Animal Kingdom
vs
Universal Studios Hollywood

On a typical day Animal Kingdom queues less: about 32 minutes a ride against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood, a difference of roughly 4 minutes on every queue you join.

See both right now Compare other parks

01 · On a typical day

What you would normally queue.

Averages across recent weeks, so one broken ride or one wet Tuesday cannot decide it. This is the comparison to plan a trip on; the live figures below are the one to act on today.

Animal Kingdom and Universal Studios Hollywood compared on their typical recorded queue times
Typically	Animal KingdomUnited States	Universal Studios HollywoodUnited States
Average wait per ride	32 min (best of the two)	36 min
Rides with recorded waits	6	15 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue	Avatar Flight of Passage58 min	Mario Kart™: Bowser’s Challenge88 min
Shortest typical queue	Wildlife Express Train7 min	Bowser Jr. Challenge5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running	92% (best of the two)	80%

Averaged across every ride at each park with recorded waits. A ride that never opened is left out, so a park is not flattered by counting a shut ride as a queue of zero.

02 · Right now

Both parks, this minute.

Live queue times at both parks. These fill in as soon as the page loads, and keep updating while you are here.

Animal Kingdom and Universal Studios Hollywood compared on live queue times
Right now	Animal KingdomUnited States	Universal Studios HollywoodUnited States
Average wait right now	-	-
Rides open	-	-
Opening hours today	-	-
Longest queue	-	-
Shortest queue	-	-

These keep refreshing while this page is open. A closed park posts no waits, so its rows read as dashes rather than zeroes.

Verdict, on a typical day On a typical day Animal Kingdom queues less: about 32 minutes a ride against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood, a difference of roughly 4 minutes on every queue you join.

03 · Choosing

Which one is your day out.

Every line here is earned by one of the figures above - nothing is a generic sentence with a park name dropped into it.

Pick Animal Kingdom if…

You want shorter queues: Animal Kingdom averages 32 minutes a ride against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood
You would rather not find rides shut: Animal Kingdom's rides run 92% of opening hours against 80% at Universal Studios Hollywood
Avatar Flight of Passage is on your list - it is Animal Kingdom's longest typical queue at about 58 minutes, so it is the one to do first
You want Animal Kingdom's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Universal Studios Hollywood if…

You will accept a longer queue - 36 minutes a ride here against 32 at Animal Kingdom - for what Universal Studios Hollywood has that Animal Kingdom does not
You want more to do: 15 rides here have recorded wait data against 6 at Animal Kingdom
Mario Kart™: Bowser’s Challenge is on your list - it is Universal Studios Hollywood's longest typical queue at about 88 minutes, so it is the one to do first
You want Universal Studios Hollywood's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

Animal Kingdom

Disney's Animal Kingdom blends a full theme park with a working zoo. The park sits at Walt Disney World and is the largest of the four by area. Signature attractions include Avatar Flight of Passage, Na'vi River Journey, Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and the Festival of the Lion King show. Pandora – The World of Avatar regularly posts the longest wait times in the park.

Animal Kingdom is usually less crowded than Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios, but Avatar Flight of Passage still routinely exceeds 60-minute queue times. Early mornings are best for the safaris when animals are most active. Check live wait times on arrival and head to Pandora first. Use our crowd calendar to pick a quieter date outside US school holidays for a more relaxed visit.

Animal Kingdom live queue times

Universal Studios Hollywood

Universal Studios Hollywood sits in Universal City, California, combining a working film studio with a full theme park. The famous Studio Tour trams run through real backlots, while the park's themed rides include Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Jurassic World – The Ride, Revenge of the Mummy, Transformers, and the newer Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge in Super Nintendo World.

LA and Southern California visitor patterns keep Universal Hollywood busy much of the year, with US summer school holidays, Halloween Horror Nights and Christmas driving the peak. Mid-January and early September are the quietest periods. Check live queue times before committing to long waits, and use our crowd calendar to pick a weekday outside California school breaks for shorter lines.

Universal Studios Hollywood live queue times

05 · Questions

Animal Kingdom or Universal Studios Hollywood?

Which is better, Animal Kingdom or Universal Studios Hollywood?

If you are judging on queues, Animal Kingdom: it averages about 32 minutes a ride on a typical day against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood, roughly 4 minutes back on every queue you join. Animal Kingdom has 6 rides with recorded waits against 15 at Universal Studios Hollywood. Animal Kingdom also runs its rides more reliably - 92% of opening hours against 80%.

Which has shorter queues, Animal Kingdom or Universal Studios Hollywood?

Animal Kingdom, by about 4 minutes a ride. On a typical day Animal Kingdom averages 32 minutes against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Animal Kingdom best time to visit and Universal Studios Hollywood best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Animal Kingdom and Universal Studios Hollywood in the same trip?

Yes - both parks are in United States, so a two-park trip is realistic over a long weekend. Split the days so you start at whichever opens earliest and drive to the other in the evening.

How many rides does each park have?

See the tables above for ride counts - or jump to Animal Kingdom and Universal Studios Hollywood for the full ride lists.

Is Animal Kingdom bigger than Universal Studios Hollywood?

By rides we track waits for, Universal Studios Hollywood is the bigger day out: 15 rides against 6. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Animal Kingdom is the quicker park.

Then pick
the quiet day.

Both parks have a crowd calendar with six weeks of forecast and the best day left to go.

Animal Kingdom calendar Universal Studios Hollywood calendar Compare other parks