How early do we need to be at MK for rope drop?

[COscrapper]

Our first day in the parks is Sunday Oct. 30 - we are going to MK and want to be there at opening since we will have to leave by 7 (we are actually doing the party the NEXT night, on Halloween, and will have one more half day at MK also). We are not early risers so this will be the only day we attempt rope drop, but...

How crazy is it? We did "rope drop" at Disney land years ago, and it was such a bad experience. We stood with big crowds waiting to get in, and then once in we RAN straight back to Peter Pan with the masses and ended up STILL waiting an hour for that ride! Seemed like a total waste.

I would prefer our first experience in DW to not be racing through the park, but I would like to be there early enough to get some lower-crowd time. Is that possible if we show up right when it opens? Or do we really need to be there even earlier? Is the opening "show" worth the effort to see it?

I really do not like the idea of getting up super early to stand outside the gate for an hour+ waiting for the park to open.

 

[DisneyMommyMichelle]

We get into the PARKING LOT at 1.5 hours before the park opens, this allows time for the ferry over (monorail was not working that early the entire time we were there). The idea is for us to be at the turnstiles 1 hour before they open and then make it through those ASAP and NOT watch the 'show' at the train station and stay to the RIGHT entrance (if going to 7DMT). We were FIRST at the rope each time we attempted it with this plan but the key is to MOVE FAST and stay with the rope when it begins to move and they walk you to the castle. People will push and shove and strollers will run you over, DO NOT LET YOUR FAMILY GO or you WILL lose them! My husband had 2 kids and I had 1 kid and we moved like a pack always behind the castmember, NOT THE ROPE or you lose time and space when you get to the castle. Each time we did it, we were first people and first car at 7DMT and it was awesome! After that, we made it through ALL the big rides that we wanted to do and some small rides and were out of the park in less than 2 hours and off to the park where our fastpasses were at!

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(I didn't realize I had hit enter!)
ETA:

As we were leaving the lines were already getting super long and the crowds on main street were thick. I would say you could show up at opening and not any earlier if you want to do the smaller rides and don't care about the mountains or 7DMT and that sort of thing or you could probably catch one just under an hour wait? Coming off the first car of 7DMT and the line was already reading 45 minutes behind us and it couldn't have been longer than 5 minutes after park opening.

 

[Tomh]

With the advent of FP+ I don't bother killing myself to be in the front of the rope drop herd anymore, much as you found at Disney Land, I feel that it takes something away from the Disney World experience.

I will get to the parking lot between an hour, and 45 minutes before park opening, which will get me to the gate, and through security with about 15 to 30 minutes to spare. I don't worry about getting to the front of the heard, I purposely hang back a little so I get the park opening experience without the pushing shoving and getting run over with strollers and wheel chairs experience.

The ONLY ride at MK that is very likely to have a HUGE instant line is 7Dwarfs, so make certain you have a FP+ for that. I try to make my first FP+ selection for either 9:30 - 10:30, or 10:00 - 11:00, that way I can spend the first hour or so hopping on rides that have short lines. I typically will do Peter Pan, and Pooh, then go hit the Tomorrowland Speedway, and maybe Buzz, go back and if I have time still, do Under the Sea before my first FP+ which would be 7Dwarfs, then you which direction I head would depend on where my 2nd FP+ is.

 

[BlueFairy]

These 2 options are pretty much your choices if you want short lines. Of course, you can arrive as the show is going and be in line at security at opening as well. Lines will be building. So it really depends on your main focus.

I have never been able to pull off DisneyMommyMic's strategy. We just can't get to the rope that early.

We use Tomh's method most often. We hang back with a good touring plan, and enjoy about 1-2 hours of shorter waits for whatever our priorities are. You will not do well with 7DMT, Space, Splash, or BTMRR with this plan unless you use FP. You will have shortish lines for slow loaders like Peter Pan, Winnie the Pooh, Buzz, and Speedway. Most other things will be walk ons. There will be characters meeting in Town Square, lots of atmosphere and a show on Main St, and so on. It is fun to stroll down Main St and let the crowd rush ahead if you have a good plan and can afford to leave those rides for later. We make our FPs for 10:30 onward for the big headliners.

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

Experienced rope dropper here............
The first 90 minutes or so in the park is a wonderful thing to experience. The lines are super short for almost everything besides 7DMT and Peter Pan.
It is worth the effort to get to the park no less than 45 minutes early, which means you have to add time as mentioned above for transportation and security check delays.
I personally feel it is better to focus on gathering close to the "tunnel", than actually seeing the show. No matter where you wait, you will certainly hear everything.
Unless you have little ones and the visual impact of the show is on their "must do" list, gather near the tunnel on the right side for 7DMT, Space Mt, etc.

 

[Cinderella94]

If you get there as MK is opening, you're already too late to have no lines. You really do need to try and be at the turnstiles 1 hour before opening. 45 minutes is maybe okay if you really can't get there earlier.

 

[Belle's Librarian]

I will get to the parking lot between an hour, and 45 minutes before park opening, which will get me to the gate, and through security with about 15 to 30 minutes to spare. I don't worry about getting to the front of the heard, I purposely hang back a little so I get the park opening experience without the pushing shoving and getting run over with strollers and wheel chairs experience.

So, I take it 45 minutes to an hour before the welcome show is the time we should plan to arrive at the parking lot? We'd like to see the welcome show at least one day and be in the park early. With small kids in a stroller, we're not up for a race, but would like to enjoy the atmosphere and maybe catch Pooh before the park gets too crowded.

 

[Praying Colonel]

So, I take it 45 minutes to an hour before the welcome show is the time we should plan to arrive at the parking lot? We'd like to see the welcome show at least one day and be in the park early. With small kids in a stroller, we're not up for a race, but would like to enjoy the atmosphere and maybe catch Pooh before the park gets too crowded.

That's the way we do it. The show's about 20 minutes before the official posted opening time. We arrive at the parking lot about an hour before the show starts. That gets us to the ferry and through the turnstiles about 20-30 minutes before the welcome show, which is fine unless you want to be at the front of the line for 7DMT and maybe Peter Pan.

 

[skipfierce]

We just want to see the show then mosey around MK. Not rushing to any rides. That's what FP+ is for.

 

[COscrapper]

We get into the PARKING LOT at 1.5 hours before the park opens, this allows time for the ferry over (monorail was not working that early the entire time we were there). The idea is for us to be at the turnstiles 1 hour before they open and then make it through those ASAP and NOT watch the 'show' at the train station and stay to the RIGHT entrance (if going to 7DMT). We were FIRST at the rope each time we attempted it with this plan but the key is to MOVE FAST and stay with the rope when it begins to move and they walk you to the castle. People will push and shove and strollers will run you over, DO NOT LET YOUR FAMILY GO or you WILL lose them! My husband had 2 kids and I had 1 kid and we moved like a pack always behind the castmember, NOT THE ROPE or you lose time and space when you get to the castle. Each time we did it, we were first people and first car at 7DMT and it was awesome! After that, we made it through ALL the big rides that we wanted to do and some small rides and were out of the park in less than 2 hours and off to the park where our fastpasses were at!

-------------------
(I didn't realize I had hit enter!)
ETA:

As we were leaving the lines were already getting super long and the crowds on main street were thick. I would say you could show up at opening and not any earlier if you want to do the smaller rides and don't care about the mountains or 7DMT and that sort of thing or you could probably catch one just under an hour wait? Coming off the first car of 7DMT and the line was already reading 45 minutes behind us and it couldn't have been longer than 5 minutes after park opening.

This is exactly what I do not want to do - congrats to those of you who can pull it off, though. We do have FP+ scheduled for the headliners starting late morning/early afternoon each day.

So, if we are there right at park opening (or maybe 15 min ahead of time), that is really too late for less crowds? Seems crazy. It's our first trip so everything will be new; no need to ride things multiple times. We have FP for SDMT and the mountains - but BTMR is down while we are there. We are staying at AKL so will be taking the bus to MK.

I'm really undecided on the morning show - I would kinda like to see it but not if it means we have to be there a lot earlier. My boys are not that into characters except for Star Wars and baymax...

 

[Tomh]

So, I take it 45 minutes to an hour before the welcome show is the time we should plan to arrive at the parking lot? We'd like to see the welcome show at least one day and be in the park early. With small kids in a stroller, we're not up for a race, but would like to enjoy the atmosphere and maybe catch Pooh before the park gets too crowded.

Yes, 45 to an hour should be plenty enough time. Getting there that early, it is usually a pretty short walk to the TTC, and doesn't often take more than 20 to 30 minutes to get to the gate from there. That should be plenty of time to get there and see the opening show. Then, just take your time walking up Main Street. Enjoy the sights and sounds, and work your way back to Fantasy Land. For the first hour or so, the lines will be pretty reasonable there, you can still get plenty done.

I've done the rope drop madness many times. It is a far different experience. It is fine if you absolutely must do the headliners, as you can knock at least one of them off before the lines get long, then us FP+ for another, but I far prefer to go more slowly into the park, and enjoy the Main Street experience on my way in.

 

[gap2368]

Our first day in the parks is Sunday Oct. 30 - we are going to MK and want to be there at opening since we will have to leave by 7 (we are actually doing the party the NEXT night, on Halloween, and will have one more half day at MK also). We are not early risers so this will be the only day we attempt rope drop, but...

How crazy is it? We did "rope drop" at Disney land years ago, and it was such a bad experience. We stood with big crowds waiting to get in, and then once in we RAN straight back to Peter Pan with the masses and ended up STILL waiting an hour for that ride! Seemed like a total waste.

I would prefer our first experience in DW to not be racing through the park, but I would like to be there early enough to get some lower-crowd time. Is that possible if we show up right when it opens? Or do we really need to be there even earlier? Is the opening "show" worth the effort to see it?

I really do not like the idea of getting up super early to stand outside the gate for an hour+ waiting for the park to open.

I try to get there an hour early I think the welcome show is worth it how every if you do not have a FP for 7DMT the line for this get long fast ( like dose from walk on to 30 minutes in about a minute and then form 30 to 90 in about 5 minutes) so if you do not have a FP for this then it maybe like disneyland, if you do then I would watch the welcome show and walk in ( yes it will be crowded) but once you get inside you would be ok have an idea of where you would like to go ( PP will have a long wait but you should be fine if you make it there with in 10-15 minutes of park opening like less then a 20 minute wait and it has a great interactive line) other rides should be close to walk on or close to it for the first hour to 90 minutes ( beside 7DMT and PP after the first 10-15 minutes)

 

[COscrapper]

Is any of this affected by the fact that we will be taking a bus from AKL? We will not need to take the ferry, correct? We would still need to be an hour early at wherever the bus drops us off?

 

[gap2368]

Is any of this affected by the fact that we will be taking a bus from AKL? We will not need to take the ferry, correct? We would still need to be an hour early at wherever the bus drops us off?

when I stay on site I try to be at the buss stop an hour early AKL is the furthest hotel from MK so you might want to be there 70-80 minutes early but you should be OK with an hour

 

[gatorlisa]

The bus will take you straight to the MK. No ferry and/or monorail required. The welcome show is about 15 or so minutes before rope drop. I always have to go through the bag line for security, but even on a busy day (MK's 45th anniversary day earlier this month), it did not take me more than 5-7 minutes to get through the bag check.We arrived maybe 5-10 minutes before the welcome show and had no issues. I got in line for limited edition merch, but my BF was able to walk onto several rides while I was waiting in line to buy my pin. He walked onto Splash I think 3 times that morning and Haunted Mansion as well. Once I got my pin, we were also able to do Pirates and another Splash with very short waits. If you are not trying to race to the Mine Train or Peter Pan first thing, I don't think you need to show up an hour early. I think a half hour before rope drop should be fine. If you head to Adventureland, Frontierland, or Liberty Square while everyone else is racing to Fantasyland, you will probably be able to walk onto rides. You could also head to Fantasyland but aim for stuff other than the Mine Train and Peter Pan and have little to no wait. Tomorrowland, most people will be headed for Space Mountain. Everything else would be a short wait. I'm not sure how long it takes for the bus from AKL to MK. We stayed at Pop and we were in line for the bus at 7:05 AM for an 8 AM park opening and everything worked out just fine.

 

[klo1335]

We did rope drop at MK August 2015 and DH says it was the worst part of our trip. Squeezed together like sardines in the hot blazing sun was not his idea of a fun time. Then running down Main Street and missing most of the atmosphere. Will not be repeating that again.

 

[Roxyfire]

Is any of this affected by the fact that we will be taking a bus from AKL? We will not need to take the ferry, correct? We would still need to be an hour early at wherever the bus drops us off?

You'll be skipping that part then. I got there at 8 am and felt that was a bit too early, so 8:15-8:20 will probably be fine. I had read most days the Magic Kingdom opens prior to 9 am and found that to be true both days we did rope drop.

 

[JennyMP03]

We did rope drop at MK in June 2014, and got there maybe 30 minutes before they opened. We didn't care about being at the front of the crowd as long as we got to see the opening show (so worth it, set the tone for the morning) and be there for the first few hours of operation.

When they let us inside, we went left toward Adventureland. No one was back there for the first couple of hours. We rode BTMRR, Splash, Pirates, Haunted Mansion, and Jungle Cruise with no or little waits, and were able to just walk around and look at everything because there were so few people on that side of the park. It was one of the best park experiences I've ever had! I had our FP+ set to start around 10:30, which is when lines were building.

 

[Praying Colonel]

This is exactly what I do not want to do - congrats to those of you who can pull it off, though. We do have FP+ scheduled for the headliners starting late morning/early afternoon each day.

So, if we are there right at park opening (or maybe 15 min ahead of time), that is really too late for less crowds? Seems crazy. It's our first trip so everything will be new; no need to ride things multiple times. We have FP for SDMT and the mountains - but BTMR is down while we are there. We are staying at AKL so will be taking the bus to MK.

I'm really undecided on the morning show - I would kinda like to see it but not if it means we have to be there a lot earlier. My boys are not that into characters except for Star Wars and baymax...

I think it's good to see the show at least once. It's a traditional part of the MK experience and it's cute.

Just realized your day (Sunday) has an 8am posted start time, which means you're up an hour earlier than you would otherwise. That's tough, but the bright side is it's tough on other people, too, which means maybe fewer people are there early and that's good for you if you can be there early.

Taking the bus from the resort will help because you don't have to go from parking to the ferry and the ferry to the entrance. I'd probably be at the bus stop about an hour before the opening show to account for "bus stop roulette" where maybe your bus doesn't come right away.

If you're there (which I assume means going through the turnstile) at park opening (which I assume means when they're doing the countdown, which is actually 20 minutes before official park opening), you're going to be behind a few hundred people who've already checked in and ahead of you. Not that big of a deal, especially given the relatively low projected crowd level for your day. It's hard to get it that exact, though.

If you're going through the turnstile at the posted park opening, the park's already been open for 20 minutes and you'll be farther behind. Personally, I'd avoid that if possible. If I'm already up that early, I might as well get up a few minutes earlier and ensure myself of lower crowds. YMMV.

 

[NashvilleMama]

Just realized your day (Sunday) has an 8am posted start time, which means you're up an hour earlier than you would otherwise. That's tough, but the bright side is it's tough on other people, too, which means maybe fewer people are there early and that's good for you if you can be there early.

This is exactly what's stressing me out for our 11/12 day - I'm actually disappointed that the park's now opening at 8am because I'm counting on being there well before rope drop to high tail it to 7DMT and have no idea how I'm going to get my kids there early enough with our time change at play as well. 9am opening would have been so much easier for us - and everyone else too, to your point.