One last rant, rope drop runners grow up

[TiggerBouncy]

The main reason I give Disney blame is they have full control over how the system is run and who is in their parks. If people are creating safety hazards and Disney doesn’t address it, it does become disneys fault. As an extreme, they could have policy to ban people who repeatedly run at rope drop or to someway lock them out of rides to discourage the behavior. I personally think they could just address it with more staffing or stricter control to attendance if they can’t find staffing to create safe experience.

Reminds me of back when TSMM came out. I remember early on people making sprints for the FP machines, and then Disney started having a CM walk people over to the FP machines. They used to be funny about it with the kids too (your foot can not be in front of mine, then making sudden stops and seeing which kids took a step).

I posted on a thread a few weeks ago about people claiming that the rope drop was the most fair method, and I was pointing out it was decidedly not fair to less able bodies people and/or people with kids and I took a lot of abuse on the thread about that view. Your observation was exactly the point I was making though. The system was definitely to the advantage of able bodies young adults and teenagers.

 

[brockash]

I'm confused, there are 3 rope-drops within 1 park? I guess that's new since I last visited. How does that work for resort guests that are early-entry?
...Seems like if the CMs delay you at a 2nd rope, and then at a 3rd rope, wouldn't the early-entry time have passed by then?

Yes, you initially line up at the tapstyles, eventually get to scan and go to early entry rope drop at either the Tomorrowland bridge or over by Tea Cups where you eait again with a packed crowd for a half hr. Then at 9, you get another rope drop with a packed crowd for either Adventure/Frontierland. It's obnoxious.

 

[SeanWM48]

if you think i'm running past that main street starbucks that early in the morning you are wild

 

[gharter]

I definitely preferred entering and being stopped by CMs at a certain point and the group being walked to the attraction.
AT AK, they used to do that for FoP, and I remember HS doing that for TSL.
One more thing Disney needs to being back. AT MK, they have CMs at the rope to Fantasyland, but they don't walk with the crowd.

 

[CaptainAmerica]

if you think i'm running past that main street starbucks that early in the morning you are wild

The crazy thing is that I have zero difficulty strolling in at a leisurely pace, grabbing a Large Iced and a SAUS-EGG-CHEE as God intended, sitting down on the benches outside Crystal Palace to eat them casually, and still getting on one of the first 5-10 Splash Mountain boats every morning.

 

[piccolopat]

This discussion bring me back to the days when I was the designated runner to race to the kiosks under Spaceship Earth to get our daily dining reservations. I'm a bit older (and wiser) and no longer feel the need to be first. I do agree that Disney can and should do something to address this as it is definitely causing safety issues with slower or less mobile guests. Rope drop is one thing that should go away.

 

[PaladinButters]

In addition, Disney has forced more and more people into the parks at rope drop with the demise of FP and addition of park reservations, hopping rules, and especially Genie+. It seems they’re encouraging the stay ahead of the crowd mentality.

Also changing the early entry to only 30 minutes really means you need to be at the head of that crowd to get anywhere ahead of the opening crowd right behind you and if you run (or are a power walk champion) you can get two rides squeezed in (at least in line for the second) and you're crazy if you think I'm not going to make the most of the "advantage" I over paid Disney resort prices for!

 

[mcd2745]

Also changing the early entry to only 30 minutes really means you need to be at the head of that crowd to get anywhere ahead of the opening crowd right behind you and if you run (or are a power walk champion) you can get two rides squeezed in (at least in line for the second) and you're crazy if you think I'm not going to make the most of the "advantage" I over paid Disney resort prices for!

Agreed. 30 minutes is not nearly enough. 90 minutes should have been the number, 60 would still be acceptable. That would spread out the crowds entering the parks significantly, create a safer environment, and provide a real perk for on-site guests.

 

[SeanWM48]

grabbing a Large Iced and a SAUS-EGG-CHEE as God intended,

hahahha yes!

 

[DISNEYFOS]

Just because I'm down on Disney after a hella week last week...I'll mention for early entry for Universal studios on Friday...They let everyone in the park regardless of hotel status, and then a certain locations to rides they had about 5 employees, quickly scanning cards.. I'm pretty certain all rides were open during this time... no jam ups, no trampling, and you actually got to ride things during the 60 mins of early entry... Disney can do better if they wanted to invest in crowd management..vs grab as much extra cash as you can..

 

[NY Pirate Princess]

People are jerks everywhere, but the breeding and nurturing of the scarcity mindset by Disney policy is going to end in disaster. This is a system that rewards bad behavior. It won't stop until Disney stops it.

 

[UpstateMick]

Just because I'm down on Disney after a hella week last week...I'll mention for early entry for Universal studios on Friday...They let everyone in the park regardless of hotel status, and then a certain locations to rides they had about 5 employees, quickly scanning cards.. I'm pretty certain all rides were open during this time... no jam ups, no trampling, and you actually got to ride things during the 60 mins of early entry... Disney can do better if they wanted to invest in crowd management..vs grab as much extra cash as you can..

I agree 100%, Disney can do better, but they CHOOSE NOT to do better because they don't have to because people are still storming the parks, paying the prices, and putting up with it, including ME just last week (but no more). We rope dropped MK last Friday. We woke up @ 6:00 AM to get ready and to buy Genie+ and then purchased 7DMT @ 7:00 AM and hopped on a bus. We were at the turnstiles at 7:45 AM and then let into the park to be held at the first rope in Fantasyland, then our band was scanned (resort guest) and we walked to Fantasyland to be held before HM and NOT allowed to go ride BTMRR until 9:00 AM (when they let the non-resort guests in from the Liberty Tree Bridge @ 9:00 which is actually closer.) At 9:00 at rope drop, we were held again just past the Liberty Boat by a line of Cast Members (9 of them I think) who herded us and walked us to BTMRR where OTHER cast members (5-6) were there to announce to us that BTMRR was down. Disney KNEW that ride was down at the original Rope Drop, and still walked us in a large, herded pack like animals to the ride just to announce down to simply disperse crowds. That was the dagger for Disney for us. We went and got on Pirates @ 9:25 and waited 20 minutes. That was our ONLY rope drop experience of our trip, and our last ever. Sincerely, I don't know how people do it or have the patience to be manipulated and lied to over and over. This is the new Disney. We experienced this attitude all last week at parks, rides, restaurants, etc. The cast members who told us BTMRR was down found it humorous when some people voiced their displeasure of being led to a closed ride. It was unlike anything I have ever seen from cast members! We had a wonderful trip with the weather and at the Swan Resort and Disney Springs, but the park experiences were downright frustrating, to say the least.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

Agreed. 30 minutes is not nearly enough. 90 minutes should have been the number, 60 would still be acceptable. That would spread out the crowds entering the parks significantly, create a safer environment, and provide a real perk for on-site guests.

I COULD be 100,000% wrong here. I have no facts to base this off of. But I SUSPECT that the early entry time for guests staying onsite will be moved to an hour at some point. I BELIEVE that it's at 30 minutes due mainly to staffing issues. Or they could make deluxe at 60 and value at 30. I dunno.

Take everything I said here with an entire boatload of Morton salt as this is not based on any rumor or knowledge. It's just observation.

 

[Skippyboo]

MK rope drop definitely stinks. HS is much better since they don’t hold at turnstiles or pile up inside park. Only downside if ROTR or SDD doesn’t open on time then you are screwed. Straight to line up at what ride you choose. Remember when SWGE opened and there were multiple hours of EMM and all the parks?

 

[MakiraMarlena]

I used to go out to the plaza in World Showcase to watch the Frozen Sprint.

 

[jimmymc]

Sounds like I'm bringing my track shoes and shorts on my next trip.

But this is something every Six Flags has figured out. They have one security guard for each major ride form a queue at the rope, then you have to walk behind them to the attraction.

 

[jimmymc]

Just because I'm down on Disney after a hella week last week...I'll mention for early entry for Universal studios on Friday...They let everyone in the park regardless of hotel status, and then a certain locations to rides they had about 5 employees, quickly scanning cards.. I'm pretty certain all rides were open during this time... no jam ups, no trampling, and you actually got to ride things during the 60 mins of early entry... Disney can do better if they wanted to invest in crowd management..vs grab as much extra cash as you can..

It works well there because you have to line up to scan in. So that pre-drop crowd is organized into a few lines rather than one large clump. They also divert the Hagrid's crowd into the old Poseidon theater early on so they don't mix with everyone else.

 

[ajfd]

I'm always close to the front for rope drop, we never run, I hold onto my kids and we walk briskly.

Much like "falling with style" our family calls this "walking with purpose".

 

[Minnie1222]

Ah, that takes me back to the old days when people got revved up for the "Space Mountain sprint."

Do you remember which decade this was? While I've never ran at Disney in real life, I've had the same recurring dream where I was standing at the edge of TomorrowLand watching thousands of people running toward my direction. I would wake up as soon as I start running...

Your post makes me wonder if this actually happened, and not a "nightmare".

 

[lockets]

I’m so over these folks. They run down Main Street during ETPE….to another rope then they run to 7 dwarfs.

Last Sunday no crowd control, so the adults just ran @ 8:30 and then again @ 9 over to Big Thunder.

FULL GROWN ADULTS.

RUNNING.

Poor kid lost his shoe and was nearly trampled.

Grow up, people.

Is the kid ok???