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Park Queue TimesPQT

Hersheypark
vs
Universal Studios Florida Park

On a typical day Hersheypark queues less: about 14 minutes a ride against 34 at Universal Studios Florida Park, a difference of roughly 20 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 Studios Florida Park compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyHersheyparkUnited StatesUniversal Studios Florida ParkUnited States
Average wait per ride 14 min (best of the two)34 min
Rides with recorded waits 50 (best of the two)34
Longest typical queue Laff Trakk - Dark Coaster48 minH.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular! Accessibility Return Time112 min
Shortest typical queue Jolly Rancher Remix - Featuring Halloween Overlay5 minOllivanders™ Experience in Diagon Alley™5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running60%60%

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 Studios Florida Park compared on live queue times
Right nowHersheyparkUnited StatesUniversal Studios Florida ParkUnited 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 34 at Universal Studios Florida Park, a difference of roughly 20 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 34 at Universal Studios Florida Park
  • You want more to do: 50 rides here have recorded wait data against 34 at Universal Studios Florida Park
  • 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 Studios Florida Park if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 34 minutes a ride here against 14 at Hersheypark - for what Universal Studios Florida Park has that Hersheypark does not
  • H.R. Bloodengutz Presents: A Halloween Fright-Tacular! Accessibility Return Time is on your list - it is Universal Studios Florida Park's longest typical queue at about 112 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Universal Studios Florida Park'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 Studios Florida Park

Universal Studios Florida is one of two major parks at the Universal Orlando Resort, themed around film and TV. Highlights include Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, Revenge of the Mummy, Despicable Me Minion Mayhem, Fast and Furious, and Transformers: The Ride. The Wizarding World of Harry Potter's Diagon Alley connects to Universal's Islands of Adventure via the Hogwarts Express.

Universal Studios Florida is busy year-round, with peak crowds during US school holidays, Halloween Horror Nights, and the Christmas season. Mid-January and early September are the quietest periods. Check live wait times across both parks on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a lower-crowd date - the extensive Wizarding World areas regularly top 60-minute queues.

Universal Studios Florida Park live queue times

05 · Questions

Hersheypark or Universal Studios Florida Park?

Which is better, Hersheypark or Universal Studios Florida Park?

If you are judging on queues, Hersheypark: it averages about 14 minutes a ride on a typical day against 34 at Universal Studios Florida Park, roughly 20 minutes back on every queue you join. Hersheypark has 50 rides with recorded waits against 34 at Universal Studios Florida Park.

Which has shorter queues, Hersheypark or Universal Studios Florida Park?

Hersheypark, by about 20 minutes a ride. On a typical day Hersheypark averages 14 minutes against 34 at Universal Studios Florida Park. 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 Studios Florida Park best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Hersheypark and Universal Studios Florida Park 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 Studios Florida Park for the full ride lists.

Is Hersheypark bigger than Universal Studios Florida Park?

By rides we track waits for, Hersheypark is the bigger day out: 50 rides against 34. 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 Studios Florida Park calendarCompare other parks