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Park Queue TimesPQT

Kings Dominion
vs
Universal Islands Of Adventure

Kings Dominion and Universal Islands Of Adventure queue about the same on a typical day - 17 minutes against 17 minutes across 24 and 18 tracked rides. Pick on travel time or on which rides you actually want.

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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 Universal Islands Of Adventure compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyKings DominionUnited StatesUniversal Islands Of AdventureUnited States
Average wait per ride 17 min17 min
Rides with recorded waits 24 (best of the two)18
Longest typical queue Rapterra35 minHagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure™58 min
Shortest typical queue Carousel4 minStorm Force Accelatron®5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running76%85% (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.

Kings Dominion and Universal Islands Of Adventure compared on live queue times
Right nowKings DominionUnited 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 Kings Dominion and Universal Islands Of Adventure queue about the same on a typical day - 17 minutes against 17 minutes across 24 and 18 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 Kings Dominion if…

  • Queue length will not decide it: both parks average around 17 minutes a ride
  • You want more to do: 24 rides here have recorded wait data against 18 at Universal Islands Of Adventure
  • Rapterra is on your list - it is Kings Dominion's longest typical queue at about 35 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Kings Dominion's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Universal Islands Of Adventure if…

  • Queue length will not decide it: both parks average around 17 minutes a ride
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Universal Islands Of Adventure's rides run 85% of opening hours against 76% at Kings Dominion
  • Hagrid's Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure™ is on your list - it is Universal Islands Of Adventure's longest typical queue at about 58 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.

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

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

Kings Dominion or Universal Islands Of Adventure?

Which is better, Kings Dominion or Universal Islands Of Adventure?

On queues there is nothing in it: both average about 17 minutes a ride on a typical day. Kings Dominion has 24 rides with recorded waits against 18 at Universal Islands Of Adventure. Universal Islands Of Adventure also runs its rides more reliably - 85% of opening hours against 76%. So pick on travel time, or on which park has the rides you actually want.

Which has shorter queues, Kings Dominion or Universal Islands Of Adventure?

They are level. Kings Dominion averages 17 minutes a ride on a typical day and Universal Islands Of Adventure averages 17 - close enough that the day you pick matters more than the park. See Kings Dominion best time to visit and Universal Islands Of Adventure best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

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

Is Kings Dominion bigger than Universal Islands Of Adventure?

By rides we track waits for, Kings Dominion is the bigger day out: 24 rides against 18. 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.

Kings Dominion calendarUniversal Islands Of Adventure calendarCompare other parks