Universal Orlando Resort Wait Times for January 2022

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When you visit Universal Orlando Resort, you’ll find too much to do and too little time to do it. However, with a bit of knowledge and some clever planning, you can experience all the attractions in just a few days.

Photo:instagram/universalorlando

Let’s talk about the average January wait times at Universal Studios Florida and Universal’s Islands of Adventure.

With this information, you should know what to prioritize early in the day and near closing, the times when the parks are less crowded.

Universal Studios Florida – The Big Three

Photo:instagram/universalorlando

The first thing you should know about Universal Studios Florida is that it has a big three. These attractions tend to require longer waits than anything else.

So, you should build your day around them. You’ll want to monitor wait times via the Universal Orlando Resort app, which you should download before your trip.

Photo:Universal Orlando Resort

When you notice wait time listings that are substantially less than what’s listed here, you should prioritize a ride.

The attractions in question are Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit!, and Revenge of the Mummy.

Photo: Universal Orlando

Of course, you don’t need to worry about Revenge of the Mummy for the next 4-6 months. It’s undergoing renovations. Importantly, its absence will increase the waits for the other rides at the park, as guests will find other things to do.

This aspect won’t be a significant factor in January. Still, it could be around President’s Day and definitely will contribute to longer waits during Spring Break. On average, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts requires a 65-minute wait and is rarely less than 50 minutes.

While Universal Studios Florida has added other attractions since 2014, Escape from Gringotts has remained the alpha since its introduction that year.

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit!, the beloved thrill ride, averages a wait of 55 minutes in January.

Image Credit: Universal

So, you should expect those two attractions to take up roughly two hours of your time.

You can easily plan around them, as they’re on opposite ends of the park. You can do one at the start and then the other once you identify a shorter wait.

As an FYI, Revenge of the Mummy’s wait time hovers in the 45-minute range. You can tell from this data how much more popular Escape from Gringotts is than everything else here.

Universal Studios Florida – Everything Else

This park also operates three more attractions in the mid-tier of wait time averages. Those are:

• Despicable Me Minion Mayhem – 40 minutes
• Transformers: The Ride 3D – 35 minutes
• Hogwarts Express: King’s Cross Station – 33 minutes

Overall, that’s six rides you should build your itinerary around, and Hogwarts Express is for when you’re ready to leave anyway.

The other seven attractions at Universal Studios Florida generally come with shorter waits. Here are their averages:

• MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack – 28 minutes
• The Simpsons Ride – 27 minutes
• T. Adventure – 20 minutes
• Fast & Furious – Supercharged – 18 minutes
• Kang & Kodos’ Twirl ‘n’ Hurl – 17 minutes
• Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon – 14 minutes
• Woody Woodpecker’s Nuthouse Coaster – 10 minutes

Photo: Universal Orlando

Please note that I haven’t included Shrek 4-D because it closed permanently on January 10^th. Obviously, this show didn’t require long waits before then, or they would never have closed it.

The average Universal Studios Florida attraction requires a wait of 30 minutes. You can tell that four of the attractions skew the data, though. Seven out of 12 rides only come with waits of 28 minutes or less, which is terrific for a theme park.

Universal’s Islands of Adventure

Photo:instagram/universalorlando

Okay, we’ve now reached the other half of the conversation. You’ll find THE most popular ride at Universal Orlando Resort here.

I’m referring to Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, which requires a 90-minute wait…and can go higher.

Photo: Theme Park Insider

Of course, to longtime Universal fans, that number seems quite reasonable. We remember the early days when five-hour waits weren’t unusual.

I guess what I’m saying is that back in my day, we had to wait five hours while walking uphill in the snow to ride the Hagrid ride. Kids these days at Universal have it so easy! But I digress.

Photo: Universal Orlando

Anyway, the rest of the park is quite manageable. Even the newest roller coaster, Jurassic World VelociCoaster, only averages a 50-minute wait.

Only two other rides involve waits of 40 minutes or more on most days.

Photo: Universal Orlando

Those are The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man (45 minutes) and Skull Island: Reign of Kong (40 minutes).

Universal’s Islands of Adventure – Everything Else

Photo: Instagram/Universal

Islands of Adventure also features many attractions overall. Here’s the rest of the list:

• Pteranodon Flyers – 39 minutes
• Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey – 37 minutes
• The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride! – 35 minutes
• Flight of the Hippogriff – 34 minutes
• The Incredible Hulk Coaster – 32 minutes
• Hogwarts Express: Hogsmeade Station – 28 minutes
• Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls – 23 minutes
• Jurassic Park River Adventure – 18 minutes
• Doctor Doom’s Fearfall – 15 minutes
• One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish – 14 minutes
• The Cat in the Hat – 10 minutes
• Storm Force Accelatron – 6 minutes
• Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges – 5 minutes

Image Credit: Universal

Overall, the average Islands of Adventure attraction comes with a wait of 30 minutes. Without Hagrid, that average drops to 26 minutes, though.

I should add that Jurassic Park River Adventure just closed for annual maintenance. It’ll return by the end of the month, though.

Photo: Universal Orlando

At that point, Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls will close for a few weeks. So, you’ll only get to ride one of them, depending on when you visit in January.

Obviously, in looking at these wait times, you can tell which rides will dominate your time. Everything else is easy to work into your schedule. Also, please research the Universal Express Unlimited Pass. It’ll help you do much more during a park visit.

Photo: Patrick Connolly / Orlando Sentinel

Then, you’ll get to stay at a much more luxurious resort once you’re done for the day.

Ask an agent from Let’s Adventure Travel about this pass and how to get it. Remember that these agents won’t charge you for their services. So, it’s in your best interest to speak with them.

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Feature Photo:instagram/universalorlando