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Park Queue TimesPQT

Disney California Adventure
vs
Epcot

On a typical day Disney California Adventure queues less: about 24 minutes a ride against 33 at Epcot, a difference of roughly 9 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 Epcot compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyDisney California AdventureUnited StatesEpcotUnited States
Average wait per ride 24 min (best of the two)33 min
Rides with recorded waits 20 (best of the two)11
Longest typical queue Radiator Springs Racers65 minGuardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind79 min
Shortest typical queue Jessie's Critter Carousel5 minGran Fiesta Tour Starring The Three Caballeros8 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running88%94% (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 Epcot compared on live queue times
Right nowDisney California AdventureUnited StatesEpcotUnited 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 24 minutes a ride against 33 at Epcot, a difference of roughly 9 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 want shorter queues: Disney California Adventure averages 24 minutes a ride against 33 at Epcot
  • You want more to do: 20 rides here have recorded wait data against 11 at Epcot
  • Radiator Springs Racers is on your list - it is Disney California Adventure's longest typical queue at about 65 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 Epcot if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 33 minutes a ride here against 24 at Disney California Adventure - for what Epcot has that Disney California Adventure does not
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Epcot's rides run 94% of opening hours against 88% at Disney California Adventure
  • Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind is on your list - it is Epcot's longest typical queue at about 79 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Epcot'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

Epcot

EPCOT sits at the centre of Walt Disney World, split between Future World (with Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind, Test Track, Spaceship Earth, Soarin', and Frozen Ever After) and the World Showcase - eleven pavilions themed around countries including Japan, Germany, France, and the UK. Flower & Garden, Food & Wine and Festival of the Holidays events run through much of the year.

EPCOT's biggest crowd drivers are its festivals rather than just ride popularity. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind consistently posts the longest wait times in the park. Check live queue times on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a lower-crowd date outside the peak festival weekends - the World Showcase pavilions can take a full afternoon to properly explore.

Epcot live queue times

05 · Questions

Disney California Adventure or Epcot?

Which is better, Disney California Adventure or Epcot?

If you are judging on queues, Disney California Adventure: it averages about 24 minutes a ride on a typical day against 33 at Epcot, roughly 9 minutes back on every queue you join. Disney California Adventure has 20 rides with recorded waits against 11 at Epcot. Epcot also runs its rides more reliably - 94% of opening hours against 88%.

Which has shorter queues, Disney California Adventure or Epcot?

Disney California Adventure, by about 9 minutes a ride. On a typical day Disney California Adventure averages 24 minutes against 33 at Epcot. 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 Epcot best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

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

Is Disney California Adventure bigger than Epcot?

By rides we track waits for, Disney California Adventure is the bigger day out: 20 rides against 11. 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.

Disney California Adventure calendarEpcot calendarCompare other parks