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Park Queue TimesPQT

Carowinds
vs
Disney California Adventure

On a typical day Carowinds queues less: about 11 minutes a ride against 21 at Disney California Adventure, a difference of roughly 10 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.

Carowinds and Disney California Adventure compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyCarowindsUnited StatesDisney California AdventureUnited States
Average wait per ride 11 min (best of the two)21 min
Rides with recorded waits 37 (best of the two)22
Longest typical queue Kiddy Hawk24 minRadiator Springs Racers58 min
Shortest typical queue Gyro Force4 minJessie's Critter Carousel5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running89% (best of the two)85%

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.

Carowinds and Disney California Adventure compared on live queue times
Right nowCarowindsUnited 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 Carowinds queues less: about 11 minutes a ride against 21 at Disney California Adventure, a difference of roughly 10 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 Carowinds if…

  • You want shorter queues: Carowinds averages 11 minutes a ride against 21 at Disney California Adventure
  • You want more to do: 37 rides here have recorded wait data against 22 at Disney California Adventure
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Carowinds's rides run 89% of opening hours against 85% at Disney California Adventure
  • Kiddy Hawk is on your list - it is Carowinds's longest typical queue at about 24 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Carowinds's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Disney California Adventure if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 21 minutes a ride here against 11 at Carowinds - for what Disney California Adventure has that Carowinds does not
  • Radiator Springs Racers is on your list - it is Disney California Adventure's longest typical queue at about 58 minutes, so it is the one to do first

04 · The parks

What each one is.

Carowinds

Carowinds sits directly on the North Carolina / South Carolina state line in Charlotte and is best known for Fury 325 - one of the world's tallest and fastest full-circuit roller coasters at 325 feet. The rest of the line-up is strong too: Copperhead Strike, Intimidator, Afterburn inverted coaster, and the newer Top Gun: The Jet Coaster. A separate Carolina Harbor water park operates in the summer.

Carowinds' peak crowds come during US summer school holidays, Scarowinds (Halloween), and Charlotte-area weekend visits. Weekdays in May, September and October are much quieter. Check live queue times for Fury 325 and Copperhead Strike first thing on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a lower-crowd midweek date for shorter waits across the coaster line-up.

Carowinds live queue times

05 · Questions

Carowinds or Disney California Adventure?

Which is better, Carowinds or Disney California Adventure?

If you are judging on queues, Carowinds: it averages about 11 minutes a ride on a typical day against 21 at Disney California Adventure, roughly 10 minutes back on every queue you join. Carowinds has 37 rides with recorded waits against 22 at Disney California Adventure. Carowinds also runs its rides more reliably - 89% of opening hours against 85%.

Which has shorter queues, Carowinds or Disney California Adventure?

Carowinds, by about 10 minutes a ride. On a typical day Carowinds averages 11 minutes against 21 at Disney California Adventure. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Carowinds best time to visit and Disney California Adventure best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

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

Is Carowinds bigger than Disney California Adventure?

By rides we track waits for, Carowinds is the bigger day out: 37 rides against 22. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Carowinds 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.

Carowinds calendarDisney California Adventure calendarCompare other parks