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Park Queue TimesPQT

Busch Gardens Tampa
vs
Six Flags New England

On a typical day Busch Gardens Tampa queues less: about 11 minutes a ride against 13 at Six Flags New England, a difference of roughly 2 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 Six Flags New England compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyBusch Gardens TampaUnited StatesSix Flags New EnglandUnited States
Average wait per ride 11 min (best of the two)13 min
Rides with recorded waits 1138 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue Congo River Rapids18 minQuantum Accelerator41 min
Shortest typical queue Air Grover5 minRock N Rodeo5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running73% (best of the two)66%

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 Six Flags New England compared on live queue times
Right nowBusch Gardens TampaUnited StatesSix Flags New EnglandUnited 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 11 minutes a ride against 13 at Six Flags New England, a difference of roughly 2 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 11 minutes a ride against 13 at Six Flags New England
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Busch Gardens Tampa's rides run 73% of opening hours against 66% at Six Flags New England
  • Congo River Rapids is on your list - it is Busch Gardens Tampa's longest typical queue at about 18 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 Six Flags New England if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 13 minutes a ride here against 11 at Busch Gardens Tampa - for what Six Flags New England has that Busch Gardens Tampa does not
  • You want more to do: 38 rides here have recorded wait data against 11 at Busch Gardens Tampa
  • Quantum Accelerator is on your list - it is Six Flags New England's longest typical queue at about 41 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Six Flags New England'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

Six Flags New England

Six Flags New England sits in Agawam, Massachusetts, near the Connecticut state line. The coaster line-up includes Superman: The Ride (consistently rated one of the world's best steel coasters), Wicked Cyclone (a Rocky Mountain Construction hybrid), Goliath inverted coaster, Flashback, Joker 4D Free Fly Coaster, and the classic Thunderbolt. A Hurricane Harbor water park is included with admission.

Massachusetts and Connecticut school holidays, Fright Fest and US summer weekends drive Six Flags New England's peak crowds. Weekdays in May, September and October stay dramatically calmer. Check live wait times for Superman and Wicked Cyclone on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a midweek date - queue times on most rides drop into single digits on quieter days.

Six Flags New England live queue times

05 · Questions

Busch Gardens Tampa or Six Flags New England?

Which is better, Busch Gardens Tampa or Six Flags New England?

If you are judging on queues, Busch Gardens Tampa: it averages about 11 minutes a ride on a typical day against 13 at Six Flags New England, roughly 2 minutes back on every queue you join. Busch Gardens Tampa has 11 rides with recorded waits against 38 at Six Flags New England. Busch Gardens Tampa also runs its rides more reliably - 73% of opening hours against 66%.

Which has shorter queues, Busch Gardens Tampa or Six Flags New England?

Busch Gardens Tampa, by about 2 minutes a ride. On a typical day Busch Gardens Tampa averages 11 minutes against 13 at Six Flags New England. 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 Six Flags New England best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Busch Gardens Tampa and Six Flags New England 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 Six Flags New England for the full ride lists.

Is Busch Gardens Tampa bigger than Six Flags New England?

By rides we track waits for, Six Flags New England is the bigger day out: 38 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 calendarSix Flags New England calendarCompare other parks