready for opening. The ride's only running at half capacity, that's a major issue. This is hardly the first time this has happened though. Theme parks should stop shooting themselves in the foot by declaring an official opening date too early because it's the same song and dance every time and it gets old.

Universal has actually criticized for waiting so long to release details and an opening date for this.

Neither Disney or Universal can just randomly throw open the doors when they’re ready. They have to set the date at least a few months in advance to entice people to book vacations (not just around the opening but for months afterwards). At some point you just have to set a deadline.

 

[Tom Morrow]

Universal has actually criticized for waiting so long to release details and an opening date for this.

Neither Disney or Universal can just randomly throw open the doors when they’re ready. They have to set the date at least a few months in advance to entice people to book vacations (not just around the opening but for months afterwards). At some point you just have to set a deadline.

It just seems like they alllways cut it too close and more often than not, openings are a mess. I feel like they should estimate when the project can be finished, including delays, and then add a month onto that for the official announced opening date.

 

[Quinnmac000]

Its running with no issues so far this morning so.....

 

[RustySpork]

Its running with no issues so far this morning so.....

How's the line? Out to Seuss's Landing yet?

 

[Quinnmac000]

How's the line? Out to Seuss's Landing yet?

still long. But ops much better today.