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Park Queue TimesPQT

Six Flags Great America
vs
Universal Studios Florida Park

On a typical day Six Flags Great America queues less: about 27 minutes a ride against 37 at Universal Studios Florida Park, a difference of roughly 10 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 Great America and Universal Studios Florida Park compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallySix Flags Great AmericaUnited StatesUniversal Studios Florida ParkUnited States
Average wait per ride 27 min (best of the two)37 min
Rides with recorded waits 2335 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue Maxx Force46 minMADLANDS: Caged Cannibals Accessibility Return Time114 min
Shortest typical queue Chubasco7 minOllivanders™ Experience in Diagon Alley™6 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running79% (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 Great America and Universal Studios Florida Park compared on live queue times
Right nowSix Flags Great AmericaUnited 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 Great America queues less: about 27 minutes a ride against 37 at Universal Studios Florida Park, a difference of roughly 10 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 Great America if…

  • You want shorter queues: Six Flags Great America averages 27 minutes a ride against 37 at Universal Studios Florida Park
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Six Flags Great America's rides run 79% of opening hours against 60% at Universal Studios Florida Park
  • 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

Pick Universal Studios Florida Park if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 37 minutes a ride here against 27 at Six Flags Great America - for what Universal Studios Florida Park has that Six Flags Great America does not
  • You want more to do: 35 rides here have recorded wait data against 23 at Six Flags Great America
  • 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 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

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 Great America or Universal Studios Florida Park?

Which is better, Six Flags Great America or Universal Studios Florida Park?

If you are judging on queues, Six Flags Great America: it averages about 27 minutes a ride on a typical day against 37 at Universal Studios Florida Park, roughly 10 minutes back on every queue you join. Six Flags Great America has 23 rides with recorded waits against 35 at Universal Studios Florida Park. Six Flags Great America also runs its rides more reliably - 79% of opening hours against 60%.

Which has shorter queues, Six Flags Great America or Universal Studios Florida Park?

Six Flags Great America, by about 10 minutes a ride. On a typical day Six Flags Great America averages 27 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 Great America best time to visit and Universal Studios Florida Park best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

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

Is Six Flags Great America bigger than Universal Studios Florida Park?

By rides we track waits for, Universal Studios Florida Park is the bigger day out: 35 rides against 23. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Six Flags Great America 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 Great America calendarUniversal Studios Florida Park calendarCompare other parks