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Park Queue TimesPQT

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
vs
Universal Studios Hollywood

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and Universal Studios Hollywood queue about the same on a typical day - 25 minutes against 24 minutes across 17 and 31 tracked rides. Pick on travel time or on which rides you actually want.

See both right nowCompare 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.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and Universal Studios Hollywood compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallySix Flags Discovery KingdomUnited StatesUniversal Studios HollywoodUnited States
Average wait per ride 25 min24 min (best of the two)
Rides with recorded waits 1731 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue BATMAN: The Ride45 minOzzy Osbourne: Prince of Darkness57 min
Shortest typical queue Wave Swinger5 minKill-Ceanera - Express5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running84% (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.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and Universal Studios Hollywood compared on live queue times
Right nowSix Flags Discovery KingdomUnited 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 Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and Universal Studios Hollywood queue about the same on a typical day - 25 minutes against 24 minutes across 17 and 31 tracked rides. Pick on travel time or on which rides you actually want.

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 Six Flags Discovery Kingdom if…

  • Queue length will not decide it: both parks average around 25 minutes a ride
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Six Flags Discovery Kingdom's rides run 84% of opening hours against 36% at Universal Studios Hollywood
  • BATMAN: The Ride is on your list - it is Six Flags Discovery Kingdom's longest typical queue at about 45 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Six Flags Discovery Kingdom's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Universal Studios Hollywood if…

  • Queue length will not decide it: both parks average around 24 minutes a ride
  • You want more to do: 31 rides here have recorded wait data against 17 at Six Flags Discovery Kingdom
  • 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.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom sits in Vallejo, California, on San Francisco Bay's northern edge. The park combines a theme park with a marine-animal section, running coasters like Medusa (the West Coast's first floorless), Kong (an inverted coaster), Superman: Ultimate Flight, Joker 4-D Free Fly Coaster, and the newer DC Stunt Coaster. Dolphin, sea lion and bird shows run throughout the day.

Bay Area weekend visits, California school holidays, and the Fright Fest event drive Discovery Kingdom's peak crowds. Weekdays in April, September and October are dramatically quieter, with queue times on most rides staying short. Check live wait times for Medusa and Superman on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a midweek date for shorter waits. The bayside setting makes for pleasant walking even on quieter days.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom 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

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom or Universal Studios Hollywood?

Which is better, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom or Universal Studios Hollywood?

On queues there is nothing in it: both average about 24 minutes a ride on a typical day. Six Flags Discovery Kingdom has 17 rides with recorded waits against 31 at Universal Studios Hollywood. Six Flags Discovery Kingdom also runs its rides more reliably - 84% of opening hours against 36%. So pick on travel time, or on which park has the rides you actually want.

Which has shorter queues, Six Flags Discovery Kingdom or Universal Studios Hollywood?

They are level. Six Flags Discovery Kingdom averages 25 minutes a ride on a typical day and Universal Studios Hollywood averages 24 - close enough that the day you pick matters more than the park. See Six Flags Discovery Kingdom best time to visit and Universal Studios Hollywood best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Six Flags Discovery Kingdom 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 Six Flags Discovery Kingdom and Universal Studios Hollywood for the full ride lists.

Is Six Flags Discovery Kingdom bigger than Universal Studios Hollywood?

By rides we track waits for, Universal Studios Hollywood is the bigger day out: 31 rides against 17. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours.

Then pick
the quiet day.

Both parks have a crowd calendar with six weeks of forecast and the best day left to go.

Six Flags Discovery Kingdom calendarUniversal Studios Hollywood calendarCompare other parks