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Busch Gardens Tampa
vs
Magic Kingdom

On a typical day Busch Gardens Tampa queues less: about 22 minutes a ride against 25 at Magic Kingdom, a difference of roughly 3 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 Magic Kingdom compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyBusch Gardens TampaUnited StatesMagic KingdomUnited States
Average wait per ride 22 min (best of the two)25 min
Rides with recorded waits 1023 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue Cheetah Hunt46 minTRON Lightcycle / Run68 min
Shortest typical queue Air Grover6 minPrince Charming Regal Carrousel7 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running62%92% (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 Magic Kingdom compared on live queue times
Right nowBusch Gardens TampaUnited StatesMagic KingdomUnited 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 22 minutes a ride against 25 at Magic Kingdom, a difference of roughly 3 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 22 minutes a ride against 25 at Magic Kingdom
  • Cheetah Hunt is on your list - it is Busch Gardens Tampa's longest typical queue at about 46 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 Magic Kingdom if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 25 minutes a ride here against 22 at Busch Gardens Tampa - for what Magic Kingdom has that Busch Gardens Tampa does not
  • You want more to do: 23 rides here have recorded wait data against 10 at Busch Gardens Tampa
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Magic Kingdom's rides run 92% of opening hours against 62% at Busch Gardens Tampa
  • TRON Lightcycle / Run is on your list - it is Magic Kingdom's longest typical queue at about 68 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Magic Kingdom'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

Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom is the original Florida Disney park, opened in 1971, and still the most-visited theme park in the world. The classic line-up is iconic: Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, TRON Lightcycle / Run, and Tiana's Bayou Adventure. Cinderella Castle anchors the central hub with nightly fireworks.

Magic Kingdom is busy almost every day of the year, with peak crowds during US school holidays, the December holidays, and special events like Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Mid-January through early February is the quietest period. Check live wait times across Disney's free Lightning Lane system, and use our crowd calendar to plan your visit around Disney's Extended Evening Hours and holiday patterns.

Magic Kingdom live queue times

05 · Questions

Busch Gardens Tampa or Magic Kingdom?

Which is better, Busch Gardens Tampa or Magic Kingdom?

If you are judging on queues, Busch Gardens Tampa: it averages about 22 minutes a ride on a typical day against 25 at Magic Kingdom, roughly 3 minutes back on every queue you join. Busch Gardens Tampa has 10 rides with recorded waits against 23 at Magic Kingdom. Magic Kingdom also runs its rides more reliably - 92% of opening hours against 62%.

Which has shorter queues, Busch Gardens Tampa or Magic Kingdom?

Busch Gardens Tampa, by about 3 minutes a ride. On a typical day Busch Gardens Tampa averages 22 minutes against 25 at Magic Kingdom. 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 Magic Kingdom best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Busch Gardens Tampa and Magic Kingdom 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 Magic Kingdom for the full ride lists.

Is Busch Gardens Tampa bigger than Magic Kingdom?

By rides we track waits for, Magic Kingdom is the bigger day out: 23 rides against 10. 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 calendarMagic Kingdom calendarCompare other parks
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