Universal Studios Wait Times for July 2026

0

After a year of excitement and chaos, the new normal has finally arrived.

Universal Orlando Resort is no longer residing in a constant state of anticipation.

Universal

Now that Universal Epic Universe has been up and running for a while, this is it.

Central Florida has its newest park, and it’s been open for more than 13 months.

Photo: Universal

So, the opening-year enthusiasm has died down, leaving us in this new state.

As hard as it is to get used to, Universal Orlando consists of three theme parks now.

Photo: Volcano Bay

Oh, and there’s a water park if you want to count that, too, which Universal does.

The phrase, “Now what?” applies as we contemplate Universal’s future.

Photo: Universal

For the time being, the biggest question is whether the parks have sustained their crowds.

Here are the Universal Studios wait times for July 2026.

Universal Studios Florida – The Big Three

Photo: Orlando Informer

At this point, I feel weird referring to Universal Studios Florida as having a Big Three.

Realistically, there’s one theme park alpha and then everything else.

Universal Studios Florida

The best attraction at this park towers over everything else, literally and figuratively.

With Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit gone, there’s not even a debate about the best thrill ride.

Photo: Universal

I’d argue there never was one, as I prefer Revenge of the Mummy.

Still, the gap between the best and second-best rides here feels like a chasm now.

Photo: Universal

Maybe the new roller coaster will change that reality when it debuts.

Until then, Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts rules this land.

Photo: NBC

Last month, guests stood in line for an average of 44 minutes for this ride.

That’s three minutes more than last time. Is that the park’s overall trend?

Well, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem averaged a 38 minutes last month.

That’s an increase of seven minutes. Then, we have the ride I just mentioned.

Revenge of the Mummy had experienced a recent tragedy, which had impacted its crowds.

Last month, guests stood in line for an average of 35 minutes.

That’s three minutes more than last time but still well below average for this ride.

Unlike the Epic Universe tragedy, this incident was just bad luck, though.

Universal Studios Florida – Everything Else

Photo: Universal

Here are the other wait times at Universal Studios Florida last month:

• The Simpsons Ride – 33 minutes, up 7
• TRANSFORMERS The Ride 3D – 29 minutes, up 2
• T. Adventure – 28 minutes, up 5
• Hogwarts Express – King’s Cross Station – 25 minutes, no change
• Race Through New York Starring Jimmy Fallon – 22 minutes, up 6
• MEN IN BLACK Alien Attack! – 21 minutes, up 2
• Fast & Furious – Supercharged – 15 minutes, no change
• Kang & Kodos’ Twirl ‘n’ Hurl – 15 minutes, up 2
• Trolls Trollercoaster – 15 minutes, up 2
• Illumination’s Villain-Con Minion Blast – 10 minutes, up 1

Overall, Universal Studios guests stood in line for an average of 25 minutes per attraction.

That’s three minutes more than last time, suggesting that summer crowds have been strong thus far.

Also, I mentioned something a couple of years ago when Minion Blast opened.

I said that the massive throughput of this ride guaranteed that its wait times would plummet.

This wait time isn’t a reflection of its quality but rather the cleverness of the ride.

You can put a football stadium full of people on this ride in a single day.

Universal’s Islands of Adventure

Photo: entertainmentrocks.com

Construction continues at Islands of Adventure.

Well, technically, we’re still in the deconstruction phase. It’s demo time at the park.

Photo:attractions magazine

Several longstanding landmarks from the Lost Continent have already vanished.

A few more will go by this time next month. It’s a good time for sledgehammers.

Photo: Universal Orlando

Anyway, here are the park’s average wait times last month:

• Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure – 96 minutes, down 2
• Jurassic World VelociCoaster – 43 minutes, down 10
• Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls – 42 minutes, up 2
• The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man – 33 minutes, no change
• Flight of the Hippogriff – 32 minutes, up 1
• Skull Island: Reign of Kong – 28 minutes, up 3
• Hogwarts Express – Hogsmeade Station – 27 minutes, down 2
• The Incredible Hulk Coaster – 26 minutes, down 2
• Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey – 24 minutes, down 2
• Doctor Doom’s Fearfall – 19 minutes, down 1
• The High in the Sky Seuss Trolley Train Ride! – 18 minutes, down 2
• One Fish, Two Fish, Red Fish, Blue Fish – 16 minutes, up 1
• Popeye & Bluto’s Bilge-Rat Barges – 16 minutes, down 4
• The Cat in the Hat – 11 minutes, no change
• Caro-Seuss-el – 9 minutes, up 1
• Storm Force Accelatron – 8 minutes, down 1

Overall, Islands of Adventure’s attractions averaged a wait of 28 minutes.

That’s one minute less than last time, which already had a significant decline.

Weirdly, the summer heat is impacting Universal Studios attendance.

However, it seems to hurt Islands of Adventure more than Universal Studios Florida.

Thanks for visiting UniversalParksBlog.com! Want to go to Universal? For a FREE quote on your next Universal vacation, please fill out the form below and one of the agents from Let’s Adventure Travel will be in touch soon! Thank you!

Feature Photo: Universal