Study: The Tourist Destinations with the Most Complaints About Long Lines

Even if you’re not visiting a theme park, popular tourist destinations can come with a rollercoaster of emotions. From the initial excitement of anticipating the visit to the thrill of arriving at your destination, you might also find yourself feeling frustrated with long lines that cause a delay in your experience. Especially for those following a strict itinerary, a long wait time can throw off your whole day.

As a leader in casino education, we were curious to find the top tourist destinations where visitors are most likely to gamble with their time by waiting in long lines. Whether it’s a theme park, coffee shop, or other local gems, we analyzed 3,696 Google reviews for 627 destinations worldwide. By focusing on reviews that mentioned long lines or extended wait times, we were able to find the destinations where visitors complained about long lines the most.

Whether you’re traveling within the United States or heading out abroad, read on to find out the tourist destinations where you’re most likely to wait in long lines!

Key findings

• • Penang Hill, Powell/Mason Cable Car Turnaround, and Salem Witch Museum have the longest lines in the world.

• • California, Florida, and Tennessee have the longest lines at tourist destinations.

• • Penang Hill, Jardin Majorelle, Moulin Rouge, and Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary have the longest lines abroad.

Tourist destinations where people complain the most about long lines

Traveling to world-famous destinations comes with the hope of an unforgettable experience, but sometimes it’s not always a positive one. For many, the visit itself can be clouded by waiting in long lines, especially when your wait is longer than the experience at the destination itself.

To find out which destinations leave their visitors waiting the longest, we analyzed reviews for tourist destinations that contained keywords such as “long line,” “waited,” “long wait,” and more. We then applied natural language processing techniques to focus on reviews expressing negative sentiments about waiting. Lastly, we ranked each attraction by the frequency of reviews mentioning long lines.

Topping the list are Penang Hill, Powell/Mason Cable Car Turnaround, and Salem Witch Museum. Whether it’s waiting to experience a breathtaking view on a Malaysian hillside at Penang Hill, catching a nostalgic ride on San Francisco’s Powell/Mason Cable car, or learning about the dark history of Salem’s Witch Trials at the Salem Witch Museum, visitors often find themselves experiencing unavoidable delays, and when they do, many express their struggle online.

Reviewer “Khoo Boo hooi” left his frustration on Google after visiting Penang Hill, writing, “Waiting experience was bad as you need to wait more than 1 hour before u can enter the train from entrance. The number and time show on the ticket was misleading and inaccurate. Please be prepared for long queuing time.”

Other times, the wait can be so bad that it doesn’t seem worth it. Reviewer Nayantara Mehra wrote, “Long wait for a short ride,” after visiting the Powell/Mason Cable Car Turnaround.

Even worse, experiencing a long wait time can ruin your whole day, like that of Nate Livingston, who wrote, “Long lines, Group only tours, long waits, forced gift shop stops and a corporate feel. This place ruined my day,” after visiting the Salem Witch Museum.

An interesting find from our analysis was that some attractions, like theme parks, where waiting in line is a given, don’t necessarily top our list for long line complaints. This may be because crowds are such a norm at these places, they’ve come up with ways to get through a line quicker or to make the line wait a more pleasant experience. For example, many theme parks have themed waiting rooms that include videos or other waiting entertainment. For those that don’t, you can find free slot games on PlayUSA to occupy your time!

Destinations in the U.S where people complain the most about long lines

From museums, factories, and amusement parks, the U.S. is home to some of the most popular and often crowded tourist destinations where long lines are almost as famous as the destination itself. To help prepare for your visit, we found the top tourist destinations in America where you should bring your patience as well as your tickets because you’re most likely to encounter a long wait time.

The two U.S. destinations that topped the worldwide list, Powell/Mason Cable Car Turnaround and Salem Witch Museum, also topped the list of tourist destinations with the most complaints about long lines in the U.S. Third on the list is NASA Johnson Space Center in Houston, Texas.

Often, the weather during your wait time can add to your unpleasant experience. For example, waiting in a line outside to board the tram at the NASA Johnson Space Center in the Texas heat can prevent you from ever cooling off your emotions enough to enjoy the rest of the experience. Dustin DeTurk shared his experience saying, “Nothing but waiting in lines. The tram tours are really a 2 minute ride to a different building where you walk yourself around, then wait another 30 minutes in line to ride back to the other building.”

Long lines aren’t reserved for just theme parks. Our study uncovered plenty of different types of attractions that suffer from long wait times. So we broke out the attractions with the most line complaints by category. In the U.S., the amusement park with the most line complaints is Hersheypark; the museum with the most line complaints is the Salem Witch Museum; the science center with the most line complaints is the NASA Johnson Space Center; the monument with the most line complaints is the Four Corners Monument; and the zoo with the most line complaints is the San Diego Zoo Safari Park.

The top destination in each state where people complain about long lines

Across the United States, each state has its own destination notorious for long lines, but interestingly, it’s not always the most popular tourist destination in the state. For example, while an iconic destination like Disneyland in California may manage crowd control efficiently, lesser-known spots like the Powell/Mason Cable Car Turnaround in San Francisco often struggle with a longer wait time.

To take a peek at the longest lines across America, we analyzed reviews for tourist attractions in each state to find out which attraction receives the highest frequency of long-line complaints. So next time you’re planning on visiting the Skydeck in Chicago, the Kentucky Derby Museum in Louisville, or the Pearl Harbor National Memorial in Honolulu, keep in mind that waiting will most likely be a given.

Destinations where people complain about long lines around the world

Along with analyzing the U.S., we wanted to get insight into which destinations have the most long line complaints in different continents. From the bustling streets of Europe to the historic landmarks of Asia, we found the hotspots in each region where visitors experience unpleasant wait times. So make sure to keep this list in mind the next time you travel abroad!

In Asia, destinations like Penang Hill in Malaysia, The Peak Tram in Hong Kong, and the Langkawi Sky Bridge are notorious for generating the most long line complaints, as visitors frequently encounter extensive waits when seeking out breathtaking views.

In Africa, exploring culturally rich sites like Jardin Majorelle in Morocco, the Abu Simbel Temples in Egypt, and the Hassan II Mosque in Casablanca come not only with stunning views but also long wait times.

In Europe, landmarks like the Moulin Rouge in Paris, the National Palace of Pena in Portugal, and the Jerónimos Monastery in Lisbon have the most long line complaints out of any other destinations in the continent.

In Oceania, visiting unique and popular sites such as the Lone Pine Koala Sanctuary in Brisbane, the Australian National Maritime Museum in Sydney, and the Waitomo Glowworm Caves in New Zealand has left visitors needing to vent about their long wait-time experience more than those of any other destinations on the continent.

Although a long wait for an experience is not ideal, many of the destinations on the list are too iconic to miss out on. If you find yourself on one of these continents, don’t miss out on a must-see experience just because there may be a wait. To make the wait enjoyable, and even possibly make some extra money, check out the top online casinos while you wait.

Conclusion

By exploring the world’s most popular destinations that struggle with long lines, we found that often, the anticipation of seeing iconic landmarks or enjoying unique attractions typically comes with the price of waiting. To help alleviate the cost and make your wait more enjoyable, PlayUSA has you covered with free slots and table games, expert casino reviews, and breaking industry news that you can access from anywhere with a smartphone.

Whether you have extra time while you’re waiting in a line, or simply looking to advance your online gambling experience, PlayUSA has resources available to you with no wait time required! On our site, you can also find strategy guides, learn how to claim the largest bonuses on the market, and find those who you can play with in your state. Sign up today to unlock exclusive welcome bonuses at the leading online casinos!

Methodology

In August 2024, we analyzed 3,696 reviews for 627 attractions worldwide, focusing on reviews that mentioned long lines or extended wait times. We examined reviews containing keywords related to long waits, such as “long line,” “long lines,” “long wait,” “wait time,” “wait times,” “wait,” “waited,” “waiting,” “lines,” “slow line,” “tired of waiting,” “wait forever,” “wait took forever,” “stuck in line,” and “not worth the wait.”

To ensure accuracy, we applied natural language processing (NLP) techniques and keyword-in-context analysis to focus on reviews expressing negative sentiments about waiting. We identified the attractions with the longest lines by comparing the number of reviews mentioning long lines to the total number of reviews for each attraction, allowing us to rank them accordingly.