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Park Queue TimesPQT

Hersheypark
vs
Universal Islands Of Adventure

On a typical day Hersheypark queues less: about 14 minutes a ride against 18 at Universal Islands Of Adventure, a difference of roughly 4 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.

Hersheypark and Universal Islands Of Adventure compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyHersheyparkUnited StatesUniversal Islands Of AdventureUnited States
Average wait per ride 14 min (best of the two)18 min
Rides with recorded waits 50 (best of the two)18
Longest typical queue Laff Trakk - Dark Coaster48 minHagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure™61 min
Shortest typical queue Jolly Rancher Remix - Featuring Halloween Overlay5 minStorm Force Accelatron®5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running60%91% (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 Universal Islands Of Adventure compared on live queue times
Right nowHersheyparkUnited StatesUniversal Islands Of AdventureUnited 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 18 at Universal Islands Of Adventure, a difference of roughly 4 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 want shorter queues: Hersheypark averages 14 minutes a ride against 18 at Universal Islands Of Adventure
  • You want more to do: 50 rides here have recorded wait data against 18 at Universal Islands Of Adventure
  • 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 Universal Islands Of Adventure if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 18 minutes a ride here against 14 at Hersheypark - for what Universal Islands Of Adventure has that Hersheypark does not
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Universal Islands Of Adventure's rides run 91% of opening hours against 60% at Hersheypark
  • Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure™ is on your list - it is Universal Islands Of Adventure's longest typical queue at about 61 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Universal Islands Of Adventure'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

Universal Islands Of Adventure

Universal's Islands of Adventure is widely regarded as one of the best theme parks in the world. Its line-up blends record-breaking coasters with detailed themed lands: Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey, VelociCoaster, The Incredible Hulk Coaster, Pteranodon Flyers, and the classic Jurassic Park River Adventure. The Wizarding World's Hogsmeade is the park's most iconic area.

Like its sister Studios park, Islands of Adventure stays busy year-round, with Hagrid's and VelociCoaster consistently posting the longest queues. Peak periods are US school holidays, Halloween Horror Nights and Christmas. Check live wait times immediately on arrival and head to Hagrid's first. Use our crowd calendar to pick the quietest possible date for your trip.

Universal Islands Of Adventure live queue times

05 · Questions

Hersheypark or Universal Islands Of Adventure?

Which is better, Hersheypark or Universal Islands Of Adventure?

If you are judging on queues, Hersheypark: it averages about 14 minutes a ride on a typical day against 18 at Universal Islands Of Adventure, roughly 4 minutes back on every queue you join. Hersheypark has 50 rides with recorded waits against 18 at Universal Islands Of Adventure. Universal Islands Of Adventure also runs its rides more reliably - 91% of opening hours against 60%.

Which has shorter queues, Hersheypark or Universal Islands Of Adventure?

Hersheypark, by about 4 minutes a ride. On a typical day Hersheypark averages 14 minutes against 18 at Universal Islands Of Adventure. 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 Universal Islands Of Adventure best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Hersheypark and Universal Islands Of Adventure 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 Universal Islands Of Adventure for the full ride lists.

Is Hersheypark bigger than Universal Islands Of Adventure?

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 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.

Hersheypark calendarUniversal Islands Of Adventure calendarCompare other parks