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The Great Escape
vs
Universal Studios Florida Park

Side-by-side queue times, ride counts and opening hours for The Great Escape and Universal Studios Florida Park, 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 Studios Florida Park compared on live queue times
Right nowThe Great EscapeUnited StatesUniversal Studios Florida ParkUnited 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 Studios Florida Park if…

  • Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts™ is on your list - it is Universal Studios Florida Park's longest typical queue at about 42 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Universal Studios Florida Park'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 Studios Florida Park

Universal Studios Florida is one of two major parks at the Universal Orlando Resort, themed around film and TV. Highlights include Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, Revenge of the Mummy, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, Fast and Furious, and Transformers: The Ride. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter's Diagon Alley connects to Universal's Islands of Adventure via the Hogwarts Express.

Universal Studios Florida is busy year-round, with peak crowds during US school holidays, Halloween Horror Nights, and the Christmas season. Mid-January and early September are the quietest periods. Check live wait times across both parks on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a lower-crowd date - the extensive Wizarding World areas regularly top 60-minute queues.

Universal Studios Florida Park live queue times

05 · Questions

The Great Escape or Universal Studios Florida Park?

Which is better, The Great Escape or Universal Studios Florida Park?

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 Studios Florida Park?

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 Studios Florida Park best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit The Great Escape and Universal Studios Florida Park 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 Studios Florida Park for the full ride lists.

Is The Great Escape bigger than Universal Studios Florida Park?

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 Studios Florida Park calendarCompare other parks
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