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Park Queue TimesPQT

Cedar Point
vs
Universal Studios Hollywood

Cedar Point and Universal Studios Hollywood queue about the same on a typical day - 25 minutes against 25 minutes across 21 and 31 tracked rides. Pick on travel time or on which rides you actually want.

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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.

Cedar Point and Universal Studios Hollywood compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyCedar PointUnited StatesUniversal Studios HollywoodUnited States
Average wait per ride 25 min25 min
Rides with recorded waits 2131 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue Top Thrill 263 minFast & Furious: Hollywood Drift97 min
Shortest typical queue Power Tower Shot8 minStudio Tour Last Tram5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running69% (best of the two)51%

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.

Cedar Point and Universal Studios Hollywood compared on live queue times
Right nowCedar PointUnited 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 Cedar Point and Universal Studios Hollywood queue about the same on a typical day - 25 minutes against 25 minutes across 21 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 Cedar Point if…

  • Queue length will not decide it: both parks average around 25 minutes a ride
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Cedar Point's rides run 69% of opening hours against 51% at Universal Studios Hollywood
  • Top Thrill 2 is on your list - it is Cedar Point's longest typical queue at about 63 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Cedar Point'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 25 minutes a ride
  • You want more to do: 31 rides here have recorded wait data against 21 at Cedar Point
  • Fast & Furious: Hollywood Drift is on your list - it is Universal Studios Hollywood's longest typical queue at about 97 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.

Cedar Point

Cedar Point is a legendary coaster park on a Lake Erie peninsula in Sandusky, Ohio. Founded in 1870, it's one of the oldest operating amusement parks in North America and consistently rated as one of the world's best coaster parks. The line-up is staggering: Steel Vengeance, Millennium Force, Magnum XL-200, Maverick, Gatekeeper, Raptor, Top Thrill 2, and many more across the park's 364 acres.

Cedar Point's season runs May to early November, with US summer school holidays, HalloWeekends and weekend days driving the biggest crowds. Midweek days in May, September and early October are dramatically quieter. Check live wait times for Steel Vengeance and Maverick immediately on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a quieter date for marathon coaster days.

Cedar Point 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

Cedar Point or Universal Studios Hollywood?

Which is better, Cedar Point or Universal Studios Hollywood?

On queues there is nothing in it: both average about 25 minutes a ride on a typical day. Cedar Point has 21 rides with recorded waits against 31 at Universal Studios Hollywood. Cedar Point also runs its rides more reliably - 69% of opening hours against 51%. So pick on travel time, or on which park has the rides you actually want.

Which has shorter queues, Cedar Point or Universal Studios Hollywood?

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

Can I visit Cedar Point 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 Cedar Point and Universal Studios Hollywood for the full ride lists.

Is Cedar Point bigger than Universal Studios Hollywood?

By rides we track waits for, Universal Studios Hollywood is the bigger day out: 31 rides against 21. 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.

Cedar Point calendarUniversal Studios Hollywood calendarCompare other parks