Really, How Hard is it to Make Rope Drop?

[LucyBC80]

The thing is not only rope drop that counts is where are you in relation to the entrance. Arriving at 8AM for a 9AM park opening is VERY different from arriving at 8:45AM, just take a look at the pictures over at easyWDW.

When you arrive at 8AM and are one of the first ones inside the park you can be riding TSMM by the time people who got there for rope drop at 8:45AM are still waiting to be let in through the turnstile. So if you really want to take advantage of RD you need to be there early otherwise I wouldn't bother.

Yes, it's a vacation, but sometimes you need to make a few compromises. We're a natural early risers so waking up 6AM on vacation is no different from waking up 6AM back home, but we also take afternoon breaks to recharge our batteries and to give us a second breathe to be there for park close.

 

[xipotec]

Each visit we have breakfast at Cindy's. They let you in the park before opening . You get great pictures of an empty park, castle **** without anyone in the background.
Best of all you get to be at the SECOND rope drop. You finish before park opening, and you wait at the castle tunnel into FL. When the park opens you are in FL and can ride just about everything that first hour, or make your way left or right and pull the same trick in LS or FTL or TML.
Plus you get to have a truly magical breakfast, meet all the princess and have a really great meal.

I highly recommend it, just do not tell anyone out secret.....

 

[surferdave]

It depends on how many previous nights we spent watching Wishes, Fantasmic and Illuminations.

 

[BubblyTrip]

We pack bags the night before, have clothes laid out and every single thing ready to go. Breakfast is eaten once we are at the rope. Sunscreen applied then too. I saw a couple moms doing their daughters' hair in line. We arrived about 40 min before RD and were literally on the rope. It was fun to hang out and chat with everyone.

 

[FLSarah]

I've mentioned before that I'm not a morning person at all. I routinely have to get up at 4:30-5 AM at home, so I wanted to sleep in at Disney. We started doing rope drop during our February trip and loved it. We got so much done in the first 2 hours. My son rode BTMRR something like 9 times in the first hour the park was open. We used the rope drop strategy again during our trip last weekend with good results.

As far as getting there on time, my son and I stay offsite and we made it within a few minutes of opening every MK day. I think it's completely doable, especially if you don't have to park and then take a boat/monorail.

 

[caitlinnf]

When we stayed at POR in Feb, I always directed my family (4 adults, 3 kids) to be AT the bus stop by either 7am or 8am, depending on if we were doing EMH.

We always arrived 20-40 minutes early, and ate breakfast in line. We got so much done each morning, and were always satisfied with how much we accomplished when it was time to go back for naps.

My DH and I are going back by ourselves in October, but this is still our plan. And we will be hitting up every AM EMH that we can, and maybe do a pre-park opening breakfast at MK on a normal hours day also. I am NOT a morning person, but it is so worth it to avoid the lines. I figure I might as well nap while the parks are hot and crowded.

 

[Micca]

Sleep is good, and following 50+ WDW trips RD is no longer a necessity. That said, rising early for one of the greatest days of your life????

 

[corinascot]

We rope dropped MK on a morning EMH day this week...Thursday. Worth it to us. It was a VERY busy week at the park. Here's what we did in the first hour,
Buzz (twice), tea cups, dumbo, pooh, barnstormer, small world. We did quite a few hour two, also. Within 90 minutes of RD, Buzz was 45 minute wait.

 

[Umbrella]

We were at MK for rope drop on Tuesday and had no waits for a number of rides. The fast pass line was also short and we got our top three picks.

 

[corinascot]

a isEven for AK, it alwe crowd dies down after the 3:45pm parade which I hear is ending.

By the way, what's going on in AK? Is the Avatar thing coming? Lion King is closed, right? Now, I hear the parade is ending? We often ended our day at AK by riding Kali River Rapids or Expedition Everest repeatedly (no wait) the hour before park closing.

We love the hours at AK after the parade and before closing, too. Usually so empty! I wonder if the parade leaving will change that? Will people still leave in droves after 4?

 

[yeheyprincex2]

I also thought rope drop was a horrible idea because I AM NOT A MORNING PERSON, NOT EVEN CLOSE!

But this past novemeber my family, two adults and 1 & 2 year old made rope drop every day expect for one day our HS day. It was a huge difference and we did get a lot done during EMH and first few hrs of every moring. It did catch up with us though and we ended up with one sleep in day, good thing it was our MVMCP day.
We will now have RD and moring EMH in our disney schedules.
definitely worth a try and if you don't like it you don't have to continue doing it.

 

[wendow]

I'll be honest. We have a lot of trouble being there for RD. We have 4 kids and all enjoy sleeping. As do their parents. We don't get up that early at home and it's even harder after long park days. This is one reason we stay on the monorail. It just makes it easier to get to MK earlier. We really, really struggle getting to the other parks for RD. However, it does make a difference in crowds. Especially on those highest crowd days.

 

[disneyerin]

Keep in mind that there are a few folks from the West Coast at WDW. So getting up at 6:30 literally feels like getting up at 3:30am. And this is after a full day, non stop, walk 6 miles, schedule.

It's really, really, really hard......

 

[gibsontrio]

Not for us. We wake up at 6-6:30 ( especially sharing a hotel room with 3 children) we are ealry risers as my husbands job pretty much requires it. We plan on doing rope drop every morning ! I'll book fp for later in the day, ride all the rides in the morning , and take. Break mid day.

 

[Cookie Princess]

I am a morning person, but DH is NOT. We get him some coffee as soon as possible. If there is some in the room...all the better!

 

[glassslippergirl]

I feel like this would be my family! My girls will be 4 & almost 6 when we go in May, so tantrums/morning grumpies are a real possibility. Let's say we can make it happen - coffee in the room, granola bars & fruit packed, sunscreen lathered on - are there restrooms at MK at bag check/rope drop? Someone ALWAYS seems to have to go to the bathroom. Just want to know what I'm getting into here!

The MK bathrooms are to the right (if you are approaching bag check) next to the guest relations windows. We get up at 5 a.m. and drive 2.5 hours non stop to get to the parks as early as possible on our first day, so I've really learned where those outside the gates bathrooms are.

I so want us to be a RD family, but DH is slow moving in the mornings. I'm hoping on our next trip our two-year-old will have more luck getting him going early.

 

[Sundancer UK]

One word: NAPS.

I am NOT a morning person, I love my sleep! However I am also a HUGE kid, the kind who can't sleep on Christmas Eve and gets up stupidly early Christmas morning. That's what I'm like at Disney lol And my kids are the same!
But we do like the night shows! No wait, we LOVE the night time shows.

Naps are the only way around this for us. Being from the UK it's the best way for us to deal with Florida heat too.
Up and out early (this year I'm going to take breakfast bars as there's one less snack credit now and that used to be our on the go breakfast!), hit the parks for rope drop (before RD if possible) and get LOADS done by about 11, when we would normally eat, then go back to sleep.

I've only been to Disney once (two weeks), and let me tell you it was torture at times to spend so much of our 'once in a life time' (haha!) trip in our room asleep. But when I considered how early and late we were out, that was a lot of hours in the parks. It was just broken up in the middle to rest. Those hours snoozing at the hotel meant that we got the best of the mornings and still could watch the night shows too.

There's a woman I know who I'm kind of envious of, because she has taken her daughter to Disney loads of times. Her husband has a good job and they stay at the grand Floridian each time. They like to relax, use the spa and be close to MK.
I realised after our trip to Disney, that we had managed to cover more in two weeks than they had done in multiple trips combined! And we were only at All Star Music, which took longer to get to the parks from. She's happy with her way and I'm happy with mine, but it does show if you want to get a lot done, you need to get there early

 

[Alicatt]

Do they start letting people through bag check before actually rope drop? I'm hoping to catch bus by 8 from POR. I doubt I can get there any earlier than that. Even that may be optimistic, especially after wishes....

 

[Sundancer UK]

Yes, bag check lets you through to the space in front of the entrance gates, where you can either stay in the middle and watch the opening show, or get to the side to be first through the gates

 

[khaleesi]

For me? Easy peasy. I wish the parks opened EARLIER. Now... tell me that the best use of time is evening EMH and staying until midnight? Never gonna happen!

And naps simply don't work for me. Sleepy time is at night. Not 2pm. LOL. I only fall asleep in the afternoon if I'm sick.