Epcot
vs
Universal Islands Of Adventure

On a typical day Universal Islands Of Adventure queues less: about 25 minutes a ride against 31 at Epcot, a difference of roughly 6 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.

Epcot and Universal Islands Of Adventure compared on their typical recorded queue times
Typically	EpcotUnited States	Universal Islands Of AdventureUnited States
Average wait per ride	31 min	25 min (best of the two)
Rides with recorded waits	11	18 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue	Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind77 min	Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure™68 min
Shortest typical queue	Gran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros7 min	Storm Force Accelatron®6 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running	93% (best of the two)	89%

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.

Epcot and Universal Islands Of Adventure compared on live queue times
Right now	EpcotUnited States	Universal 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 25 minutes a ride against 31 at Epcot, a difference of roughly 6 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 Epcot if…

You will accept a longer queue - 31 minutes a ride here against 25 at Universal Islands Of Adventure - for what Epcot has that Universal Islands Of Adventure does not
You would rather not find rides shut: Epcot's rides run 93% of opening hours against 89% at Universal Islands Of Adventure
Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is on your list - it is Epcot's longest typical queue at about 77 minutes, so it is the one to do first
You want Epcot's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Universal Islands Of Adventure if…

You want shorter queues: Universal Islands Of Adventure averages 25 minutes a ride against 31 at Epcot
You want more to do: 18 rides here have recorded wait data against 11 at Epcot
Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure™ is on your list - it is Universal Islands Of Adventure's longest typical queue at about 68 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.

Epcot

EPCOT sits at the centre of Walt Disney World, split between Future World (with Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Test Track, Spaceship Earth, Soarin', and Frozen Ever After) and the World Showcase - eleven pavilions themed around countries including Japan, Germany, France, and the UK. Flower & Garden, Food & Wine and Festival of the Holidays events run through much of the year.

EPCOT's biggest crowd drivers are its festivals rather than just ride popularity. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind consistently posts the longest wait times in the park. Check live queue times on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a lower-crowd date outside the peak festival weekends - the World Showcase pavilions can take a full afternoon to properly explore.

Epcot live queue times

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

Epcot or Universal Islands Of Adventure?

Which is better, Epcot or Universal Islands Of Adventure?

If you are judging on queues, Universal Islands Of Adventure: it averages about 25 minutes a ride on a typical day against 31 at Epcot, roughly 6 minutes back on every queue you join. Epcot has 11 rides with recorded waits against 18 at Universal Islands Of Adventure. Epcot also runs its rides more reliably - 93% of opening hours against 89%.

Which has shorter queues, Epcot or Universal Islands Of Adventure?

Universal Islands Of Adventure, by about 6 minutes a ride. On a typical day Universal Islands Of Adventure averages 25 minutes against 31 at Epcot. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Epcot best time to visit and Universal Islands Of Adventure best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

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

Is Epcot bigger than Universal Islands Of Adventure?

By rides we track waits for, Universal Islands Of Adventure is the bigger day out: 18 rides against 11. 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.

Epcot calendar Universal Islands Of Adventure calendar Compare other parks