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Kings Dominion
vs
Kings Island

On a typical day Kings Dominion queues less: about 13 minutes a ride against 32 at Kings Island, a difference of roughly 19 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.

Kings Dominion and Kings Island compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyKings DominionUnited StatesKings IslandUnited States
Average wait per ride 13 min (best of the two)32 min
Rides with recorded waits 25 (best of the two)24
Longest typical queue Tumbili25 minFlight of Fear69 min
Shortest typical queue Carousel4 minThe Racer (Red)14 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running90%Not recorded

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.

Kings Dominion and Kings Island compared on live queue times
Right nowKings DominionUnited StatesKings IslandUnited 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 Kings Dominion queues less: about 13 minutes a ride against 32 at Kings Island, a difference of roughly 19 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 Kings Dominion if…

  • You want shorter queues: Kings Dominion averages 13 minutes a ride against 32 at Kings Island
  • You want more to do: 25 rides here have recorded wait data against 24 at Kings Island
  • Tumbili is on your list - it is Kings Dominion's longest typical queue at about 25 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Kings Dominion's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Kings Island if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 32 minutes a ride here against 13 at Kings Dominion - for what Kings Island has that Kings Dominion does not
  • Flight of Fear is on your list - it is Kings Island's longest typical queue at about 69 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Kings Island's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

Kings Dominion

Kings Dominion sits in Doswell, Virginia, about 25 minutes north of Richmond. The park has one of the strongest regional coaster line-ups on the US East Coast: Intimidator 305 (a 305-foot giga coaster), Twisted Timbers (a Rocky Mountain Construction hybrid), Apple Zapple, Dominator (a 215-foot floorless coaster), and Racer 75. A Soak City water park is included with admission during summer.

Virginia summer school breaks, weekend visits from the DC / Richmond area, and the Halloween Haunt drive Kings Dominion's busiest periods. Weekdays in May, September and October are dramatically calmer. Check live queue times for Intimidator 305 and Twisted Timbers first thing on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a midweek date for shorter waits.

Kings Dominion live queue times

Kings Island

Kings Island is a huge theme park in Mason, Ohio, just north of Cincinnati. It's one of the Cedar Fair (now Six Flags) parks and runs a strong coaster line-up: The Beast (the world's longest wooden coaster, opened 1979), Diamondback, Mystic Timbers, Orion (a giga coaster), Banshee (the world's longest inverted coaster), and Racer. A full water park operates on the same site during summer.

The Ohio summer school break and Halloween Haunt event drive Kings Island's busiest periods, with weekend queue times on Orion and The Beast often exceeding 90 minutes. Weekdays in May, September and October are dramatically quieter. Check live wait times on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a midweek visit if you want to ride everything in a day.

Kings Island live queue times

05 · Questions

Kings Dominion or Kings Island?

Which is better, Kings Dominion or Kings Island?

If you are judging on queues, Kings Dominion: it averages about 13 minutes a ride on a typical day against 32 at Kings Island, roughly 19 minutes back on every queue you join. Kings Dominion has 25 rides with recorded waits against 24 at Kings Island.

Which has shorter queues, Kings Dominion or Kings Island?

Kings Dominion, by about 19 minutes a ride. On a typical day Kings Dominion averages 13 minutes against 32 at Kings Island. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Kings Dominion best time to visit and Kings Island best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Kings Dominion and Kings Island 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 Kings Dominion and Kings Island for the full ride lists.

Is Kings Dominion bigger than Kings Island?

By rides we track waits for, Kings Dominion is the bigger day out: 25 rides against 24. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Kings Dominion 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.

Kings Dominion calendarKings Island calendarCompare other parks
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