If you are arriving early for rope drop, and unless you are going during the very busiest weeks of the year, I wouldn't bother paying for it. We have been there by 9am and gotten parked as regular parking in same lot as my brother got 2 hours later when he got there paying preferred (our cars were 5 aisles apart when we left for the day). Any parking would be in the garage, and there are moving walkways/escalators, etc. going into Citywalk anyway, so not gaining much if anything. The only really faster/shorter way is to valet park.