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Park Queue TimesPQT

Kings Island
vs
Universal Studios Hollywood

On a typical day Universal Studios Hollywood queues less: about 24 minutes a ride against 29 at Kings Island, a difference of roughly 5 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.

Kings Island and Universal Studios Hollywood compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyKings IslandUnited StatesUniversal Studios HollywoodUnited States
Average wait per ride 29 min24 min (best of the two)
Rides with recorded waits 2431 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue Flight of Fear54 minOzzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness57 min
Shortest typical queue The Racer (Red)12 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.

Kings Island and Universal Studios Hollywood compared on live queue times
Right nowKings IslandUnited 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 Universal Studios Hollywood queues less: about 24 minutes a ride against 29 at Kings Island, a difference of roughly 5 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 Kings Island if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 29 minutes a ride here against 24 at Universal Studios Hollywood - for what Kings Island has that Universal Studios Hollywood does not
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Kings Island's rides run 86% of opening hours against 36% at Universal Studios Hollywood
  • Flight of Fear is on your list - it is Kings Island's longest typical queue at about 54 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Kings Island's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Universal Studios Hollywood if…

  • You want shorter queues: Universal Studios Hollywood averages 24 minutes a ride against 29 at Kings Island
  • You want more to do: 31 rides here have recorded wait data against 24 at Kings Island
  • 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.

Kings Island

Kings Island is a huge theme park in Mason, Ohio, just north of Cincinnati. It's one of the Cedar Fair (now Six Flags) parks and runs a strong coaster line-up: The Beast (the world's longest wooden coaster, opened 1979), Diamondback, Mystic Timbers, Orion (a giga coaster), Banshee (the world's longest inverted coaster), and Racer. A full water park operates on the same site during summer.

The Ohio summer school break and Halloween Haunt event drive Kings Island's busiest periods, with weekend queue times on Orion and The Beast often exceeding 90 minutes. Weekdays in May, September and October are dramatically quieter. Check live wait times on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a midweek visit if you want to ride everything in a day.

Kings Island 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

Kings Island or Universal Studios Hollywood?

Which is better, Kings Island or Universal Studios Hollywood?

If you are judging on queues, Universal Studios Hollywood: it averages about 24 minutes a ride on a typical day against 29 at Kings Island, roughly 5 minutes back on every queue you join. Kings Island has 24 rides with recorded waits against 31 at Universal Studios Hollywood. Kings Island also runs its rides more reliably - 86% of opening hours against 36%.

Which has shorter queues, Kings Island or Universal Studios Hollywood?

Universal Studios Hollywood, by about 5 minutes a ride. On a typical day Universal Studios Hollywood averages 24 minutes against 29 at Kings Island. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Kings Island best time to visit and Universal Studios Hollywood best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Kings Island 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 Kings Island and Universal Studios Hollywood for the full ride lists.

Is Kings Island bigger than Universal Studios Hollywood?

By rides we track waits for, Universal Studios Hollywood is the bigger day out: 31 rides against 24. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Universal Studios Hollywood 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.

Kings Island calendarUniversal Studios Hollywood calendarCompare other parks