Hagrid's Dropped From Express Pass on July 1
As of July 1, 2026, Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure is no longer included in Universal Express Pass at Islands of Adventure. Guests paying for Express can no longer skip the line at the park's most popular ride.
What changed
Universal's Express Pass gave paying guests a one-time skip on included attractions across Islands of Adventure and Universal Studios Florida. Hagrid's had been one of those attractions. That access ended July 1, 2026 — everyone now enters through the standard queue, regardless of Express status.
This lands in a summer already reshaping how Universal sells line-skipping. Universal Express Pass Now launched at Epic Universe in summer 2026 as a one-time, per-attraction line skip priced at $20–$25 per ride. Unlike the Express Pass sold at the original two parks, Epic Universe has no Unlimited Express option in 2026 — access there is strictly once per ride, per day. Hagrid's exit from Express at Islands of Adventure fits that same broader shift toward more selective, more limited line-skip access across the resort.
The timing also sits ahead of Universal's Passholder Appreciation Days, running August 15 through September 30, 2026, which includes 30% off select Express Passes at Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure. Expect elevated crowds across that six-week window, on top of a ride that just lost its line-skip option entirely.
What it means for your day
Hagrid's already carried the longest line in the park before this change. In our wait-time data, it averages 60.3 minutes — nearly double Jurassic World VelociCoaster, the park's next-busiest ride at 35.8 minutes. With Express no longer available, every rider now goes through that same standby line, which should push the ride's already-heavy queue higher during peak hours.
The one piece of good news in the data: timing matters more than ever. Hagrid's single worst hour in our data is 9am — right at rope drop — averaging 75.1 minutes. Its best recorded hour is 10pm, at 38.6 minutes. If you were counting on Express to make Hagrid's a flexible, any-time ride, that option is gone; the standby queue and its timing patterns are now the whole game.
For a full comparison of Hagrid's against the park's other headliner, see VelociCoaster vs Hagrid's: Which Line Moves Faster?. For a complete plan built around this change, see Islands of Adventure Touring Plan: Data-Backed Ride Order. Track current waits at parkautopilot.com/wait-times/islands-of-adventure.
Sources
- Hagrid's Magical Creature Motorbike Adventure to Drop Express — TouringPlans.com
- Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure Will be Discontinued for Universal Orlando's Express Pass — WDW News Today
- Universal Orlando rips Express Pass from Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure — FOX 35 Orlando
- Epic Universe's new Express Pass can be confusing — AllEars.net
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