How crowded will it be at RD (6 am) on May 22nd?

[Masonmj84]

Our trip is May 17-22 and originally we were not planning on going into a park on the 22nd (didn't want to deal with the crowds) but I really want to ride the Matterhorn (haven't been on this since I was a child) and it is currently not scheduled to reopen until that date.

We're probably not going to be at the front of the line at RD since its going to be tough to get the kids up that early (especially after they've already been at Disney all week). But I'm hoping to be in the park as early as possible after 6 am.

I suspect the Matterhorn line will be bad from the get-go since it will be reopening that day. But its hard for me to guess how bad, given the unusual combination of circumstances. It's also hard for me to predict the pattern of that particular line for the first 2-3 hours the park is open. Will it be like a hockey stick (worse between 6 and 7 than between 7 and 8, then build throughout the day after that) or will it just build from the get-go.

For example, if I arrive at the park at 6:15 and the Matterhorn line is already an hour, would I be better off riding something else first and hoping the line goes down a little later in the morning or should I just figure it's never going to get any better and get in line?

I've never been to any of these "special event" kinds of days and have no clue how crowded things will be early in the morning. I know it will be a lot more crowded than a typical morning but I don't know how much more crowded.

 

[SMD]

Depending on the promotion that Disney announces you may not be able to just walk in the park at 6:15. If the line is an hour at 7am and the ride is a priority, I would just wait. The ride could go down or the line could get longer later. Yes, it could also be only 40 minutes after you get off, but why risk it being longer or not being able to ride at all when you're going for that one ride. You can also see if single rider is available.

 

[figment_jii]

With this 24-hour day being the kickoff to the 60th anniversary celebration, it's hard to say exactly how crowds will be at opening. If this year is anything like last year, there was a good sized crowd in the Esplanade waiting to get into the parks at 6:00 am, but the crowds inside the park themselves weren't that bad shortly there after. It seemed like a lot of folks came to be there at opening, probably do a ride or two, and then head off to work/school. My guess says that the morning will probably be okay this year as well. I am expecting to see more guests at opening at rope drop this year because of all of the food and merchandise that will be debuting that day, but I don't know if that's going to translate to really long lines first thing in the morning. I would probably get there as close to 6:00 am as you can and then play it by ear from there.

 

[Masonmj84]

You can also see if single rider is available.

I'm starting to think that single rider is the way to play this (hopefully a single rider line will be open).

 

[agamble]

We're going the exact same days, and also originally planned to skip Friday. We added Friday because of the parade and fireworks though since Matterhorn was supposed to be open before then. We do not plan to get to the parks anywhere near 6am, probably closer to 7:30-8am after breakfast and checking out of the hotel. I'm hoping that it will be as Figment mentioned, lighter crowds earlier in the day with a surge after work and school end.

One other thought is to hang around that area of the park on Thursday. It is possible that Matterhorn could open on Thursday evening. If you can do single rider that is of course the quickest option. My Daughter (almost 5) is the one who is itching to ride Matterhorn though, and she can't do single rider, so my husband and her will have to wait it out.

 

[AmericanItGirl]

I'm starting to think that single rider is the way to play this (hopefully a single rider line will be open).

Even if you don't see a single rider line formed, it doesn't hurt to ask. For the 24-hour day last year, I went over to the Matterhorn around 8 am and asked if there was a single rider line that day (the regular line was already pretty long and there wasn't already a single rider line set up). The CM said something along the lines of "sure, why not" and let me in as a single rider (I was able to get on the ride 2 vehicle rounds after I got in line).

 

[figment_jii]

I also second the recommendation to ask about the SRL, but it's the one SRL I've been in that can be very fast or very slow depending on how the groups in the regular line are distributed. I've had almost no wait to having to wait 25 minutes with only two others in front of me. If the SRL extends to the turnstiles, they will generally suspend the SRL until it clears out somewhat. I've seen that happen and the CM said the SRL line was a minimum of 45 minutes at that point, so they would closing it until later.

 

[taniahappy]

Hope its not that bad, we plan to arrive around 5pm to have time to park and be there as soon as it opens!

 

[starshine514]

Just a note about the Matterhorn reopening. We were there on the day it opened from its big refurb (when they replaced the ride vehicles). We went straight there that morning. It wasn't open. I think it was a couple hours before it opened. So, the first day back, you can't always count on hitting it first. You can try, but don't be too disappointed if it opens late.

We're going to try to be there shortly after rope drop that morning, too!