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Park Queue TimesPQT

Disney California Adventure
vs
Hersheypark

On a typical day Hersheypark queues less: about 14 minutes a ride against 23 at Disney California Adventure, a difference of roughly 9 minutes on every queue you join.

See both right nowCompare other parks

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 Hersheypark compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyDisney California AdventureUnited StatesHersheyparkUnited States
Average wait per ride 23 min14 min (best of the two)
Rides with recorded waits 2050 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue Radiator Springs Racers65 minLaff Trakk - Dark Coaster48 min
Shortest typical queue Jessie's Critter Carousel5 minJolly Rancher Remix - Featuring Halloween Overlay5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running85% (best of the two)60%

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 Hersheypark compared on live queue times
Right nowDisney California AdventureUnited StatesHersheyparkUnited 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 Hersheypark queues less: about 14 minutes a ride against 23 at Disney California Adventure, 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 will accept a longer queue - 23 minutes a ride here against 14 at Hersheypark - for what Disney California Adventure has that Hersheypark does not
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Disney California Adventure's rides run 85% of opening hours against 60% at Hersheypark
  • 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 Hersheypark if…

  • You want shorter queues: Hersheypark averages 14 minutes a ride against 23 at Disney California Adventure
  • You want more to do: 50 rides here have recorded wait data against 20 at Disney California Adventure
  • Laff Trakk - Dark Coaster is on your list - it is Hersheypark's longest typical queue at about 48 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Hersheypark'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

Hersheypark

Hersheypark in Hershey, Pennsylvania was founded in 1906 as a leisure park for Milton Hershey's chocolate factory workers and has grown into one of the best coaster parks in the United States. It runs more than a dozen roller coasters: Skyrush and the racing wooden Lightning Racer, the launched Storm Runner and Fahrenheit, the classic Comet, the newer Candymonium and Wildcat's Revenge, and the Great Bear inverted coaster. The Boardwalk water park is included with admission.

The park is busiest on summer weekends and during Hersheypark in the Dark in October, and because it closes several rides early on some days, the schedule matters as much as the crowds. Check the live wait times before you go and use the crowd calendar to find a weekday when the big coasters run with short queues.

Hersheypark live queue times

05 · Questions

Disney California Adventure or Hersheypark?

Which is better, Disney California Adventure or Hersheypark?

If you are judging on queues, Hersheypark: it averages about 14 minutes a ride on a typical day against 23 at Disney California Adventure, roughly 9 minutes back on every queue you join. Disney California Adventure has 20 rides with recorded waits against 50 at Hersheypark. Disney California Adventure also runs its rides more reliably - 85% of opening hours against 60%.

Which has shorter queues, Disney California Adventure or Hersheypark?

Hersheypark, by about 9 minutes a ride. On a typical day Hersheypark averages 14 minutes against 23 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 Hersheypark best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

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

Is Disney California Adventure bigger than Hersheypark?

By rides we track waits for, Hersheypark is the bigger day out: 50 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 Hersheypark 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 calendarHersheypark calendarCompare other parks