Are rope drops still necessary?

[cm4lfie]

I am heading to the World mid October and although I've always gotten to the oarks for rope drop, I've never really really that aspect. Is it still necessary with the reduced crowds? I guess specifically for ROTR and FOP.

 

[golex]

For the parks that open at 9am there is still a rope drop benefit, but for the later opening parks (HS & Epcot) the best wait times will be just before park closing.

https://twitter.com/x/status/1307818203683459072

 

[yulilin3]

I am heading to the World mid October and although I've always gotten to the oarks for rope drop, I've never really really that aspect. Is it still necessary with the reduced crowds? I guess specifically for ROTR and FOP.

RD is always a benefit cause you get the attractions at a 0 wait time to start, also some attractions are opened even before official opening time so you can get several attractions done before 9am. Closures throughout the day will impact wait times later in the day. I say goi early and stay until closing are the 2 best times

 

[disneygirlsng]

I am heading to the World mid October and although I've always gotten to the oarks for rope drop, I've never really really that aspect. Is it still necessary with the reduced crowds? I guess specifically for ROTR and FOP.

For ROTR especially, I would say yes you need to be there at rope drop for sure. They do have a BG release at 2 as well, but depending on how the ride is running that day, they may have limited spots released or decreased likelihood of those later groups being called.
Overall I was glad I got there at least 30-45 min early for every park, got the longest wait rides done with minimal to no waiting.

 

[lynzi2004]

For a weekend, hands down rope drop is your BEST friend. There may be a little more wiggle room on weekdays, but if RoTR is a priority at all there is literally no reason to not be in the park before 10am. I would say AK is the one place you could be later but if I wasn’t going to get there by open, I wouldn’t get there till closer to lunch time and just ride at the end of the day. I wouldn’t show up at AK at 10am for example, bc there’s going to be lines everywhere. But by 1-2pm they “should” start clearing enough that you could do all the rides before close.

 

[monkyby87]

I think Rope Drop will always be beneficial, no matter how low the crowds or what's going on. Despite everything, you still have the added benefit of being early when others aren't there yet or are just arriving. That advantage probably won't ever change really. You may find the lines take a little longer to get going and really get high wait times, but RD is still going to be a good way.

 

[Tormania]

Rope Drop is ALWAYS a winning strategy IMHO. And with the shortened hours there is even less loss of sleep in order to rope drop everyday, which we always do anyway. I'd rather rope drop and still tour how I normally do and later in the day realize they we are way ahead of schedule and can slow the pace rather than drag in late in the morning and then by the end of the day wish we had rope dropped to begin with. You can ALWAYS leave the park before close if you got everything done and your day is over by doing rope drop, but if you arrive late and run out of time for your plans, no recourse at the end of the day. YMMV.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

I'll disagree slightly with everyone else to say there are times when I have intentionally skipped RD due to weather. October should be decent weather, but sometimes in winter and/or very rainy mornings it sometimes pays to wait a little past RD, if it means avoiding a downpour or avoiding the worst of the chilly air.

The only exception is for HS.

With limited hours, going later is a trade -off, but if it makes you happy...

Much of the time, we aim to arrive JUST a few minutes after RD. Just after the rushers have left the gate. I've never felt like we missed out on attractions. I find the RD folks can be a bit unpleasantly aggressive and self-absorbed with being first, and that abrasiveness doesn't feel very magical to me. Arriving just after they've left the gate is a more pleasant way to start the morning.

 

[yulilin3]

I'll disagree slightly with everyone else to say there are times when I have intentionally skipped RD due to weather. October should be decent weather, but sometimes in winter and/or very rainy mornings it sometimes pays to wait a little past RD, if it means avoiding a downpour or avoiding the worst of the chilly air.

The only exception is for HS.

With limited hours, going later is a trade -off, but if it makes you happy...

Much of the time, we aim to arrive JUST a few minutes after RD. Just after the rushers have left the gate. I've never felt like we missed out on attractions. I find the RD folks can be a bit unpleasantly aggressive and self-absorbed with being first, and that abrasiveness doesn't feel very magical to me. Arriving just after they've left the gate is a more pleasant way to start the morning.

There's no holding you at the entrance right now, as soon as bag check is open the park is open.
But obviously everyone has a different approach and everyone should do what works best for what they want to accomplish on the day

 

[soniam]

As others have said, DO ROPE DROP. Parks are opening anywhere from 15-45 minutes before official opening, usually at least 30. You will gain a massive benefit from this, not to mention delays later in the day due to weather, ride breakdowns, and MDE issues. We went in July, when it was a ghost town, and rope drop was still worth it every single day. If you get stuff done early, it just means that you can swim or go to Disney Springs in the evening. Or even get to bed earlier I know sleep, right? It's usually a luxury on a WDW vacation.