Universal Studios Wait Times for April 2026
The other day, we tracked some surprising crowd behavior at Universal Epic Universe.
The newest park at Universal Orlando Resort just completed its first Spring Break season.
Photo: Fox 35
I would have expected wait times to soar, as they had at Walt Disney World in March.
Oddly, that didn’t happen, although I wrote it off as Universal finally improving throughput.
Universal
Comcast executives had recently stated that they would do so in 2026.
Still, I have some nagging concerns about tourism at Universal Orlando right now.
Let’s check whether I’m being paranoid by looking at Universal Studios’ wait times for April 2026.
Universal Studios Florida – The Big Three
Universal
We know that a new roller coaster is coming to this park in the near future.
Until that attraction debuts, Universal Studios Florida remains a top-heavy park.
Three of the rides have proven the highest priority for guests over the past six months.
Before that, I’d grudgingly included Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit on the list…but I’m glad it’s gone.
Image Credit: Universal
Nowadays, the ride that matters most is Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts.
Last month, guests stood in line for an average of 56 minutes, which is ten minutes less than last time.
Meanwhile, my favorite roller coaster at the park, Revenge of the Mummy, also fell.
Guests waited an average of 42 minutes for this thrill ride, six minutes less than in February.
Photo: Universal Hollywood
Finally, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem averaged a wait of 37 minutes, which is also down ten minutes.
So, we are definitely trending substantially downward at Universal Studios Florida, too.
Photo: Universal
That’s weird because spring weather and especially Spring Break season typically boost attendance.
Universal Studios Florida – Everything Else
Photo: UNIVERSAL ORLANDO
Maybe those rides are a fluke? Let’s check by examining the park’s other average wait times:
- TRANSFORMERS The Ride 3D – 31 minutes, down 9
- E.T. Adventure – 29 minutes, down 1
- Hogwarts Express – King’s Cross Station – 27 minutes, down 2
- The Simpsons Ride – 24 minutes, down 9
- MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack! – 22 minutes, down 2
- Trolls Trollercoaster – 19 minutes, down 7
- Kang & Kodos’ Twirl ‘n’ Hurl – 18 minutes, down 3
- Fast & Furious – Supercharged – 17 minutes, down 5
- Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon – 17 minutes, down 5
- Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast – 11 minutes, down 4
Image Credit: Universal Orlando
Overall, park guests stood in line for an average of 27 minutes, which is six minutes less than last time.
We will check Islands of Adventure as well, but that’s now two parks with the same result.
Universal Orlando Resort appears to have experienced an attendance decline in March.
I was willing to give Epic Universe the benefit of the doubt, but there’s no reason here.
Photo: Universal
Since I was a bit surprised, I went back and looked at 2025’s data.
Last year, the older two parks averaged the same wait time in February as March.
Photo: Universal
So, let’s take a look at Islands of Adventure to see whether it’s…well, up six minutes.
Universal’s Islands of Adventure
Photo: Universal Orlando
At Islands of Adventure, there’s not much happening right now.
We know that excitement is just around the corner when a replacement arrives for The Lost Continent.
Photo: Thrillist.com
Until then, it’s business as usual here, which is still quite wonderful.
Here are the park’s average wait times last month:
- Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure – 121 minutes, down 43
- Jurassic World VelociCoaster – 73 minutes, down 9
- Flight of the Hippogriff – 45 minutes, down 30
- The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man – 39 minutes, down 5
- The Incredible Hulk Coaster – 39 minutes, down 6
- Hogwarts Express – Hogsmeade Station – 37 minutes, down 1
- Skull Island: Reign of Kong – 37 minutes, down 4
- Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey – 33 minutes, down 8
- Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls – 27 minutes, up 5
- Doctor Doom’s Fearfall – 23 minutes, down 6
- The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride! – 23 minutes, down 9
- One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish – 23 minutes, down 3
- The Cat in the Hat – 15 minutes, down 3
- Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges – 11 minutes, no change
- Caro-Seuss-el – 10 minutes, no change
- Stormforce Accelatron – 10 minutes, down 1
Photo: Universal
Overall, guests at Islands of Adventure waited for an average of 35 minutes per attraction.
That’s a sizable drop of eight minutes less per attraction than last time.
Photo: Universal
To a larger point, Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure are down a combined seven minutes on average.
So, I don’t claim to know what’s going on here although I know lots of people are speculating.
Photo: NBC via Getty Images
All I can say with confidence is that the wait times were noticeably shorter over the past month.
On the bright side, if you’re going to be at the parks any time soon, that’s really good news.
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Feature Photo: Universal
