Skip to main content

Knoebels
vs
Universal Studios Florida Park

On a typical day Knoebels queues less: about 7 minutes a ride against 23 at Universal Studios Florida Park, a difference of roughly 16 minutes on every queue you join.

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.

Knoebels and Universal Studios Florida Park compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyKnoebelsUnited StatesUniversal Studios Florida ParkUnited States
Average wait per ride 7 min (best of the two)23 min
Rides with recorded waits 56 (best of the two)15
Longest typical queue Flying Turns25 minHarry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts™42 min
Shortest typical queue Umbrella Ride5 minOllivanders™ Experience in Diagon Alley™5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running43%84% (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.

Knoebels and Universal Studios Florida Park compared on live queue times
Right nowKnoebelsUnited 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 Knoebels queues less: about 7 minutes a ride against 23 at Universal Studios Florida Park, a difference of roughly 16 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 Knoebels if…

  • You want shorter queues: Knoebels averages 7 minutes a ride against 23 at Universal Studios Florida Park
  • You want more to do: 56 rides here have recorded wait data against 15 at Universal Studios Florida Park
  • Flying Turns is on your list - it is Knoebels's longest typical queue at about 25 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Knoebels's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Universal Studios Florida Park if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 23 minutes a ride here against 7 at Knoebels - for what Universal Studios Florida Park has that Knoebels does not
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Universal Studios Florida Park's rides run 84% of opening hours against 43% at Knoebels
  • Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts™ is on your list - it is Universal Studios Florida Park's longest typical queue at about 42 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.

Knoebels

Knoebels is a free-admission, pay-per-ride park in Elysburg, Pennsylvania - one of the last major "trolley parks" in America, family-owned since 1926. The park is famous among coaster enthusiasts for two wooden coasters: Phoenix (rebuilt from a 1948 design and widely considered one of the best woodies in the world) and Flying Turns, a rare modern bobsled-style coaster.

Because it's free to enter, Knoebels stays genuinely busy on summer weekends and holidays, with queues building on the signature wooden coasters well before dinnertime. Weekdays are usually very relaxed. Check live wait times before queueing for Phoenix or Flying Turns, and use our crowd calendar to pick a quieter day if you want to re-ride freely.

Knoebels 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

Knoebels or Universal Studios Florida Park?

Which is better, Knoebels or Universal Studios Florida Park?

If you are judging on queues, Knoebels: it averages about 7 minutes a ride on a typical day against 23 at Universal Studios Florida Park, roughly 16 minutes back on every queue you join. Knoebels has 56 rides with recorded waits against 15 at Universal Studios Florida Park. Universal Studios Florida Park also runs its rides more reliably - 84% of opening hours against 43%.

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

Knoebels, by about 16 minutes a ride. On a typical day Knoebels averages 7 minutes against 23 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 Knoebels best time to visit and Universal Studios Florida Park best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

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

Is Knoebels bigger than Universal Studios Florida Park?

By rides we track waits for, Knoebels is the bigger day out: 56 rides against 15. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Knoebels 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.

v7.17.4