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Park Queue TimesPQT

Six Flags Darien Lake
vs
Universal Studios Florida Park

On a typical day Six Flags Darien Lake queues less: about 16 minutes a ride against 37 at Universal Studios Florida Park, a difference of roughly 21 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.

Six Flags Darien Lake and Universal Studios Florida Park compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallySix Flags Darien LakeUnited StatesUniversal Studios Florida ParkUnited States
Average wait per ride 16 min (best of the two)37 min
Rides with recorded waits 1035 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue Viper26 minMADLANDS: Caged Cannibals Accessibility Return Time114 min
Shortest typical queue Boomerang4 minOllivanders™ Experience in Diagon Alley™6 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running66% (best of the two)60%

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.

Six Flags Darien Lake and Universal Studios Florida Park compared on live queue times
Right nowSix Flags Darien LakeUnited 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 Six Flags Darien Lake queues less: about 16 minutes a ride against 37 at Universal Studios Florida Park, a difference of roughly 21 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 Six Flags Darien Lake if…

  • You want shorter queues: Six Flags Darien Lake averages 16 minutes a ride against 37 at Universal Studios Florida Park
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Six Flags Darien Lake's rides run 66% of opening hours against 60% at Universal Studios Florida Park
  • Viper is on your list - it is Six Flags Darien Lake's longest typical queue at about 26 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Six Flags Darien Lake's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Universal Studios Florida Park if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 37 minutes a ride here against 16 at Six Flags Darien Lake - for what Universal Studios Florida Park has that Six Flags Darien Lake does not
  • You want more to do: 35 rides here have recorded wait data against 10 at Six Flags Darien Lake
  • MADLANDS: Caged Cannibals Accessibility Return Time is on your list - it is Universal Studios Florida Park's longest typical queue at about 114 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.

Six Flags Darien Lake

Six Flags Darien Lake sits in Darien Center, New York, between Buffalo and Rochester. The coaster line-up includes Ride of Steel (a 208-foot hyper coaster from Intamin), Tantrum (a 98-foot Eurofighter), Motocoaster launched coaster, Predator wooden coaster, and the classic Viper stand-up. A Hurricane Harbor water park and a camping resort operate on the same property.

Western New York school holidays, US summer weekends and the Fright Fest event drive Darien Lake's peak crowds. Weekdays in May, September and early October stay dramatically quieter. Check live wait times for Ride of Steel and Tantrum on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a midweek visit - many rides run near walk-on levels on quieter mornings.

Six Flags Darien Lake 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

Six Flags Darien Lake or Universal Studios Florida Park?

Which is better, Six Flags Darien Lake or Universal Studios Florida Park?

If you are judging on queues, Six Flags Darien Lake: it averages about 16 minutes a ride on a typical day against 37 at Universal Studios Florida Park, roughly 21 minutes back on every queue you join. Six Flags Darien Lake has 10 rides with recorded waits against 35 at Universal Studios Florida Park. Six Flags Darien Lake also runs its rides more reliably - 66% of opening hours against 60%.

Which has shorter queues, Six Flags Darien Lake or Universal Studios Florida Park?

Six Flags Darien Lake, by about 21 minutes a ride. On a typical day Six Flags Darien Lake averages 16 minutes against 37 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 Six Flags Darien Lake best time to visit and Universal Studios Florida Park best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Six Flags Darien Lake 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 Six Flags Darien Lake and Universal Studios Florida Park for the full ride lists.

Is Six Flags Darien Lake bigger than Universal Studios Florida Park?

By rides we track waits for, Universal Studios Florida Park is the bigger day out: 35 rides against 10. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Six Flags Darien Lake 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.

Six Flags Darien Lake calendarUniversal Studios Florida Park calendarCompare other parks