ORLANDO, Fla. – How long would you wait in line for a new theme park attraction? 1 hour? Maybe 2? How about 10? Fans of the beloved Harry Potter series are wishing they had a time turner after finding themselves waiting in monstrous lines for Universal's newest wizard-themed ride, Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure.
Universal replied to a users tweet Thursday after she asked how long they expected the wait to be. The answer was NOT so magical.
Currently, we are estimating the wait time to be approximately 8 hours #AskUniversal
— Universal Orlando Resort (@UniversalORL) June 13, 2019
Universal Orlando's app has an estimated 600 minute wait listed for the ride, 14 minutes after the park opened. One thing is for sure, the wait is only going to go up from here.
Universal posted pictures on it's Twitter account Thursday with guests waiting in the line that stretched from the Wizarding World past Seuss Landing, past the port of entry and ending around The Incredible Hulk Coaster.
Amanda Chinn, who is in town from Missouri, said it was interesting to see how many people were excited about the ride's opening, but wasn't willing to wait all day to ride it herself.
"It's fun to see all the people excited for the ride. One of the workers told us that people were waiting outside at four o'clock this morning, so they had to wait for a long time," she said. "That's some dedication."
Chinn and her friend, Stacie Baker, said they agreed before they arrived at the park that they wouldn't wait more than a few hours to ride it.
"We talked about what our limit was when we came because we know there would be a long wait. We were thinking four to six hours, maybe," Baker said. "But 10 hours? That's pushing it for us. We like our sleep a little bit too much."
Others, like Selina Dunne and her family, who are visiting from Ireland, said they were willing to wait opening day since it would be their only chance at experiencing the new ride during their vacation.
"We will wait as long as we can for it before we have to go," Dunne said. "We just have to do it if it's open today and it's our last. We just have to."
The wait time shortened significantly Thursday afternoon. The Universal Orlando app estimated that the wait time was around 360 minutes.
The attraction opened on Tuesday after a magical celebration. Hundreds attended an invitation-only event inside Islands of Adventure, complete with some members of the motion picture cast, to welcome the theme park's newest attraction.
The epic new addition allows you to fly deep into the Forbidden Forest far beyond the grounds of Hogwarts. Anything can happen during your adventure, you may find yourself getting tangled in an endless pit of Devil's Snare or you may find yourself in the sights of a centaur's bow. With Hogwarts' gamekeeper Hagrid as your guide, you'll soar past obstacles and dodge fierce beasts you have never seen before.