MK rope drop tomorrow; I need help please.

[lolcow]

In the middle of a great first WDW trip and we shall be rope dropping tomorrow at MK. A couple of queries please; what time should we aim to be at the TTC and should we do monorail or ferry? Thanks!

 

[jaceraden]

Take whichever one you like - I prefer the ferry for "that shot" when it was my first trip but the monorail is also an experience. What time you get to rope drop will depend entirely upon your keen-ness and desire to be right at the front. I know many people who are at rope drop 1+ hour prior.

 

[DVCcurious]

Be at TTC at least one hour before rope drop. You'll have to park, wait for the tram (or walk to the front), ride the boat/monorail, go through bag check, scan your ticket, etc.

Frankly, the park "opens" with the welcome show at 8:40 (for 9:00 daily openings). By that point the line is way past the turnstiles so you'll be behind a mass of people. If you want to do Rope Drop "right" you have to be at the Mickey Readers prior to the Cast Members even coming out. So that's like 8:00. Which means you need to be at TTC about 7:15-7:30.

Arriving at TTC at 8:30 is way, way too late.

 

[capegirl]

In the middle of a great first WDW trip and we shall be rope dropping tomorrow at MK. A couple of queries please; what time should we aim to be at the TTC and should we do monorail or ferry? Thanks!

The ferry transports more people, but it takes longer than the monorail. If the MK opens at 9:00 tomorrow, and you want to be there for RD, I would be at the TTC in time to board the ferry/monorail no later than 8:00 am. You need to allow time to get through bag check/security.
Have a great time!!!

 

[shh]

Since we have no chance of being disciplined enough to ever see this in person, I'm assuming some kind soul taped and published on YouTube somewhere?

 

[Clare Voince]

The only time I ever attempted to make rope drop I arrived at the park at 8:40. I made it into the park by 9:07. Are those 7 minutes really worth getting there an hour early? Unless you're trying to make a mad dash toward the seven dwarfs mine train, I don't think it is. I almost wished I'd waited a little longer so that the initial crowd had dispersed and I would have been through security in less time.

 

[cassie58]

We like the monorail as part of the Disney experience. There is a welcome show before RD, so if you want to see that, I would try to be there at least 1/2 hr. before to get a closer view. That means be a TTC a good hr. before for time to take the monorail and get bag checked. Enjoy your first trip!

 

[Clare Voince]

Since we have no chance of being disciplined enough to ever see this in person, I'm assuming some kind soul taped and published on YouTube somewhere?

Yes, it's on you tube. Just search 'Magic Kingdom Welcome Show'. It's really nothing special, IMHO.

 

[2buzzboys]

Be at the parking lot no later than 8am. Its better to be early and stand around then be late and regret it.

 

[TexasKiwiPrincess]

On our Rope Drop day in January the monorail wasn't running and the wait for the Ferry was 45 minutes long. We took the bus but still missed the RD show (only by a few minutes.) Even though we missed the show, we sailed through security (all the lines were already in the park) and we still had an amazing productive morning. Get there early. Be familiar with all transportation options. Stay flexible. Hope you guys are having an amazing First Trip in the World!

 

[MainMom]

We stayed at BWV last year. We were at the bus stop at 6:45am for an 8am opening. We were right up front for the morning welcome show which started 15-20 minutes early both days. YMMV.

 

[ArielSRL]

Yes, it's on you tube. Just search 'Magic Kingdom Welcome Show'. It's really nothing special, IMHO.

I think the special part is that you're there, right?

 

[ArielSRL]

While we plan to drive to most parks, we are taking the bus for MK rope drop, just bc it drops you off right at the park. Is this an option for you, OP?

 

[rileyz]

I cried at the welcome show so I think it's worth it

 

[RCID]

Trying to coordinate transportation for a July rope drop.

Parking lot>Tram/Walk>Ferry/Monorail just seem so time consuming.

I called The Walt Disney Travel Company and they said that resort buses begin 1hr prior to park opening.
So, a 9am park opening would mean an 8am first bus? I mentioned to the phone agent that I've read of people on a 6:45am bus to the MK.
She said that there's an early bus for guests with park breakfast reservations. The earliest I see Be Our Guest opening is 8am, and on the day I want to go to MK, their earliest reservation is 8:35am, so we'd effectively miss rope drop?

If resort bus is too risky, I then thought, ok, we take a Mears taxi to Contemporary and just walk?

 

[redsbe]

The only time I ever attempted to make rope drop I arrived at the park at 8:40. I made it into the park by 9:07. Are those 7 minutes really worth getting there an hour early? Unless you're trying to make a mad dash toward the seven dwarfs mine train, I don't think it is. I almost wished I'd waited a little longer so that the initial crowd had dispersed and I would have been through security in less time.

We have arrived at the gates around 820a and walked on to PP right after opening, by the time we came off the wait was already 1/2 hr. So yes for the few most popular MK attractions getting there 30-40 minutes early can save you that time and more during the morning hrs from 9am-11am, especially for the most popular attractions. Remember getting there early for RD is not just saving you time waiting for one attraction, but in fact several during the first two hours when we have done 8-10 of the most popular attractions that on a busy day will see 1/2 hr- 2 hr waits by mid day for most of rest of the day. For those wanting to ride the most popular attractions beyond your RD and 3 FP, early arrival can be very helpful.

 

[DVCcurious]

I cried at the welcome show so I think it's worth it

The only time I've cried at WDW is when the trip ends and I get my bill for what I spent on my magic bands throughout the week!

 

[aimes0105]

The only time I ever attempted to make rope drop I arrived at the park at 8:40. I made it into the park by 9:07. Are those 7 minutes really worth getting there an hour early? Unless you're trying to make a mad dash toward the seven dwarfs mine train, I don't think it is. I almost wished I'd waited a little longer so that the initial crowd had dispersed and I would have been through security in less time.

If you're not interested in being a part of the throngs heading into the park then yes hanging back avoids that. But don't forget that the park actually opens when the show ends at 8:47 so you were actually 20 minutes behind at 9:07, and probably found the most popular rides already had waits by then. Once you wait a little longer for your first ride then it snowballs and each ride you walk up to will have a longer line than you would have found 10-20 minutes earlier. It just depends if your priority is getting through a bunch of rides with short waits and enduring that jostle up main street in the crowd to do it, or if you'd rather hang back and take it more leisurely.

 

[amy1115]

In the middle of a great first WDW trip and we shall be rope dropping tomorrow at MK. A couple of queries please; what time should we aim to be at the TTC and should we do monorail or ferry? Thanks!

We will be at RD tomorrow too! Planning to be at TTC at 8:00. Hope you have a great day!

 

[MermaidMommy]

Trying to coordinate transportation for a July rope drop.

Parking lot>Tram/Walk>Ferry/Monorail just seem so time consuming.

I called The Walt Disney Travel Company and they said that resort buses begin 1hr prior to park opening.
So, a 9am park opening would mean an 8am first bus? I mentioned to the phone agent that I've read of people on a 6:45am bus to the MK.
She said that there's an early bus for guests with park breakfast reservations. The earliest I see Be Our Guest opening is 8am, and on the day I want to go to MK, their earliest reservation is 8:35am, so we'd effectively miss rope drop?

If resort bus is too risky, I then thought, ok, we take a Mears taxi to Contemporary and just walk?

Sorry, you're yet another victim of bad information from phone CM's. You'll see the 1-hour-before-opening bus times thrown around a lot, but that's not true.

The busses will start running around 6:30am every day.