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Park Queue TimesPQT

Disney California Adventure
vs
Kings Dominion

On a typical day Kings Dominion queues less: about 17 minutes a ride against 21 at Disney California Adventure, a difference of roughly 4 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 Kings Dominion compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyDisney California AdventureUnited StatesKings DominionUnited States
Average wait per ride 21 min17 min (best of the two)
Rides with recorded waits 2224 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue Radiator Springs Racers58 minRapterra35 min
Shortest typical queue Jessie's Critter Carousel5 minCarousel4 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running85% (best of the two)76%

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 Kings Dominion compared on live queue times
Right nowDisney California AdventureUnited StatesKings DominionUnited 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 Kings Dominion queues less: about 17 minutes a ride against 21 at Disney California Adventure, a difference of roughly 4 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 - 21 minutes a ride here against 17 at Kings Dominion - for what Disney California Adventure has that Kings Dominion does not
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Disney California Adventure's rides run 85% of opening hours against 76% at Kings Dominion
  • Radiator Springs Racers is on your list - it is Disney California Adventure's longest typical queue at about 58 minutes, so it is the one to do first

Pick Kings Dominion if…

  • You want shorter queues: Kings Dominion averages 17 minutes a ride against 21 at Disney California Adventure
  • You want more to do: 24 rides here have recorded wait data against 22 at Disney California Adventure
  • Rapterra is on your list - it is Kings Dominion's longest typical queue at about 35 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Kings Dominion's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

Kings Dominion

Kings Dominion sits in Doswell, Virginia, about 25 minutes north of Richmond. The park has one of the strongest regional coaster line-ups on the US East Coast: Intimidator 305 (a 305-foot giga coaster), Twisted Timbers (a Rocky Mountain Construction hybrid), Apple Zapple, Dominator (a 215-foot floorless coaster), and Racer 75. A Soak City water park is included with admission during summer.

Virginia summer school breaks, weekend visits from the DC / Richmond area, and the Halloween Haunt drive Kings Dominion's busiest periods. Weekdays in May, September and October are dramatically calmer. Check live queue times for Intimidator 305 and Twisted Timbers first thing on arrival, and use our crowd calendar to pick a midweek date for shorter waits.

Kings Dominion live queue times

05 · Questions

Disney California Adventure or Kings Dominion?

Which is better, Disney California Adventure or Kings Dominion?

If you are judging on queues, Kings Dominion: it averages about 17 minutes a ride on a typical day against 21 at Disney California Adventure, roughly 4 minutes back on every queue you join. Disney California Adventure has 22 rides with recorded waits against 24 at Kings Dominion. Disney California Adventure also runs its rides more reliably - 85% of opening hours against 76%.

Which has shorter queues, Disney California Adventure or Kings Dominion?

Kings Dominion, by about 4 minutes a ride. On a typical day Kings Dominion averages 17 minutes against 21 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 Kings Dominion best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

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

Is Disney California Adventure bigger than Kings Dominion?

By rides we track waits for, Kings Dominion is the bigger day out: 24 rides against 22. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Kings Dominion 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 calendarKings Dominion calendarCompare other parks