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Park Queue TimesPQT

Disney California Adventure
vs
Universal Studios Hollywood

Disney California Adventure and Universal Studios Hollywood queue about the same on a typical day - 24 minutes against 23 minutes across 20 and 34 tracked rides. Pick on travel time or on which rides you actually want.

See both right nowCompare 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.

Disney California Adventure and Universal Studios Hollywood compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyDisney California AdventureUnited StatesUniversal Studios HollywoodUnited States
Average wait per ride 24 min23 min (best of the two)
Rides with recorded waits 2034 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue Radiator Springs Racers65 minFast & Furious: Hollywood Drift96 min
Shortest typical queue Jessie's Critter Carousel5 minTerror Tram featuring Art the Clown – Last Tram5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running88% (best of the two)44%

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 Studios Hollywood compared on live queue times
Right nowDisney California AdventureUnited StatesUniversal 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 Disney California Adventure and Universal Studios Hollywood queue about the same on a typical day - 24 minutes against 23 minutes across 20 and 34 tracked rides. Pick on travel time or on which rides you actually want.

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…

  • Queue length will not decide it: both parks average around 24 minutes a ride
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Disney California Adventure's rides run 88% of opening hours against 44% at Universal Studios Hollywood
  • Radiator Springs Racers is on your list - it is Disney California Adventure's longest typical queue at about 65 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Disney California Adventure's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Universal Studios Hollywood if…

  • Queue length will not decide it: both parks average around 23 minutes a ride
  • You want more to do: 34 rides here have recorded wait data against 20 at Disney California Adventure
  • Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift is on your list - it is Universal Studios Hollywood's longest typical queue at about 96 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.

Disney California Adventure

Disney California Adventure sits directly opposite Disneyland Park across the Anaheim esplanade and is the more thrill-led of the two. Its big draws are Radiator Springs Racers in Cars Land, the Incredicoaster on Pixar Pier, Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT! and Avengers Campus with WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure. Grizzly River Run and Soarin' Across America round out a line-up that leans older than the classic park next door.

Radiator Springs Racers is the ride that sets the pace here: it draws the longest queue times in the resort most days, often from park opening. If you are visiting both parks, the crowd calendar will show you which day to give to California Adventure, and the live wait times will tell you whether to head for Cars Land first or leave it for the evening.

Disney California Adventure 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

Disney California Adventure or Universal Studios Hollywood?

Which is better, Disney California Adventure or Universal Studios Hollywood?

On queues there is nothing in it: both average about 23 minutes a ride on a typical day. Disney California Adventure has 20 rides with recorded waits against 34 at Universal Studios Hollywood. Disney California Adventure also runs its rides more reliably - 88% of opening hours against 44%. So pick on travel time, or on which park has the rides you actually want.

Which has shorter queues, Disney California Adventure or Universal Studios Hollywood?

They are level. Disney California Adventure averages 24 minutes a ride on a typical day and Universal Studios Hollywood averages 23 - close enough that the day you pick matters more than the park. See Disney California Adventure best time to visit and Universal Studios Hollywood best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Disney California Adventure 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 Disney California Adventure and Universal Studios Hollywood for the full ride lists.

Is Disney California Adventure bigger than Universal Studios Hollywood?

By rides we track waits for, Universal Studios Hollywood is the bigger day out: 34 rides against 20. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours.

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 Studios Hollywood calendarCompare other parks