For those who have been to MK recently....

[soar2014]

There was a post this weekend from someone who said they were in the park for an ADR and when they got out between 8:30 and 8:45, the Rope had already dropped and there were lines already forming at the rides. Anyone have a different experience, or same?

 

[CAS239]

It's very possible. Rope drops are not always right on time, they can be done ahead of scheduled time. And there's also morning EMH to keep track of.

This is a reason why I wouldn't try to do a breakfast before rope drop to try to get a jump before the crowds.

 

[JenniferinFL]

There was a post this weekend from someone who said they were in the park for an ADR and when they got out between 8:30 and 8:45, the Rope had already dropped and there were lines already forming at the rides. Anyone have a different experience, or same?

More than likely what happened is that when they made their ADR the park had an opening time of 9 which got changed. We had that happen to us May 2nd. We had an 8:05 ADR and the park was supposed to open at 9 when we made our reservation, but, the park opening got changed to 8 and we didn't know until we arrived. This Saturday that happened as well. The opening time for Magic Kingdom on Saturday the 9th was 8 am, but originally it was supposed to be 9 AM. What happened was they got into the park at 8 AM for their ADR, but that was when rope drop was as well.

I've seen people getting into the park about 5-8 minutes earlier, but I haven't seen earlier than that.

 

[minnie mum]

Official opening time and actual rope drop time are rarely, if ever, the same time. Guests are usually allowed thru the tapstiles anywhere from 10-20 minutes early.

When we were there in early March, we were almost always at our first ride of the day before 9:00.

 

[brockash]

There was a post this weekend from someone who said they were in the park for an ADR and when they got out between 8:30 and 8:45, the Rope had already dropped and there were lines already forming at the rides. Anyone have a different experience, or same?

This happened to us this past Sept. One of our MK days we had an 8am BBB appointment, and we were out around 830 and were held at the rope in FL. About 845 we could hear and see the crowds entering the park from rope drop. On our other MK day, later that week, we had 8am Crystal Palace ADR, and while in previous years we've been able to leave around 850 and beat the rope drop crowd, this past year we were out of there by 850, but ppl. were already in the park as rope drop had already happened. I assumed they started doing it earlier due to 7DMT.

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

We visited MK 3 times last June. 2 times we had ADRs before park opening. Every day we were there, they let people in around 8:45. This has been the norm for a couple years for us at Epcot and HS but this was the first year we experience MK letting people in before the 9:00 opening time.

 

[NJlauren]

On our last day we went to the MK opening show and then back to the contemporary. We did not enter the park.

We were BACK at the hotel before 9. I would say the show was over and done by 840. So if you had a prepark breakfast there's a good chance you don't have much of an advantage.

 

[wareagle57]

I saw that post, and I'm pretty sure the poster was just mistaken. Yes, sometimes RD happens early. But not more than 15-20 minutes early. And even when it does, I'm pretty sure they still hold you at internal rope drops for the different lands. In December RD was early but we had to wait about 5 minutes to get into Adventureland. Though maybe that's not true for FL since people have to be able to get to BOG.

 

[mom2mickeyfan]

On our day that we didn't have a ADR before RD, we were walked as a group to the mine train. We were probably on the 3rd or 4th run of the morning and we off and headed to our 2nd ride by about 10 minutes after official park opening. But from what I remember, folks were let in about 8:45.

 

[Alli76]

We had an 8:10 Adr at crystal palace on Sunday may 3. We got out no later than 8:45 and there were no rope drop crowds yet. We took a couple of pics around the hub and sword in the stone and then saw the crowds coming so mixed with the SDMT people.

 

[anniemae]

This happened to us at Epcot. We were walking up to the gate at a couple of minutes before opening and they had clearly been open for a while. I guess it is common for them to open 15-20 minutes prior to the "official" opening.

 

[twirly123]

In April we rode SDMT and were in the queue for PP at 8.57 - was on first SDMT train so I suspect we must have been on the ride at 8.50.

 

[itchin2go]

Official opening time and actual rope drop time are rarely, if ever, the same time. Guests are usually allowed thru the tapstiles anywhere from 10-20 minutes early.

When we were there in early March, we were almost always at our first ride of the day before 9:00.

I agree. I have long read that opening early is commonplace (maybe even the norm), so we lined up nice and early for rope drop. We were always let in ahead of schedule. My perception was that it was no more than 10 minutes early, but our last experience was just a few days in November. I would guess that it could vary.

I will say that opening 30 minutes ahead of schedule would surprise me, and would alter how early we lined up for our next trip - if it turns out to be the norm. 15 minutes would seem to be in line with what I read in preparation for my trip.

 

[EPCP]

In my experience parks almost always open a bit early. When I worked at EPCOT if there were an abnormal amount of people waiting for rope drop they would open early to get all the people in and causing problem at the entrance.

 

[WEDWDW]

There was a post this weekend from someone who said they were in the park for an ADR and when they got out between 8:30 and 8:45, the Rope had already dropped and there were lines already forming at the rides. Anyone have a different experience, or same?

"Between" 8:30 and 8:45 is a large time span-I wonder why they weren't more specific.

Magic Kingdom Welcome is curently at 8:40 finishing about 8:47.

My "guess" is the Guest saw the Guests from BOG,CRT and CP forming lines and boarding ahead of the Main Gate Line.

The day I went to BOG,we started boarding SDMT around 8:50 just ahead of the Main Gate Line.

"IF" the Main Gate Line was boarding rides by "8:30-8:45",that certainly is not the "norm".

http://wdwent.com/mk/mk.htm

 

[maxiesmom]

I saw the same thing last week. We tried to get to MK at 8:45 to see the show, and we had already missed it. I was bummed, but now I know to aim for half an hour before park open.

 

[Buffalo2Disney]

We just recently returned from a 9 day trip in which we hit up rope drop every single day. We were let into the parks generally 10-15 minutes before 9AM. Sometimes we were held at the attractions until 9AM sometimes we were allowed into the attractions before 9AM.

When we were let into the attractions before 9AM we were already done and walking off our first attraction right around 9AM.

 

[itchin2go]

"Between" 8:30 and 8:45 is a large time span-I wonder why they weren't more specific.

Magic Kingdom Welcome is curently at 8:40 finishing about 8:47.

My "guess" is the Guest saw the Guests from BOG,CRT and CP forming lines and boarding ahead of the Main Gate Line.

The day I went to BOG,we started boarding SDMT around 8:50 just ahead of the Main Gate Line.

"IF" the Main Gate Line was boarding rides by "8:30-8:45",that certainly is not the "norm".

http://wdwent.com/mk/mk.htm

I thought I read something similar to what the OP read, but I went looking for it and couldn't find it.

My recollection was that the poster on that thread came out of BOG after a pre-park opening breakfast and that crowds were already in MK. I thought the time mentioned was 8:45. I don't remember reading anything about 8:30, but I am going strictly off of memory and we know how reliable that is.

Now, 8:45 on one person's watch/phone may be 8:50 on someone else's (or 8:40 on someone else's). I doubt our watches and phones are set perfectly at all times. Just a thought.

Regardless, I don't think I'm going out on a limb when I say that MK routinely opens before the scheduled opening time.

 

[bjs1228]

So, we have 2 pre-park opening ADRs at MK in a couple of weeks. To be safe, we should try to be finished by 8:40, correct? Thanks!

 

[itchin2go]

So, we have 2 pre-park opening ADRs at MK in a couple of weeks. To be safe, we should try to be finished by 8:40, correct? Thanks!

As early as possible.