Riding TSM multiple times

[LaurenT]

Where is the rope drop located in the studios?

DHS does not really have a rope drop anymore. You'll wait at the tapstile and once they start scanning people through, you'll be allowed to go wherever you want. They will often open 15 minutes early, but not all the rides will be operating yet.

 

[Quellman]

Thanks for all the input, we plan to be there early. I will exchange tickets the day before, our flight comes in at 12:30 and we aren't planning a park that day so I'll have plenty of time to exchange them at downtown disney. We aren't stay on property, Wyndham Bonnet Creek.

Yes! Go to guest relations at DTD an get the military tickets activated (military salute). You will need the military ID and any other adult will need to show photo ID as well (drivers license is fine). This way you will be all set up for getting into the parks the next day without a delay.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

You can get additional fast passes at the kiosk once the first 3 are gone. But there won't be any TSMM passes available by that time, unless the park is extremely empty.

And if the park is that empty, you might as well ride SB because the wait won't be bad.

In the FP+ era, we can usually get in three rides/day: (1) at RD with minimal (5-10 minutes) wait; (2) with FP+ with essentially no wait; and (3) during Fantasmic and/or the last hour of park operation, with a short (under 30 minutes) wait. We've also had some luck riding SB during the traditional dinner times (between 5:00 and 6:30 or so) with short (20-25 minute) waits, but doing that takes faith that the posted waits are hyper-inflated. We did that one day with a 50 minute posted wait (back out front 20 minutes after entering the queue) and a 70 minute wait (about a 20 minute actual wait, and we were actually at the FP+ merge point 12 minutes after we entered the line and then held there for almost 10 minutes). Generally, I'll peek in the queue and if the line isn't backed up much past the Etch-a-Sketch, I know the wait is what I'd consider to be tolerable.

 

[disneyseniors]

This is not correct. During our latest visit, we hit Toy Story just as the early edition of Fantasmic was starting at 9 pm. The posted wait was 75 minutes but the actual wait was 15 or less. We were able to ride 4 times in about an hour and still had plenty of time to attend the next Fantasmic show at 10:30.
We felt that it was a pretty efficient use of an hour.

Off topic, I know, but love your avatar I'm from Bemidji so this picture is very familiar!

 

[JD3ofthem]

DHS does not really have a rope drop anymore. You'll wait at the tapstile and once they start scanning people through, you'll be allowed to go wherever you want. They will often open 15 minutes early, but not all the rides will be operating yet.

Thanks for the info. One day we have an 8:00 am at Hollywood and Vine with a 9:00 park opening. If we get out early before they start letting people inside the turnstiles where do we hang out until then?

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

Off topic, I know, but love your avatar I'm from Bemidji so this picture is very familiar!

Sweet. Spent a lot of summers fishing at Leech Lake when I was a kid.

 

[LaurenT]

Thanks for the info. One day we have an 8:00 am at Hollywood and Vine with a 9:00 park opening. If we get out early before they start letting people inside the turnstiles where do we hang out until then?

If you're finished well before they start letting people in, I believe they'll hold you near the restaurant. But if you sit down at 8 am, I can't see you finishing up much before 8:45, and the park will likely be open by then.

 

[threeboysmom]

Riding TSMM multiple times, RnR, and have to exchange out for tickets.

-get to park about 45 min-1 hour ahead of opening.
-be among the first in the park and head directly to TSMM. Taking path to the right of the Chinese theater down the stairs.
-after that head to RnR. If you were among the first on TSMM, you should be looking at a light weight, if any at all, for RnR.
-do whatever you want until TSMM FP is ready.

Many ppl suggest getting to the parks up to an hour early, but really, what is the difference between standing at the turnstile for an hour waiting for the park to open and standing at an attraction for an hour????

Basically, you're standing in queue at rope drop for an hour just so you can have a shorter line at the attraction, but are you really saving yourself any time? You're standing in line in order to not stand in line. I don't get this logic...

 

[threeboysmom]

She was very excited to tell me about her experience riding Midway Mania without a Fast Pass. The got up really early, got to the gates about 45 minutes before they opened and waited in a pretty large crowd. Then they hurried as fast as they could to the ride and the wait was *only* 15 minutes. By the time they got off the line was almost an hour long. There were people all over the place.

This. So basically your co-worker stood in line for an hour in order to ride TSMM, and was no better off than the people arriving later than had an hour wait...

 

[Whatsthegoodword]

Riding TSMM multiple times, RnR, and have to exchange out for tickets.

Book FP for TSMM anytime after say 10 or 11am. Get your tickets the day before at Downtown Disney guest relations.

-get to park about 45 min-1 hour ahead of opening.
-be among the first in the park and head directly to TSMM. Taking path to the right of the Chinese theater down the stairs.
-after that head to RnR. If you were among the first on TSMM, you should be looking at a light weight, if any at all, for RnR.
-do whatever you want until TSMM FP is ready.

Hitting the park early and straight to TSMM and then having a FP after is the only way anyone can ride it more than once without having to wait an hour.

....but if you do this, you're waiting an hour to ride anyway - just at the front gate instead of in the que.

 

[snoopy352]

Many ppl suggest getting to the parks up to an hour early, but really, what is the difference between standing at the turnstile for an hour waiting for the park to open and standing at an attraction for an hour????

Basically, you're standing in queue at rope drop for an hour just so you can have a shorter line at the attraction, but are you really saving yourself any time? You're standing in line in order to not stand in line. I don't get this logic...

Yes you are standing in line for the same amount of time but you are waiting at RD when the park is not open yet vs. waiting at say 9:30 for one hour and wasting precious time missing out on other activities you could be doing while the park is open. So while the time is the same, you are basically trading an hour of sleep to get more stuff in at the park.

 

[momof2n2]

....but if you do this, you're waiting an hour to ride anyway - just at the front gate instead of in the que.

Yes you are standing in line for the same amount of time but you are waiting at RD when the park is not open yet vs. waiting at say 9:30 for one hour and wasting precious time missing out on other activities you could be doing while the park is open. So while the time is the same, you are basically trading an hour of sleep to get more stuff in at the park.

Exactly!!

The hour pre-gates is filled with anticipation.
An hour in line is filled with frustration!!

 

[switch15foot]

this is my Moms favourite ride ... we are going for 14 nights in November ... the goal is to see how many times we can ride it during our trip ... in 2013 I rode it 6 times in 1 day

 

[mort1331]

This is not correct. During our latest visit, we hit Toy Story just as the early edition of Fantasmic was starting at 9 pm. The posted wait was 75 minutes but the actual wait was 15 or less. We were able to ride 4 times in about an hour and still had plenty of time to attend the next Fantasmic show at 10:30.
We felt that it was a pretty efficient use of an hour.

We have done this as well, we had a late dinner and planned on going to Fantasmic but at the last minute the girls did not want to, So head over to TSM and rode it 3 times and went home before the show was over.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

Thanks for the info. One day we have an 8:00 am at Hollywood and Vine with a 9:00 park opening. If we get out early before they start letting people inside the turnstiles where do we hang out until then?

We do this every trip to get a jump on the JTA crowd. They hold you right outside the restaurant until they officially open the park. As soon as the background music changes, which signifies the park is open, they release you from the area. We typically run over to JTA, get signed up, and are over to TSM before the RD herd arrives, so have a virtual walk-on.

We started doing the breakfast because of the arguments made in the thread...if we have to wait 45 minutes to get a good position at the turnstiles, then we'd rather just be inside the park, eating breakfast during that time. Since none of the H&V characters talk, and since the restaurant is fairly big, the characters go through pretty quickly. There's no waiting for food since it's a buffet, so we're usually done in about 30-35 minutes without feeling rushed.

 

[richmo]

...we hit Toy Story just as the early edition of Fantasmic was starting at 9 pm. The posted wait was 75 minutes but the actual wait was 15 or less. We were able to ride 4 times in about an hour and still had plenty of time to attend the next Fantasmic show at 10:30.
We felt that it was a pretty efficient use of an hour.

I've had a similar experience. I got closed out of the early (8:30) Fantasmic and walked back to TSM. Posted wait was 60 minutes...I walked in, figured I'd judge the crowd, then leave if it was bad. There was hardly anyone in line, was on the ride in less than five minutes and repeated a couple times. The second time was a little longer. This was one of those nights where there was another Fantasmic at 10:30, but the park closed at 10, so I got in the TSM line again at 9:59 and was in and out in time for the second Fantasmic....

 

[jtowntoflorida]

Many ppl suggest getting to the parks up to an hour early, but really, what is the difference between standing at the turnstile for an hour waiting for the park to open and standing at an attraction for an hour????

Basically, you're standing in queue at rope drop for an hour just so you can have a shorter line at the attraction, but are you really saving yourself any time? You're standing in line in order to not stand in line. I don't get this logic...

If you're at the front of the turnstiles, you get to TSM essentially first, so you have no wait. You can then move to other attractions (particularly RNRC) with little to no wait. So you stay ahead of the crowd. If you arrive at 9:00, you've got an hour wait at TSM, then another hour wait at RNRC, for a total wait of two hours at just those two attractions, and you've also precluded yourself from doing anything else. If you arrive 45 minutes before the gate opens, your total wait is only 45 minutes, plus you've knocked two major attractions out in the first half hour of park opening, leaving room to do other things.