Here now and loving every second

[BradyBrenMom]

I was just making the clarification as some people might think the term "role drop" means you have to be there Long before opening and enter with the mad rush up front.

It's just common sense that the earlier in the day you arrive, the more you get done. Some people ( and I'm one of them) have an aversion to walking down Main Street when it's filled with a crowd rushing to get to one place before anyone else. It's why we don't do it.

I appreciate this discussion because some advice I have read is to get to the park 45 minutes before it opens for short lines and others just say "rope drop" which I thought meant being there right when it opened. Is there a significant difference in terms of what can be done in the parks with those two scenarios? I'd rather not experience anything akin to a "running with the bulls" scenario, but I do want to maximize the time with short waits.

 

[Number Six]

Oh darn I thought I could do everything I wanted without waiting in any lines because of your walkons sounds like there were still some even at opening. I guess you have to really know what your doing,, my family cant get up that early lol and I don't think 3 fast passes are enough for us we want to ride everything!

 

[itchin2go]

You sound like us with the rides you like, I would like to know what time you can ride some of those with no wait like Peter pan and splash mountain I though Peter was always a long wait when can you walk on it?

I find this "cheat sheet" from easywdw to be helpful, especially because it shows wait times at the end of the document. You can see how lines for certain rides build - and you're right - Peter Pan waits ratchet up fast.

http://www.easywdw.com/cheatsheets/mk_cheatsheet_v3.pdf

It shows low, medium and high crowd times, so you can more accurately predict what kinds of waits you're going to see for your trip.

You can see how something that was 5 or 10 minutes at rope drop is 40 minutes at 2 p.m. That's a big difference, especially when you multiply it by multiple rides. You can also see from that chart how much wait times lessen closer to closing time.

I like anecdotes but I like charts like that too. Neither will tell the whole story, but the more information you have, the better prepared you'll be.

 

[itchin2go]

I appreciate this discussion because some advice I have read is to get to the park 45 minutes before it opens for short lines and others just say "rope drop" which I thought meant being there right when it opened. Is there a significant difference in terms of what can be done in the parks with those two scenarios? I'd rather not experience anything akin to a "running with the bulls" scenario, but I do want to maximize the time with short waits.

There is a difference, but unless you're going to Anna & Elsa or SDMT at rope drop, I don't think being at the front of the pack vs. the back of the pack will make a whole lot of difference. With those 2 attractions, lines build at a faster rate. If you're headed to Splash Mountain or Space Mountain or Dumbo, it won't make much of a difference. Put another way, in my opinion, it won't mean the difference between a good day and a bad day.

 

[Andrea1973]

I find this "cheat sheet" from easywdw to be helpful, especially because it shows wait times at the end of the document. You can see how lines for certain rides build - and you're right - Peter Pan waits ratchet up fast

Thanks for this! I'm pretty new to the boards (member for a while but have not really been on here until lately) so this is awesome! Thanks again for sharing intchin2go!

 

[itchin2go]

Thanks for this! I'm pretty new to the boards (member for a while but have not really been on here until lately) so this is awesome! Thanks again for sharing intchin2go!

No problem.

 

[cakebaker]

Oh darn I thought I could do everything I wanted without waiting in any lines because of your walkons sounds like there were still some even at opening. I guess you have to really know what your doing,, my family cant get up that early lol and I don't think 3 fast passes are enough for us we want to ride everything!

That's really unfortunate. Sorry.

 

[cakebaker]

I appreciate this discussion because some advice I have read is to get to the park 45 minutes before it opens for short lines and others just say "rope drop" which I thought meant being there right when it opened. Is there a significant difference in terms of what can be done in the parks with those two scenarios? I'd rather not experience anything akin to a "running with the bulls" scenario, but I do want to maximize the time with short waits.

If you want to do Anna & Elsa or sdmt without a FP and a line under 45-60 minutes and do it before very late at night- then you have to be there with the masses at the front of the crowd when the park opens- what I think of when I say rope drop.

If you want to ride anything else- I'd be there at park opening or very close to it- but as long as you're in the park within the first hour, you should be able to enjoy short/no waits up until close to 10-11- depending on the particular ride. PPF will have lines first.

As always, no guarantees but it's worked this way for us for 3 trips since FP+ started. We feel absolutely no need to be close to the front, in the crowd in the mornings. And other than the exception I mentioned- we have never been at the MK 45 minutes before it opened. As long as we get there before it opens, we're satisfied.

 

[itchin2go]

I appreciate this discussion because some advice I have read is to get to the park 45 minutes before it opens for short lines and others just say "rope drop" which I thought meant being there right when it opened. Is there a significant difference in terms of what can be done in the parks with those two scenarios? I'd rather not experience anything akin to a "running with the bulls" scenario, but I do want to maximize the time with short waits.

Also, for what it's worth, I had read some pretty scary reports of masses rushing down Main Street. I didn't see that at all when I was there Thanksgiving week. We did see some people running, but they were mostly on the sidewalks trying to pass the others. The CMs do a good job of controlling the crowd. I consider the cobblestones and train tracks to be more hazardous.

I've been toward the front of the pack and toward the back of the pack. It didn't feel that different to me. Logic dictates that those toward the front will get to the rides sooner. It's hard to know how significant that advantage is. I do know lines are short at opening. I don't worry too much about where in the crowd I am.

 

[Number Six]

Oh well I guess you cant walk on everything in the summertime thought I read that thats what got me interested

 

[WillAustin]

Logic dictates that those toward the front will get to the rides sooner. It's hard to know how significant that advantage is. I do know lines are short at opening.

When we want quick multiple rides on something, being near the front makes this a lot easier and faster. We used to get 3 rides quickly in a row on TSMM during busy weeks. Not so much now with FP+ return times starting at 9.

I too think the CMs do a good job keeping the crowd under control. It's never really been scary for us.

 

[cakebaker]

The one time we did the real rope drop we were right at the rope. Looking back at the wall of people behind us was intimidating but I agree, the CM's absolutely control the crowd. There were some trying to walk down the sidewalks on Main Street, but they were quickly stopped.

What happens when they drop the rope as they go around the carousel is what I don't want to experience. I've read it can be intense.

 

[Carolrita]

I a

I like your attitude. I have been to Disney (WDW and DL) about 40 times and maybe I have been very lucky, but I have never had a bad experience. In fact, our family loves WDW so much that we are moving to Orlando in 2 years, all of us.

By the way, we have been in August, been there in rain and been there in record cold. We still had a great time.

I am going the end of August to POR. It will be my first "late August" visit. Just wondering, should I expect more rain at this time than I usually see in July? Usually, in July, it rains an hour or 2 per day, but last year 3 nights were totally rained out (all night!). Hoping for better weather this year!

 

[LOL!]

Can someone explain the difference between:

1. Conventional rope drop
2. Real rope drop
3. Park open

I've always understood rope drop to be the act of showing up before the park actually opens and then proceeding into the park where there may be another hold point. So I suppose it's possible to show up after the park opens and before rope drop inside the park, but either way if you show up before the park opens aren't you "rope dropping" ??

 

[itchin2go]

Can someone explain the difference between:

1. Conventional rope drop
2. Real rope drop
3. Park open

I've always understood rope drop to be the act of showing up before the park actually opens and then proceeding into the park where there may be another hold point. So I suppose it's possible to show up after the park opens and before rope drop inside the park, but either way if you show up before the park opens aren't you "rope dropping" ??

I've always understood "rope drop" to mean "when the park opens" or literally, when the rope drops. I've never gathered any distinction based on how close to the dropping rope you are. This thread confused me a bit.

 

[DisLee]

sounds like you're having a blast