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Park Queue TimesPQT

Busch Gardens Tampa
vs
Cedar Point

On a typical day Busch Gardens Tampa queues less: about 10 minutes a ride against 20 at Cedar Point, a difference of roughly 10 minutes on every queue you join.

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01 · On a typical day

What you would normally queue.

Averages across recent weeks, so one broken ride or one wet Tuesday cannot decide it. This is the comparison to plan a trip on; the live figures below are the one to act on today.

Busch Gardens Tampa and Cedar Point compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyBusch Gardens TampaUnited StatesCedar PointUnited States
Average wait per ride 10 min (best of the two)20 min
Rides with recorded waits 1121 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue Cobra's Curse16 minMaverick54 min
Shortest typical queue Air Grover5 minPower Tower Shot6 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running74%78% (best of the two)

Averaged across every ride at each park with recorded waits. A ride that never opened is left out, so a park is not flattered by counting a shut ride as a queue of zero.

02 · Right now

Both parks, this minute.

Live queue times at both parks. These fill in as soon as the page loads, and keep updating while you are here.

Busch Gardens Tampa and Cedar Point compared on live queue times
Right nowBusch Gardens TampaUnited StatesCedar PointUnited States
Average wait right now --
Rides open --
Opening hours today --
Longest queue --
Shortest queue --

These keep refreshing while this page is open. A closed park posts no waits, so its rows read as dashes rather than zeroes.

Verdict, on a typical day On a typical day Busch Gardens Tampa queues less: about 10 minutes a ride against 20 at Cedar Point, a difference of roughly 10 minutes on every queue you join.

03 · Choosing

Which one is your day out.

Every line here is earned by one of the figures above - nothing is a generic sentence with a park name dropped into it.

Pick Busch Gardens Tampa if…

  • You want shorter queues: Busch Gardens Tampa averages 10 minutes a ride against 20 at Cedar Point
  • Cobra's Curse is on your list - it is Busch Gardens Tampa's longest typical queue at about 16 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Busch Gardens Tampa's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Cedar Point if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 20 minutes a ride here against 10 at Busch Gardens Tampa - for what Cedar Point has that Busch Gardens Tampa does not
  • You want more to do: 21 rides here have recorded wait data against 11 at Busch Gardens Tampa
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Cedar Point's rides run 78% of opening hours against 74% at Busch Gardens Tampa
  • Maverick is on your list - it is Cedar Point's longest typical queue at about 54 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Cedar Point's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

Busch Gardens Tampa

Busch Gardens Tampa Bay combines a full theme park with a 300-acre zoo, making it one of the largest combined attractions in the US. The coaster line-up is exceptional: Iron Gwazi (one of the world's top-rated roller coasters), SheiKra (a 200-foot dive coaster), Kumba, Montu (an inverted coaster), Cobra's Curse spinning coaster, and the classic Python. African animal exhibits include rhinos, giraffes and tigers.

Florida summer heat drives queue times into early mornings, while Howl-O-Scream, Christmas Town and US school holidays are the busiest periods. Weekdays in September, October and January stay dramatically calmer. Check live wait times for Iron Gwazi and SheiKra the moment you arrive, and use our crowd calendar to pick a midweek date for marathon coaster days.

Busch Gardens Tampa live queue times

Cedar Point

Cedar Point is a legendary coaster park on a Lake Erie peninsula in Sandusky, Ohio. Founded in 1870, it's one of the oldest operating amusement parks in North America and consistently rated as one of the world's best coaster parks. The line-up is staggering: Steel Vengeance, Millennium Force, Magnum XL-200, Maverick, Gatekeeper, Raptor, Top Thrill 2, and many more across the park's 364 acres.

Cedar Point's season runs May to early November, with US summer school holidays, HalloWeekends and weekend days driving the biggest crowds. Midweek days in May, September and early October are dramatically quieter. Check live wait times for Steel Vengeance and Maverick immediately on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a quieter date for marathon coaster days.

Cedar Point live queue times

05 · Questions

Busch Gardens Tampa or Cedar Point?

Which is better, Busch Gardens Tampa or Cedar Point?

If you are judging on queues, Busch Gardens Tampa: it averages about 10 minutes a ride on a typical day against 20 at Cedar Point, roughly 10 minutes back on every queue you join. Busch Gardens Tampa has 11 rides with recorded waits against 21 at Cedar Point. Cedar Point also runs its rides more reliably - 78% of opening hours against 74%.

Which has shorter queues, Busch Gardens Tampa or Cedar Point?

Busch Gardens Tampa, by about 10 minutes a ride. On a typical day Busch Gardens Tampa averages 10 minutes against 20 at Cedar Point. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Busch Gardens Tampa best time to visit and Cedar Point best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Busch Gardens Tampa and Cedar Point in the same trip?

Yes - both parks are in United States, so a two-park trip is realistic over a long weekend. Split the days so you start at whichever opens earliest and drive to the other in the evening.

How many rides does each park have?

See the tables above for ride counts - or jump to Busch Gardens Tampa and Cedar Point for the full ride lists.

Is Busch Gardens Tampa bigger than Cedar Point?

By rides we track waits for, Cedar Point is the bigger day out: 21 rides against 11. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Busch Gardens Tampa is the quicker park.

Then pick
the quiet day.

Both parks have a crowd calendar with six weeks of forecast and the best day left to go.

Busch Gardens Tampa calendarCedar Point calendarCompare other parks