I'm stressed about rope drop at MK

[wdwfanatic]

When I was there back in 2002 they had it where you were allowed on Mainstreet but there was a rope at the begining of each land. Has that changed? Thanks!

 

[MinnieM21]

When I was there back in 2002 they had it where you were allowed on Mainstreet but there was a rope at the begining of each land. Has that changed? Thanks!

That's the way it was when I went in December.

 

[ralfrick]

Actually, my observation our last trip to DL is that the lines built up much faster when they do a rope drop as opposed to holding people at the turnstiles until opening. On the day there was a rope drop at the end of Main St., Peter Pan had a 20 minute wait within 10 minutes. On the day they held everyone at the turnstiles, it was a walk on at the same time after opening. The only other difference was the rope drop day was a 9AM opening, and the other an 8AM (there was NO seperate EE at that time). So fewer will wake up at 8, but not that many fewer.

We have freeway metering lights during commute time at on ramps. Only one car can go through every few seconds. Because of this, the whole freeway moves better. When they keep people at the turnstiles, it's the same effect.

There are two ways to get the best spot, concert ticket, etc. Money and time. As far as I'm concerned, anyone willing to spend it should get it. I couldn't stand it when they started the random wrist band thing for events. If you're willing to camp in front of the box office, you deserve the better seats.

Cheers.

 

[WDSearcher]

To the OP -- I understand why you enjoy being the very first in line for a great ride, but I think stressing about it is silly. If it's incredibly important to you be absolutely first in line at Space Mountain or some other specific ride, then book the earliest CRT breakfast you can, finish eating as quickly as possible, and be the first ones out the door.

At MK, they do hold everyone in the big courtyard between the turnstiles and the train station. Once the ceremony is over, the pixie dust is thrown and the park is offiically open, people flow into town square and up main street and the day begins. Some people are racing to their favorite ride, others are stopping to meet characters. As you enter various lands, crowds disperse, and you'll likely be at the head of the line somewhere.

The CRT people will already be in the park -- true -- but it's not like there are thousands of them, and most head to Fantasyland, since they've generally got little kids in tow.

Maybe you could change your tradition to be the LAST to ride a particular ride that day. It would be far less stressful, I would think, and probably easier to engineer.

 

[capnho]

I can see where you're coming from, but I really wouldn't get too stressed about this.

My DS and I were at MK at the end of President's Day week (school vacation for many in the Northeast). We arrived at the MK about 5 minutes after opening (not an EMH day - we weren't staying onsite) and walked onto Buzz Lightyear, Stitch, Space Mountain, waited 10 minutes for the Tomorrowland Speedway and had less than 10 minute waits for Haunted Mansion,BTMRR and Splash. Things started to get crowded at this point (around 11AM), but with Fastpass and planning, we still didn't wait in a line more than 20 minutes the whole day, and we got all our "must-do's" done.

I guess my message is, if you get there early, you will be rewarded with short waits even if you're not the first person in line.

 

[ReninDetroit]

To add another perspective...

I can understand wanting to be the first ones in to 'walk on' to the rides, but the fact of the matter is that such a relatively small proportion of people come in the first hour or so that you'll have a very short line for whatever you get on anytime before 10:00 or 10:30.

There is a HUGE chunk of people who have the "I'm on vacation and I'll enjoy it" attitude. These are the people who roll out of bed at 9:00, take an hour to get ready, have a nice breakfast, and head in to the parks around 10:30 or 11:00.

In my experience, the park has never felt completely "full" until almost lunchtime. Even during the busy season, 10:00 and before are good times to ride. So even if you're the 5000th person through the turnstiles, you'll still have no problem with long waits.

Basically, the difference between walking in at opening time and walking in a half hour after opening time is the difference between a 2 minute wait and a 7 minute wait. NOT a big deal. (And this is for the big rides.)

As a matter of fact, during the off season, they usually don't let people through the turnstiles until opening time anyway and then Tomorrowland opens about 10 minutes after opening time. So since Buzz is usually our first ride, sometimes we'll deliberately wait until about 15 minutes after opening time to be in the park. IMHO, it's better to walk up and be in a short line throuh the turnstiles than wait a half hour before the park even opens.

 

[ccgegg]

As a matter of fact, during the off season, they usually don't let people through the turnstiles until opening time anyway

Thank you. I was beginning to think I was hallucinating the morning we went in Feb. We stood at the turnstiles until the park opened at 8am. No rope drop... no congregating in the courtyard.... none of what some people are reporting.

 

[THE HAT]

i find this whole thread quite interesting..... being from maine we live life in the... take it as it comes, stress free lane...

we went to wdw in january, so the parks were not even close to busy.. we didn't get to a park until 10:30 at the earliest on any of our days, and still never waited more then 15 min, and that was only for one ride, BTMRR. then to make it even better for us, we took advantage of the emh at nighttime. there was no wait for anything, and we just kept riding over and over, until we wanted to change rides.

this thread does cement our future plans though, to always go in january, and to keep sleeping in,lol.

oh and on the preschool note...i have never heard of having to get in line to get into one. back when it was ds's time for that, we just found the one we wanted and signed him up, it is one of the top ones in our area too. but we do live a slower pace of life and have ALOT less people.

though i have had my share of nights waiting in line for tickets to a concert,(b4 there was (gasp) internet or ticket places) and twice i was part of the line that was cut off, and didn't get mine, yes i was bummed, but oh well, it was fun, and i met some great people, and fig maybe next time. at least at wdw you won't be denied entry, even if you aren't first in, so the way i see it, is you are still winners, as you are at the happiest place on earth.

 

[missypie]

OP here: I would note that our first MK day is the Saturday of Memorial Day weekend, so I'm not stressing out over a time when the park is going to be empty anyway.

 

[Eeyore2003]

If you get there an hour ahead I would think you will be almost the only ones there, don't hold me to that now,. At least will probably get first in line at one of the turnstiles. I like it using the turnstiles, they usually move quickly but it also controls the flow of the crowd rather than everyone running all at once. Several times when we got there 45 minutes ahead we were one of the first there and one of the first in the park.

I can understand your stress and trying to get there with little lines, but not to be the very first and rewarded for getting your family up early. I've gotten up when it's still dark out and gotten my family off so that we're there 45 minutes before opening. Allot of us do it and there's no reason one family should be "rewarded" over others for doing the same thing. I can understand wanting to be one of the first in the park, but not to be specially rewarded above others that do that same thing as you do.

Thank goodness I don't stress out about this anymore. It's not worth it and with good planning, you can easily get everything in you want without driving you and your family nuts. AND getting up in the dark!!! And it really doesn't matter what you're doing at WDW, as long as your having fun. When it's not fun anymore, it's time to change what you're doing. This is a big lesson I learned after driving my family bonkers several times. It just doesn't matter as long as everyone is having a good time!!!!

 

[missypie]

I can understand your stress and trying to get there with little lines, but not to be the very first and rewarded for getting your family up early. I've gotten up when it's still dark out and gotten my family off so that we're there 45 minutes before opening. Allot of us do it and there's no reason one family should be "rewarded" over others for doing the same thing. I can understand wanting to be one of the first in the park, but not to be specially rewarded above others that do that same thing as you do.

As I said before, the only "reward" I am looking for is shorter lines..not anything just for my family. Except for those with very small children who awake at the crack of dawn anyway, I assume that everyone who is at a park early is there hoping to be rewarded with shorter lines than if they'd slept in.

 

[maxaroni]

I agree that the original post is 'interesting' at best. Many of us get up and to the parks early for EMH, would we all want to be first or relatively first? Perhaps. To stress about it is being obsessive...it's vacation for goodness sakes. If I or dh were the drill sargent, getting us up and out and I wasn't first to get 'rewarded', big deal. Enjoy the park, enjoy vacation. Personally, I don't want to run my vacation obsessing about such things. We plan on using EMH and if it doesn't work out the way we'd like and it's too crowded, off to another park. Whatever.


I didn't have to wait on any sort of line to get ds in preschool either. Don't know where that is coming from but can't relate to that one.

 

[missypie]

I agree that the original post is 'interesting' at best. Many of us get up and to the parks early for EMH, would we all want to be first or relatively first? Perhaps. To stress about it is being obsessive...it's vacation for goodness sakes. If I or dh were the drill sargent, getting us up and out and I wasn't first to get 'rewarded', big deal. Enjoy the park, enjoy vacation. Personally, I don't want to run my vacation obsessing about such things. We plan on using EMH and if it doesn't work out the way we'd like and it's too crowded, off to another park. Whatever.

The DIS Boards must attract only the most polite of Disney park visitors. At both Disneyland and Disneyland Paris, there were always people RUNNING to the first attractions while our family merely walked quickly. If I'm obsessive, what would you call the dozens of runners every morning?

 

[WDSearcher]

The DIS Boards must attract only the most polite of Disney park visitors. At both Disneyland and Disneyland Paris, there were always people RUNNING to the first attractions while our family merely walked quickly. If I'm obsessive, what would you call the dozens of runners every morning?

Dangerous.

 

[maxaroni]

Dangerous.

Yup, that says it all.



I wonder how many of the people running are truly obsessed to the point that they are worried about it all, prior to even going and think of it as a reward for the family. If I'm not first, dang it, it's not worth it and I just better go home!

 

[madalex]

I think the difference between being let through the turnstiles and into the holding area versus being held at the turnstiles relates to the EMH. On regular opening days, they let people through the turnstiles and keep them in the holding area for the little "pre-opening show" where the train pulls up and the characters do a song and dance. On EMH days, I do not believe there is a pre-show prior to the early opening, so that's why they just keep people at the turnstiles. (I could be wrong about all this, and if I am, I am sure someone will correct.)

As to the OP's comment about being "stressed about rope drop", I (like many others) think this is a bit much. However, there are so many other things people "stress out" about that gets discussed on these boards (codes, getting a table at Cal Grill or Rose & Crown to see the fireworks, planning just the right meal, planning just the right park to go to on the right day, etc.), that this is just one more thing to add to the list.

 

[Rozzie]

I am taking the OPs side on this. NO I don't mean that I have a meltdown if I am not first, but DH and I do early entry to each park. We are with the first group in, and We get all our must rides out of the way before most people are finishing breakfast. Our "reward" is knowing we have a plan that benefits our need to see everything we have been talking about all year!!! This is the best way for us. Then we take the afternoon "smelling the roses" but for the first 4 hours it is "sgt. commando" all the way.

Face it, we all have different tastes, for us, if we are not watching the sunrise on the lake with our kona coffee, something is out of whack for us! but more power to those late risers, we don't have children, so if we ever do, commando might be pushed back for a while...

 

[cocowum]

We got there about an hour before opening and ending up being the first family to ride space mountain We even got a Magical moments certificate it was Awesome

 

[notnothin]

We got there about an hour before opening and ending up being the first family to ride space mountain We even got a Magical moments certificate it was Awesome

Hahah ... That will certainly add fuel to OP's fire. However, I agree that this is a bit extreme to stress over such a minor event (i.e., being 1st). You'll likely notice *many* other people looking for the same 'reward' that morning, some probably arriving at the park before you. Just be happy that you're in WDW and enjoy the vacation.

 

[Sorcerer Figment]

I am taking the OPs side on this. NO I don't mean that I have a meltdown if I am not first, but DH and I do early entry to each park. We are with the first group in, and We get all our must rides out of the way before most people are finishing breakfast. Our "reward" is knowing we have a plan that benefits our need to see everything we have been talking about all year!!! This is the best way for us. Then we take the afternoon "smelling the roses" but for the first 4 hours it is "sgt. commando" all the way.

Face it, we all have different tastes, for us, if we are not watching the sunrise on the lake with our kona coffee, something is out of whack for us! but more power to those late risers, we don't have children, so if we ever do, commando might be pushed back for a while...

Well, I'm really on both sides. I have only been to a Disney park before it opened one time. And that was for The Magic Behind Our Steam Trains Tour. But I can tell you this June I will be one of the people running to get there first. Not because I expect to be the first. I don't. It's to avoid the 70 minute waits for Peter Pan that I saw later in the day last time I was there. But the greater part of my running won't be out of a commando approach, it's from the sheer delight of finally getting there and wanting to see it all. That's the way to do it, not being angry and pushing. But after lunch, when everyone's in the long lines for the major rides, I'll be casually enjoying the ambiance. [Think piano lessons window on Main Street and Tom Sawyer Island. ] So I say take advantage of the early morning, even get excited about it, but don't get worked up about it. And I hope you have a great vacation!