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Park Queue TimesPQT

Magic Kingdom
vs
Six Flags Great America

On a typical day Magic Kingdom queues less: about 21 minutes a ride against 27 at Six Flags Great America, a difference of roughly 6 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.

Magic Kingdom and Six Flags Great America compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyMagic KingdomUnited StatesSix Flags Great AmericaUnited States
Average wait per ride 21 min (best of the two)27 min
Rides with recorded waits 2323
Longest typical queue TRON Lightcycle / Run55 minMaxx Force46 min
Shortest typical queue Mad Tea Party7 minChubasco7 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running90% (best of the two)79%

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.

Magic Kingdom and Six Flags Great America compared on live queue times
Right nowMagic KingdomUnited StatesSix Flags Great AmericaUnited 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 Magic Kingdom queues less: about 21 minutes a ride against 27 at Six Flags Great America, a difference of roughly 6 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 Magic Kingdom if…

  • You want shorter queues: Magic Kingdom averages 21 minutes a ride against 27 at Six Flags Great America
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Magic Kingdom's rides run 90% of opening hours against 79% at Six Flags Great America
  • TRON Lightcycle / Run is on your list - it is Magic Kingdom's longest typical queue at about 55 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Magic Kingdom's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Six Flags Great America if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 27 minutes a ride here against 21 at Magic Kingdom - for what Six Flags Great America has that Magic Kingdom does not
  • Maxx Force is on your list - it is Six Flags Great America's longest typical queue at about 46 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Six Flags Great America's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom is the original Florida Disney park, opened in 1971, and still the most-visited theme park in the world. The classic line-up is iconic: Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, TRON Lightcycle / Run, and Tiana's Bayou Adventure. Cinderella Castle anchors the central hub with nightly fireworks.

Magic Kingdom is busy almost every day of the year, with peak crowds during US school holidays, the December holidays, and special events like Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Mid-January through early February is the quietest period. Check live wait times across Disney's free Lightning Lane system, and use our crowd calendar to plan your visit around Disney's Extended Evening Hours and holiday patterns.

Magic Kingdom live queue times

Six Flags Great America

Six Flags Great America sits in Gurnee, Illinois, between Chicago and Milwaukee. The coaster line-up includes Maxx Force (with one of the world's fastest inversions), X Flight wing coaster, Goliath (a Rocky Mountain Construction wooden coaster), Raging Bull, American Eagle duelling wooden coaster, and Batman: The Ride. A Hurricane Harbor water park is included during summer.

Illinois and Wisconsin school holidays, Chicago-area weekend visits, and the popular Fright Fest event drive Six Flags Great America's busiest periods. Weekdays in May, June, September and October are dramatically quieter. Check live wait times for Maxx Force and Goliath on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a lower-crowd midweek date for shorter queues.

Six Flags Great America live queue times

05 · Questions

Magic Kingdom or Six Flags Great America?

Which is better, Magic Kingdom or Six Flags Great America?

If you are judging on queues, Magic Kingdom: it averages about 21 minutes a ride on a typical day against 27 at Six Flags Great America, roughly 6 minutes back on every queue you join. Magic Kingdom has 23 rides with recorded waits against 23 at Six Flags Great America. Magic Kingdom also runs its rides more reliably - 90% of opening hours against 79%.

Which has shorter queues, Magic Kingdom or Six Flags Great America?

Magic Kingdom, by about 6 minutes a ride. On a typical day Magic Kingdom averages 21 minutes against 27 at Six Flags Great America. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Magic Kingdom best time to visit and Six Flags Great America best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Magic Kingdom and Six Flags Great America 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 Magic Kingdom and Six Flags Great America for the full ride lists.

Is Magic Kingdom bigger than Six Flags Great America?

They track the same number of rides here - 23 each. Acreage matters less than how many of those you can actually get on in a day, which comes down to queues and opening hours, and there Magic Kingdom is ahead.

Then pick
the quiet day.

Both parks have a crowd calendar with six weeks of forecast and the best day left to go.

Magic Kingdom calendarSix Flags Great America calendarCompare other parks