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Park Queue TimesPQT

Disneyland Park
vs
Universal Studios Hollywood

On a typical day Disneyland Park queues less: about 15 minutes a ride against 24 at Universal Studios Hollywood, a difference of roughly 9 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.

Disneyland Park and Universal Studios Hollywood compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyDisneyland ParkUnited StatesUniversal Studios HollywoodUnited States
Average wait per ride 15 min (best of the two)24 min
Rides with recorded waits 34 (best of the two)31
Longest typical queue Space Mountain36 minOzzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness57 min
Shortest typical queue Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes5 minKill-Ceanera - Express5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running86% (best of the two)36%

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.

Disneyland Park and Universal Studios Hollywood compared on live queue times
Right nowDisneyland ParkUnited 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 On a typical day Disneyland Park queues less: about 15 minutes a ride against 24 at Universal Studios Hollywood, a difference of roughly 9 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 Disneyland Park if…

  • You want shorter queues: Disneyland Park averages 15 minutes a ride against 24 at Universal Studios Hollywood
  • You want more to do: 34 rides here have recorded wait data against 31 at Universal Studios Hollywood
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Disneyland Park's rides run 86% of opening hours against 36% at Universal Studios Hollywood
  • Space Mountain is on your list - it is Disneyland Park's longest typical queue at about 36 minutes, so it is the one to do first

Pick Universal Studios Hollywood if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 24 minutes a ride here against 15 at Disneyland Park - for what Universal Studios Hollywood has that Disneyland Park does not
  • Ozzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness is on your list - it is Universal Studios Hollywood's longest typical queue at about 57 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

Disneyland Park or Universal Studios Hollywood?

Which is better, Disneyland Park or Universal Studios Hollywood?

If you are judging on queues, Disneyland Park: it averages about 15 minutes a ride on a typical day against 24 at Universal Studios Hollywood, roughly 9 minutes back on every queue you join. Disneyland Park has 34 rides with recorded waits against 31 at Universal Studios Hollywood. Disneyland Park also runs its rides more reliably - 86% of opening hours against 36%.

Which has shorter queues, Disneyland Park or Universal Studios Hollywood?

Disneyland Park, by about 9 minutes a ride. On a typical day Disneyland Park averages 15 minutes against 24 at Universal Studios Hollywood. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Disneyland Park best time to visit and Universal Studios Hollywood best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Disneyland Park 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 Disneyland Park and Universal Studios Hollywood for the full ride lists.

Is Disneyland Park bigger than Universal Studios Hollywood?

By rides we track waits for, Disneyland Park is the bigger day out: 34 rides against 31. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Disneyland Park 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.

Disneyland Park calendarUniversal Studios Hollywood calendarCompare other parks