Opinion: Running at Rope Drop

Running through crowds is one of the few things I will call other people's kids out over. But if you're in the clear and can get where you're going without inconveniencing others, I don't care.

Groups of people walking side by side bother me more. People who stop abruptly bother me more. If people could learn to pick an 'exit lane' and veer to the side of the path before stopping I would count it as a win for society. If we could settle on which-hand side of the sidewalk we walk on I might start feeling better about us as a species.
 
No to flat out running. Walking with purpose is fine, just be careful and aware of those around you. People get reckless when they start sprinting and tend to elbow-hit or flat out shove others which is not awesome.
 
I will add that while we NEVER run and are always careful, if you are at rope drop and are walking slowly for whatever reason, I AM going to carefully go around you without touching you. Its not a line...YET.
 


Is that building that holds your most wanted attraction going to disappear before you get there? It will be there all day.

Don't be selfish and rude by running. You're not just putting yourself at risk, you're putting others at risk if you fall down.

Please don't have a "I got mine, screw everyone" else mentality.
 
I don't think it's a "I got mine, screw everyone" attitude. It's a "i'm pretty dang excited to ride this ride" attitude. I'm in the middle of watching the new Imagineering documentary in Disney+, and I see lots of running. Because Disneyland was awesome. We live in an era today where kids aren't allowed to be kids in school. All of the sudden, running is dangerous. Running stupidly is stupid. But I can't help feel that the "building... will be there all day" attitude seems so... old? (who knows.. maybe I'm going through a midlife crisis trying to re-live my younger years.)
 


This thread confirms my worst fears and justifies my decision to rent a scooter when I really don't have any problem walking now. I had two total knee replacements in July of this year and and very worried about being knocked down. I can walk fine, but if my knees take a hit it could be bad. I am renting a scooter as a purely defensive, protective measure to stay safe.

We have never rope dropped in all our years of going to Disney. Going to rope drop for the first time ever in a couple of weeks.

I'm a very experienced scooter driver from all my years on bad knees. I have no worries about navigating the crowds without touching anyone. Definitely much safer than risking being knocked down.

It's ironic that this subject, something I've put a lot of thought into, came up right now. Very sad. I would never allow my family to run. Never. We would just miss out on a ride before engaging in selfish and obnoxious behavior.
 
Maybe we’ve gotten lucky, I’ve never seen a RD walk to a headliner that wasn’t mostly calm. Except maybe TSMM back in the day lol.

In my experience CMs are pretty quick to put a stop to the runners. Can I just say that slooooow walk back to MFSR is painful though? I’d almost rather they didn’t walk you back for that one and let whatever happens happens, or at least held the crowd much closer to SWGE.
 
Not a fan of the running and rushing. We always rope drop, but not usually to the most popular attractions.

People always complain about getting hit by strollers, scooters, etc., but I’ve also noticed quite a few adults in a hurry to get somewhere who are looking up trying to see over the crowd or ahead to their destination rather than paying attention to their immediate vicinity.

Last year, about 5 minutes after rope drop, a man was moving very fast, not watching where he was going and literally jumped over my 2 year old to avoid completely taking him out. We weren’t even in a crowded area (that’s why I was walking with my little guy.) Back in the stroller he went. I hope this guy’s short wait on Space Mountain was worth nearly trampling a toddler.
 
Last edited:
I have done a lot of rope drops in recent years and it really wasn’t an issue that I saw. Maybe if you are near the back and people are trying to gain position. But if you start at the front with the CM’s (what we do) it’s fine.
 
I'm a brisk walker who takes note of giving people enough space so that I'm not running into & over others. I never run and I make sure to be aware of my surroundings. Trampling = bad.

People who stop abruptly bother me more. If people could learn to pick an 'exit lane' and veer to the side of the path before stopping I would count it as a win for society. If we could settle on which-hand side of the sidewalk we walk on I might start feeling better about us as a species.

This happens so often and I don't know why we have such difficulty applying "right side" of the road to walking.
 
I saw this at Hollywood Studios last summer. We got there early and were waiting to walk over to eh Jedi signup. There was a nice lady there with a bullhorn telling everyone no running. A younger gentleman behind me picked up one kid under each arm and begin sprinting towards the sign up area. He weaved in and out of CM;s and ignored them. We walked and he was only about 8 people ahead of us plus he had a large group of angry people to deal with. I used him as an example to the 8 year old girl on whey she should not run in the parks.
 
I saw this at Hollywood Studios last summer. We got there early and were waiting to walk over to eh Jedi signup. There was a nice lady there with a bullhorn telling everyone no running. A younger gentleman behind me picked up one kid under each arm and begin sprinting towards the sign up area. He weaved in and out of CM;s and ignored them. We walked and he was only about 8 people ahead of us plus he had a large group of angry people to deal with. I used him as an example to the 8 year old girl on whey she should not run in the parks.

And pointless too as JTA hasn’t been nearly as crowded at rope drop since TSL opened.
 
We may do that funny fast walking, but honestly with longer trips and fast pass plus, we don't feel the need to rope drop that much.

If we do rope drop Galaxy's Edge, we'll just walk to the side to make way for the stampedes. :)
 
And pointless too as JTA hasn’t been nearly as crowded at rope drop since TSL opened.
It was pointless to run everyone was going to get to do it. I did observe him complain about the time they gave him which was in the afternoon and when we got to the head of the line they scheduled Maria for the 1st show. Another family back with me made a comment about don't break the rules and don't be rude. OUCH
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!





Top