Dorney Park
vs
Universal Studios Hollywood

On a typical day Dorney Park queues less: about 20 minutes a ride against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood, a difference of roughly 16 minutes on every queue you join.

See both right now Compare other parks

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 Universal Studios Hollywood compared on their typical recorded queue times
Typically	Dorney ParkUnited States	Universal Studios HollywoodUnited States
Average wait per ride	20 min (best of the two)	36 min
Rides with recorded waits	13	15 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue	Wild Mouse42 min	Mario Kart™: Bowser’s Challenge88 min
Shortest typical queue	Dominator Red9 min	Bowser Jr. Challenge5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running	90% (best of the two)	80%

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 Universal Studios Hollywood compared on live queue times
Right now	Dorney ParkUnited States	Universal Studios HollywoodUnited 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 Dorney Park queues less: about 20 minutes a ride against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood, a difference of roughly 16 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 want shorter queues: Dorney Park averages 20 minutes a ride against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood
You would rather not find rides shut: Dorney Park's rides run 90% of opening hours against 80% at Universal Studios Hollywood
Wild Mouse is on your list - it is Dorney Park's longest typical queue at about 42 minutes, so it is the one to do first
You want Dorney Park's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Universal Studios Hollywood if…

You will accept a longer queue - 36 minutes a ride here against 20 at Dorney Park - for what Universal Studios Hollywood has that Dorney Park does not
You want more to do: 15 rides here have recorded wait data against 13 at Dorney Park
Mario Kart™: Bowser’s Challenge is on your list - it is Universal Studios Hollywood's longest typical queue at about 88 minutes, so it is the one to do first
You want Universal Studios Hollywood'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

Universal Studios Hollywood

Universal Studios Hollywood sits in Universal City, California, combining a working film studio with a full theme park. The famous Studio Tour trams run through real backlots, while the park's themed rides include Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, Jurassic World – The Ride, Revenge of the Mummy, Transformers, and the newer Mario Kart: Bowser's Challenge in Super Nintendo World.

LA and Southern California visitor patterns keep Universal Hollywood busy much of the year, with US summer school holidays, Halloween Horror Nights and Christmas driving the peak. Mid-January and early September are the quietest periods. Check live queue times before committing to long waits, and use our crowd calendar to pick a weekday outside California school breaks for shorter lines.

Universal Studios Hollywood live queue times

05 · Questions

Dorney Park or Universal Studios Hollywood?

Which is better, Dorney Park or Universal Studios Hollywood?

If you are judging on queues, Dorney Park: it averages about 20 minutes a ride on a typical day against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood, roughly 16 minutes back on every queue you join. Dorney Park has 13 rides with recorded waits against 15 at Universal Studios Hollywood. Dorney Park also runs its rides more reliably - 90% of opening hours against 80%.

Which has shorter queues, Dorney Park or Universal Studios Hollywood?

Dorney Park, by about 16 minutes a ride. On a typical day Dorney Park averages 20 minutes against 36 at Universal Studios Hollywood. 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 Universal Studios Hollywood best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Dorney Park and Universal Studios Hollywood 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 Universal Studios Hollywood for the full ride lists.

Is Dorney Park bigger than Universal Studios Hollywood?

By rides we track waits for, Universal Studios Hollywood is the bigger day out: 15 rides against 13. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Dorney Park 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 calendar Universal Studios Hollywood calendar Compare other parks