Universal reveals name, opening date for new Harry Potter ride

Is it me, or does this coaster not sound that great? Even the name is an awkward mouthful. I'm concerned that this ends up being nothing more than an expanded Flight of the Hippogriff or The Dragon at Legoland. Also, the capacity on this coaster could be really low with slow load times for the unusual seating arrangement and guests fighting over whether they're on the bike or the sidecar.

This will be a great addition to IOA. The park badly needs more [dry] family attractions that aren't reskinned carnival rides, and a somewhat-tame but highly themed Potter roller coaster will make the park much more multi generation friendly.

It's you, Russell. ... Excited to see this attraction in person. Love that Universal is continuing to expand the Potter universe down there. Now let's get that fourth park and the Ministry of Magic open to the public.

I will miss Dueling Dragons but this has some good potential if done right.

Russell, I agree that the name is a bit much... They could have called it Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure and left it at that. And capacity/load times could also be a concern, though I imagine folks will have plenty of time to work out the who-rides-where argument while they're waiting in line.

On the other hand, I have high hopes for the show scenes and the ride looks like fun. Plus, it opens on my birthday :-)

Looks fun, but I agree with Russell- the capacity seems awkward and unreasonable for something that will draw huge crowds. However, I'll still want to ride it. Looks like my typical 10 day Disney/Universal vacation just morphed into a 2 week vacation that I can't possibly afford. I'm almost tempted to start splitting my trips into 2 parts and taking exclusively Disney trips and exclusively Universal trips. So much to do and so little money!

Don't try and deny it... we are all gonna call this ride "Hagrid's".

Horrific name, incredible looking attraction. The details that have been released/leaked in other places (I won't post spoilers) make this sound like an incredible ride. And I'm not anti-screen, but it's nice to see Universal go full practical effects for this nonetheless.

Just to go on record here HMCMA>>ASS.

Terrible name. Also the on-site photos look like it will be standard coaster train with no motorcycle seating.

I wonder how many trains they will run, and how many loading stations there will be? I assume the actual ride itself will be along the lines of a SDD or 7DMT, so very much kids/family orientated. Both SDD and 7DMT have a much larger capacity, (if the picture is a true rendering of the train) so one has to think this could be a real chore to get on. Especially if Universal stick with their strict policy of absolutely nothing in your pockets.

It will be interesting to see if it gets included with the express pass, and how much it will go up if it is ?

The trains will seat 14 people. Rumor has it that it will have a continuous loading station like Hollywood Ride Ride Rockit

You like spreading rumors Aaron. Smart readers will note the lack of validity and sourcing your rumors contain.

The trains indeed have 14 seats.
https://pbs.twimg.com/media/DulMPc6UYAAPM5T.jpg

This will ABSOLUTELY be one of the best themed coaster experiences in Orlando. It will be every bit as good as Big Thunder Mountain and better than Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. I'd put it just behind Space Mountain and Expedition Everest. But the HP community will LOVE this attraction.

Well done Universal Creative!

Thanks OT .... still 6 less than SDD & 7DMT, but a lot better than the picture suggests. I'll give it a go sometime this year, but I'm in no rush to go there and give it a try. The fall quieter season, will be just fine.

Finally an official announcement, and everything "leaked " seems confirmed. At least the new attraction with the ungainly moniker has an official opening date.

It actually sounds more like the Tron Cycle than either BTMRR or 7 Dwarfs Mine train

This is going to be an amazing "experience" type coaster the likes of which have never been seen before! It's going to have some mid-level thrills, great pacing, immersive story, and theming beyond the likes of which have ever been seen on a coaster.

As someone who goes for "theming" first and "thrills" second (but like both), I'm already thinking about when I can first visit this coaster. After the crowds, of course.

Could someone help Mr. Meyer up off the floor, please.

Thanks

(Chuckle)

The ride layout looks solid. I'm particularly excited about the immersive theming this ride will have, in both the queue and the show buildings.

Well, the name is pretty bad, but almost everything else about the ride looks outstanding. It doesn't look like an ultra thrilling coaster (probably about the same intensity as Mummy), but it does look like it will be a very unique ride with a ton of story elements. Rumor has it there may be as many as seven show scenes during the ride, which is huge for a roller coaster. Is it alone sufficient enough for me to plan a Florida trip? Probably not, but it guarantees a visit to Universal Orlando on my next vacation out there.

Also, for those worried about capacity, I've had multiple UO team member friends tell me this ride will run as many as a dozen 14-passenger trains and will have continuous loading, which should mean 2000+ riders per hour. The trains are the same design seen on Wave Breaker at SeaWorld San Antonio, so the seats are more or less regular coaster seats with a themed shell (and are the same for both the motorbike and sidecar).

That's gonna just be you, Russell. Maybe you thought that a Maverick clone was the only acceptable option (which would be awesome, to be fair, if completely inappropriate for what they're doing here)? Honestly I have a feeling this is going to be an astounding ride and maybe game-changing for parks of means. A 100% themed roller coaster manufactured by, for my money, the best coaster designers on Earth in Intamin? And creatively executed by the folks who have built what are, frankly, the two best themed lands at any park in the entire world as of right now? Sign me up! And if they have even a HANDFUL of the coaster elements that they appear to be incorporating just from all the track pics that have come out over the months (vertical stall! Reverse launch!! Drop track!!!!!) then this will be one of the best coasters on the planet period, even if the other thrills are dialed down to accommodate families and the storytelling. I'm genuinely more excited for this than even Galaxy's Edge, and I'm almost as big a SW fan as I am an HP fan!

Hearing the same as AJ. This ride is gonna eat people like Aragog without Hagrid to tell him no.

Nrainonexshdudnxhsj writes: "... then this will be one of the best coasters on the planet period,"

I Respond: I'll take "Overzealous Madness" for $300, Alex.

AWESOME! Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure for short, or HMCMA. Another fantastic addition to IOA, which just keeps getting better and better. Next stop - Jurassic World!

Hippogriff, Gringott's, Journey, Olivander's, and now Hagrid's!

Pardon my spelling.. I'm American.

I`m cautiously optimistic about this ride. Hopefully much more than just a reskinning of the old coaster.

TH Creative says: "This will ABSOLUTELY be one of the best themed coaster experiences in Orlando. It will be every bit as good as Big Thunder Mountain and better than Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. I'd put it just behind Space Mountain and Expedition Everest. But the HP community will LOVE this attraction.

Well done Universal Creative!"

TH, it must be nice to know the future, and try out a ride long before it even opens. Now, what are next week`s winning lotto numbers? Thanks in advance!