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Park Queue TimesPQT

Seaworld San Diego
vs
Six Flags Magic Mountain

On a typical day Seaworld San Diego queues less: about 9 minutes a ride against 13 at Six Flags Magic Mountain, a difference of roughly 4 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.

Seaworld San Diego and Six Flags Magic Mountain compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallySeaworld San DiegoUnited StatesSix Flags Magic MountainUnited States
Average wait per ride 9 min (best of the two)13 min
Rides with recorded waits 1437 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue Shipwreck Rapids16 minTwisted Colossus33 min
Shortest typical queue Tidepool Twist5 minTaz’s Tazmanian Train Tours5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running76%87% (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.

Seaworld San Diego and Six Flags Magic Mountain compared on live queue times
Right nowSeaworld San DiegoUnited StatesSix Flags Magic MountainUnited 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 Seaworld San Diego queues less: about 9 minutes a ride against 13 at Six Flags Magic Mountain, a difference of roughly 4 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 Seaworld San Diego if…

  • You want shorter queues: Seaworld San Diego averages 9 minutes a ride against 13 at Six Flags Magic Mountain
  • Shipwreck Rapids is on your list - it is Seaworld San Diego's longest typical queue at about 16 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Seaworld San Diego's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Six Flags Magic Mountain if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 13 minutes a ride here against 9 at Seaworld San Diego - for what Six Flags Magic Mountain has that Seaworld San Diego does not
  • You want more to do: 37 rides here have recorded wait data against 14 at Seaworld San Diego
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Six Flags Magic Mountain's rides run 87% of opening hours against 76% at Seaworld San Diego
  • Twisted Colossus is on your list - it is Six Flags Magic Mountain's longest typical queue at about 33 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Six Flags Magic Mountain's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

Seaworld San Diego

SeaWorld San Diego sits on the shore of Mission Bay in San Diego, California. It's the original SeaWorld park, opened in 1964, and blends marine-animal exhibits with modern coasters: Emperor (a floorless dive coaster), Electric Eel (a triple-launch coaster), Manta (a launched family coaster), and the newer Arctic Rescue straddle coaster.

Southern California weather keeps SeaWorld San Diego open year-round, with peak crowds during US school holidays, Halloween Spooktacular and Christmas. Weekdays in January, September and October are dramatically calmer. Check live queue times for Emperor and Electric Eel on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a midweek day for shorter waits. The park pairs well with a full-day visit to nearby San Diego attractions.

Seaworld San Diego live queue times

Six Flags Magic Mountain

Six Flags Magic Mountain in Valencia, California, holds the world record for most roller coasters at a single park - currently 20 distinct coasters. Highlights include X2 (a 4-D prototype), Twisted Colossus, Tatsu (a flying coaster), Full Throttle, Superman: Escape from Krypton, Goliath, and Wonder Woman Flight of Courage. The park's hilly footprint gives many rides dramatic terrain-following drops.

Magic Mountain's LA-area weekend visits, US school holidays, Fright Fest and Holiday in the Park events drive peak crowds. Weekdays outside school breaks can be dramatically quieter. Check live queue times for X2 and Twisted Colossus on arrival - they build up fastest - and use our crowd calendar to pick a lower-crowd midweek date if you want to ride all 20 coasters in a single day.

Six Flags Magic Mountain live queue times

05 · Questions

Seaworld San Diego or Six Flags Magic Mountain?

Which is better, Seaworld San Diego or Six Flags Magic Mountain?

If you are judging on queues, Seaworld San Diego: it averages about 9 minutes a ride on a typical day against 13 at Six Flags Magic Mountain, roughly 4 minutes back on every queue you join. Seaworld San Diego has 14 rides with recorded waits against 37 at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Six Flags Magic Mountain also runs its rides more reliably - 87% of opening hours against 76%.

Which has shorter queues, Seaworld San Diego or Six Flags Magic Mountain?

Seaworld San Diego, by about 4 minutes a ride. On a typical day Seaworld San Diego averages 9 minutes against 13 at Six Flags Magic Mountain. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Seaworld San Diego best time to visit and Six Flags Magic Mountain best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Seaworld San Diego and Six Flags Magic Mountain 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 Seaworld San Diego and Six Flags Magic Mountain for the full ride lists.

Is Seaworld San Diego bigger than Six Flags Magic Mountain?

By rides we track waits for, Six Flags Magic Mountain is the bigger day out: 37 rides against 14. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Seaworld San Diego 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.

Seaworld San Diego calendarSix Flags Magic Mountain calendarCompare other parks