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The Great Escape
vs
Universal Islands Of Adventure

Side-by-side queue times, ride counts and opening hours for The Great Escape and Universal Islands Of Adventure, with a straight recommendation.

See both right nowCompare other parks

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.

The Great Escape and Universal Islands Of Adventure compared on live queue times
Right nowThe Great EscapeUnited StatesUniversal 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.

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 The Great Escape if…

  • You want The Great Escape's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Universal Islands Of Adventure if…

  • 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.

The Great Escape

The Great Escape sits in Queensbury, New York, near Lake George in the Adirondack region. The park has been running since 1954 and combines older classic rides with a newer Ghost Town themed area. Headline coasters include Comet (a rebuilt classic wooden coaster, originally from Crystal Beach Park), Steamin' Demon, and a Ghost Town coaster. A Great Escape Splashwater Kingdom water park is included with admission.

The Great Escape has a short operating season (roughly Memorial Day to Labor Day, plus Fright Fest weekends) with peak crowds on summer weekends and US school holidays. Weekdays are usually very pleasant. Check live wait times for Comet on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a midweek visit - the Lake George location pairs well with a full Adirondacks holiday.

The Great Escape 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

The Great Escape or Universal Islands Of Adventure?

Which is better, The Great Escape or Universal Islands Of Adventure?

Neither is better across the board - it depends whether you are optimising for shorter queues or for the rides you actually want. This page puts live queue times, ride counts and opening hours side by side so you can judge on your own priorities.

Which has shorter queues, The Great Escape or Universal Islands Of Adventure?

Queues change hour by hour. The typical figures above are the fair answer for planning; the live table answers today. Mid-week visits outside school holidays give the shortest queues at either park. See The Great Escape best time to visit and Universal Islands Of Adventure best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit The Great Escape 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 The Great Escape and Universal Islands Of Adventure for the full ride lists.

Is The Great Escape bigger than Universal Islands Of Adventure?

Park size is less useful than how many rides you can actually get on in a day - that comes down to queue times and opening hours. The comparison above shows ride counts and wait times for both.

Then pick
the quiet day.

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

The Great Escape calendarUniversal Islands Of Adventure calendarCompare other parks
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