Cedar Point
vs
Universal Studios Hollywood

On a typical day Cedar Point queues less: about 28 minutes a ride against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood, a difference of roughly 8 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.

Cedar Point and Universal Studios Hollywood compared on their typical recorded queue times
Typically	Cedar PointUnited States	Universal Studios HollywoodUnited States
Average wait per ride	28 min (best of the two)	36 min
Rides with recorded waits	21 (best of the two)	15
Longest typical queue	Siren's Curse74 min	Mario Kart™: Bowser’s Challenge88 min
Shortest typical queue	Power Tower Shot6 min	Bowser Jr. Challenge5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running	85% (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.

Cedar Point and Universal Studios Hollywood compared on live queue times
Right now	Cedar PointUnited 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 Cedar Point queues less: about 28 minutes a ride against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood, a difference of roughly 8 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 Cedar Point if…

You want shorter queues: Cedar Point averages 28 minutes a ride against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood
You want more to do: 21 rides here have recorded wait data against 15 at Universal Studios Hollywood
You would rather not find rides shut: Cedar Point's rides run 85% of opening hours against 80% at Universal Studios Hollywood
Siren's Curse is on your list - it is Cedar Point's longest typical queue at about 74 minutes, so it is the one to do first
You want Cedar Point'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 28 at Cedar Point - for what Universal Studios Hollywood has that Cedar Point does not
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.

Cedar Point

Cedar Point is a legendary coaster park on a Lake Erie peninsula in Sandusky, Ohio. Founded in 1870, it's one of the oldest operating amusement parks in North America and consistently rated as one of the world's best coaster parks. The line-up is staggering: Steel Vengeance, Millennium Force, Magnum XL-200, Maverick, Gatekeeper, Raptor, Top Thrill 2, and many more across the park's 364 acres.

Cedar Point's season runs May to early November, with US summer school holidays, HalloWeekends and weekend days driving the biggest crowds. Midweek days in May, September and early October are dramatically quieter. Check live wait times for Steel Vengeance and Maverick immediately on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a quieter date for marathon coaster days.

Cedar Point 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

Cedar Point or Universal Studios Hollywood?

Which is better, Cedar Point or Universal Studios Hollywood?

If you are judging on queues, Cedar Point: it averages about 28 minutes a ride on a typical day against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood, roughly 8 minutes back on every queue you join. Cedar Point has 21 rides with recorded waits against 15 at Universal Studios Hollywood. Cedar Point also runs its rides more reliably - 85% of opening hours against 80%.

Which has shorter queues, Cedar Point or Universal Studios Hollywood?

Cedar Point, by about 8 minutes a ride. On a typical day Cedar Point averages 28 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 Cedar Point best time to visit and Universal Studios Hollywood best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Cedar Point 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 Cedar Point and Universal Studios Hollywood for the full ride lists.

Is Cedar Point bigger than Universal Studios Hollywood?

By rides we track waits for, Cedar Point is the bigger day out: 21 rides against 15. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Cedar Point 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.

Cedar Point calendar Universal Studios Hollywood calendar Compare other parks