By: Angela Curley, a Marvelous Mouse Travels agent
Have you ever wondered what the difference between the Universal theme parks in Hollywood and Orlando are? Or maybe you’re looking for which coast is best for you? Well buckle in because today we are taking a deep dive into the differences between Universal Studios in Orlando and Hollywood to help you decide which one is right for your next visit!
Okay, let’s get the biggest difference out of the way. One is located in Hollywood California, and the other is located in Orlando, Florida. But actually, the coast difference goes much further than just that.
Universal Hollywood dates back all the way to March 1915 when it first opened as a Movie Studio and wasn’t turned into a theme park until July 1964 when its only attraction at the time was the Studio Tour. While the park has definitely grown since then and added more rides and attractions, Universal Hollywood’s first and main focus is the movies and bringing its guests into their family movies, movie sets, and bringing the big screen to life as you get to take a behind the scenes look on the famous Universal Hollywood Studio Tour.
On the other hand (or coast) you have Universal Orlando, which opened in June of 1990 after the success of Universal Hollywood. At this time, the tourism industry was booming in Orlando, and inspired by everyone's favorite mouse (maybe you’ve heard of him) the Universal team set forth to create a whole new way to experience your favorite films. Led by famous film innovators such as Steven Spielberg and Peter Alexander they brought the movies to life once again, but this time with more of a focus on theme parks to further bring the magic of movies and storytelling to life through their rides, attractions and shows.
As you may have guessed, Universal Orlando is a bit bigger than Universal Hollywood. Since Universal Hollywood was built to go along with their existing studio lot, they didn’t have much room to expand with. The theme park spans down a hill in Universal City so there is an upper and lower lot to the theme park itself. While most of the park, and CityWalk can be found in the upper lot area, some of the newer rides and attractions, including Super Nintendo World, can be found in the lower lot area. The two are separated by some pretty long escalators with the stunning views of Studio City where you can spot different studios like Warner Brothers and even Disney! For anyone needing assistance getting down to the lower lot, there is an elevator and tram that will assist you to and from the lower lot as well.
Orlando definitely has a bigger footprint than Universal Hollywood. It currently has 3 parks (and another ‘Epic’ one on the way), CityWalk, and currently 8 resort hotels with 3 more set to open next year. The two (current) theme parks, Universal Studios Orlando and Islands of Adventure, sit conveniently next to each other at the end of CityWalk. While this is similar to how Universal Hollywood is also set up, the convenience of having both parks next to each other makes it incredibly easy to treat them both as one big park, especially if you have a Park-to-Park ticket! (But more about that later.) Completely new to Orlando is also the Volcano Bay waterpark, where you can splash, play, and tapu tapu along with your family and friends all day in a super fun and refreshing break in the hot Florida sun! Plus, make sure to contact your Marvelous Mouse Travels Agent to hook you up with a stay at one of Universal’s amazing resort hotels. From the shores of Portofino Bay to the Endless Summer, there is a Universal Resort for any budget to enjoy during your next vacation.
Okay so I admit, it may be a *little* bit obvious that Universal Orlando *might* have some more rides than Universal Hollywood….. And you’d be correct. While Hollywood only has 14 rides, Universal Orlando has a whopping 48 rides… and growing EPICALLY! (get it? Epically)
That being said, there are still some familiar rides at each location, plus some rides and attractions at Universal Hollywood that you can’t experience at Universal Orlando!
If you’ve been to Universal Orlando before, then you’ll definitely feel right at home when you experience Despicable Me Minion Mayhem. While Hollywood doesn’t have the new Minion Land and Villain-Con Minion Blast as their Orlando counterpart, they do have Super Silly Fun Land (you know the super fun and super silly theme park the girls wanted to visit in the movie), however new reimagines as a kids play area and splash zone you can take your little ones to enjoy!
Both parks also share the Jurassic Park ride, however Hollywood put a twist on it and updated the ride and surrounding area around the newer franchise Jurassic World. While the 85-foot drop is still the same (and will get you soaked… ask how I know)... the other elements and story throughout the ride is updated.
Revenge of the Mummy - The Ride is also a similar attraction with some slight differences. While both parks sport the beloved indoor roller coasters, the tracks and special effects are different depending on location. Venture to both and let me know which one is your favorite!
Currently unique to Universal Hollywood is the Super Nintendo World where you can step inside your favorite video games and race against Team Bowser on Mario Kart Bowser’s Challenge, enjoy a delicious meal as you dine at Toadstool Cafe, and level up with your very own Power Band as you collect digital coins around the land, complete challenges, and defeat Bowser Jr! While Super Nintendo World is just celebrating its 1-year Anniversary in Hollywood, Super Nintendo World is going to have an ‘Epic’ update when it arrives in Orlando next year!
Completely unique to Universal Hollywood you will find The Secret Life of Pets ride, and I have to admit, I completely love this ride! It brings the movie to life while also telling a unique story of your favorite pet friends helping to get you adopted into your forever home!
While these are just some of the differences when it comes to rides at both parks, check in with your Marvelous Mouse Travels agent for a full list of rides at both parks and discuss which options may be best for you and your family!
As I mentioned before, Universal Hollywood has a completely different attraction all to itself, and that is the Studio Tour. Currently celebrating 60 years this year, this hour-long tour will take you into the movies and onto the studio lot as you learn and experience the history of movie making. During the informative tram tour, guests experience a few exhilarating twists that Universal Orlando's Studio Park has transformed into standalone attractions. Both the Fast and Furious and Kong experiences are seamlessly integrated into the tram tour, offering a unique perspective. While these attractions exist independently in Orlando, here they are part of the comprehensive studio tour experience at Universal Hollywood.
The Studio Tour is a must see for any movie fan, plus is a great way to get off your feet and possibly spot someone famous!
As a Harry Potter fan myself (Hufflepuff here!) there’s a big difference between Universal Orlando and Hollywood, and that is The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. While Diagon Alley can only be experienced in Orlando, both destinations offer Hogsmeade Village and Hogwarts Castle for visitors to explore.
If you’ve been to Universal Orlando’s Islands of Adventure theme park, then you will feel right at home at Universal Hollywood’s Hogsmeade, as it is *mostly* the same. While Hollywood still offers Hogwarts Castle – including the Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey ride, Flight of the Hippogriff family coaster, The Three Broomsticks and Hogs Head pub as well as Shopping at Ollivander’s, Honeydukes, Zonkos, and more, you unfortunately won’t find Hagrid’s Motorbike Adventure here, as it is only offered at Islands of Adventure in Orlando.
Universal Hollywood also does not have a Diagon Alley. Since Universal Orlando built both Hogsmeade and Diagon Alley in their existing two parks, you can experience riding the Hogwarts Express with a Park-to-Park ticket. If this is on your Hogwarts Bucket List, make sure to let your travel agent know!!
What’s that? The Wizarding World of Harry Potter is going to get an ‘Epic’ update too with even more magical fun? Stay tuned for 2025 as the Wizard World expands into the Ministry of Magic at Epic Universe!
This is another huge difference between the two parks, however let’s get the awkward question out of the way right now: Is Universal a one day park?
For Universal Hollywood, depending on your interests, it might be! Universal Hollywood is a lot different than it’s Orlando counterpart as it’s not face paced. Since there is only one park there are significantly less rides than over in Orlando. But as we said before, the focus of Hollywood is to bring you inside the movies. With the park set on a live working movie set, you never know what or who you may run into.
Here is Universal Hollywood’s biggest misconception: Just because you may only visit the theme park for one day, doesn’t mean you can’t plan a multi-day trip.
Yep, you heard that right.
Universal Hollywood is set right in the middle of… you guessed it.… HOLLYWOOD! So what better way to experience the magic of movies than where movies are made!
Did you know that you can add on other experiences to your Universal Hollywood vacation with a Marvelous Mouse Travels agent? Yup, that’s right. Take a day to visit all the best sites of LA on an LA City Tour or add a Hollywood Plus Pass onto your package to visit a select number of the following attractions:
Select attractions marked with (*) require advance reservations.
Universal Orlando on the other hand, is already a multi-day destination. With two theme parks, one water park, CityWalk, and tons of fun and activities at their various resort hotels, there is so much to see and do at Universal Orlando that it would be near impossible to fit it all into one or two days, even with the Express Passes. Plus, with Epic just around the corner, Universal Orlando is going to be an ‘Epic’ vacation destination in the near future.
We mentioned the mouse earlier, so I felt I had to touch on this difference as well. Both Universal Orlando and Hollywood are within proximity to Walt Disney World and Disneyland respectively. Although, how close are they?
Well, Disney World is only about 10 miles from Universal Orlando. This is typically a 30 minute drive give or take, and can make visiting both destinations very convenient! If you’re only planning to visit Disney World for one day, then I definitely recommend staying at Universal to get the most of your experience. However, if you’re looking to get the most out of both parks, then ask your Marvelous Mouse Travels Agent to plan a split-stay vacation where you can experience the most Disney and Universal have to offer!
In California, the Disney and Universal parks are not close to each other. Not only is the distance a big misconception (about 35 miles), but with the chaos that is LA traffic, it can easily add up to much more than an hour drive. Plus, Universal’s Park opening and closing times can often put you directly in LA rush hour traffic, which will make your journey even longer.
In this case, I strongly recommend staying close to Universal before/after your Disneyland trip to get the most out of your day and not miss out on the fun stuck in traffic!
Universal Hollywood and Universal Orlando theme parks, while very similar, are both stand alone destinations. They both offer wonderful fun, thrills, and experiences in their own unique ways and help share the amazing magic of our favorite TV shows and movies in thrilling and unforgettable ways.
I hope this has helped you decide which park is best for your next trip, or maybe put them to the test and try them both out!
Either way, make sure to reach out to your Marvelous Mouse Travels agent to book your next Universal vacation, and as they say in the movies, “That’s a Wrap!”
