Seaworld Orlando
vs
Universal Studios Hollywood

On a typical day Seaworld Orlando queues less: about 20 minutes a ride against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood, a difference of roughly 16 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.

Seaworld Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood compared on their typical recorded queue times
Typically	Seaworld OrlandoUnited States	Universal Studios HollywoodUnited States
Average wait per ride	20 min (best of the two)	36 min
Rides with recorded waits	17 (best of the two)	15
Longest typical queue	ALL NEW! - Expedition Odyssey Fire & Ice47 min	Mario Kart™: Bowser’s Challenge88 min
Shortest typical queue	Super Grover's Box Car Derby7 min	Bowser Jr. Challenge5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running	54%	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.

Seaworld Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood compared on live queue times
Right now	Seaworld OrlandoUnited 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 Seaworld Orlando queues less: about 20 minutes a ride against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood, a difference of roughly 16 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 Seaworld Orlando if…

You want shorter queues: Seaworld Orlando averages 20 minutes a ride against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood
You want more to do: 17 rides here have recorded wait data against 15 at Universal Studios Hollywood
ALL NEW! - Expedition Odyssey Fire & Ice is on your list - it is Seaworld Orlando's longest typical queue at about 47 minutes, so it is the one to do first
You want Seaworld Orlando's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Universal Studios Hollywood if…

You will accept a longer queue - 36 minutes a ride here against 20 at Seaworld Orlando - for what Universal Studios Hollywood has that Seaworld Orlando does not
You would rather not find rides shut: Universal Studios Hollywood's rides run 80% of opening hours against 54% at Seaworld Orlando
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.

Seaworld Orlando

SeaWorld Orlando is the Florida flagship of the SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment group. Beyond the marine animal exhibits, the park has a strong coaster line-up: Mako (one of Florida's tallest coasters at 200 feet), Manta (a flying coaster), Ice Breaker, Kraken (a floorless coaster), Pipeline (a surfing-style stand-up coaster), and the newer Penguin Trek.

SeaWorld Orlando is usually less crowded than Disney and Universal, but Florida school holidays, Halloween Spooktacular and Christmas Celebration push peak attendance higher. Weekdays in September, October and January are dramatically quieter. Check live queue times for Mako and Pipeline on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a midweek date for shorter waits across the coaster line-up.

Seaworld Orlando 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

Seaworld Orlando or Universal Studios Hollywood?

Which is better, Seaworld Orlando or Universal Studios Hollywood?

If you are judging on queues, Seaworld Orlando: it averages about 20 minutes a ride on a typical day against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood, roughly 16 minutes back on every queue you join. Seaworld Orlando has 17 rides with recorded waits against 15 at Universal Studios Hollywood. Universal Studios Hollywood also runs its rides more reliably - 80% of opening hours against 54%.

Which has shorter queues, Seaworld Orlando or Universal Studios Hollywood?

Seaworld Orlando, by about 16 minutes a ride. On a typical day Seaworld Orlando averages 20 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 Seaworld Orlando best time to visit and Universal Studios Hollywood best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Seaworld Orlando 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 Seaworld Orlando and Universal Studios Hollywood for the full ride lists.

Is Seaworld Orlando bigger than Universal Studios Hollywood?

By rides we track waits for, Seaworld Orlando is the bigger day out: 17 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 Seaworld Orlando 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.

Seaworld Orlando calendar Universal Studios Hollywood calendar Compare other parks