I find this interesting

[sapdaddy2]

Every guide book, every blog, and every website dedicated to Disney says to be at a park for rope drop, leave and go back to your room for a nap or a swim then return for the evening.

My question is, doesn't anybody listen?

Why aren't the parks almost empty from 12:00 to 3:00?

I have done my touring as stated as well as staying all day and wondered why I am not almost alone in the afternoon.

 

[mcconnellfam96]

LOL ~ I have wondered the very same thing myself.

 

[jdrais]

I agree.

The advice really works best for people staying onsite.
And when do people actually listen to advice?

 

[Beer Me]

Every guide book, every blog, and every website dedicated to Disney says to be at a park for rope drop, leave and go back to your room for a nap or a swim then return for the evening.

My question is, doesn't anybody listen?

Why aren't the parks almost empty from 12:00 to 3:00?

I have done my touring as stated as well as staying all day and wondered why I am not almost alone in the afternoon.

We try to get there early (usually not rope drop) and always plan on an afternoon break. Then momentum takes over, the kids don't want to leave and stuff just happens. Next thing you know it's 4 or 5pm.

 

[Alesia]

Every guide book, every blog, and every website dedicated to Disney says to be at a park for rope drop, leave and go back to your room for a nap or a swim then return for the evening.

My question is, doesn't anybody listen?

Nope.

Why aren't the parks almost empty from 12:00 to 3:00?

Because most people insist on sleeping in on vacation and don't even make it to the parks until about noon.

I have done my touring as stated as well as staying all day and wondered why I am not almost alone in the afternoon.

.

 

[kmv]

My family sticks to that advice, but my brother never does then whines about the lines. When I questioned him his answer was this:
"It's vacation, my teenage daughters and wife and I don't want to wake up early on vacation! We sleep in, take our time getting ready, go to a later breakfast and get to the parks around noon. It's not vacation if I have to wake up earlier than I do to go to work".

 

[sydneysmom]

also, you have alot of people that don't stay on-site. So to leave the parks and go back to their hotels, isn't always that convenient. Even with some of the resorts... you're waiting for buses, or whatever, so sometimes you just say forget it and stay in the parks.

 

[Kellykins1218]

We never go back to our room. If we need a break we take the kids on a monorail ride, hit the Peoplemover, or take a nap in the Hall of Presidents or Ellen depending on which park we're in. I'm not wasting prime DW time!

 

[figment_jii]

I do think some people do this, but it all depends on each person's family and how they like to do things. Some folks do go back to take an afternoon break; some to swim, some to take naps (especially with little ones if they still need naps), but others have found places in the parks for little ones to take a nap. I tried it once (at DLR admittedly) and found that it just took much effort/time to get back to the hotel for the kid's naps. It was easier to put them in their stroller, find a out of the way spot in the park and then let them nap. So for my family, the general advice of going to back for a mid-afternoon swim/nap just didn't work out. I do think there is merit to the advice, but it might not work for every family. Basically, while the guides say one thing, not all advice will work for every family.

 

[Linda T.]

My family always goes to rope drop. We get on all the rides/shows that are open during that time. We get so much done during early entry. We leave the parks around 11 or 12 and head back to the resort to swim and relax for the afternoon. We wouldn't do it any other way.

 

[Alesia]

We never go back to our room. If we need a break we take the kids on a monorail ride, hit the Peoplemover, or take a nap in the Hall of Presidents or Ellen depending on which park we're in. I'm not wasting prime DW time!

Same here. We actually find a midday break more tiring than just staying in the park all day. We get there at rope drop and we stay until we're done.

 

[skier_pete]

Simple, because 50 % of the population CANNOT get the act together to get out of there hotel room before 10 AM.

Secondary to it, a large percentage of travelers don't read books or take advice, so they don't know enough to do it.

 

[Crl1817]

No, people don't listen. Half of them never researched it. And a quarter of the rest refuse to get up despite the advice (my dh would NEVER get up and make rope drop if I didn't insist--and at his request we are not making rope drop on our first day this year even though it is a very busy time).

I have mixed feelings about the break. We did that last time with a baby who was still napping. This time, I don't think my four year old will actually rest. And we are not going when it is hot. So I'm not planning for breaks outside of the parks. I'm planning for sit down lunches in the park as a quasi-break and then to stay at the park until we are done for the day. I figure with non-napping kids it's better to save the transit time and effort, especially as we are at a moderate this time so dependent on the buses.

If we were staying at the contemporary, I might feel differently though. . . .

 

[Disneyready]

We are people who don't like to wake up early every morning on vacations(some mornings we do) and we usually stay off property. It has always seemed like a lot of work to me to walk back to our car, go back to our condo then come back to the park. So we take our midday "break" in other ways. We do our big sit-down meal midday or we choose low wait, high capacity air conditioned attractions mid day(Hall of Presidents, Carousel of progress, Ellen's Energy Adventure, Etc..)

 

[laceyinwonderland]

We have now been to disney 4 times, and this past time was the first we ever made it to rope drop!! I couldnt beleive what a difference it makes! We got so much done first thing. However, after 4 days, we did need a morning to sleep in!! We found going back to the resort not to be a problem at b/c of the summer hours. We would leave from 12ish til 7ish. With the park being open til 1 or 3 am, it was no big deal. But when we were there in Nov, it wasnt quite so easy b/c the parks closed much sooner.

Most people dont know, or plan like we do. This is off topic, but I swear, last Wed night, we were in the fp+ kisok line in fantasy land, about 8pm or so.... the man in front of me was so upset and irrate and mean to the CM b/c there were no FP's available for 7DMT!

 

[Love Tink]

Secondary to it, a large percentage of travelers don't read books or take advice, so they don't know enough to do it.

And a large percentage of travelers have heard this advice given, and have decided it is not good advice.

 

[Yahweh]

One of the few advantages of being from Atlantic Canada is that we are an hour time zone east of Orlando. So even though the parks open at 9:00 am it is really 10:00 am our time! For the vast majority of people I suspect the opposite is true.

We always take advantage of this! The problem for us of course is it is really hard to keep the kids up for fireworks.

 

[richmo]

My feelings on rope drop is its fine for people that want to do it and its fine for those who don't. Personally, in the last 100 or so gate entrances we've done, maybe one rope drop. I spend 50 weeks a year getting up early. On vacation, its not important enough to me to have to set an alarm just to get to a park when it opens. I/we don't sleep in late though...probably at the park most days by 9:30, 10:30 at the latest. Maybe I am, but I never feel like I'm missing anything.

 

[wareagle57]

Very few people who go actually read those books or have heard that advice. Even if they do, they most likely will not even attempt to follow it. And even those who decide to follow it, will intend to but just won't end up doing it.

I do understand not wanting to wake up early on vacation, but obviously for us the excitement makes it worth it. I DO wish Disney opened later and stayed open later instead. Or even better, stagger the park opening times, even change them around some.

Open parks at 9, 10, and 11 AM. Close them at 6, 8, 9 10, 12 and 2. (6 and 8 for AK, 8 9 10 or 12 for EP/HS, and 10 12 and 2 for MK)

I know this will never happen, but it would allow you to arrive at a RD at 10:30 (though RD would probably be more crowded and less advantageous) and then hop to as many as 3 park closings.

 

[ArwenMarie]

Breaks never work for us. If we go back, no matter where we are staying, we don't make it back to the parks (the exception is if we are staying at BC) So we go from RD to whenever. If we are planning a late night we go to the parks later in the day.