I don't get rope dropping a high demand attraction

[Bobobob]

I think a quote from the 'greatest' Star Wars Movie of all time is appropriate. (Heavy sarcasm here.)

Obi-Wan Kenobi - Episode 1:
You and the Naboo form a symbiotic circle, what happens to one of you will affect the other, you must understand this...

As a die-hard rope dropper I love the 'I need my sleep crowd.' Please, sleep as late as you can. We are early birds and can rope-drop FOP, 7DMT (soon to be ROTR), and hit most of the other rides by early afternoon, head back to the resort for a nap and then maybe stop by the park in the evening. This is the way we do Disney...it works for us.

As a night-owl, you need me to wake up at what you may consider ungodly hours to stand outside the park waiting with my like-minded brethren (or nuts) for that magical rope to drop. (Usually at some random time, but well before posted hours!). Then, I am too tired to bother you and your family in the evening. You get to walk on those rides in the last hour because I've been up since 5 and am likely sleeping while you are out having fun. This is the way you do Disney....and it works for you.

In the end, we help each other.

 

[Sparkly]

I'd rather ride stuff late in the evening then get up early on vacation. Just my opinion.

 

[jiminyC_fan]

Just got back. First time NOT doing any rope drops. It was the best relaxing trip ever!

 

[_19disnA]

I'd rather ride stuff late in the evening then get up early on vacation. Just my opinion.

I agree. People who are the go-go-go types probably can't wait to get up at the crack of dawn to be in that mass of humanity when the parks first open. I can also imagine being jammed together with hoards of people pushing/shoving/racing to be the first in line for some ride. No thanks. Maybe works for them, but now our style of how to enjoy Disney. Disney isn't a marathon race for us trying to see how fast we can get from one ride to the next or how many miles we can walk each day zig/zagging all over the park.

 

[DisneyOma]

I'd rather ride stuff late in the evening then get up early on vacation. Just my opinion.

You ride stuff late at night and then get up early on vacation? Or did you mean than instead of then?

 

[luv2cheer92]

You ride stuff late at night and then get up early on vacation? Or did you mean than instead of then?

Haha, we do that though!

 

[MainMom]

I agree. People who are the go-go-go types probably can't wait to get up at the crack of dawn to be in that mass of humanity when the parks first open. I can also imagine being jammed together with hoards of people pushing/shoving/racing to be the first in line for some ride. No thanks. Maybe works for them, but now our style of how to enjoy Disney. Disney isn't a marathon race for us trying to see how fast we can get from one ride to the next or how many miles we can walk each day zig/zagging all over the park.

I’ve never been pushed or shoved.

 

[DumboDash2006]

We are morning people, getting up early and being there and waiting vs a little sleep or hanging out at the rental house is no hardship. And yes, it's cooler in the morning.

We also are not all day in the parks people, we want to hang out and relax later in the day, we do not stay to closing generally.

 

[Sparkly]

You ride stuff late at night and then get up early on vacation? Or did you mean than instead of then?

Oops, yes I meant than. Typo!

 

[Boopuff]

The only way I'm up and at the parks at the crack of dawn is the day we have breakfast reservations. I like to plan those early so we're in the park ready to go. We aren't a "must-do-it -all-ride-every-headliner" family. We do plan - what park, which rides (loosing FP will be a new experience!) but we also tend to stay until the very end of the night.

 

[E.Jane]

I insisted on a rope drop one morning on our last visit, and it was miserable. Shoulder to shoulder for an hour. The rope drop crowd is stressful, like, everyone trying to inch their way forward, just a little, hoping those around them don't notice. I'd rather spend 60 minutes in a controlled wait-line. At least there's something to look at, and in some cases, things to entertain you. Honestly, some of our best MK days were days when we arrived at noon!

 

[Lilylogan]

I never thought of it that way - makes me feeling better about never making it to rope drop.

 

[buzlite]

I've been looking at lines this week at the morning and evening and it looks like rope drop is definitely not worth it. I think we will sleep in mostly. If only Genie+ comes out asap then we would be golden. So thankful for deluxe evening hours. We will 100% not be rope dropping Epcot or magic kingdom.

 

[NavyDad]

To me there are two types of rope dropping:

1. Rope dropping to ride multiple lower demand rides with no wait. (Like at MK doing HM, BTMRR, PoC, SW, etc.)
2. Rope dropping to ride a high demand attraction (Like 7DMT, FoP, and now ROTR)

I get the first one. If you are in there super early you can get a bunch of attractions done with low wait times. What I don't get is the second one, the high demand attraction. Take FoP for example, you wait outside AK for 45 minutes for open. Then you wait 15 minutes at a hold point (like the bridge). You then wait another 5 minutes before you actually get to the pre-show. My math isn't great but that's 65 minutes of wait time. If I saw FoP with 65 min. stand-by wait I'm not riding it. So maybe there's an advantage here if FoP is like 100+ mins all day. However, you still waited a really, really long time for that ride. Also, when someone does this type of rope drop they say "I rope dropped FoP and it was a walk on!" That to me is not entirely accurate--they did wait, it just wasn't in line.

I'm not trying to be disrespectful here. I'm genuinely interested in having someone explain the advantage of it. Is there a piece that I'm missing?

Also, I'm talking about people who visit the parks somewhat regularly--not the once in a lifetime folks.

I think there are some differences for each park and each headliner.

I have done Rope Drop at AK for FoP about half a dozen times starting with opening weekend. Each time I did wait in a pretty long line at the entrance and bridge like you mentioned but I was waiting in line while the park was not open. Each time I was able to walk right on FoP and head out of the gift shop around 15 minutes prior to official park open time. I was then able to do the river journey with no wait, then to Safari with no wait and EE multiple times with no wait and have all of that done within the first 1 hour of official park hours. Basically I was able to get every major attraction done with before 99.5% of the people who were going to attend the park that day and could spend the rest of the day slowing down and doing the smell the roses type things. Major advantage at AK to staying in front of the crowds.

I have done RD at MK for 7DMT a few times and never seems to work out well for us. It's a longer, more out of the way route so more chance for a few hundred people to shove themselves and their pack mules in front of you. The only great success I have had doing 7DMT RD was actually when we had breakfast at Be our Guest and we were led over to 7DMT right before the stampeding wildebeests. For our family the best strategy in the past for MK has been to split the park into two days and try to get a FP each day for Mine Train. Day 1 we go straight to Splash and BTMRR and do that side of the park. Day 2 we RD and go strait to Space MTN and do that side of the park.

The other two parks have changed or will change before our next trip so can't comment on them as much...