For veterans Rope Droppers How was this summer compared to last?

[MaryKatesMom]

Last summer we experienced a drop in the amount of things we could get done by mid-morning. This was especially true at EP and DHS.

DHS everyone just heads straight to TSM and with FP+ starting right at 9AM the standby lane took much, much longer not to mentioned they changed RD with a Frozen theme instead of the more orderly process of letting the turnstiles do their job and people trickling in.

EP with having to choose Soarin' or TT my family chose TT of course so we only did Soarin' once a day instead of our normal twice. Since that is my all time favorite I was of course bummed out.

28 days in the park and only 1 meh inconvenient 4th FP+.

So instead of WDW this summer we did other things but I was curious how this summer went. Did it get better, the same, or worse?

 

[MsMagical]

We didn't see a difference in the amount of rides we could get on in the morning this year but we didn't do rope drop at HS this year (though we did get there minutes after opening). A couple of days it was so "empty" at rope drop (in MK and Epcot) we actually got on EVERYTHING we want by 11:30 and left the park to swim, nap, and get ready for our dinner plans. We were there the third week in June so not all schools were out for summer yet and it did get progressively busier as the week went on. Still nothing like I expected from reviews of the "crowded" summer time though.

A side note. We have used magic bands and MDE since the testing phase and have never had any problems with them. This last trip though I saw marked improvment in general in the MDE/MM+/MB system. The app (and wifi) worked better all throughout the parks, the lines were smoother and there appeared to be less confusion and the access to kiosks in park was better. I think this made a big difference in standby lines. That's just my experience.

 

[MaryKatesMom]

I love the Magic Bands.

We went steadily right through from the announcement, the testing phase and the by the end of last summer it seemed like most of the glitches were gone.

 

[PurpleKomodo]

We were very successful with Rope Drop at Magic Kingdom. We were able to knock out several of our top choices in Fantasyland without Fastpasses including Peter Pan, Enchanted Tales with Belle, Little Mermaid. However, EPCOT was not so successful. We were there at Rope Drop with plans to hop straight on Test Track since we had FP+ for Soarin'. We entered the park at 8:45 (opening time at 9) and went straight there, but the line was already 45 minutes long. We were able to walk on in the single rider line, but that kept my 10 year old nephew from being able to ride as he did not want to ride alone. Luckily, we were able to get a couple of FPs for another day so he was able to ride, but I was surprised at how early the line built. A pre-opening ADR at Hollywood Studios helped get my nephew into a good time slot for Jedi Training Academy and gave all of us probably 5 walk on rides on Star Tours to get to see the different variations. I did not find Rope Drop necessary at Animal Kingdom.

 

[dprincessmom]

We rope dropped every morning and were pleased with our progress. We did MK everything we planned in the morning with 3 fp+ (including moving the times on the app to an earlier time). That got us out of the park a little earlier for our rest break and we left after BOG lunch after picking up a 4th FP+ for Big Thunder later in the evening when we returned.

We were done with AK and Epcot (Future World) by 1; HS stayed most of the day (with the exception of a 3 hour hop to MK after some amazing Pixie Dust landed in our laps) were able to pick up 4th FP+ for RNR for the late afternoon.

All in all, I didn't see an increase in what we were able to do but I did notice that by following easywdw's most recommended days we went at our pace and had a great time.

 

[Hootch]

I thought for the MK the first hour or so it was easy. So many people rushed to Seven Dwarves and A&E that other attractions were walk on.

At Epcot we walked quickly, not even close to jogging, and hit Soarin' for one of the earliest lift offs. No real wait at all. We had FP at Test Track then my daughter and I did Sum of all Thrills for a short wait.

DHS was unfortunate for us. Rockin' Roller Coaster was down all day. (Actually, for two and a half days.) We were there for a SWW so it's not really a good example.

DAK - We rode the safari first without a FP. It was a walk on. That put us later for other early rides. We went on a "recommended" day but it seemed to be more crowded. My daughter loves Primeval Whirl. The previous trip we rode four times without getting off. This trip we had exit and get in a short line. Expedition Everest also had longer lines than the comparable time on our last trip.

28 days in the park and only 1 meh inconvenient 4th FP+.

I'm not sure I understand this. The only place we tried to get additional FPs was the MK. We were able to do what we wanted to do, for those attractions in service, without additional FPs.

At the MK, we were able to get multiple additional FPs and several for the more sought after attractions. In most cases we were able to get the FP within 15-20 minutes. The longest wait we had was for Jungle Cruise which was an hour. We did standby at BTMRR and then headed to the Cruise.

 

[JennyDrake]

I am just back. It is HOT and CROWDED. Thickest crowds I've ever seen in 10 years of going in August. Rope Drop is still your best friends, but wait times for standby are ridiculous very early. Yesterday at AK stand by for ExE was 50 minutes and Kali was 90 minutes at 11:00 am.....

 

[MaryKatesMom]

I thought for the MK the first hour or so it was easy. So many people rushed to Seven Dwarves and A&E that other attractions were walk on.

At Epcot we walked quickly, not even close to jogging, and hit Soarin' for one of the earliest lift offs. No real wait at all. We had FP at Test Track then my daughter and I did Sum of all Thrills for a short wait.

DHS was unfortunate for us. Rockin' Roller Coaster was down all day. (Actually, for two and a half days.) We were there for a SWW so it's not really a good example.

DAK - We rode the safari first without a FP. It was a walk on. That put us later for other early rides. We went on a "recommended" day but it seemed to be more crowded. My daughter loves Primeval Whirl. The previous trip we rode four times without getting off. This trip we had exit and get in a short line. Expedition Everest also had longer lines than the comparable time on our last trip.

28 days in the park and only 1 meh inconvenient 4th FP+.

I'm not sure I understand this. The only place we tried to get additional FPs was the MK. We were able to do what we wanted to do, for those attractions in service, without additional FPs.

At the MK, we were able to get multiple additional FPs and several for the more sought after attractions. In most cases we were able to get the FP within 15-20 minutes. The longest wait we had was for Jungle Cruise which was an hour. We did standby at BTMRR and then headed to the Cruise.

We tried almost every day to get a 4th FP+ and the only park we got anything decent was MK because MK has enough capacity. But it was an immediate one at POTC so we had very quickly move from the kiosks by Buzz through the hub.

All the good FP+ were gone BEFORE OPENING at AK, DHS and EP. All the days we were there were 8-10 crowd levels.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

For us, we found that late nights in the parks were a little less crowded this summer than last summer, especially on days that opened at 8 am. That's usually an indication that rope drop was more crowded and guests got tired and/or frustrated and left early.

It's nice to arrive at MK at 8 or 8:30 pm and find bumper to bumper traffic leaving the place. That's the sign that we have a good night in store for us.

 

[MrKnight]

For us, we found that late nights in the parks were a little less crowded this summer than last summer, especially on days that opened at 8 am. That's usually an indication that rope drop was more crowded and guests got tired and/or frustrated and left early.

It's nice to arrive at MK at 8 or 8:30 pm and find bumper to bumper traffic leaving the place. That's the sign that we have a good night in store for us.

This.. IMHO this is one of the reasons why I have always preferred the parks in the evening, especially MK, I have said this before and I will say it again, I have yet to understand why so many people insist on being at the park at RD, especially when the parks have extended hours into the late evening.. One of my favorite times to be in MK is when the park is open until 1am or later, not only is the park significantly less crowded than during the hot daylight hours, but waits are minimal, there is more walking space, and you can actually hear the ambient music and take in the Disney magic around you.. This also applies for second showings of nighttime shows, the second showing is virtually always less crowded than the first..

 

[twodogs]

This was supposed to quote the post just above me, but didn't work...

We RD because our kid are still young and wake up early . They have trouble staying up late, and certainly could never make it until 1AM! I, on the other hand, would be thriving at 1AM!! This May, they were doing a little better (now ages 7 and 9 years), and we stayed in MK until about 11PM on our arrival day (so we were still on Texas time, making it feel one hour earlier to us). It was WONDERFUL! So many rides were literally walk on, and we rode Buzz, BTMRR, POTC, Tomorrowland Speedway, Barnstormer and many others without any wait at all. Some of this was during the MSEP and Wishes, but we have seen both before several times and everyone wanted to do rides and not see the parade/fireworks. It was so AWESOME, and I look forward to even later nights in the parks when they get a little older!!

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

This.. IMHO this is one of the reasons why I have always preferred the parks in the evening, especially MK, I have said this before and I will say it again, I have yet to understand why so many people insist on being at the park at RD, especially when the parks have extended hours into the late evening.. One of my favorite times to be in MK is when the park is open until 1am or later, not only is the park significantly less crowded than during the hot daylight hours, but waits are minimal, there is more walking space, and you can actually hear the ambient music and take in the Disney magic around you.. This also applies for second showings of nighttime shows, the second showing is virtually always less crowded than the first..

I don't get the appeal of rope drop either. We've done things on mid-summer evenings that could never be accomplished in the morning no matter what time of year.

It truly is the best time of day for multiple rides with little to no wait.

 

[soniam]

I know this isn't summer, but I have to say the best RD we had was in March. MK had AM EMH and parking opening was 8am. We unfortunately missed the alarm and didn't make it until 7:30am. However, we still got a ton done, and the park didn't get crowded until around 11am, like a normal day. It was like a free hour. We are on CST, so 7am EST isn't too bad for us. That would be much harder if you live in PST. I would love to go back during Spring Break again, as long as it's not Easter week.

 

[mom2rtk]

I don't get the appeal of rope drop either. We've done things on mid-summer evenings that could never be accomplished in the morning no matter what time of year.

It truly is the best time of day for multiple rides with little to no wait.

Rope drop and late at night are the 2 best options. Some are better suited to one, some to the other. Those with small kids or who have an early internal clock will do better with rope drop. It's not very enjoyable with cranky kids or tired adults. If you are a night owl, then late night is probably quite awesome.

 

[chrispeto]

For us, we found that late nights in the parks were a little less crowded this summer than last summer, especially on days that opened at 8 am. That's usually an indication that rope drop was more crowded and guests got tired and/or frustrated and left early.

It's nice to arrive at MK at 8 or 8:30 pm and find bumper to bumper traffic leaving the place. That's the sign that we have a good night in store for us.

We stay on site, so we do RD leave parks early afternoon rest and come back at night.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

Rope drop and late at night are the 2 best options. Some are better suited to one, some to the other. Those with small kids or who have an early internal clock will do better with rope drop. It's not very enjoyable with cranky kids or tired adults. If you are a night owl, then late night is probably quite awesome.

Even when they were little, we found it much easier to let the kids stay up late than make them get up early.

To this day, they would feel that they were being punished if we left before closing time.

 

[mom2rtk]

Even when they were little, we found it much easier to let the kids stay up late than make them get up early.

To this day, they would feel that they were being punished if we left before closing time.

Isn't it funny how different kids can be? Ours were just too cranky at night to have any real fun. Of course that has changed as they got older.