Universal’s Hagrid’s Magical Motorbike Adventure closed for a very unusual reason

This Summer, Universal Studios Orlando Resort added a new coaster to the renowned Harry Potter section.  The coaster won a 2019 Golden Ticket award from Amusement Today for best new attraction, but guest experience is a bit lacking due to the ride’s scattershot availability. One of the reasons is very unusual!

The Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure coaster faced yet another setback this week when bees, yes bees,  forced the ride’s closure. On Wednesday October 2, it remained closed for several hours due to “hundreds or possibly thousands of bees” according to local news outlet Spectrum news 13. The bees have been causing issues for a few weeks now, and Universal did not disclose what they are doing to resolve the issue. The ride was able to reopen Wednesday evening. Perhaps they just waited ’til the bees went to sleep?

This is the latest in a series of disappointments for Florida’s longest coaster. Hagrid’s coaster opened to seriously insane wait times. In June, Universal announced that the coaster would be opening late in the mornings to accommodate routine maintenance. In July, they decided to start closing it early as well, again citing maintenance issues.

My family and I are Universal Annual Passholders, so we have decided to wait until the hype dies down a little bit to try Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure. It sounds like it’s a wonderful ride, but it will be there this winter when the bees have gone! I prefer to give Universal a little time to smooth out the kinks before I hop on board. Sounds like Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is a little “high maintenance”. I suppose that’s the trade off to innovation, sometimes it takes awhile to get a handle on new ride technology. And mother nature isn’t helping matters.

What do you think? Have you tried this coaster?