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Park Queue TimesPQT

Hersheypark
vs
Seaworld Orlando

On a typical day Seaworld Orlando queues less: about 11 minutes a ride against 14 at Hersheypark, a difference of roughly 3 minutes on every queue you join.

See both right nowCompare 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.

Hersheypark and Seaworld Orlando compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyHersheyparkUnited StatesSeaworld OrlandoUnited States
Average wait per ride 14 min11 min (best of the two)
Rides with recorded waits 50 (best of the two)18
Longest typical queue Laff Trakk - Dark Coaster48 minWaterfront Water Works27 min
Shortest typical queue Jolly Rancher Remix - Featuring Halloween Overlay5 minSuper Grover's Box Car Derby5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running60% (best of the two)57%

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 Seaworld Orlando compared on live queue times
Right nowHersheyparkUnited StatesSeaworld OrlandoUnited 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 Seaworld Orlando queues less: about 11 minutes a ride against 14 at Hersheypark, 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 Hersheypark if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 14 minutes a ride here against 11 at Seaworld Orlando - for what Hersheypark has that Seaworld Orlando does not
  • You want more to do: 50 rides here have recorded wait data against 18 at Seaworld Orlando
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Hersheypark's rides run 60% of opening hours against 57% at Seaworld Orlando
  • 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

Pick Seaworld Orlando if…

  • You want shorter queues: Seaworld Orlando averages 11 minutes a ride against 14 at Hersheypark
  • Waterfront Water Works is on your list - it is Seaworld Orlando's longest typical queue at about 27 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Seaworld Orlando'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

Seaworld Orlando

SeaWorld Orlando is the Florida flagship of the SeaWorld Parks & Entertainment group. Beyond the marine animal exhibits, the park has a strong coaster line-up: Mako (one of Florida's tallest coasters at 200 feet), Manta (a flying coaster), Ice Breaker, Kraken (a floorless coaster), Pipeline (a surfing-style stand-up coaster), and the newer Penguin Trek.

SeaWorld Orlando is usually less crowded than Disney and Universal, but Florida school holidays, Halloween Spooktacular and Christmas Celebration push peak attendance higher. Weekdays in September, October and January are dramatically quieter. Check live queue times for Mako and Pipeline on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a midweek date for shorter waits across the coaster line-up.

Seaworld Orlando live queue times

05 · Questions

Hersheypark or Seaworld Orlando?

Which is better, Hersheypark or Seaworld Orlando?

If you are judging on queues, Seaworld Orlando: it averages about 11 minutes a ride on a typical day against 14 at Hersheypark, roughly 3 minutes back on every queue you join. Hersheypark has 50 rides with recorded waits against 18 at Seaworld Orlando. Hersheypark also runs its rides more reliably - 60% of opening hours against 57%.

Which has shorter queues, Hersheypark or Seaworld Orlando?

Seaworld Orlando, by about 3 minutes a ride. On a typical day Seaworld Orlando averages 11 minutes against 14 at Hersheypark. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Hersheypark best time to visit and Seaworld Orlando best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Hersheypark and Seaworld Orlando 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 Seaworld Orlando for the full ride lists.

Is Hersheypark bigger than Seaworld Orlando?

By rides we track waits for, Hersheypark is the bigger day out: 50 rides against 18. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Seaworld Orlando 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.

Hersheypark calendarSeaworld Orlando calendarCompare other parks