Universal Islands Of Adventure
vs
Universal Studios Hollywood

On a typical day Universal Islands Of Adventure queues less: about 25 minutes a ride against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood, a difference of roughly 11 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.

Universal Islands Of Adventure and Universal Studios Hollywood compared on their typical recorded queue times
Typically	Universal Islands Of AdventureUnited States	Universal Studios HollywoodUnited States
Average wait per ride	25 min (best of the two)	36 min
Rides with recorded waits	18 (best of the two)	15
Longest typical queue	Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure™68 min	Mario Kart™: Bowser’s Challenge88 min
Shortest typical queue	Storm Force Accelatron®6 min	Bowser Jr. Challenge5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running	89% (best of the two)	80%

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.

Universal Islands Of Adventure and Universal Studios Hollywood compared on live queue times
Right now	Universal Islands Of AdventureUnited 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 Universal Islands Of Adventure queues less: about 25 minutes a ride against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood, a difference of roughly 11 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 Universal Islands Of Adventure if…

You want shorter queues: Universal Islands Of Adventure averages 25 minutes a ride against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood
You want more to do: 18 rides here have recorded wait data against 15 at Universal Studios Hollywood
You would rather not find rides shut: Universal Islands Of Adventure's rides run 89% of opening hours against 80% at Universal Studios Hollywood
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

Pick Universal Studios Hollywood if…

You will accept a longer queue - 36 minutes a ride here against 25 at Universal Islands Of Adventure - for what Universal Studios Hollywood has that Universal Islands Of Adventure does not
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.

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

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

Universal Islands Of Adventure or Universal Studios Hollywood?

Which is better, Universal Islands Of Adventure or Universal Studios Hollywood?

If you are judging on queues, Universal Islands Of Adventure: it averages about 25 minutes a ride on a typical day against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood, roughly 11 minutes back on every queue you join. Universal Islands Of Adventure has 18 rides with recorded waits against 15 at Universal Studios Hollywood. Universal Islands Of Adventure also runs its rides more reliably - 89% of opening hours against 80%.

Which has shorter queues, Universal Islands Of Adventure or Universal Studios Hollywood?

Universal Islands Of Adventure, by about 11 minutes a ride. On a typical day Universal Islands Of Adventure averages 25 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 Universal Islands Of Adventure best time to visit and Universal Studios Hollywood best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Universal Islands Of Adventure 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 Universal Islands Of Adventure and Universal Studios Hollywood for the full ride lists.

Is Universal Islands Of Adventure bigger than Universal Studios Hollywood?

By rides we track waits for, Universal Islands Of Adventure is the bigger day out: 18 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 Universal Islands Of Adventure 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.

Universal Islands Of Adventure calendar Universal Studios Hollywood calendar Compare other parks