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Park Queue TimesPQT

Hersheypark
vs
Magic Kingdom

Hersheypark and Magic Kingdom queue about the same on a typical day - 22 minutes against 23 minutes across 51 and 21 tracked rides. Pick on travel time or on which rides you actually want.

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.

Hersheypark and Magic Kingdom compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyHersheyparkUnited StatesMagic KingdomUnited States
Average wait per ride 22 min (best of the two)23 min
Rides with recorded waits 51 (best of the two)21
Longest typical queue Laff Trakk - Dark Coaster72 minTRON Lightcycle / Run60 min
Shortest typical queue Minty Bees5 minPrince Charming Regal Carrousel8 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running61%97% (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.

Hersheypark and Magic Kingdom compared on live queue times
Right nowHersheyparkUnited 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 Hersheypark and Magic Kingdom queue about the same on a typical day - 22 minutes against 23 minutes across 51 and 21 tracked rides. Pick on travel time or on which rides you actually want.

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 Hersheypark if…

  • Queue length will not decide it: both parks average around 22 minutes a ride
  • You want more to do: 51 rides here have recorded wait data against 21 at Magic Kingdom
  • Laff Trakk - Dark Coaster is on your list - it is Hersheypark's longest typical queue at about 72 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Hersheypark's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Magic Kingdom if…

  • Queue length will not decide it: both parks average around 23 minutes a ride
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Magic Kingdom's rides run 97% of opening hours against 61% at Hersheypark
  • TRON Lightcycle / Run is on your list - it is Magic Kingdom's longest typical queue at about 60 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.

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

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

Hersheypark or Magic Kingdom?

Which is better, Hersheypark or Magic Kingdom?

On queues there is nothing in it: both average about 22 minutes a ride on a typical day. Hersheypark has 51 rides with recorded waits against 21 at Magic Kingdom. Magic Kingdom also runs its rides more reliably - 97% of opening hours against 61%. So pick on travel time, or on which park has the rides you actually want.

Which has shorter queues, Hersheypark or Magic Kingdom?

They are level. Hersheypark averages 22 minutes a ride on a typical day and Magic Kingdom averages 23 - close enough that the day you pick matters more than the park. See Hersheypark best time to visit and Magic Kingdom best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Hersheypark 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 Hersheypark and Magic Kingdom for the full ride lists.

Is Hersheypark bigger than Magic Kingdom?

By rides we track waits for, Hersheypark is the bigger day out: 51 rides against 21. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours.

Then pick
the quiet day.

Both parks have a crowd calendar with six weeks of forecast and the best day left to go.