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Park Queue TimesPQT

Kings Island
vs
Lake Compounce

On a typical day Lake Compounce queues less: about 16 minutes a ride against 29 at Kings Island, a difference of roughly 13 minutes on every queue you join.

See both right now

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 Island and Lake Compounce compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyKings IslandUnited StatesLake CompounceUnited States
Average wait per ride 29 min16 min (best of the two)
Rides with recorded waits 2125 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue Flight of Fear53 minBoulder Dash37 min
Shortest typical queue Delirium13 minRainbow Riders5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running72% (best of the two)67%

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 Island and Lake Compounce compared on live queue times
Right nowKings IslandUnited StatesLake CompounceUnited 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 Lake Compounce queues less: about 16 minutes a ride against 29 at Kings Island, a difference of roughly 13 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 Island if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 29 minutes a ride here against 16 at Lake Compounce - for what Kings Island has that Lake Compounce does not
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Kings Island's rides run 72% of opening hours against 67% at Lake Compounce
  • Flight of Fear is on your list - it is Kings Island's longest typical queue at about 53 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Kings Island's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Lake Compounce if…

  • You want shorter queues: Lake Compounce averages 16 minutes a ride against 29 at Kings Island
  • You want more to do: 25 rides here have recorded wait data against 21 at Kings Island
  • Boulder Dash is on your list - it is Lake Compounce's longest typical queue at about 37 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Lake Compounce's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

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

Lake Compounce

Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut, opened in 1846 and is the oldest continuously operating amusement park in North America. Boulder Dash is the standout, a wooden coaster that runs along the side of the mountain, alongside the 1927 Wildcat, the triple-launch Phobia Phear and Thunder N Lightning. The park also has the Crocodile Cove water park, and in the autumn it adds Halloween haunts on select dates.

Summer weekends and the July holiday week are the busiest. Weekdays in June and the autumn weekends before the haunts open are quieter. Check the live queue times before you go and use the crowd calendar to choose a day.

Lake Compounce live queue times

05 · Questions

Kings Island or Lake Compounce?

Which is better, Kings Island or Lake Compounce?

If you are judging on queues, Lake Compounce: it averages about 16 minutes a ride on a typical day against 29 at Kings Island, roughly 13 minutes back on every queue you join. Kings Island has 21 rides with recorded waits against 25 at Lake Compounce. Kings Island also runs its rides more reliably - 72% of opening hours against 67%.

Which has shorter queues, Kings Island or Lake Compounce?

Lake Compounce, by about 13 minutes a ride. On a typical day Lake Compounce averages 16 minutes against 29 at Kings Island. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Kings Island best time to visit and Lake Compounce best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

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

Is Kings Island bigger than Lake Compounce?

By rides we track waits for, Lake Compounce is the bigger day out: 25 rides against 21. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Lake Compounce 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 Island calendar