It looks like the early hour for our upcoming trip will be in USF each day. Especially with early closing times (6PM) we want to take advantage of this time. Does anyone know if we can make a virtual line reservation for Hagrid while in USF (once IOA is open) or do we have to get to IOA to make the reservation - we do have 2-park passes.
Thanks
Yes! You can even do it from your hotel room! The Geofence for the VLPs extends pretty far out in the Universal campus.
Thanks!!
FYI - Everyone in your group can make VLPs from their own phones for the entire group. It’s not connected to a park ticket or anything. This can allow your group to ride Hagrid multiple times in a day.
We are here now and booked it this morning from the Hard Rock Hotel. Worked great!
That’s great to know. Thanks
Wow, very good to know.
Yeah… It’s a big loophole compared to WDW / RotR.
If you have a group of four you can all make reservations for four people. Everyone will get four rides that day!
We loved using early park entry to go to Diagon Alley and then getting a VQ for Hagrids. It was great to take the Hogwarts Express to IOA for Hagrids. NO running for Rope Drop!! VQ for Hagrids is the best!!
Over the last few days they haven’t even used the virtual queue consistently—just stand-by with posted wait times (seemed to be around 25 minutes or so every time I checked).
I really hope they bring back the Virtual line while we are there.
It depends on crowds. Be assured though that if they aren’t using it the standby is like only 30 minutes. People have been reporting being able to ride like 6 - 8 times a day.
I hate to be “that guy”, but it looks like I need to correct myself!
Hagrid’s is doing Standby Only today & the wait is currently 75 mins! Maybe it’s an anomaly or maybe it’s the “end of summer” rush before schools reopen! I’ll keep checking!
Didn’t they use Virtual for Hagrids this weekend?
We will be there next week, and I’ve been stalking the touring plan and official apps.
p.s. I told DH about here. I described it as “A group of people just like me about vacations.” He had no idea there was enough to make a community.
I “unplugged” all weekend. Technically, I’m still trying. Not looking at world events, just popping in here & a couple theme park sites. (I have a neck / shoulder injury from may days as “friends” with Marvin the Martian that flares up from time-to-time. My neck is also where I carry stress & the world is so upsetting to me atm. My flare up tend to last a week. This one is going on close to 6 weeks.So I figure I need to avoid stress / the internet for a while!)
It really has been hit-or-miss when they decide to use VLP. Plus, there so much uncertainty with Universal doing layoffs / cutting back hours even more and suspending smaller / less popular attractions.
There’s also “rumor” talk that VLP are being tweaked so the same party can’t all use their phones to each get multiple rides. Not sure if true or how much effort / $$ that would take Universal to overhaul the system.
I don’t doubt you’ll probably get to do Hagrid more now than in the past or when the parks go back to “normal” though.
I admit I’ve been using TP since 2012 & only discovered the forums in 2018!! As much as I love TP - the layout is kinda jumbled & not always the best layout graphically. I just stumbled upon te forums one day when i was bored & started clicking on all the main page options!
I love this group! I spent a few years leading up to 2012 “wasting” time & money not knowing about TP. I preach about planning to everyone that is going to WDW / USO. I, personally, spend on average $6,000 per trip.If you break that amount down to the number of hours the parks are open you can see the $$$ slipping out of your fingers by wasting it in long queues.
It makes me sad & aggravated when a person goes to Orlando & hates it “all I did was wait in line all day for like 4 - 6 things”.
OH man! I hope you feel better soon.
When we were at Universal last week, the posted wait times were 40 minutes, 60 minutes, and 45 minutes each time we rode it. Actual wait in all three cases was less than 20 minutes.
Not sure why the wait time estimates are so far off…but keep in mind that 75 minutes probably means considerably less than that.
