Animal Kingdom
vs
Magic Kingdom

On a typical day Magic Kingdom queues less: about 25 minutes a ride against 32 at Animal Kingdom, a difference of roughly 7 minutes on every queue you join.

See both right now Compare other parks

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 Magic Kingdom compared on their typical recorded queue times
Typically	Animal KingdomUnited States	Magic KingdomUnited States
Average wait per ride	32 min	25 min (best of the two)
Rides with recorded waits	6	23 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue	Avatar Flight of Passage58 min	TRON Lightcycle / Run68 min
Shortest typical queue	Wildlife Express Train7 min	Prince Charming Regal Carrousel7 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running	92%	92%

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 Magic Kingdom compared on live queue times
Right now	Animal KingdomUnited States	Magic KingdomUnited 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 Magic Kingdom queues less: about 25 minutes a ride against 32 at Animal Kingdom, a difference of roughly 7 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 - 32 minutes a ride here against 25 at Magic Kingdom - for what Animal Kingdom has that Magic Kingdom does not
Avatar Flight of Passage is on your list - it is Animal Kingdom's longest typical queue at about 58 minutes, so it is the one to do first
You want Animal Kingdom's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Magic Kingdom if…

You want shorter queues: Magic Kingdom averages 25 minutes a ride against 32 at Animal Kingdom
You want more to do: 23 rides here have recorded wait data against 6 at Animal Kingdom
TRON Lightcycle / Run is on your list - it is Magic Kingdom's longest typical queue at about 68 minutes, so it is the one to do first
You want Magic Kingdom'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

Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom is the original Florida Disney park, opened in 1971, and still the most-visited theme park in the world. The classic line-up is iconic: Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, TRON Lightcycle / Run, and Tiana's Bayou Adventure. Cinderella Castle anchors the central hub with nightly fireworks.

Magic Kingdom is busy almost every day of the year, with peak crowds during US school holidays, the December holidays, and special events like Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Mid-January through early February is the quietest period. Check live wait times across Disney's free Lightning Lane system, and use our crowd calendar to plan your visit around Disney's Extended Evening Hours and holiday patterns.

Magic Kingdom live queue times

05 · Questions

Animal Kingdom or Magic Kingdom?

Which is better, Animal Kingdom or Magic Kingdom?

If you are judging on queues, Magic Kingdom: it averages about 25 minutes a ride on a typical day against 32 at Animal Kingdom, roughly 7 minutes back on every queue you join. Animal Kingdom has 6 rides with recorded waits against 23 at Magic Kingdom.

Which has shorter queues, Animal Kingdom or Magic Kingdom?

Magic Kingdom, by about 7 minutes a ride. On a typical day Magic Kingdom averages 25 minutes against 32 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 Magic Kingdom best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

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

Is Animal Kingdom bigger than Magic Kingdom?

By rides we track waits for, Magic Kingdom is the bigger day out: 23 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 Magic 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 calendar Magic Kingdom calendar Compare other parks