EPCOT’s Test Track was the little plot twist of the past 24 hours. While Universal Epic Universe once again looked like the park everyone was watching, Test Track quietly became the queue I kept coming back to on the graphs — and then Paultons Park popped up with the kind of calm morning that makes wait-time nerds grin.
Test Track and Epic Universe brought the big queue energy
Test Track was the ride that made me do a double take. Over at EPCOT, it averaged 93 minutes and climbed as high as 135 minutes, which is proper “plan your day around this” territory. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind was not exactly relaxing either, hovering around 71 minutes on average with a peak of 115 minutes, so EPCOT had two very serious queue magnets pulling guests across the park.
Universal Epic Universe still had that new-park pressure cooker feeling. The park averaged 40.5 minutes overall, but the fun part — for us graph-watchers, anyway — was the swing inside the day. Around 11:00 the park looked oddly tame at about 5 minutes on average, then by 14:00 it had exploded to roughly 152 minutes. That is the kind of curve that makes you mutter “what on earth happened there?” at your screen. Mine-Cart Madness averaged just under 92 minutes, Harry Potter and the Battle at the Ministry sat around 76 minutes, and Mario Kart: Bowser’s Challenge even touched 200 minutes at its sharpest peak. You can stare at the full park page here: Universal Epic Universe wait times.
Early access probably helped shape some of those morning patterns. Universal Epic Universe had Extra Hours on 24 June 2026, a one-hour early access window from 09:00 to 10:00 for eligible guests, while EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios and Magic Kingdom Park all had Early Entry, Disney’s half-hour head start for eligible visitors. There were no listed school holidays or public holidays in the report, so these park-specific perks are the background I’d keep in mind before blaming the calendar.
Hollywood Studios stayed busy, then rewarded the night owls
Disney’s Hollywood Studios had one of those days where the headline rides never really felt optional. Disney’s Hollywood Studios averaged almost 35 minutes across the park, with Slinky Dog Dash doing Slinky Dog things: around 77 minutes on average and up to 110 minutes at its busiest. Tower of Terror and Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets also pushed high enough to keep the thrill side of the park feeling very alive.
The best bit, though, came after the posted 21:00 close. Waits kept moving until 22:55, so Hollywood Studios effectively gave visitors almost two extra hours of usable park time. Slinky Dog Dash was still showing up to 85 minutes after close, Rock ’n’ Roller Coaster reached 55, and Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance appeared late with 70 minutes. That is a lovely bonus for the people who refuse to leave when the music starts nudging everyone toward the exit. The Special Ticketed Event from 21:30 to 00:30 also matters here: that is a separate evening event window, and it helps explain why the park still had life in it after normal closing.
Britain’s queues were quieter, but not boring
The British parks had a much more charmingly uneven day. Blackpool Pleasure Beach delivered the standout UK queue with Big One averaging about 70 minutes and peaking at 90. That is a strong showing, especially when the biggest US headliners were throwing around triple-digit numbers like confetti.
Paultons Park was the complete opposite kind of fun. On 24 June, the 10:00 to 11:00 hour sat below 2 minutes on average with nothing above 4 minutes, and on 25 June the calm stretched from 10:00 to 13:00 with the park still around 2 minutes on average and a max of 5. I love days like that: not dramatic, not flashy, just a beautiful little gift for families who start early. The only wrinkle was that Kontiki and Tea Cup Ride appeared much later than scheduled on 25 June, both first showing around 13:01 after a 10:00 opening target, while Ghostly Manor followed after midday.
Flamingo Land had a more spiky personality. Kumali did not appear until 12:44 on 25 June, and on the previous afternoon Mumbo Jumbo was clearly the one to watch: it reached 120 minutes during the day and still had a 20-minute queue just after the 16:00 close. I would not call that extra opening time, but for queue hunters it is a useful little closing-time clue. Thorpe Park also had a late starter, with Ready Player One 4D Experience first appearing at 12:17 after the planned 10:00 start.
Disney California Adventure and Dollywood deserve a compliment
Disney California Adventure gave visitors a brilliant late-night bonus. The park was scheduled to close at 22:00, but waits continued all the way to 23:58 — nearly two extra hours of movement. Radiator Springs Racers had been the day’s big pull with a 100-minute peak and still reached 50 minutes after close, while Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT! and Incredicoaster also kept showing healthy waits. That is exactly the sort of extra park time that makes staying late feel heroic. Full page for the curious: Disney California Adventure Park wait times.
Dollywood had the same “don’t leave too early” lesson. After a scheduled 21:30 close, waits kept going until 23:15, with Big Bear Mountain, Mystery Mine and Dragonflier all still active enough to matter. Earlier in the day Lightning Rod hit 120 minutes, Dragonflier reached 110, and Thunderhead, Mystery Mine and Smoky Mountain River Rampage all made the park feel properly summery-busy. I have to give Dollywood credit here: when a park gives guests more evening riding time after a chunky day, that is always worth a little applause.
Magic Kingdom Park had its own late-night story, helped by Extended Evening on 24 June 2026 into 25 June 2026. That event is an extra nighttime window for eligible guests, running from 23:00 to 01:00, and the waits absolutely kept the park feeling awake after the regular close. TRON Lightcycle / Run had been as high as 135 minutes by day and still showed 75 minutes after close, while Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Peter Pan’s Flight and Big Thunder Mountain Railroad were all still worth watching. See the full park pattern here: Magic Kingdom Park wait times.
My practical queue-fan takeaway
If I were planning around these patterns, I’d be aggressive with the mornings at Universal Epic Universe and Knott’s Berry Farm, because both had very calm early snapshots before lunchtime became a monster. At EPCOT I would not casually “save” Test Track or Guardians for later unless I had a backup plan, and at Paultons Park I’d happily start early and enjoy the calm before worrying about the rides that appeared late. For late-night fans, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, Disney California Adventure Park, Dollywood and Magic Kingdom Park were the parks where hanging around near closing looked genuinely rewarding — exactly the kind of move I’d try if my feet still agreed with me.
The day in charts
