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Park Queue TimesPQT

Disney California Adventure
vs
Universal Islands Of Adventure

On a typical day Universal Islands Of Adventure queues less: about 17 minutes a ride against 21 at Disney California Adventure, a difference of roughly 4 minutes on every queue you join.

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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.

Disney California Adventure and Universal Islands Of Adventure compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyDisney California AdventureUnited StatesUniversal Islands Of AdventureUnited States
Average wait per ride 21 min17 min (best of the two)
Rides with recorded waits 22 (best of the two)18
Longest typical queue Radiator Springs Racers58 minHagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure™58 min
Shortest typical queue Jessie's Critter Carousel5 minStorm Force Accelatron®5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running85%85%

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.

Disney California Adventure and Universal Islands Of Adventure compared on live queue times
Right nowDisney California AdventureUnited StatesUniversal Islands Of AdventureUnited 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 Universal Islands Of Adventure queues less: about 17 minutes a ride against 21 at Disney California Adventure, 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 Disney California Adventure if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 21 minutes a ride here against 17 at Universal Islands Of Adventure - for what Disney California Adventure has that Universal Islands Of Adventure does not
  • You want more to do: 22 rides here have recorded wait data against 18 at Universal Islands Of Adventure
  • Radiator Springs Racers is on your list - it is Disney California Adventure's longest typical queue at about 58 minutes, so it is the one to do first

Pick Universal Islands Of Adventure if…

  • You want shorter queues: Universal Islands Of Adventure averages 17 minutes a ride against 21 at Disney California Adventure
  • Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure™ is on your list - it is Universal Islands Of Adventure's longest typical queue at about 58 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Universal Islands Of Adventure's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

Universal Islands Of Adventure

Universal's Islands of Adventure is widely regarded as one of the best theme parks in the world. Its line-up blends record-breaking coasters with detailed themed lands: Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, VelociCoaster, The Incredible Hulk Coaster, Pteranodon Flyers, and the classic Jurassic Park River Adventure. The Wizarding World's Hogsmeade is the park's most iconic area.

Like its sister Studios park, Islands of Adventure stays busy year-round, with Hagrid's and VelociCoaster consistently posting the longest queues. Peak periods are US school holidays, Halloween Horror Nights and Christmas. Check live wait times immediately on arrival and head to Hagrid's first. Use our crowd calendar to pick the quietest possible date for your trip.

Universal Islands Of Adventure live queue times

05 · Questions

Disney California Adventure or Universal Islands Of Adventure?

Which is better, Disney California Adventure or Universal Islands Of Adventure?

If you are judging on queues, Universal Islands Of Adventure: it averages about 17 minutes a ride on a typical day against 21 at Disney California Adventure, roughly 4 minutes back on every queue you join. Disney California Adventure has 22 rides with recorded waits against 18 at Universal Islands Of Adventure.

Which has shorter queues, Disney California Adventure or Universal Islands Of Adventure?

Universal Islands Of Adventure, by about 4 minutes a ride. On a typical day Universal Islands Of Adventure averages 17 minutes against 21 at Disney California Adventure. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Disney California Adventure best time to visit and Universal Islands Of Adventure best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Disney California Adventure and Universal Islands Of Adventure 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 Disney California Adventure and Universal Islands Of Adventure for the full ride lists.

Is Disney California Adventure bigger than Universal Islands Of Adventure?

By rides we track waits for, Disney California Adventure is the bigger day out: 22 rides against 18. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Universal Islands Of Adventure 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.

Disney California Adventure calendarUniversal Islands Of Adventure calendarCompare other parks