Hagrid / VelociCoaster strategy

Sorry, to resurrect a zombie thread, but the strategy I am landing on for rope dropping Hagrid’s is kind of annoying. We are staying at Portofino, so we get in early. However, Universal’s website says that Hagrid’s will open at regular park time (which seems unnecessary but I digress). The wife however has heard that Hagrid’s opens “early,” at 8:30 or so. But even supposing we are the first people in line, it seems like we’d be wasting our entire “extra” hour on one ride. Is there an alternative? Is getting a VL spot hard or easy? Sorry if this was answered above.

What are crowd levels looking like the day you are there? Honestly, the wait for Velocicoaster is usually tolerable, so I would just plan to go when it’s convenient. The wait for Hagrid’s is mostly subject to the whims of breakdowns and weather, so I wouldn’t waste my early hour there, personally. It’s another one I would just plan to wait for. Better to use EE to rack up a few moderate-wait attractions (like Gringotts at USF … I can’t think of something else I’d want to ride at IoA that is open. :joy:)

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You are right. You would be wasting much of your EPA time waiting for Hagrid’s to open. I have not heard of it opening a half hour early. The VL hasn’t been used for a long time, I think last summer/early fall.

When Universal took Hagrid’s off the EPA attraction list, it changed the early waits. Now you have everyone showing up at the same time. The highest waits of the day have been early, but calm down in a couple hours or so. A higher crowd day can draw it out longer. But it has typically been shorter waits in the afternoon and evening than morning.

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I scanned through the Universal chat in the app. It was recommended that you could do VC twice before heading to Hagrid’s . There is a concern that Hagrid’s queue does not open early even to line up.

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I’m here at EPA. People started queueing up for it right at the start. They are sacrificing the entire Early Entry to queue.

I went on it yesterday and even with a 70 minute posted wait I never waited longer than 40 minutes. The queue moves constantly!

I wouldn’t give up my EPA, waiting 60 minutes just just to save about 10 minutes overall. EPA is the best time to explore WWOHP

Plus at park opening the posted wait was 100 minutes. (90 minutes predicted) An hour later it was down to 70 minutes predicted (50 actual)

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We went a few weeks ago and my son and I ran to VC and walked on, then rode again with a 10 minute wait, (My wife and daughter did hippogriff x2 then HP, then hit up HP together,then started left around the island and we rode all of the major rides by 12 (hulk was delayed until 2pm due to cold weather. We jumped in line for hatreds at 2 after warming up for a sit down lunch and it was a posted 60 and I think we waited 45ish?

We went on a Sunday CL 6/10 and we were 2nd from taps in the AM. Use the hotel buses they were great! We left endless summer right at 7 with a 1/4 filled bus.

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Here’s my experience from earlier this week as posted in another thread.

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Got it, so basically rope drop something else, but that still gives you plenty of time to get on a short line for Hagrid’s. Two rides versus being first in line for Hagrid’s, which has almost no advantage.

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Short line is a relative term! :grin:

You’ll wait only 1 hour instead of 90 minutes! :rofl:

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