Skip to main content
Park Queue TimesPQT

Cedar Point
vs
Disney California Adventure

On a typical day Disney California Adventure queues less: about 27 minutes a ride against 39 at Cedar Point, a difference of roughly 12 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.

Cedar Point and Disney California Adventure compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyCedar PointUnited StatesDisney California AdventureUnited States
Average wait per ride 39 min27 min (best of the two)
Rides with recorded waits 21 (best of the two)20
Longest typical queue Top Thrill 285 minRadiator Springs Racers76 min
Shortest typical queue Power Tower Shot13 minJessie's Critter Carousel5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running69%86% (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.

Cedar Point and Disney California Adventure compared on live queue times
Right nowCedar PointUnited 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 27 minutes a ride against 39 at Cedar Point, a difference of roughly 12 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 Cedar Point if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 39 minutes a ride here against 27 at Disney California Adventure - for what Cedar Point has that Disney California Adventure does not
  • You want more to do: 21 rides here have recorded wait data against 20 at Disney California Adventure
  • Top Thrill 2 is on your list - it is Cedar Point's longest typical queue at about 85 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Cedar Point's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Disney California Adventure if…

  • You want shorter queues: Disney California Adventure averages 27 minutes a ride against 39 at Cedar Point
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Disney California Adventure's rides run 86% of opening hours against 69% at Cedar Point
  • Radiator Springs Racers is on your list - it is Disney California Adventure's longest typical queue at about 76 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.

Cedar Point

Cedar Point is a legendary coaster park on a Lake Erie peninsula in Sandusky, Ohio. Founded in 1870, it's one of the oldest operating amusement parks in North America and consistently rated as one of the world's best coaster parks. The line-up is staggering: Steel Vengeance, Millennium Force, Magnum XL-200, Maverick, Gatekeeper, Raptor, Top Thrill 2, and many more across the park's 364 acres.

Cedar Point's season runs May to early November, with US summer school holidays, HalloWeekends and weekend days driving the biggest crowds. Midweek days in May, September and early October are dramatically quieter. Check live wait times for Steel Vengeance and Maverick immediately on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a quieter date for marathon coaster days.

Cedar Point 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

Cedar Point or Disney California Adventure?

Which is better, Cedar Point or Disney California Adventure?

If you are judging on queues, Disney California Adventure: it averages about 27 minutes a ride on a typical day against 39 at Cedar Point, roughly 12 minutes back on every queue you join. Cedar Point has 21 rides with recorded waits against 20 at Disney California Adventure. Disney California Adventure also runs its rides more reliably - 86% of opening hours against 69%.

Which has shorter queues, Cedar Point or Disney California Adventure?

Disney California Adventure, by about 12 minutes a ride. On a typical day Disney California Adventure averages 27 minutes against 39 at Cedar Point. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Cedar Point best time to visit and Disney California Adventure best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

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

Is Cedar Point bigger than Disney California Adventure?

By rides we track waits for, Cedar Point is the bigger day out: 21 rides against 20. 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.