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Park Queue TimesPQT

Disney California Adventure
vs
Lake Compounce

On a typical day Lake Compounce queues less: about 16 minutes a ride against 24 at Disney California Adventure, a difference of roughly 8 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 Lake Compounce compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyDisney California AdventureUnited StatesLake CompounceUnited States
Average wait per ride 24 min16 min (best of the two)
Rides with recorded waits 2225 (best of the two)
Longest typical queue Guardians of the Galaxy - Monsters After Dark73 minBoulder Dash37 min
Shortest typical queue Jessie's Critter Carousel5 minRainbow Riders5 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running79% (best of the two)67%

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 Lake Compounce compared on live queue times
Right nowDisney California AdventureUnited StatesLake CompounceUnited 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 Lake Compounce queues less: about 16 minutes a ride against 24 at Disney California Adventure, a difference of roughly 8 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 16 at Lake Compounce - for what Disney California Adventure has that Lake Compounce does not
  • You would rather not find rides shut: Disney California Adventure's rides run 79% of opening hours against 67% at Lake Compounce
  • 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 Lake Compounce if…

  • You want shorter queues: Lake Compounce averages 16 minutes a ride against 24 at Disney California Adventure
  • You want more to do: 25 rides here have recorded wait data against 22 at Disney California Adventure
  • Boulder Dash is on your list - it is Lake Compounce's longest typical queue at about 37 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Lake Compounce'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

Lake Compounce

Lake Compounce in Bristol, Connecticut, opened in 1846 and is the oldest continuously operating amusement park in North America. Boulder Dash is the standout, a wooden coaster that runs along the side of the mountain, alongside the 1927 Wildcat, the triple-launch Phobia Phear and Thunder N Lightning. The park also has the Crocodile Cove water park, and in the autumn it adds Halloween haunts on select dates.

Summer weekends and the July holiday week are the busiest. Weekdays in June and the autumn weekends before the haunts open are quieter. Check the live queue times before you go and use the crowd calendar to choose a day.

Lake Compounce live queue times

05 · Questions

Disney California Adventure or Lake Compounce?

Which is better, Disney California Adventure or Lake Compounce?

If you are judging on queues, Lake Compounce: it averages about 16 minutes a ride on a typical day against 24 at Disney California Adventure, roughly 8 minutes back on every queue you join. Disney California Adventure has 22 rides with recorded waits against 25 at Lake Compounce. Disney California Adventure also runs its rides more reliably - 79% of opening hours against 67%.

Which has shorter queues, Disney California Adventure or Lake Compounce?

Lake Compounce, by about 8 minutes a ride. On a typical day Lake Compounce averages 16 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 Lake Compounce best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

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

Is Disney California Adventure bigger than Lake Compounce?

By rides we track waits for, Lake Compounce is the bigger day out: 25 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 Lake Compounce 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 calendar