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Park Queue TimesPQT

Adventureland
vs
Disney California Adventure

On a typical day Disney California Adventure queues less: about 24 minutes a ride against 29 at Adventureland, a difference of roughly 5 minutes on every queue you join.

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.

Adventureland and Disney California Adventure compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyAdventurelandUnited StatesDisney California AdventureUnited States
Average wait per ride 29 min24 min (best of the two)
Rides with recorded waits 622 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue Phoenix36 minGuardians of the Galaxy - Monsters After Dark73 min
Shortest typical queue Storm Chaser18 minJessie's Critter Carousel5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is runningNot recorded79%

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.

Adventureland and Disney California Adventure compared on live queue times
Right nowAdventurelandUnited StatesDisney California AdventureUnited 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 Disney California Adventure queues less: about 24 minutes a ride against 29 at Adventureland, a difference of roughly 5 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 Adventureland if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 29 minutes a ride here against 24 at Disney California Adventure - for what Adventureland has that Disney California Adventure does not
  • Phoenix is on your list - it is Adventureland's longest typical queue at about 36 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Adventureland's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Disney California Adventure if…

  • You want shorter queues: Disney California Adventure averages 24 minutes a ride against 29 at Adventureland
  • You want more to do: 22 rides here have recorded wait data against 6 at Adventureland
  • Guardians of the Galaxy - Monsters After Dark is on your list - it is Disney California Adventure's longest typical queue at about 73 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Disney California Adventure's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

Adventureland

Adventureland in Altoona, just outside Des Moines, has been open since 1974 and is Iowa's largest amusement park. Monster is the steel coaster with the beyond-vertical drop, Outlaw and Tornado are the wooden coasters, and Phoenix, Storm Chaser and Draken Falls add more variety, with a large section of family rides. In the autumn it runs Halloween haunts on select dates.

Summer weekends and the weeks around the Fourth of July are the busiest. Weekdays early and late in the season are usually much quieter. Check the live queue times before you go and use the crowd calendar to find a good day.

Adventureland live queue times

Disney California Adventure

Disney California Adventure sits directly opposite Disneyland Park across the Anaheim esplanade and is the more thrill-led of the two. Its big draws are Radiator Springs Racers in Cars Land, the Incredicoaster on Pixar Pier, Guardians of the Galaxy - Mission: BREAKOUT! and Avengers Campus with WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure. Grizzly River Run and Soarin' Across America round out a line-up that leans older than the classic park next door.

Radiator Springs Racers is the ride that sets the pace here: it draws the longest queue times in the resort most days, often from park opening. If you are visiting both parks, the crowd calendar will show you which day to give to California Adventure, and the live wait times will tell you whether to head for Cars Land first or leave it for the evening.

Disney California Adventure live queue times

05 · Questions

Adventureland or Disney California Adventure?

Which is better, Adventureland or Disney California Adventure?

If you are judging on queues, Disney California Adventure: it averages about 24 minutes a ride on a typical day against 29 at Adventureland, roughly 5 minutes back on every queue you join. Adventureland has 6 rides with recorded waits against 22 at Disney California Adventure.

Which has shorter queues, Adventureland or Disney California Adventure?

Disney California Adventure, by about 5 minutes a ride. On a typical day Disney California Adventure averages 24 minutes against 29 at Adventureland. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Adventureland best time to visit and Disney California Adventure best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Adventureland and Disney California Adventure 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 Adventureland and Disney California Adventure for the full ride lists.

Is Adventureland bigger than Disney California Adventure?

By rides we track waits for, Disney California Adventure is the bigger day out: 22 rides against 6. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Disney California Adventure 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.