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Wait times Disney's Hollywood Studios, Epic Universe, Thorpe

The past 24 hours brought punchy queues at Disney's Hollywood Studios and Universal Epic Universe, a solid UK showing at Thorpe Park, plus a few lovely quiet pockets.

W8baan redactie 5 min read
Aquatica Orlando Magic Kingdom Park Universal Studios Hollywood EPCOT Universal Epic Universe Disneyland Park Knott's Berry Farm Disney's Hollywood Studios Disney California Adventure Park Silver Dollar City Universal Islands of Adventure Thorpe Park
Wait times Disney's Hollywood Studios, Epic Universe, Thorpe

Wachttijden Disney's Hollywood Studios, Epic Universe, Thorpe

What a lively 24-hour snapshot for British and American theme park fans! In the window from 17 June 14:30 to 18 June 14:30 Amsterdam time, the biggest wait-time energy came from the US heavy hitters, while Thorpe Park gave the UK a clear place in the top averages.

For live planning, keep these W8baan pages handy: Disney's Hollywood Studios wait times, Universal Epic Universe wait times, Thorpe Park wait times, and Knott's Berry Farm wait times.

The busiest parks in the last 24 hours

Disney's Hollywood Studios led the pack with an average wait of 34.51 minutes and a max of 85 minutes. Right behind it, Universal Epic Universe averaged 33.62 minutes, with waits reaching 120 minutes.

The rest of the top group stayed nicely competitive:

  • Universal Studios Hollywood: 28.30 min average, max 100 min
  • Knott's Berry Farm: 26.84 min average, max 120 min
  • EPCOT: 23.75 min average, max 110 min
  • Silver Dollar City: 23.40 min average, max 110 min
  • Disneyland Park: 22.74 min average, max 85 min
  • Thorpe Park: 20.73 min average, max 90 min

Average wait time by park

Longest queues: Mine-Cart Madness and GhostRider steal the show

The juiciest queues were very much headline-worthy. At Universal Epic Universe, Mine-Cart Madness™ averaged 84.38 minutes and peaked at 120 minutes, while Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry™ averaged 76.49 minutes, also with a 120-minute max.

GhostRider at Knott's Berry Farm was right there too: 76.01 minutes average, maxing at 120 minutes. Other standout waits included:

  • Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure™ at Universal Islands of Adventure: 65.97 min average
  • Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland Park: 63.70 min average
  • Test Track at EPCOT: 63.16 min average
  • Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT: 62.76 min average, max 110 min
  • TRON Lightcycle / Run at Magic Kingdom Park: 58.78 min average
  • Slinky Dog Dash at Disney's Hollywood Studios: 58.24 min average

UK watch: Thorpe Park lively, Alton Towers late-day queue clue

The British highlight was Thorpe Park, with a 20.73-minute average and a 90-minute maximum. Two Thorpe attractions opened later than scheduled in this snapshot: Ready Player One 4D Experience | Age Rating 12A and Ghost Train were first seen open at 12:17, about 137 minutes after the 10:00 scheduled opening.

At Alton Towers, the closing-time signal was fan-interesting rather than dramatic: The Smiler and Galactica had both been busy earlier in the day, peaking at 60 and 55 minutes, and still showed positive waits around 17:02, just after scheduled close. That is best read as a practical queue signal, not as an official extension.

Quiet surprise: Busch Gardens Williamsburg

A cheerful calm pocket appeared at Busch Gardens Williamsburg between 10:00 and 11:00 on 17 June. Across six attractions, the average wait was just 3.33 minutes, with a maximum of 5 minutes. Lovely stuff if you were there early and ready to pounce.

The tip signals also showed some sharp contrasts:

  • Disney's Hollywood Studios: quiet hour around 19:00 at 5 min average, versus 76.25 min around 15:00
  • Universal Epic Universe: 5 min around 14:00, versus 120 min around 15:00
  • Universal Studios Hollywood: 5 min around 10:00, versus 87.5 min around 15:00
  • Knott's Berry Farm: 5 min around 12:00, versus 97.5 min around 11:00
  • EPCOT: 4.09 min around 16:00, versus 106.67 min around 20:00

Possible longer evenings in the US

A few US parks showed data-driven signs that queues may have stayed active well after the planned closing time. This is not an official opening-hours change, but it is interesting for fans who love squeezing in one more ride.

  • Disney's Hollywood Studios: scheduled close 21:00, with qualifying waits seen until 22:58; estimated extra activity 118 minutes. Evidence included Slinky Dog Dash and Toy Story Mania! after close, with big daytime peaks on Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets, Slinky Dog Dash, Tower of Terror, Rise of the Resistance and more.
  • SeaWorld Orlando: scheduled close 21:00, qualifying waits until 22:51; estimated extra activity 111 minutes. Penguin Trek was the post-close proof point, after daytime peaks on Expedition Odyssey and Penguin Trek.
  • Knott's Berry Farm: scheduled close 22:00, qualifying waits until 23:47; estimated extra activity 107 minutes. HangTime remained the evidence attraction, while GhostRider had already hit 120 minutes earlier.
  • Magic Kingdom Park: scheduled close 23:00, qualifying waits until 23:57; estimated extra activity 57 minutes. Post-close waits appeared at TRON Lightcycle / Run, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan's Flight, Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin and The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.

Around closing time: useful queue signals

Separate from the longer-evening clues, several parks had attractions that looked like they still had queues open right around planned close.

At Magic Kingdom Park, all eight busy attractions in the signal set still showed waits at 23:00, including TRON Lightcycle / Run at 75 minutes, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train at 40 minutes, and Tiana's Bayou Adventure at 35 minutes.

At Universal Studios Hollywood, waits were still visible around 19:03, including The Simpsons Ride™ and Despicable Me Minion Mayhem at 45 minutes, plus Mario Kart™: Bowser’s Challenge at 40 minutes. Over at Universal Epic Universe, Mine-Cart Madness™ still showed 60 minutes around 21:03, and Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry™ showed 45 minutes.

For coaster fans, Six Flags Magic Mountain had a spicy close-of-day signal too: X2 had peaked at 180 minutes earlier and still showed 60 minutes around 22:03.

Maintenance and temporary issues

A few attractions were unavailable for the whole 24-hour measurement window. Maintenance and temporary issues are worth separating clearly:

  • At Aquatica Orlando, Omaka Rocka, Whanau Way, Tassie's Underwater Twist and Taumata Racer were in maintenance throughout the window.
  • At Flamingo Land, Little Monsters Wacky Races was also in maintenance throughout the measurement period.
  • At Disney California Adventure Park, Inside Out Emotional Whirlwind and Silly Symphony Swings were in maintenance throughout the window.
  • At Disneyland Park, Pirates of the Caribbean was in maintenance throughout the window.
  • At Carowinds, Gear Spin and The Flying Cobras had a temporary issue throughout the measurement period.
  • At Cedar Point, Rougarou and Cedar Creek Mine Ride had a temporary issue throughout the measurement period.

Unavailable minutes by park

Final fan tip

If you are chasing headline rides, do not rely only on the biggest average of the day. The past 24 hours showed big swings: some parks had five-minute pockets and triple-digit rushes within the same day. Check the live W8baan page before committing, and if you stay until closing, watch those final-minute queue signals carefully—sometimes the smartest ride of the day is the one you time last.