Disney California Adventure
vs
Universal Studios Hollywood

On a typical day Disney California Adventure queues less: about 26 minutes a ride against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood, a difference of roughly 10 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.

Disney California Adventure and Universal Studios Hollywood compared on their typical recorded queue times
Typically	Disney California AdventureUnited States	Universal Studios HollywoodUnited States
Average wait per ride	26 min (best of the two)	36 min
Rides with recorded waits	21 (best of the two)	15
Longest typical queue	Radiator Springs Racers70 min	Mario Kart™: Bowser’s Challenge88 min
Shortest typical queue	Jessie's Critter Carousel5 min	Bowser Jr. Challenge5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running	75%	80% (best of the two)

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 now	Disney California AdventureUnited 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 Disney California Adventure queues less: about 26 minutes a ride against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood, a difference of roughly 10 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 want shorter queues: Disney California Adventure averages 26 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
Radiator Springs Racers is on your list - it is Disney California Adventure's longest typical queue at about 70 minutes, so it is the one to do first

Pick Universal Studios Hollywood if…

You will accept a longer queue - 36 minutes a ride here against 26 at Disney California Adventure - for what Universal Studios Hollywood has that Disney California Adventure does not
You would rather not find rides shut: Universal Studios Hollywood's rides run 80% of opening hours against 75% at Disney California Adventure
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.

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?

If you are judging on queues, Disney California Adventure: it averages about 26 minutes a ride on a typical day against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood, roughly 10 minutes back on every queue you join. Disney California Adventure has 21 rides with recorded waits against 15 at Universal Studios Hollywood. Universal Studios Hollywood also runs its rides more reliably - 80% of opening hours against 75%.

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

Disney California Adventure, by about 10 minutes a ride. On a typical day Disney California Adventure averages 26 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 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, Disney California Adventure 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 Disney California 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 calendar Universal Studios Hollywood calendar Compare other parks