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Hollywood Studios
vs
Universal Volcano Bay

On a typical day Universal Volcano Bay queues less: about 17 minutes a ride against 41 at Hollywood Studios, a difference of roughly 24 minutes on every queue you join.

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.

Hollywood Studios and Universal Volcano Bay compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyHollywood StudiosUnited StatesUniversal Volcano BayUnited States
Average wait per ride 41 min17 min (best of the two)
Rides with recorded waits 918 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue Slinky Dog Dash66 minKrakatau™ Aqua Coaster47 min
Shortest typical queue Star Tours – The Adventures Continue8 minWaturi Beach5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running97% (best of the two)61%

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.

Hollywood Studios and Universal Volcano Bay compared on live queue times
Right nowHollywood StudiosUnited StatesUniversal Volcano BayUnited 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 Volcano Bay queues less: about 17 minutes a ride against 41 at Hollywood Studios, a difference of roughly 24 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 Hollywood Studios if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 41 minutes a ride here against 17 at Universal Volcano Bay - for what Hollywood Studios has that Universal Volcano Bay does not
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Hollywood Studios's rides run 97% of opening hours against 61% at Universal Volcano Bay
  • Slinky Dog Dash is on your list - it is Hollywood Studios's longest typical queue at about 66 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Hollywood Studios's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Universal Volcano Bay if…

  • You want shorter queues: Universal Volcano Bay averages 17 minutes a ride against 41 at Hollywood Studios
  • You want more to do: 18 rides here have recorded wait data against 9 at Hollywood Studios
  • Krakatau™ Aqua Coaster is on your list - it is Universal Volcano Bay's longest typical queue at about 47 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Universal Volcano Bay's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

Hollywood Studios

Disney's Hollywood Studios is the movie-themed park at Walt Disney World, opened in 1989. Its major attractions are some of Disney's most technically ambitious rides: Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Slinky Dog Dash, Mickey and Minnie's Runaway Railway, Tower of Terror, and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster. Galaxy's Edge and Toy Story Land are the two most popular themed lands.

Hollywood Studios often posts the longest queue times of any Disney park, with Rise of the Resistance and Slinky Dog Dash routinely over 90 minutes. US school holidays and special events drive the biggest crowds. Check live wait times immediately on arrival and head for Rise of the Resistance first. Use our crowd calendar to pick a lower-crowd date for your visit.

Hollywood Studios live queue times

Universal Volcano Bay

Universal Volcano Bay is the water park at Universal Orlando, themed around a fictional Polynesian island with a 200-foot Krakatau volcano as its centrepiece. Highlights include Krakatau Aqua Coaster, Ko'okiri Body Plunge (a 70-degree drop slide), the Tot Tiki Reef kids' area, and the TapuTapu wearable virtual queue system. The park is a separate admission from Universal's Studios and Islands of Adventure parks.

Volcano Bay is busiest during Florida summer (June-August), US school holidays, and peak spring break weeks. The TapuTapu system manages queues through virtual reservations rather than physical lines, but check live wait times to see where virtual waits are shortest. Use our crowd calendar to pick a quieter midweek day for the best slide access.

Universal Volcano Bay live queue times

05 · Questions

Hollywood Studios or Universal Volcano Bay?

Which is better, Hollywood Studios or Universal Volcano Bay?

If you are judging on queues, Universal Volcano Bay: it averages about 17 minutes a ride on a typical day against 41 at Hollywood Studios, roughly 24 minutes back on every queue you join. Hollywood Studios has 9 rides with recorded waits against 18 at Universal Volcano Bay. Hollywood Studios also runs its rides more reliably - 97% of opening hours against 61%.

Which has shorter queues, Hollywood Studios or Universal Volcano Bay?

Universal Volcano Bay, by about 24 minutes a ride. On a typical day Universal Volcano Bay averages 17 minutes against 41 at Hollywood Studios. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Hollywood Studios best time to visit and Universal Volcano Bay best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Hollywood Studios and Universal Volcano Bay 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 Hollywood Studios and Universal Volcano Bay for the full ride lists.

Is Hollywood Studios bigger than Universal Volcano Bay?

By rides we track waits for, Universal Volcano Bay is the bigger day out: 18 rides against 9. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Universal Volcano Bay 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.

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