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Park Queue TimesPQT

Disney California Adventure
vs
Dorney Park

On a typical day Dorney Park queues less: about 11 minutes a ride against 24 at Disney California Adventure, a difference of roughly 13 minutes on every queue you join.

See both right now

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 24 min11 min (best of the two)
Rides with recorded waits 22 (best of the two)10
Longest typical queue Guardians of the Galaxy - Monsters After Dark73 minWild Mouse24 min
Shortest typical queue Jessie's Critter Carousel5 minSnoopy's Rocket Express7 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running79% (best of the two)70%

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 11 minutes a ride against 24 at Disney California Adventure, a difference of roughly 13 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 - 24 minutes a ride here against 11 at Dorney Park - for what Disney California Adventure has that Dorney Park does not
  • You want more to do: 22 rides here have recorded wait data against 10 at Dorney Park
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Disney California Adventure's rides run 79% of opening hours against 70% at Dorney Park
  • Guardians of the Galaxy - Monsters After Dark is on your list - it is Disney California Adventure's longest typical queue at about 73 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Disney California Adventure's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Dorney Park if…

  • You want shorter queues: Dorney Park averages 11 minutes a ride against 24 at Disney California Adventure
  • Wild Mouse is on your list - it is Dorney Park's longest typical queue at about 24 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.

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

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 11 minutes a ride on a typical day against 24 at Disney California Adventure, roughly 13 minutes back on every queue you join. Disney California Adventure has 22 rides with recorded waits against 10 at Dorney Park. Disney California Adventure also runs its rides more reliably - 79% of opening hours against 70%.

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

Dorney Park, by about 13 minutes a ride. On a typical day Dorney Park averages 11 minutes against 24 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: 22 rides against 10. 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 calendar