DCA Rope Drop in the Post EE Era

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

My crew will be visiting in April and I'm debating our DCA RD strategy.

For context, we have hoppers with LLMP, but were hoping to save the money on LLSP. We're going with friends who have never ridden RSR, so the kids want to ride it at least once all together. I'm also very good at using LLMP (I have my priorities, drop times, etc all laid out) so I'm confident I'll be able to grab all of those rides over the course of the visit.

Given all of that, what do you think about us RDing RSR on our DCA morning? I know it's always a jumbo line, but it's still going to be the least wait of the day to do it without paying or single ridering, right? If it's down at open, we can do the rest of Cars Land and keep our eyes on when RSR comes up. When I look at other RD options, they would allow us re-rides on LLMP, but I think riding RSR together is more important to the kids than getting a second shot at LLMP rides.

I'm also struggling to find info on the RSR RD in the post EE era. Presumably, the fact that hotel guests filled the line on EE mornings also meant that locals would actively target DCA on non-EE mornings, right? I'm wondering if the current RD is comparable to what a non-EE day was in the beforetimes or if it's slightly better, now that there aren't incentives to pick DLR or DCA on a given day of the week.

Thoughts?

 

[MonocularVision]

I think that main issue with rope dropping RSR is the tendency for it to be down at open. Post EE it definitely seems like a better option, but you are still gambling on it being open.

 

[VGCgroupie]

I have not done post EE rope drop but I did rope drop for for RSR while entering after EE had already begun so like half way between EE and opening time. We always had major success riding RSR doing this. No other ride is worth waking up early and running for IMO.

 

[NVDISFamily]

RSR is a great ride but there is way more value to have in other areas of the park in that time of the AM. My family also thinks RSR is better at night. We did it multiple nights in a row and and also in the late evening in multiple past trips. One time we got in line right as the first round of WOC was starting at 9pm and the wait was posted at 90 min and it was only a 25/30 min wait (this was in July 2025 as we were hosting family for the 70th). During our last trip in November we rode it 3 nights in a row, got in the line around 2 to 3 before park close. Each time the wait was posted as well over an hour and the average wait was 15 to 20 min.

I'm torn on where the best value is in the AM at DCA but it's either Tower/Guardians and work your way towards the Pier with Soarin/Monsters in the mix, or hit sky school and work around the whole Pier well before 10am. Usually we let the kids do 2 or 3 rides on Sky School if we start there as often in the AM there is no line and they will let the kids stay on and go another round if there is no people waiting to get on....

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Each time the wait was posted as well over an hour and the average wait was 15 to 20 min.

This is great to know! We also want to try for an evening ride but assumed we'd single rider it at that point because of the wait times. I think we'll plan to single rider while eyeballing the actual queue for the possibility of a re-ride.

I'm torn on where the best value is in the AM at DCA but it's either Tower/Guardians and work your way towards the Pier with Soarin/Monsters in the mix, or hit sky school and work around the whole Pier well before 10am. Usually we let the kids do 2 or 3 rides on Sky School if we start there as often in the AM there is no line and they will let the kids stay on and go another round if there is no people waiting to get on....

We have two DCA mornings, one with our friends and one without. We'll likely head to sky school on our family-only morning, but the kids have strong feelings about riding RSR with the friends and I'm worried that, if we push it for a night ride, it'll be down when we get over there. Our only other Cali trip, RSR was in refurb most of our trip and came back the last day. When it was running, it opened 90 minutes late and went down before sunset without ever coming back online. It's possible I'm convinced RSR only runs 5 hours a day based on that visit

 

[twodogs]

This is great to know! We also want to try for an evening ride but assumed we'd single rider it at that point because of the wait times. I think we'll plan to single rider while eyeballing the actual queue for the possibility of a re-ride.



We have two DCA mornings, one with our friends and one without. We'll likely head to sky school on our family-only morning, but the kids have strong feelings about riding RSR with the friends and I'm worried that, if we push it for a night ride, it'll be down when we get over there. Our only other Cali trip, RSR was in refurb most of our trip and came back the last day. When it was running, it opened 90 minutes late and went down before sunset without ever coming back online. It's possible I'm convinced RSR only runs 5 hours a day based on that visit

I agree with your assessment! We have had the issue of Test Track on a WDW trip going down while we were in line near park close on the first trip that our DDs were brave enough to ride it. It was the last night of our trip…. So they had to wait a year to actually ride it!!

RD can be a good strategy for RSR if your group can be near the front of the rope (are you early risers?) and move quickly and stay together in the scrum that is the “walk” to the ride. Sometimes it does not open at RD, so that can sabotage the best laid plans, as you already know. However, it can be worth a try! Night rides are a different experience than daytime rides, and one that I highly recommend also, but there is the risk that it goes down (and you have only 2 nights to try?). Single rider is an option, depending on the ages of your kids, as well as their confidence to ride alone (especially if there is a ride breakdown and they have to sit for a prolonged time with strangers and/or evacuate the ride without a parent in the car). We have done Single Rider now that our DDs are much older (now 18 and 20), but we all agree that it is just not nearly as fun for us to ride separately. So we either ride together (by RD, late night, wait in SB or LLSP), or we don’t ride it. YMMV.

I think you could try RD the first day, doing LLSP or riding it near park close that night as your back up plan if it is down at RD. If you do get on at RD, and everyone loves it (they will!), you can try for a re-ride with LLSP or near park close or just play Heads Up Disney version for an hour in standby!

Have a great trip!

 

[Jawwdoc]

Rope drop @ RSR post EE should be very similar to rope drop on a non-EE day in the past. A successful RSR rope drop requires: 1)”rope dropping the rope drop” plan to be at security by 6:45 so you are well positioned at the main gate of DCA. If you are staying at the GCH, do not use the CGH to DCA secuirty entrance, use the GCH to DTD security entrance and then the main DCA gate. 2) Scan into DCA and walk briskly to the RSR rope, there will be cast members wearing RSR uniforms and holding a rope across the parade route after Carthay Circle but before the entrance to Avengers Campus. 3)Once the rope drops at 8:00 am, it is a bit of a free-for-all/mad dash to RSR, watch out for strollers and slippery pavement, if you or a member of your crew are not fast walkers you will get passed by a quite a few guests. 4) Keep you fingers crossed that RSR is open at rope drop, the cast members at the rope are usually pretty good about informing guests if RSR won’t be operational at rope drop. 5) Have a plan B if RSR is down at RD (Webslingers or GotG are nearby E-ticket attractions to consider. 6) Have fun

 

[Wedgeout]

Stay away from rope drop RSR in DCA as much as avoiding ROTR in Disneyland. (Those are each park’s mass swarm at the 8:00am drops).

With that said, your sweet spot to go to those is between 9:30am-10:00am. (Do a heat check on lines then). Otherwise check around lunchtime & just prior to that ride’s closing time). RSR is a better experience after sunset anyway.

Guardians is still the overall better choice over Radiator Springs. Another excellent rope drop destination (even getting in multiple re-rides) isToy Story Mania & the Pixar area attractions.

If sole purpose is RSR, you get to the DCA gates right after security opens 7:00am. Head straight up to the right side half of the rope after scan in (starts by 7:30am). Follow the RSR cast members to the ride at 8:00am.

(Now even a not so intelligent one will see you took an hour of your day for this, equivalent to a 60 minute posted wait time anyway. But did get a jump on your day!).

IMO, the best attractions to rope drop are Guardians, Soaring, Toy Story Mania, and Incredicoaster.

 

[TheOneWithTheTriplets]

Thanks everyone. I may have to really talk with my kids about letting this one be single rider. LLSP for 7 people is just so much money, but I really dislike RDing *the* attraction at a given park. It just stinks that there's truly no consistent (non-LLSP) strategy that works for RSR with all of the downtime: RD could bust, end of night could bust, you just don't' know.