Help for putting together a rope drop plan!

[StarSpeckledSky]

Hello! We'll be rope dropping Disneyland Park on a day with EMH when we ourselves don't have EMH unfortunately, as my dad resisted going on another day - he's dreadfully uneducated on Disneyland crowds

The party will be me, my dad, and my 3 year old sister. Dad and sis aren't interested in the coasters or anything so while I go on those big rides they'll be exploring playgrounds or walking around the land. Therefore I'll be the only one with MaxPass. Single rider is an option as well for any ride that offers it. Another thing - we have a SWGE reservation for 11am-3pm, so we can't have a Fastpass that starts and ends within those hours and we have to get as much as possible done before 11am.

I heard that Fantasyland and Tomorrowland will be packed, as those lands are open for EMH/MM, but the west side of the park (Adventureland, Frontierland, New Orleans Square, Critter Country) should be fair ground (besides the fact that some people might be waiting earlier, but eh). Because of this I'm planning on rope dropping the west side of the park and grabbing Fastpasses for Tomorrowland.

Interested in Splash Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain, Winnie the Pooh, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Indiana Jones Adventure for rides. We'll save shows for later in the day as per suggestion from.... basically everyone.

My questions are:
1. Which ride should I get on first in the west side of the park?
2. Which rides next? How many big/major rides on the west side of the park can I expect to get done by 11am on a day with EMH when I don't have it?
3. At what time should I start looking for MaxPasses for Tomorrowland so that the time window will be outside of our SWGE reservation? We're talking Space Mountain, Finding Nemo, and Star Tours, that's it. Not really interested in the other Tomorrowland rides.

Thank you!

 

[wench]

With that list, I would definitely do Indy first & then BTM. Perhaps your dad & sister could do JC & the treehouse during that time? Then you could meet up for POTC & Pooh. And then maybe your sister could do a M&G in Critter Country, while you single rider Splash. By then, you’ll probably be at the right time to go use one of your FP in TL.

 

[DLRExpert]

Here you go...

7am: Arrive at parking lot
730am: Arrive at park entrance. As soon as you enter the park use MP and get a Fastpass (FP) for the Matterhorn.
8am-9am: When the park opens ride Indiana Jones first, then Pirates of the Caribbean, use MP and grab FP for Big Thunder Mountain
Note: Remember you have an extra 15 minutes to use your FP before it expires
9am-1030am: use FP for the Matterhorn, ride Splash Mountain (won't need FP if you ride before 10am), next FP should be for Haunted Mansion, after Splash Mountain you should be able to immediately use FP Haunted Mansion, next FP should be for Space Mountain as long as the return time is after 3pm. use FP for Big Thunder Mountain.

You should now be close to using your SWGE reservation at 11am

After Space Mountain FP, the next FP should be for Star Tours, then Roger Rabbit, Small World, and Buzz.
The Fantasyland attractions, Jungle Cruise, Disneyland Train, Jungle Cruise, Autopia, Nemo Submarines can easily be done in between remaining FPs.

No need to use Single Rider with this plan.

ME

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Know which parking lot you'll be using and know how to get there ahead of time. It will save a lot of hassle to have that planned out ahead. Be there early to allow plenty of time for entry, parking, bag check, etc. to get you to the gates for RD. Will you be bringing a stroller for your sister? If so, know the new rules for stroller size. It will help save a lot of time to have all this taken care of before the morning that you leave for the DL!

 

[DnA2010]

Having a toddler, I'd make sure you have lots of snacks, drinks, a stroller she will ride in. Don't forget that if there is something "bigger" your dad shows an interest in, you can get rider swap- ie I would assume he will want to do the Falcon? Don't forget about Toon Town for the little

 

[StarSpeckledSky]

With that list, I would definitely do Indy first & then BTM. Perhaps your dad & sister could do JC & the treehouse during that time? Then you could meet up for POTC & Pooh. And then maybe your sister could do a M&G in Critter Country, while you single rider Splash. By then, you’ll probably be at the right time to go use one of your FP in TL.

Sounds good. Can you explain what JC and M&G is?

 

[StarSpeckledSky]

Know which parking lot you'll be using and know how to get there ahead of time. It will save a lot of hassle to have that planned out ahead. Be there early to allow plenty of time for entry, parking, bag check, etc. to get you to the gates for RD. Will you be bringing a stroller for your sister? If so, know the new rules for stroller size. It will help save a lot of time to have all this taken care of before the morning that you leave for the DL!

Which parking lot would you recommend? We're visiting June 13. Yes, we'll be bringing a stroller for my sister and I believe that it is a good size.

 

[StarSpeckledSky]

Having a toddler, I'd make sure you have lots of snacks, drinks, a stroller she will ride in. Don't forget that if there is something "bigger" your dad shows an interest in, you can get rider swap- ie I would assume he will want to do the Falcon? Don't forget about Toon Town for the little

Yep! We might drop by Toon Town for a bit. My dad doesn't want to do rider switch - he doesn't want to leave me and my sister alone.

 

[StarSpeckledSky]

Here you go...

7am: Arrive at parking lot
730am: Arrive at park entrance. As soon as you enter the park use MP and get a Fastpass (FP) for the Matterhorn.
8am-9am: When the park opens ride Indiana Jones first, then Pirates of the Caribbean, use MP and grab FP for Big Thunder Mountain
Note: Remember you have an extra 15 minutes to use your FP before it expires
9am-1030am: use FP for the Matterhorn, ride Splash Mountain (won't need FP if you ride before 10am), next FP should be for Haunted Mansion, after Splash Mountain you should be able to immediately use FP Haunted Mansion, next FP should be for Space Mountain as long as the return time is after 3pm. use FP for Big Thunder Mountain.

You should now be close to using your SWGE reservation at 11am

After Space Mountain FP, the next FP should be for Star Tours, then Roger Rabbit, Small World, and Buzz.
The Fantasyland attractions, Jungle Cruise, Disneyland Train, Jungle Cruise, Autopia, Nemo Submarines can easily be done in between remaining FPs.

No need to use Single Rider with this plan.

ME

Thanks for the timed plan! We're not interested in Haunted Mountain so it's good to just skip over it in this plan, right?

 

[FCDub]

Sounds good. Can you explain what JC and M&G is?

JC = Jungle Cruise
M&G = character meet and greet

 

[StarSpeckledSky]

JC = Jungle Cruise
M&G = character meet and greet

Thanks!

 

[wench]

One more thing. I would highly recommend making Space Mountain the first FP you pull. It’s always popular, but especially so now that it’s Hyperspace Mountain again. And the single rider line is not always open. Of all the rides you listed, I would fully expect FP for Space to run out before anything else that day.

 

[StarSpeckledSky]

One more thing. I would highly recommend making Space Mountain the first FP you pull. It’s always popular, but especially so now that it’s Hyperspace Mountain again. And the single rider line is not always open. Of all the rides you listed, I would fully expect FP for Space to run out before anything else that day.

Okay. Do you know about when we should try to pull a Space Mountain FP if we want to return window to be out of our SWGE reservation? (11am to 3pm) We're visiting on a 9/10 day (according to Touring Plans)

 

[wench]

Okay. Do you know about when we should try to pull a Space Mountain FP if we want to return window to be out of our SWGE reservation? (11am to 3pm) We're visiting on a 9/10 day (according to Touring Plans)

I would pull it 1st thing when you enter the park as you’re heading to Indy. I think you’d probably be able to get a time before your 11:00 reservation. If the times are already past 11:00, then I’d pull Star Tours instead & pull Space as your second FP. You may even get lucky when you head to Tomorrow Land to do Star Tours & find the single rider is open for Space letting you squeeze it in before SWGE too.

 

[StarSpeckledSky]

I would pull it 1st thing when you enter the park as you’re heading to Indy. I think you’d probably be able to get a time before your 11:00 reservation. If the times are already past 11:00, then I’d pull Star Tours instead & pull Space as your second FP. You may even get lucky when you head to Tomorrow Land to do Star Tours & find the single rider is open for Space letting you squeeze it in before SWGE too.

Ah sounds good! What other Fastpasses would you prioritize during the day?

 

[Skyegirl1999]

Okay. Do you know about when we should try to pull a Space Mountain FP if we want to return window to be out of our SWGE reservation? (11am to 3pm) We're visiting on a 9/10 day (according to Touring Plans)

I’ve seen you mention a few times that you’re coming on a “9/10 day” - keep in mind that TP is notoriously awful at predicting DL crowds, no one really has the slightest clue how crowds are going to be at that point with SW and everything else, and 9/10 doesn’t mean anything, really, anyway... just expect massive crowds and be pleased if you get anything less!

I definitely agree to make Space Mountain your first FP, assuming you get there early enough that it has a close return time. Return times should start at park open since it’s open for MM, so the sooner you scan into the park and can pull that FP with Maxpass, the better off you’ll be.

 

[wench]

With the plan to do Indy first & knock out out both Big Thunder & Splash before the lines build, it will take off a lot of the FP pressure. After getting Space & Star Tours, I would probably plan for Matterhorn next. Although it often has a single rider line that moves pretty quick. After that I would say Small World & Roger Rabbit. But since your dad won’t have MP, you should pull those the old fashioned way, from the kiosk. Honestly, that knocks out all the big ones, so if you still had time you could repeat some. But I expect that that you’ll want to do some of the Fantasyland rides, that don’t have FP, so you’ll probably be waiting in those lines, rather than doubling up. One more thing I forgot to mention, if something goes wrong & you can’t get on Indy first, you’ll need to put it in your FP rotation. The lines get really long for it & in my experience single rider does not work for this ride. Every time I’ve tried to use it, I’ve waited almost as long as the standby line.

 

[StarSpeckledSky]

I’ve seen you mention a few times that you’re coming on a “9/10 day” - keep in mind that TP is notoriously awful at predicting DL crowds, no one really has the slightest clue how crowds are going to be at that point with SW and everything else, and 9/10 doesn’t mean anything, really, anyway... just expect massive crowds and be pleased if you get anything less!

I definitely agree to make Space Mountain your first FP, assuming you get there early enough that it has a close return time. Return times should start at park open since it’s open for MM, so the sooner you scan into the park and can pull that FP with Maxpass, the better off you’ll be.

Ah, okay! Yeah, I heard about TP being bad with crowd predictions in DL...

Would arriving around 7am for an 8am opening be good? Or would you recommend arriving at the time parking lots open? (5:30am)

 

[StarSpeckledSky]

With the plan to do Indy first & knock out out both Big Thunder & Splash before the lines build, it will take off a lot of the FP pressure. After getting Space & Star Tours, I would probably plan for Matterhorn next. Although it often has a single rider line that moves pretty quick. After that I would say Small World & Roger Rabbit. But since your dad won’t have MP, you should pull those the old fashioned way, from the kiosk. Honestly, that knocks out all the big ones, so if you still had time you could repeat some. But I expect that that you’ll want to do some of the Fantasyland rides, that don’t have FP, so you’ll probably be waiting in those lines, rather than doubling up. One more thing I forgot to mention, if something goes wrong & you can’t get on Indy first, you’ll need to put it in your FP rotation. The lines get really long for it & in my experience single rider does not work for this ride. Every time I’ve tried to use it, I’ve waited almost as long as the standby line.

Thank you, sounds good. Is Roger Rabbit worth it? I haven't heard many positive reviews for the ride but we'll probably stop in Toon Town anyways for my sister.

If something does go wrong I'll probably make Indy my third or fourth FastPass.

 

[wench]

Thank you, sounds good. Is Roger Rabbit worth it? I haven't heard many positive reviews for the ride but we'll probably stop in Toon Town anyways for my sister.

If something does go wrong I'll probably make Indy my third or fourth FastPass.

I think it’s lots of fun, but the line moves slow. Hence the FP if you do decide to do it. Totally skippable though if you’re not worried about it. I couldn’t remember what all rides you’d listed on your original post the other day, so I was guessing on that one.