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Park Queue TimesPQT

Cedar Point
vs
Hersheypark

On a typical day Hersheypark queues less: about 14 minutes a ride against 23 at Cedar Point, a difference of roughly 9 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.

Cedar Point and Hersheypark compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyCedar PointUnited StatesHersheyparkUnited States
Average wait per ride 23 min14 min (best of the two)
Rides with recorded waits 2150 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue Top Thrill 259 minLaff Trakk - Dark Coaster48 min
Shortest typical queue Power Tower Shot8 minJolly Rancher Remix - Featuring Halloween Overlay5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running68% (best of the two)60%

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.

Cedar Point and Hersheypark compared on live queue times
Right nowCedar PointUnited StatesHersheyparkUnited 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 Hersheypark queues less: about 14 minutes a ride against 23 at Cedar Point, a difference of roughly 9 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 Cedar Point if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 23 minutes a ride here against 14 at Hersheypark - for what Cedar Point has that Hersheypark does not
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Cedar Point's rides run 68% of opening hours against 60% at Hersheypark
  • Top Thrill 2 is on your list - it is Cedar Point's longest typical queue at about 59 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Cedar Point's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Hersheypark if…

  • You want shorter queues: Hersheypark averages 14 minutes a ride against 23 at Cedar Point
  • You want more to do: 50 rides here have recorded wait data against 21 at Cedar Point
  • Laff Trakk - Dark Coaster is on your list - it is Hersheypark's longest typical queue at about 48 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Hersheypark's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

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

Hersheypark

Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania was founded in 1906 as a leisure park for Milton Hershey's chocolate factory workers and has grown into one of the best coaster parks in the United States. It runs more than a dozen roller coasters: Skyrush and the racing wooden Lightning Racer, the launched Storm Runner and Fahrenheit, the classic Comet, the newer Candymonium and Wildcat's Revenge, and the Great Bear inverted coaster. The Boardwalk water park is included with admission.

The park is busiest on summer weekends and during Hersheypark in the Dark in October, and because it closes several rides early on some days, the schedule matters as much as the crowds. Check the live wait times before you go and use the crowd calendar to find a weekday when the big coasters run with short queues.

Hersheypark live queue times

05 · Questions

Cedar Point or Hersheypark?

Which is better, Cedar Point or Hersheypark?

If you are judging on queues, Hersheypark: it averages about 14 minutes a ride on a typical day against 23 at Cedar Point, roughly 9 minutes back on every queue you join. Cedar Point has 21 rides with recorded waits against 50 at Hersheypark. Cedar Point also runs its rides more reliably - 68% of opening hours against 60%.

Which has shorter queues, Cedar Point or Hersheypark?

Hersheypark, by about 9 minutes a ride. On a typical day Hersheypark averages 14 minutes against 23 at Cedar Point. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Cedar Point best time to visit and Hersheypark best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Cedar Point and Hersheypark 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 Cedar Point and Hersheypark for the full ride lists.

Is Cedar Point bigger than Hersheypark?

By rides we track waits for, Hersheypark is the bigger day out: 50 rides against 21. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Hersheypark 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.

Cedar Point calendarHersheypark calendarCompare other parks