Lines for attractions have grown longer at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure since the Anaheim theme parks introduced a new paid Genie+ line-cutting service, according to an analysis of data released by Disney.
Average wait times increased 20% from 2019 to 2022 at Disneyland and Disney California Adventure, according to data collected by WDW Stats.
WDW Stats scrapes wait times released through the Disneyland mobile app and tracks ride stoppages at the Anaheim theme parks. Disneyland doesn’t share internal metrics or discuss crowd levels and ride downtimes.
Attraction wait times rose at the Disneyland Resort from a monthly average of 25 minutes in 2019 to 30 minutes in 2022, according to average monthly data collected by WDW Stats.
Average wait times at Disneyland tend to be a bit lower than Disney California Adventure — which has fewer rides.
Disneyland wait times were fairly consistent before the pandemic, settling in around an average of 23 minutes in 2018 and 2019, according to an analysis of WDW Stats data.
After the pandemic closure of 2020, Disneyland wait times trended down slightly to an average of 21 minutes in 2021 when the park returned with state-mandated attendance restrictions, according to WDW Stats data.
Crunching the numbers for 2022 shows that Disneyland wait times have increased to an average of 28 minutes for a 22% increase since 2019, according to an analysis of WDW Stats data.
Disney California Adventure wait times increased at a lower rate from 2019 to 2022 — but longer lines at DCA contributed to an overall higher average wait time across the Disneyland resort, the WDW Stats data shows.
In December 2021 Disneyland introduced the paid Genie+ front-of-the-line service that allows visitors to save time and avoid waiting.
Average wait times at Disneyland and DCA hovered below 20 minutes in August and September 2021 during one of the typically slower times of the year at the parks, according to WDW Stats data. Average waits consistently remained above 25 minutes throughout 2022, according to WDW Stats data.
While the five-minute jump in wait times at the Disneyland resort from 2019 to 2022 might not seem like a lot, it can add up while riding a string of attractions over the course of a day at Disneyland and DCA.
A 20% increase in wait times only amounts to a few minutes on less popular rides with short lines — but the sharp hike has a bigger impact on more popular attractions with wait times that can stretch to an hour or more.
Popular new rides like Rise of the Resistance and Web Slingers each have average wait times of 77 minutes, according to Thrill Data.
The record wait times for Radiator Springs Racers and Guardians of the Galaxy — Mission: Breakout have both reached four hours, according to Thrill Data.
