Universal Orlando waits climb Oct. 12–18

Universal Orlando got a little slower last week. Standby's wait-time tracking put the resort-wide average standby wait at 35 minutes for Oct. 12–18, up 9% from 32 minutes the week before. That figure covers all three parks: Universal Studios Florida, Islands of Adventure, and Epic Universe.

Park by park

Epic Universe did most of the lifting. It averaged 42 minutes, up 11% from 38 the week before. Standby's tracking rated five of its seven days as high: Oct. 12–15 and Oct. 18. Friday, Oct. 16 and Saturday, Oct. 17 were the two moderate days.

Universal Studios Florida averaged 36 minutes, up 6% from 34. Islands of Adventure averaged 25, unchanged from the week before and the lowest of the three parks.

Best and busiest days

Standby's report names Friday, Oct. 16 as the best day of the week. The park-level numbers are a bit more tangled. Epic Universe's lightest day was actually Saturday, Oct. 17 at 32 minutes, and its busiest was Monday, Oct. 12 at 50. Universal Studios Florida's only high day was that same Saturday, Oct. 17, at 41 minutes. Islands of Adventure ranged from 33 minutes on Monday, Oct. 12 to 20 on Wednesday, Oct. 14.

The biggest movers

Flight of the Hippogriff at Islands of Adventure made the largest jump, averaging 57 minutes against 39 the week before, a rise of 18 minutes. Two other Islands of Adventure rides moved the other way: The Incredible Hulk Coaster averaged 28 minutes, down from 37, and Jurassic World VelociCoaster averaged 50, down from 58.

At Epic Universe, Curse of the Werewolf averaged 60 minutes, up from 52, and Hiccup's Wing Gliders averaged 43, up from 35. The tracking shows how much waits moved, not why, so this report does not offer a cause.

Epic Universe through the day

Standby's hourly curve for Epic Universe was lowest early. Averages were 16 minutes at 8 a.m., 27 at 9 a.m., and 42 at 10 a.m. They peaked at 61 minutes at noon, compared with 57 at the same hour the week before. Afternoon waits held in the mid-50s, with 54 minutes at both 3 p.m. and 4 p.m. By 7 p.m. the average was 35 minutes, up from 26 the week before, and it fell to 24 at 8 p.m.

Epic Universe hours, Oct. 19–25

The parks' published schedule for the week after the report covers Epic Universe. From Monday, Oct. 19 through Friday, Oct. 23, and again on Sunday, Oct. 25, the park opens at 10 a.m. with an early entry window from 9 to 10 a.m. Saturday, Oct. 24 opens an hour earlier, at 9 a.m., with early entry from 8 to 9 a.m.

The park closes at 8 p.m. on all seven days. That is an hour past the normal 7 p.m. close in the data, so every day in the week carries a late-close flag. The schedule shows no early closures and no special events. It covers Epic Universe only, so this report has nothing on hours at the other two parks.

What it means for a visit

If you are choosing between parks, Standby's tracking shows Islands of Adventure as the lightest option last week, with Epic Universe the heaviest. If Epic Universe is on your list, last week's hourly pattern favored the first hours of the day: averages stayed under 30 minutes until about 9 a.m. and reached their high point around midday. With the park scheduled to stay open until 8 p.m. this coming week, the evening hours are available, though last week's 7 p.m. average was higher than the week before.

These are measured averages across attractions, not a promise for any particular ride or day. Individual attractions can differ widely from the park figure, as the Flight of the Hippogriff jump to 57 minutes shows.