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Disney California Adventure
vs
Dorney Park

On a typical day Dorney Park queues less: about 20 minutes a ride against 26 at Disney California Adventure, a difference of roughly 6 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.

Disney California Adventure and Dorney Park compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyDisney California AdventureUnited StatesDorney ParkUnited States
Average wait per ride 26 min20 min (best of the two)
Rides with recorded waits 21 (best of the two)13
Longest typical queue Radiator Springs Racers70 minWild Mouse42 min
Shortest typical queue Jessie's Critter Carousel5 minDominator Red9 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running75%90% (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.

Disney California Adventure and Dorney Park compared on live queue times
Right nowDisney California AdventureUnited StatesDorney ParkUnited 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 Dorney Park queues less: about 20 minutes a ride against 26 at Disney California Adventure, a difference of roughly 6 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 Disney California Adventure if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 26 minutes a ride here against 20 at Dorney Park - for what Disney California Adventure has that Dorney Park does not
  • You want more to do: 21 rides here have recorded wait data against 13 at Dorney Park
  • Radiator Springs Racers is on your list - it is Disney California Adventure's longest typical queue at about 70 minutes, so it is the one to do first

Pick Dorney Park if…

  • You want shorter queues: Dorney Park averages 20 minutes a ride against 26 at Disney California Adventure
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Dorney Park's rides run 90% of opening hours against 75% at Disney California Adventure
  • Wild Mouse is on your list - it is Dorney Park's longest typical queue at about 42 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Dorney Park's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

Dorney Park

Dorney Park sits in Allentown, Pennsylvania, about 90 minutes north of Philadelphia. It's a mid-sized theme park with a strong coaster line-up for its size: Steel Force (a 200-foot hyper coaster), Talon (an inverted coaster), Hydra the Revenge (a floorless coaster), and Possessed. A Wildwater Kingdom water park is included with park admission during the summer season.

Dorney Park's season runs May to October, with peak crowds on summer weekends and during the Halloween Haunt. Weekdays in May, September and October are dramatically quieter. Check live queue times for Steel Force and Hydra on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a midweek visit - most of the coasters stay under 15 minutes of wait time on quieter days.

Dorney Park live queue times

05 · Questions

Disney California Adventure or Dorney Park?

Which is better, Disney California Adventure or Dorney Park?

If you are judging on queues, Dorney Park: it averages about 20 minutes a ride on a typical day against 26 at Disney California Adventure, roughly 6 minutes back on every queue you join. Disney California Adventure has 21 rides with recorded waits against 13 at Dorney Park. Dorney Park also runs its rides more reliably - 90% of opening hours against 75%.

Which has shorter queues, Disney California Adventure or Dorney Park?

Dorney Park, by about 6 minutes a ride. On a typical day Dorney Park averages 20 minutes against 26 at Disney California Adventure. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Disney California Adventure best time to visit and Dorney Park best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

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

Is Disney California Adventure bigger than Dorney Park?

By rides we track waits for, Disney California Adventure is the bigger day out: 21 rides against 13. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Dorney Park 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.

Disney California Adventure calendarDorney Park calendarCompare other parks
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