Rope drop during "slow" times - still crazy?

[Iowamomof4]

I've been reading the 7dmt thread(s) with great interest as we have our first ever WDW trip scheduled for this September (Labor Day weekend through the following weekend). We have an 8:10 ADR at BOG but I go back and forth over whether to keep it or cancel it. The idea of being with the rope drop crowd (at least the way I see it represented through posts here and videos on YouTube) makes me shudder! Then I began to wonder if most people are talking about rope drop on days with crowd levels above 7 or 8?

My question: Is rope drop noticeably less crazy (packed) on lower crowd level days? We'll be there with predicted crowd levels of 1-4.

Thank you!

 

[kj2mom]

We were there for RD on July 4th, I was prepared for insanity. It was anything but. Everyone entered in an orderly fashion, no one was rushing (at least not near us) and we had a nice leisurely walk up Main Street. Now, we were heading to PP so we didn't travel exactly with everyone but honestly I was prepared to fear for my life, my ankles and my heels but was very pleasantly surprised!

 

[Jarmo]

Rope drop in September is pretty mild.

At Magic Kingdom, most people will try to get front and center for the opening show with the train, so its easy to work your way toward the tunnel entrances on the sides.

 

[AndiSlamberg]

It's usually okay if you're at the front of the RD pack as opposed to the back so just make sure you get there early!

 

[asbyrneva]

Are you going that Thursday? That seems to be the only 8 am schedule RD EMH from the 6-12. That week is very low week If you are concerned about leaving BOG to get to SDMT before the RD crowd you will be fine. If you are worried about the mass at the front and entering with the RD crowd at 9 it will seem "crowded" cause everybody is in a small space but once you pass the arches it opens up.

I am assuming since you have an 810 you are wondering do you keep it and head over to SDMT ahead of the 9 am RD crowd. yes if you want to ride it and dont have FP+. probably the easiest week to do that all year.

 

[Iowamomof4]

Are you going that Thursday? That seems to be the only 8 am schedule RD EMH from the 6-12. That week is very low week If you are concerned about leaving BOG to get to SDMT before the RD crowd you will be fine. If you are worried about the mass at the front and entering with the RD crowd at 9 it will seem "crowded" cause everybody is in a small space but once you pass the arches it opens up.

I am assuming since you have an 810 you are wondering do you keep it and head over to SDMT ahead of the 9 am RD crowd. yes if you want to ride it and dont have FP+. probably the easiest week to do that all year.

I'm sorry I wasn't more clear in my post, I was trying to be brief but I guess I was too brief!

MK is scheduled to open at 9 AM on the day of our 8:10 ADR (yes, I do know that can change). I was thinking of canceling it because we aren't morning people and I figure we could get an extra 30 minutes of sleep by not having to be at MK by 7:30 or so (AND we wouldn't have to worry about oversleeping and facing the fee for missing the reservation). However, if we cancel BOG and instead opt for Rope Drop, then we have to deal with the mass of people. I don't want to drag my kids out of bed only to have them get trampled by people at RD. If it's still a big mass of people, even in early September, I think we'll keep the ADR just to be in the park and not be part of the "people river" as my 8yo son would call it.

 

[Mama Lo]

I can tell you that we were there in mid January, on a "low crowd" day. We arrived at 30 minutes prior to the posted park opening to head directly to SDMT. We waited by the bridge and went directly to SDMT with what seemed like several thousand people (a total people river!!!). It was very calm but the line forms quite quickly and we had to wait about 40 minutes to ride.

I'd keep your reservation. Preorder your food and hopefully you will have a jump on getting to ride.

 

[Kathryn777]

We go in Oct and there is definitely a "people river" at rope drop. Crowd level usually 5-6

 

[Hopefully]

Even on slower days Rope Drop is popular. It will be crowded. It is just that the total days crowds are lower. Rope Drop is always a mass of people.

 

[Iowamomof4]

Perhaps on our other MK days we'll arrive just after rope drop and let the people river do its thing while we just enjoy the lower overall crowds of the morning. Is rope drop often done before the official 9 AM park opening, even during slower times? I've read that rope drop can occur anytime after 15 minutes prior to the planned opening time, right?

 

[kj2mom]

We were there during a peak time but I will say the first couple of days we got there and waited prior to opening (we wanted to see the MK opening show etc etc) but as the week progressed we tried to time it a little closer to opening so that we didn't have to wait in the crowd. We tried to make it so we were there just after the masses. What we eventually tried to do was get to the parks about 10 minutes prior to the official opening. This allowed us to go through bag check and the scanners with absolutely no wait/crowd but still afforded us the opportunity to go straight to the rides we wanted most with no problem (our AK day it was EE and we rode twice with no wait, HS it was RnRC which we did have a few minute wait but the line was not long enough that we had to wait outside the building). Showing up a little later but early enough definitely became our new strategy after day 2.

 

[jtowntoflorida]

Pretty much every RD, regardless of crowd level, is going to have a base level of people at it, that is going to fill the entire area in front of the train platform. The difference between busy and less busy times will be how far outside that area the crowd spills. But you're going to have several thousand people there regardless, and while it isn't necessarily mad chaos any time, what you see in the videos is pretty representative of any rope drop, even during the less busy season. There will be what seems like lots of people (who quickly dissipate throughout the park), and nearly everyone is going to be walking pretty quickly. Having done RD in busy season (June), not busy season (last Labor Day weekend), and during moderately busy season (October and mid-December), I can't say one has seemed worse than any others. I will say that getting a pre-opening ADR at BOG definitely was worth it to me just to be able to stroll leisurely up Main Street rather than walking quickly.

 

[DisneyFive]

Rope Drop in September is pretty mild. Still full of people, but not PACKED. It's an orderly entrance into the parks.

Having said that, I would absolutely keep the 8:10am BOG ressie, have a quick bite to eat and then get in line for 7DMT. Cancelling that for the sake of 30 extra minutes of sleep doesn't seem like a good trade off. I would just get to bed a little earlier the night before instead.

I assume you weren't able to pre-book 7DMT for a FP+?

Dan

 

[Iowamomof4]

Pretty much every RD, regardless of crowd level, is going to have a base level of people at it, that is going to fill the entire area in front of the train platform. The difference between busy and less busy times will be how far outside that area the crowd spills. But you're going to have several thousand people there regardless, and while it isn't necessarily mad chaos any time, what you see in the videos is pretty representative of any rope drop, even during the less busy season. There will be what seems like lots of people (who quickly dissipate throughout the park), and nearly everyone is going to be walking pretty quickly. Having done RD in busy season (June), not busy season (last Labor Day weekend), and during moderately busy season (October and mid-December), I can't say one has seemed worse than any others. I will say that getting a pre-opening ADR at BOG definitely was worth it to me just to be able to stroll leisurely up Main Street rather than walking quickly.

Oh thank you so much for responding! This is exactly what I was needing to know. What you say makes sense and it sounds like my BOG plan is a good one for us. We'll also be experiencing the opening show once with our touring group later in the week, so I'll get to see what it's like for myself at least once (but I imagine once will be more than enough for me!).

 

[Jess_S]

I had the same question as the OP re RD crowds on a low crowd day. It sounds like there will still be a decent crowd at RD in September, so what's the best entrance strategy for someone who's not in a rush to get to a particular ride. Is it better to wait before entering to give the crowd time to dissipate? Or would one of the side tunnels be a good choice? Is it worth showing up for the welcome show if we're not going to be super early? (Will we be able to see it?)

 

[Iowamomof4]

Rope Drop in September is pretty mild. Still full of people, but not PACKED. It's an orderly entrance into the parks.

Having said that, I would absolutely keep the 8:10am BOG ressie, have a quick bite to eat and then get in line for 7DMT. Cancelling that for the sake of 30 extra minutes of sleep doesn't seem like a good trade off. I would just get to bed a little earlier the night before instead.

I assume you weren't able to pre-book 7DMT for a FP+?

Dan

LOL - well, we actually have FP+ for 7DMT 3 different times during our week (including the day we have BOG early ADR). For us it isn't so much about riding 7DMT as it is about just avoiding the hoard of people (really, really can't stand crowds). If we get through 7DMT early or just get to wander over to a different ride or rides without bumping shoulders with hundreds (thousands?? Oh my!) of strangers I'll be thrilled!

 

[DisneyFive]

If that's the case, you could cancel the BOG ADR and enter about 10 minutes after rope drop. You'll miss the crowds, get more sleep, and still be there plenty early to avoid the big mass that builds throughout the morning and afternoon.

Dan

 

[Kathryn777]

I have gotten there at 8:30 ish and at 9 ish. Much prefer 8:30. The number of people just seems to get more and more as time passes. I like getting everything done and on the other side of the bag check etc. the crowd is usually calm and I can take the kids to the side to do sunscreen, bathroom break, check water bottles . When I get there and the park is already open i feel much more rushed

 

[jtowntoflorida]

LOL - well, we actually have FP+ for 7DMT 3 different times during our week (including the day we have BOG early ADR). For us it isn't so much about riding 7DMT as it is about just avoiding the hoard of people (really, really can't stand crowds). If we get through 7DMT early or just get to wander over to a different ride or rides without bumping shoulders with hundreds (thousands?? Oh my!) of strangers I'll be thrilled!

In your situation, I'd keep the BOG for sure. These pictures are from easywdw.com. This is RD at the MK May 20th:

vs. what it's like to enter with an early ADR: