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Park Queue TimesPQT

Disneyland Park
vs
Magic Kingdom

On a typical day Disneyland Park queues less: about 18 minutes a ride against 21 at Magic Kingdom, a difference of roughly 3 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.

Disneyland Park and Magic Kingdom compared on their typical recorded queue times
TypicallyDisneyland ParkUnited StatesMagic KingdomUnited States
Average wait per ride 18 min (best of the two)21 min
Rides with recorded waits 34 (best of the two)23
Longest typical queue Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance43 minTRON Lightcycle / Run56 min
Shortest typical queue Davy Crockett's Explorer Canoes5 minPrince Charming Regal Carrousel7 min
Average ride uptime Share of opening hours a ride is running89%91% (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.

Disneyland Park and Magic Kingdom compared on live queue times
Right nowDisneyland ParkUnited StatesMagic KingdomUnited 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 Disneyland Park queues less: about 18 minutes a ride against 21 at Magic Kingdom, a difference of roughly 3 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 Disneyland Park if…

  • You want shorter queues: Disneyland Park averages 18 minutes a ride against 21 at Magic Kingdom
  • You want more to do: 34 rides here have recorded wait data against 23 at Magic Kingdom
  • Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is on your list - it is Disneyland Park's longest typical queue at about 43 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Disneyland Park's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

Pick Magic Kingdom if…

  • You will accept a longer queue - 21 minutes a ride here against 18 at Disneyland Park - for what Magic Kingdom has that Disneyland Park does not
  • TRON Lightcycle / Run is on your list - it is Magic Kingdom's longest typical queue at about 56 minutes, so it is the one to do first
  • You want Magic Kingdom's own character - the rides, theming and atmosphere described below

04 · The parks

What each one is.

Disneyland Park

Disneyland Park in Anaheim, California is the original Disney park, opened in 1955 and still built around the hub-and-spoke layout every later castle park copied. It is compact by Disney standards, which means a lot of classic rides in a small space: Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Indiana Jones Adventure, Pirates of the Caribbean, the Haunted Mansion and the Matterhorn Bobsleds are all within a few minutes' walk of each other. Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge added Rise of the Resistance and Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, and Tiana's Bayou Adventure took over the old Splash Mountain flume.

Because locals visit on annual passes as well as tourists, weekends and school holidays fill the park quickly and queue times at the headline rides can pass an hour by late morning. Check the live wait times before you set off and use the crowd calendar to find the quieter weekdays.

Disneyland Park live queue times

Magic Kingdom

Magic Kingdom is the original Florida Disney park, opened in 1971, and still the most-visited theme park in the world. The classic line-up is iconic: Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, Pirates of the Caribbean, Haunted Mansion, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, TRON Lightcycle / Run, and Tiana's Bayou Adventure. Cinderella Castle anchors the central hub with nightly fireworks.

Magic Kingdom is busy almost every day of the year, with peak crowds during US school holidays, the December holidays, and special events like Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party. Mid-January through early February is the quietest period. Check live wait times across Disney's free Lightning Lane system, and use our crowd calendar to plan your visit around Disney's Extended Evening Hours and holiday patterns.

Magic Kingdom live queue times

05 · Questions

Disneyland Park or Magic Kingdom?

Which is better, Disneyland Park or Magic Kingdom?

If you are judging on queues, Disneyland Park: it averages about 18 minutes a ride on a typical day against 21 at Magic Kingdom, roughly 3 minutes back on every queue you join. Disneyland Park has 34 rides with recorded waits against 23 at Magic Kingdom. Magic Kingdom also runs its rides more reliably - 91% of opening hours against 89%.

Which has shorter queues, Disneyland Park or Magic Kingdom?

Disneyland Park, by about 3 minutes a ride. On a typical day Disneyland Park averages 18 minutes against 21 at Magic Kingdom. Queues still move hour by hour, and a midweek day outside school holidays beats the gap at either park. See Disneyland Park best time to visit and Magic Kingdom best time to visit to pick a quiet day.

Can I visit Disneyland Park and Magic Kingdom 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 Disneyland Park and Magic Kingdom for the full ride lists.

Is Disneyland Park bigger than Magic Kingdom?

By rides we track waits for, Disneyland Park is the bigger day out: 34 rides against 23. Acreage matters less than how many you can actually get on, which comes down to queues and opening hours - and on those Disneyland 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.

Disneyland Park calendarMagic Kingdom calendarCompare other parks