When Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Bike Journey opened in The Wizarding World of Harry Potter at Common Orlando Resort on June 13, 2019, company waited a painful period of time for the chance to straddle an enchanted motorcycle (or trip alongside within the sidecar) — so long as 14 hours, in accordance with some accounts.
After I lastly acquired to expertise Hagrid’s for myself in 2020, wait occasions had fortunately dropped considerably, however I nonetheless waited shut to 2 hours for this virtually good coaster. The lengthy wait felt even longer as a result of I often skip the strains on most Common rides with a Common Categorical go.
Most new Common rides open with out Common Categorical entry, however add it shortly after opening as soon as the preliminary rush dies down. Not so with Hagrid’s. Practically six years after opening, the one option to get on the trip was by standing in line (or shelling out for a VIP tour).
Associated: This is learn how to plan an epic journey to Common Orlando Resort this yr
I am glad to report that you could lastly skip the standby line on Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Bike Journey utilizing Common Categorical.
Now, company have the choice to face in line or get a Common Categorical go and use the a lot shorter Categorical line. There are two variations of Common Categorical: The usual Common Categorical go permits you to skip the road one time per attraction, and the Common Categorical Limitless go permits you to skip the road a vast variety of occasions.
There are just a few methods you will get Common Categorical. I’ve a Common Orlando annual go and get free Common Categorical entry after 4 p.m. day by day, however it’s also possible to buy it earlier than or throughout your trip.
Lastly, you will get Common Categorical Limitless included for all company in your room for everything of your keep at choose on-site resorts, together with:
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I’ve lengthy touted the worth of this profit, however now that you should utilize Common Categorical to get on Hagrid’s, it’s much more priceless. Let’s do the maths to see simply how a lot this perk is value.
Pricing for normal Common Categorical entry ranges from $119.99 to $319.99 per individual, per day (plus tax). Common Categorical Limitless begins at $149.99 per individual, per day (plus tax) and goes as much as $349.99.
This base pricing solely contains one park per day. In case you have park-to-park tickets for Common Studios Florida and Islands of Journey, the value begins at $129.99 for normal Common Categorical and $159.99 for Common Categorical Limitless. (None of those costs embrace Common Epic Universe, which has its personal tickets and Categorical passes.)
A one-night keep in mid-August at Loews Royal Pacific Resort is $546 per evening (plus tax). That’s $391 greater than a one-night keep at Common’s least costly lodge, Common Limitless Summer time Resort — Dockside Inn and Suites. At Limitless Summer time, you’ll solely pay $155 per evening (plus tax) to your room, however in the event you wished two-park Common Categorical Limitless passes for 2 adults and two youngsters, you’ll pay $195 per individual (plus tax).
That is practically $800 on prime of your nightly lodge price simply to skip the road, and that does not embrace the price of your tickets. When you keep at Royal Pacific, you will pay the next nightly price, however considerably much less general as a result of your Common Categorical passes are included. If you’re set on skipping the road, you’ll be able to truly save cash by staying in a dearer (and nicer) lodge.
Our favourite lodge for utilizing this hack is Loews Portofino Bay Resort. Portofino Bay participates within the American Categorical Tremendous Lodges + Resorts program. The Platinum Card® from American Categorical and The Enterprise Platinum Card® from American Categorical cardholders can reap the benefits of further advantages by reserving via the Amex Journey portal.
I did this on my final keep, and along with our free Common Categorical passes, we obtained an improve to a bay-view room, complimentary high-speed Wi-Fi, early check-in, late checkout, day by day breakfast for 2, and a $100 food-and-beverage credit score to make use of throughout our keep. We additionally obtained a beautiful welcome amenity in our room: a fruit and cheese platter, two bottles of water, and candies.
In case you have sufficient company staying in your room and plan on buying Common Categorical anyway, there may be an apparent financial financial savings to staying in a lodge the place skip-the-line passes are included, and the time saved in line can drastically change how a lot you get performed in your Common Orlando trip. You’ll be able to’t put a greenback quantity on that.
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