is rope drop still worth it?

[drosenbe0813]

we've been going to WDW for a long time, through all iterations of fast pass. We would almost always do Rope Drop and found that we could get a lot done before the crowds built. We'll be staying on-property on 2/13-2/14. If we arrive early, is it a good bet to be able to do either ROTR or MRR without a lightning lane? or do the LL guests fill up the attractions?

 

[Wedgeout]

I think rope drop is still worth it but not for those ILL ride standbys. When the masses go to ROTR and MRR, use the first hour or two hitting the other LL standbys until those crowds catch up. Watch the standby times on those others for fluctuations before park hopping starts, meal times, and when the standby is about to close for the evening. (Ride breakdowns will really mess up the standby with paid ILL flooding back when it gets running again).

 

[DisneyFive]

Rope drop isn't what it used to be. Crowds build MUCH faster than before the pandemic. I will say, the 30 minute early entry for resort guests will help, but don't expect the hour+ of low standby times like there used to be. Those days, unfortunately, are gone. You might get 1 or 2 headliners completed with low waits if you show up for early entry but after that the masses will be there.

Personally, ROTR is now pretty much $ILL or nothing IMO. You can try getting in line early, but standing around is standing around. For those who have done ROTR with early park entry, how long did the whole process take (including standing around in the park before they let you into the standby queue, then the wait in the standby queue?)

Dan

 

[meremac]

We had a different strategy. We bought ILL for the popular rides and sauntered in about 5 minutes AFTER Early Entry began to avoid the crowds, then hopped on several "B" priority rides. At HS, we were able to do TSM and Alien Swirling Saucers with literally no wait, then ToT with maybe a 15-minute wait. Then we did our Slinky Dog Genie and ILL$ when it was time. We had Hoppers so we would only do Genie+ for 1-2 rides in our first park, then start stacking for our second park. But if we didn't have Hoppers, we could have easily used Genie+ for a second ride on TSM and ToT. We thought this strategy really used RD/EE to its fullest potential.

 

[Miffy]

I agree that RD isn't what it used to be, but it's still helpful, especially if you're staying onsite.

We RD'd MMRR twice in December and the ride was basically a walk-on if you don't count the 45 minutes we stood in the line, since they don't open the doors until ETPE officially starts.

As for RotR, if you don't mind running and are a fairly decent runner, you might not mind RDing this ride. If not, you're going to end up in an hour+ long line, at least. Maybe more.

I agree with a PP who said that RotR is pretty much ILL$ or nothing . . . unless of course you don't mind standing in a 2- or 3- or 4-hour-long line.

At MK, we did ETPE. We weren't at the front of the crowd waiting to be let into Fantasyland, but we were hardly at the back. There were scores of people behind us. Yet by the time we got to PPF, the wait time was 60+ minutes! And that was about 10 minutes, max, after ETPE started.

OTOH, we were able to do WtP walk-on and Phil twice in a row (we didn't even have to leave the theater) during ETPE.

At Epcot, ETPE definitely works for Soarin'. Zero wait. I can't speak to anything else. We did standby for SE and it was not bad at all. We paid ILL$ for Remy and were hugely disappointed but you could love Remy as many others do.

FoP is another ILL$-or-nothing ride unless you either don't mind standing in a very long line, can run like the dickens at RD, or stay until park closing and get in line then.

I don't know if this is any help, but this was our experience in December, when all the parks were relatively crowded.

 

[eileen2664]

We did MMRR during early entry. Unfortunately it was down so we had to wait longer but still got off it right around 9, so not great but not horrible.
Remy was a great experience using EE. Left my room at YC at 8:30 and didn’t stop walking until I was sitting on the ride before the actual 9:30 EE.

 

[gharter]

We RD'd MMRR twice in December and the ride was basically a walk-on

That was our experience in October as well. we rode it twice at RD. The first was walk on, the second about a 5 minute wait.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

For those who have done ROTR with early park entry, how long did the whole process take (including standing around in the park before they let you into the standby queue, then the wait in the standby queue?)

I don't think that's the right way to look at it.

Standing in line for an hour at 8am is not the same as standing in line for an hour at 10am, because at 8am there's nothing better you could be doing. At 10am, every minute you stand in line is a minute you're not doing some other fun thing.

 

[hhisc16]

we've been going to WDW for a long time, through all iterations of fast pass. We would almost always do Rope Drop and found that we could get a lot done before the crowds built. We'll be staying on-property on 2/13-2/14. If we arrive early, is it a good bet to be able to do either ROTR or MRR without a lightning lane? or do the LL guests fill up the attractions?

I also think it depends on which parks you are going to and when.
We rope dropped Frozen and Peter Pan in December, but then had to wait for the other rides.
(We also had the 30 minutes early hours to use)

 

[gharter]

I don't think that's the right way to look at it.

Standing in line for an hour at 8am is not the same as standing in line for an hour at 10am, because at 8am there's nothing better you could be doing. At 10am, every minute you stand in line is a minute you're not doing some other fun thing.

Agree. I don't consider the time I'm waiting to get into the park (when I couldn't do other things in the park) the same as time spent waiting in line inside the park when I could be doing other rides/attractions.

 

[Tass]

We did MMRR during early entry. Unfortunately it was down so we had to wait longer but still got off it right around 9, so not great but not horrible.
Remy was a great experience using EE. Left my room at YC at 8:30 and didn’t stop walking until I was sitting on the ride before the actual 9:30 EE.

And for us on Monday, we were at IG at 8:45 and they let guests start entering at 9:00 am, we went directly to Remy and stood in line there until shortly after 10:00 am due to the ride being down. We (along with many others) left shortly after 10:00 since the CMs were still saying they had no idea how long the wait would be until the ride was functioning. At that point in time, most rides already had a 30+ minute wait. I did hear later in the day that Remy eventually started at about 10:40. So apparently it can be a gamble with EE . . . if your desired ride(s) are functioning, it can be great. Otherwise, you waste the 30 minutes waiting for a ride to open. If I had it to do again, I'd follow the advice of a previous poster . . . ride some of the mid-level rides and get more done.

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

Just got back from WDW a couple of weeks ago.

At each park you can get between 1 and 2.5 rides done within the first 30/40 minutes.

Recent results- this is how the time flows. I have done it several times

AK- you can get FoP done and that is it.....the way they hold us at the bridge and walk us up the entire queue plus the preshow all eat up 20 minutes of your 30.

MK- you can be on off of 7DMT within 10/15 minutes if you are at the head of the packwithin a few feet of the rope....then go to ride number 2

DHS- I can do MMRR and RnRC and ToT within the first 35/40 minutes. You can squeeze in ToT about 25 minutes into your 30 and you are beating the general public into the line.

EP- By entering EP via the IG I was easily able to get Remy done and then walk over to ride number two

 

[boop0524]

We did ETPE one day this week and found the crush of crowds and the time we had to get up (plus still be in the park all day) just wasn’t worth it. If you like rope dropping and that’s your thing, then go for it! But be there early early and prepare for lots of others right there with you. Have a plan and low expectations

 

[drosenbe0813]

Thanks to everyone for your input...its now clear.....as mud!! LOL

 

[nicksinger8]

It must, in principle, be worth it. The parks definitely get busier as the day goes on and the crowds continue to build. So starting at 10am, you are in a line for an hour. Then next ride at 11am suddenly you have a 1.5 hour wait. 12.30 and the crowds are at their peak. And so on. Even as an offsite guest starting at 9am, it must surely work better. 15 minutes on one ride. Then it is 9.15. 30 minutes. 9.45. One hour. Etc etc. Of course you have to choose your rides carefully. A good touring plan from the unofficial guide will help. I am really thinking that we'll have to miss a lot of the absolute super headliners. Me and my wife haven't been for 20 years and it is our kids' first time. So everything is new and a bonus. But I'd rather do more.

 

[MsVanderquack]

We had a different strategy. We bought ILL for the popular rides and sauntered in about 5 minutes AFTER Early Entry began to avoid the crowds, then hopped on several "B" priority rides. At HS, we were able to do TSM and Alien Swirling Saucers with literally no wait, then ToT with maybe a 15-minute wait. Then we did our Slinky Dog Genie and ILL$ when it was time. We had Hoppers so we would only do Genie+ for 1-2 rides in our first park, then start stacking for our second park. But if we didn't have Hoppers, we could have easily used Genie+ for a second ride on TSM and ToT. We thought this strategy really used RD/EE to its fullest potential.

This is our planned strategy too, so I'm glad to hear it worked for you! We're planning on shows and character "sightings" once things get busier, then leave the parks and hop to a second park (or back to the first) later in the day for G+ rides.

 

[meremac]

This is our planned strategy too, so I'm glad to hear it worked for you! We're planning on shows and character "sightings" once things get busier, then leave the parks and hop to a second park (or back to the first) later in the day for G+ rides.

That is my perfect day personally! We'll be back with our teenagers for a whole week in the summer, and we plan to do a version of this just about every day. With a couple of sleep-in days for them. But not me because I DO NOT SLEEP AT DISNEY lol!

 

[CanucksRock]

It’s does not work so well when ROTR, RnRC, SDD are all down first thing. None were up before all guests were let in.

 

[EpcotNerd]

I've been reading all of these articles about RDing RotR and they go over how you have to be there by 7ish in order to have it be a walk-on. That would mean it's 90 minutes from the time you arrive until you're on the ride.. right now (3:22pm on 2/3) RotR is a 120 minute wait... it's almost worth sleeping in to wait a 30 extra minutes. So, no, I'm not sure RD is worth it....

 

[snikki]

We had a different strategy. We bought ILL for the popular rides and sauntered in about 5 minutes AFTER Early Entry began to avoid the crowds, then hopped on several "B" priority rides. At HS, we were able to do TSM and Alien Swirling Saucers with literally no wait, then ToT with maybe a 15-minute wait. Then we did our Slinky Dog Genie and ILL$ when it was time. We had Hoppers so we would only do Genie+ for 1-2 rides in our first park, then start stacking for our second park. But if we didn't have Hoppers, we could have easily used Genie+ for a second ride on TSM and ToT. We thought this strategy really used RD/EE to its fullest potential.

This was basically our strategy with FP+. We would walk in as the park was opening and go to the "B" priority rides and have FP+ waiting for the headliners. We will do the same as you stated for G+. We never arrived an hour before RD and did the running of the bulls to a headliner and I don't plan to start now. Glad to hear this strategy still seems to work well. Although it costs money now.