Heading to Universal next month. We will have early park admission to IOA on 2 days and we have Express Pass Unlimited. We have 1 child that’s too short for Velocicoaster but the rest of us want to ride it and ride Hagrid. What’s our best strategy for this scenario?
You can do a child swap. Let the TMs know as you enter and they instruct you on how to proceed. (Basically, go through the line and one parent waits at the ride boarding exit / platform with the child. The other parent rides and then they switch places)
Hagrid’s will not be open during Early Park Admission. Do not go there at RD! It’s gets insanely packed. There are people that queue for the right at the start of EPA. Instead wait until the park has been open for at least 90 minutes. They’ll knock out the RD crowd and the queue will settle. (Best time is 12p - 1:30p when people are eating)
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Thank you! Should we rope drop velocicoaster then (using child swap) and then maybe head to Forbidden Journey since I’m told you should experience that queue at least once?
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I think that’s a good plan. The FJ EP line is still pretty good but the full line gets even more.
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I may be wrong but in my experience this sounds like a really risky approach!
By opening Hagrid can be at 90 mins and easily at 120-200 for most of the day.
Rope drop into Hagrid - and you’ll wIt maybe 45 mins then get off and velocicoaster will still be under an hour.
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So thrill data shows if you wait for Hagrid for 90 mins after park open your best wait in the last 30 days is 90 mins on only 2 occasions. Vast majority of days around 2 hours!
Over lunch it’s really not any better and getting worse as crowds increase!
Last 4 days sees you riding in under an hour at RD and at 90 mins you’d see 112,134,135 and 150! And at lunch 118 105 and 102(and down one day).
If you do Hagrid at RD then VC first you will be done in 90 mins of early entry with both.
This question was posted back in February. The CL’s were much different at that time of year and Hagrid’s was not offered as part of Early Park Admission back then.
The advice at the time was sound because you couldn’t get on Hagrid’s during EPA. People were using their entire EPA time to just waiting in the queue outside the Hogsmeade area. The wait would already be 80 minutes at park open back then
Ha ha why on earth did this show up in my unread posts!!!
I had been in December and we got screwed doing VC then Hagrid!
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Those “suggested topics” on the bottom of the pages are always old. 
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