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Park Queue TimesPQT

Animal Kingdom
vs
Disney California Adventure

On a typical day Disney California Adventure queues less: about 24 minutes a ride against 28 at Animal Kingdom, a difference of roughly 4 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.

Animal Kingdom and Disney California Adventure compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyAnimal KingdomUnited StatesDisney California AdventureUnited States
Average wait per ride 28 min24 min (best of the two)
Rides with recorded waits 620 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue Avatar Flight of Passage48 minRadiator Springs Racers65 min
Shortest typical queue Wildlife Express Train10 minJessie's Critter Carousel5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running89% (best of the two)88%

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.

Animal Kingdom and Disney California Adventure compared on live queue times
Right nowAnimal KingdomUnited 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 28 at Animal Kingdom, 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 Animal Kingdom if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 28 minutes a ride here against 24 at Disney California Adventure - for what Animal Kingdom has that Disney California Adventure does not
  • Avatar Flight of Passage is on your list - it is Animal Kingdom's longest typical queue at about 48 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Animal Kingdom'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 28 at Animal Kingdom
  • You want more to do: 20 rides here have recorded wait data against 6 at Animal Kingdom
  • Radiator Springs Racers is on your list - it is Disney California Adventure's longest typical queue at about 65 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.

Animal Kingdom

Disney's Animal Kingdom blends a full theme park with a working zoo. The park sits at Walt Disney World and is the largest of the four by area. Signature attractions include Avatar Flight of Passage, Na'vi River Journey, Expedition Everest, Kilimanjaro Safaris, and the Festival of the Lion King show. Pandora – The World of Avatar regularly posts the longest wait times in the park.

Animal Kingdom is usually less crowded than Magic Kingdom or Hollywood Studios, but Avatar Flight of Passage still routinely exceeds 60-minute queue times. Early mornings are best for the safaris when animals are most active. Check live wait times on arrival and head to Pandora first. Use our crowd calendar to pick a quieter date outside US school holidays for a more relaxed visit.

Animal Kingdom 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

Animal Kingdom or Disney California Adventure?

Which is better, Animal Kingdom 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 28 at Animal Kingdom, roughly 4 minutes back on every queue you join. Animal Kingdom has 6 rides with recorded waits against 20 at Disney California Adventure.

Which has shorter queues, Animal Kingdom or Disney California Adventure?

Disney California Adventure, by about 4 minutes a ride. On a typical day Disney California Adventure averages 24 minutes against 28 at Animal Kingdom. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Animal Kingdom best time to visit and Disney California Adventure best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

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

Is Animal Kingdom bigger than Disney California Adventure?

By rides we track waits for, Disney California Adventure is the bigger day out: 20 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.