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Park Queue TimesPQT

Dorney Park
vs
Six Flags Darien Lake

On a typical day Six Flags Darien Lake queues less: about 16 minutes a ride against 19 at Dorney Park, 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.

Dorney Park and Six Flags Darien Lake compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyDorney ParkUnited StatesSix Flags Darien LakeUnited States
Average wait per ride 19 min16 min (best of the two)
Rides with recorded waits 13 (best of the two)10
Longest typical queue Wild Mouse39 minViper26 min
Shortest typical queue Possessed10 minBoomerang4 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running89% (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.

Dorney Park and Six Flags Darien Lake compared on live queue times
Right nowDorney ParkUnited StatesSix Flags Darien LakeUnited 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 Six Flags Darien Lake queues less: about 16 minutes a ride against 19 at Dorney Park, 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 Dorney Park if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 19 minutes a ride here against 16 at Six Flags Darien Lake - for what Dorney Park has that Six Flags Darien Lake does not
  • You want more to do: 13 rides here have recorded wait data against 10 at Six Flags Darien Lake
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Dorney Park's rides run 89% of opening hours against 66% at Six Flags Darien Lake
  • Wild Mouse is on your list - it is Dorney Park's longest typical queue at about 39 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Dorney Park's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Six Flags Darien Lake if…

  • You want shorter queues: Six Flags Darien Lake averages 16 minutes a ride against 19 at Dorney Park
  • Viper is on your list - it is Six Flags Darien Lake's longest typical queue at about 26 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Six Flags Darien Lake's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

Dorney Park

Dorney Park sits in Allentown, Pennsylvania, about 90 minutes north of Philadelphia. It's a mid-sized theme park with a strong coaster line-up for its size: Steel Force (a 200-foot hyper coaster), Talon (an inverted coaster), Hydra the Revenge (a floorless coaster), and Possessed. A Wildwater Kingdom water park is included with park admission during the summer season.

Dorney Park's season runs May to October, with peak crowds on summer weekends and during the Halloween Haunt. Weekdays in May, September and October are dramatically quieter. Check live queue times for Steel Force and Hydra on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a midweek visit - most of the coasters stay under 15 minutes of wait time on quieter days.

Dorney Park live queue times

Six Flags Darien Lake

Six Flags Darien Lake sits in Darien Center, New York, between Buffalo and Rochester. The coaster line-up includes Ride of Steel (a 208-foot hyper coaster from Intamin), Tantrum (a 98-foot Eurofighter), Motocoaster launched coaster, Predator wooden coaster, and the classic Viper stand-up. A Hurricane Harbor water park and a camping resort operate on the same property.

Western New York school holidays, US summer weekends and the Fright Fest event drive Darien Lake's peak crowds. Weekdays in May, September and early October stay dramatically quieter. Check live wait times for Ride of Steel and Tantrum on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a midweek visit - many rides run near walk-on levels on quieter mornings.

Six Flags Darien Lake live queue times

05 · Questions

Dorney Park or Six Flags Darien Lake?

Which is better, Dorney Park or Six Flags Darien Lake?

If you are judging on queues, Six Flags Darien Lake: it averages about 16 minutes a ride on a typical day against 19 at Dorney Park, roughly 3 minutes back on every queue you join. Dorney Park has 13 rides with recorded waits against 10 at Six Flags Darien Lake. Dorney Park also runs its rides more reliably - 89% of opening hours against 66%.

Which has shorter queues, Dorney Park or Six Flags Darien Lake?

Six Flags Darien Lake, by about 3 minutes a ride. On a typical day Six Flags Darien Lake averages 16 minutes against 19 at Dorney Park. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Dorney Park best time to visit and Six Flags Darien Lake best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Dorney Park and Six Flags Darien Lake 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 Dorney Park and Six Flags Darien Lake for the full ride lists.

Is Dorney Park bigger than Six Flags Darien Lake?

By rides we track waits for, Dorney Park is the bigger day out: 13 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 Six Flags Darien Lake 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.

Dorney Park calendarSix Flags Darien Lake calendarCompare other parks