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Park Queue TimesPQT

Animal Kingdom
vs
Epcot

On a typical day Animal Kingdom queues less: about 26 minutes a ride against 29 at Epcot, a difference of roughly 3 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.

Animal Kingdom and Epcot compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyAnimal KingdomUnited StatesEpcotUnited States
Average wait per ride 26 min (best of the two)29 min
Rides with recorded waits 611 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue Avatar Flight of Passage44 minGuardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind71 min
Shortest typical queue Wildlife Express Train7 minGran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros7 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running91%92% (best of the two)

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 Epcot compared on live queue times
Right nowAnimal KingdomUnited StatesEpcotUnited 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 Animal Kingdom queues less: about 26 minutes a ride against 29 at Epcot, a difference of roughly 3 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 want shorter queues: Animal Kingdom averages 26 minutes a ride against 29 at Epcot
  • Avatar Flight of Passage is on your list - it is Animal Kingdom's longest typical queue at about 44 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Animal Kingdom's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Epcot if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 29 minutes a ride here against 26 at Animal Kingdom - for what Epcot has that Animal Kingdom does not
  • You want more to do: 11 rides here have recorded wait data against 6 at Animal Kingdom
  • Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is on your list - it is Epcot's longest typical queue at about 71 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Epcot'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

Epcot

EPCOT sits at the centre of Walt Disney World, split between Future World (with Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Test Track, Spaceship Earth, Soarin', and Frozen Ever After) and the World Showcase - eleven pavilions themed around countries including Japan, Germany, France, and the UK. Flower & Garden, Food & Wine and Festival of the Holidays events run through much of the year.

EPCOT's biggest crowd drivers are its festivals rather than just ride popularity. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind consistently posts the longest wait times in the park. Check live queue times on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a lower-crowd date outside the peak festival weekends - the World Showcase pavilions can take a full afternoon to properly explore.

Epcot live queue times

05 · Questions

Animal Kingdom or Epcot?

Which is better, Animal Kingdom or Epcot?

If you are judging on queues, Animal Kingdom: it averages about 26 minutes a ride on a typical day against 29 at Epcot, roughly 3 minutes back on every queue you join. Animal Kingdom has 6 rides with recorded waits against 11 at Epcot.

Which has shorter queues, Animal Kingdom or Epcot?

Animal Kingdom, by about 3 minutes a ride. On a typical day Animal Kingdom averages 26 minutes against 29 at Epcot. 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 Epcot best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Animal Kingdom and Epcot 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 Epcot for the full ride lists.

Is Animal Kingdom bigger than Epcot?

By rides we track waits for, Epcot is the bigger day out: 11 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 Animal Kingdom 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.

Animal Kingdom calendarEpcot calendarCompare other parks