Rope Drop Every Day vs Afternoon Start

[Roxyfire]

The point was that there are more efficient ways than rope drop to get short waits and/or multiple rerides on the headliners.

One person waited outside the locked gate for an hour just to ride once. The other waited until later in the evening and rode 4 consecutive times in an hour.

I prefer the latter option.

It's great that you don't want to show up early in the morning. You do you! My point is that if some guests want to see nighttime shows and experience as many rides as possible throughout the day, it's often the best option to do some waiting in the morning when nothing else is open. Like I said initially, it all depends on what you're trying to accomplish and what your group/family wants to experience. There's many different ways to experience the parks. Plus I think you're being a little disingenuous with the "standing outside a locked park" comment. They open up the parks toward the hubs so people can shop, look around, etc for a while before the rides are open. I'm sure you know that but I really think exaggeration isn't needed to make your point here. They very well could've been standing around doing nothing for a while, but that's picture isn't exactly accurate.

 

[StraightToDumbo]

We do rope drop every other day. On the "off" day, we either stay away from a park or just leisurely stroll through the afternoon with some FPs and low expectations.

 

[mala55]

We are on our way home now from Disney. We were there 9 days and did 8 park days. All RD or early morning experience. While we had lots of fun, I would never do it again. It worked for us in the past, but now that my daughter is 11, it was just too much on all of us. Once we were at the parks DH and DD wanted to stay and do more. Then the afternoon would get super humid and then they changed their minds and wanted to call it a day, but I had ADRs in various restaurants or a dessert party. No time to return to hotel. We definitely burnt out and DD got very cranky. We logged between 20k-30k steps a day according to our Fitbits. My legs are like jello now.

If I were to have a do over, I would get my fast passes for the late afternoon, have a dinner ADR, and then stay until close. The parks are so much fun at night. Love the vibe. They are much more comfortable heat wise too. I would sleep in, hangout at the pool and have a QS lunch instead.

 

[FlightlessDuck]

July 2-9?

For your own sanity, do rope drops and escape to the hotel after lunch. Maybe take a dip in the pool or a nap.

 

[DLgal]

Never done a rope drop in over 20 WDW visits. It's completely unnecessary.

When we go to WDW in the summer, we don't even enter a park until at least 5pm, when it is starting to cool down. Just can't handle the heat of the day in the theme parks, none of us can stand it. We sleep in, hang at the resort pool or water park, have a good lunch (usually a sit down), rest in our room during the inevitable afternoon thunderstorm, and head out fresh and energized around 5pm. Grab a QS dinner in the park late (around 8 or 8:30) and stay until closing or evening EMH. Works great for us. We hit the beds around 1-2am. Since we come from CA, this works well and keeps us all on "CA time" so we don't have to deal with jet lag when we go back home.

 

[DLgal]

Just wanted to add that I find the summer mornings to be the WORST from a temperature/humidity standpoint. I hate that uber humid, blazing morning sun. The late afternoon sun is so much better and usually it has rained so the humidity is far less. I always find it curious how people claim that the morning hours in the summer are the best time to be out, weather wise. Ugh. No.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

My point is that if some guests want to see nighttime shows and experience as many rides as possible throughout the day, it's often the best option to do some waiting in the morning when nothing else is open.

One thing I've learned in 10+ years on this forum is that rope droppers don't like to be told that their way isn't necessarily the best way.

On our last visit to DHS, the park closed at 10 pm. Fantasmic was at 9 & 10:30. Star Wars was at 10. From 9 to 10 pm, we rode Toy Story 4 times. Then we watched the fireworks followed by the 2nd performance of Fantasmic.

You don't have to be up early in order to hit the headline rides multiple times and catch the night shows too.

 

[Roxyfire]

One thing I've learned in 10+ years on this forum is that rope droppers don't like to be told that their way isn't necessarily the best way.

On our last visit to DHS, the park closed at 10 pm. Fantasmic was at 9 & 10:30. Star Wars was at 10. From 9 to 10 pm, we rode Toy Story 4 times. Then we watched the fireworks followed by the 2nd performance of Fantasmic.

You don't have to be up early in order to hit the headline rides multiple times and catch the night shows too.

I really wish they still did Fantasmic twice a night, I might actually get a chance to see it. Unfortunately they've really scaled back the last couple of years, one showing per night. So maybe that's why we're talking past one another. Even on high crowd days, like Christmas Day 2017, they had one showing of fantasmic. Now, they did have the two fireworks shows so that totally would cover a good amount of time.

Currently for our June trip, Star Wars Galactic Spectacular starts at closing time, 9:30 pm. So unless you're skipping them (and I'm sure some people are) it's hard to fit those rides in at the end of the night and get a good spot to see the projections. It's even earlier tonight, closing at 9 pm and fireworks at 9:15. But I would bet someone could get a ride in and hustle over to get a spot if they wanted to.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

I really wish they still did Fantasmic twice a night, I might actually get a chance to see it. Unfortunately they've really scaled back the last couple of years, one showing per night. So maybe that's why we're talking past one another. Even on high crowd days, like Christmas Day 2017, they had one showing of fantasmic. Now, they did have the two fireworks shows so that totally would cover a good amount of time.

Currently for our June trip, Star Wars Galactic Spectacular starts at closing time, 9:30 pm. So unless you're skipping them (and I'm sure some people are) it's hard to fit those rides in at the end of the night and get a good spot to see the projections. It's even earlier tonight, closing at 9 pm and fireworks at 9:15. But I would bet someone could get a ride in and hustle over to get a spot if they wanted to.

We're going in June too. It looks like they'll have two showings of Fantasmic nightly throughout July and August so I'll miss that option as well. Enjoy your visit.

 

[Princess_Lisa]

I really wish they still did Fantasmic twice a night, I might actually get a chance to see it. Unfortunately they've really scaled back the last couple of years, one showing per night. So maybe that's why we're talking past one another. Even on high crowd days, like Christmas Day 2017, they had one showing of fantasmic. Now, they did have the two fireworks shows so that totally would cover a good amount of time.

Currently for our June trip, Star Wars Galactic Spectacular starts at closing time, 9:30 pm. So unless you're skipping them (and I'm sure some people are) it's hard to fit those rides in at the end of the night and get a good spot to see the projections. It's even earlier tonight, closing at 9 pm and fireworks at 9:15. But I would bet someone could get a ride in and hustle over to get a spot if they wanted to.

They are doing 2 showings of Fantasmic every night June 30 to at least August 25 thanks to the extended park hours (7 AM to 10:30 PM) for TSL's opening.



[EDIT] Just noticed they will have PM EMH until 12:30 AM on Fridays during that time!!!

 

[Jim Shuler]

Let me begin by saying that we usually do rope drop every day of our trip. Obviously that means getting up at around 5-6 every morning. Do any of you do just afternoon park visits on any days of your trip. I am wondering if we should. We are going July 2-9th and know it will be swamped. If you do any late visits what time do you go akd which park? We will have no young kids this trip. Kids are 15,12, and 7

We go a little early on the first day-around 9:30. We stay as long as the parks are open then sleep in and never arrive at the parks before 1;30 after that. Getting six kids up, dressed, and fed for rope drop is a no brainer for our crew. Plus I am on vacation and enjoy sleeping in. But it is really what works for each family I was disappointed when they started closing MK at 10:00 in the summer. That is a bit ridiculous.

 

[mister morrow]

it honestly depends on: your family, whether you can have energy to walk around a park during the beating sun, and when you are going. if you are going during the summer during peak times, it really helps to do RD as you can get a lot done in the morning and take breaks during the afternoon. your kids are around the same age as myself (im 17). i dont want to speak on behalf of them, but as a teenager, we hate waking up early-- even at disney. it's not that we aren't excited to go to the parks, it's that we have the need for insane amounts of sleep lmfao. i would ask your children beforehand what they think of getting up around 6 on vacation to go to the parks.

for my family, my siblings and i are all teenagers (18, 17, 17, and 15)-- so we hate the idea of waking up early to go to the parks. in fact, the last trip we had, we could barely get up at 10 every morning to go anywhere. that being said, we enjoy staying up late until the parks close.

 

[Roxyfire]

They are doing 2 showings of Fantasmic every night June 30 to at least August 25 thanks to the extended park hours (7 AM to 10:30 PM) for TSL's opening.

View attachment 319222

[EDIT] Just noticed they will have PM EMH until 12:30 AM on Fridays during that time!!!

I really hope the extended hours remain after August 30th! In AK they have two showings of Rivers of Light so maybe the focus is on that for right now until TSL.

 

[Abigail Broughton]

December will be our 4th Disney vacation and im changing the game plan. No rope drop! Everyone does rope drop and its crazy! My husband calls it "the running of the fools"! My husband helped to remove a skooter from a mans leg getting run over at Animal Kingdom during rope drop in September. We are going to enter some days at regular park opening with no magic hours and try 4pm to close and enjoy some last hour evening walk ons. But there is no proper Disney plan anymore because it just super busy all year round. But it's Disneyworld and it will be magical.

 

[scrapquitler]

Let me begin by saying that we usually do rope drop every day of our trip. Obviously that means getting up at around 5-6 every morning. Do any of you do just afternoon park visits on any days of your trip. I am wondering if we should. We are going July 2-9th and know it will be swamped. If you do any late visits what time do you go akd which park? We will have no young kids this trip. Kids are 15,12, and 7

We rarely do rope drop, I think that we did rope drop maybe 3 or 4 times in the last couple years (that's like less than 1 in 10 days). We prefer to arrive at the park around 11, stay until about 3 then take a break and return to the park around 7 and stay until after park close. Sometimes instead of doing that, we just wait and go to the park around 1 or 2 in the afternoon and stay straight thru until closing.

We do the split day with an afternoon break if we are going to HS for sure, and most of the time for AK. We generally end our day at MK on those days. We prefer the atmosphere of the parks at night vs. in the morning, and we are night owls anyway (the youngest member of our family is 14, so the late night is not an issue for us).

 

[disney-inspired]

As an adult I love to do rope drop but I have to accept the fact that with kids in tow our chances of making rope drop are very slim.

My sister & BIL are totally on board to try to do RD so we will work together on getting the girls ready and out the door on time. The oldest is super easy and the younger will be 18 months. We'll just make sure we have food in hand before leaving to the parks since they get hangry!

 

[taraaplin]

July 2-9?

For your own sanity, do rope drops and escape to the hotel after lunch. Maybe take a dip in the pool or a nap.

Was the July 2-9 comment directed towards heat (which I am definitely nervous about or crowds). For any of you that have went during the first see Of July are crowds worse than Easter? Easter week of or week after is the only other times we have been (3 times total).

 

[Helvetica]

There’s no right or wrong way to vacation. I get there for rope drop and I’m there shopping after close.

Animal Kingdom, especially Kilimanjaro Safaris, is best first thing in the morning. The animals are most active, there’s no line and the drivers drive much slower.

 

[Klayfish]

Was the July 2-9 comment directed towards heat (which I am definitely nervous about or crowds). For any of you that have went during the first see Of July are crowds worse than Easter? Easter week of or week after is the only other times we have been (3 times total).

Crowds aren't bad at all, with the exception of the evenings of the 3rd and 4th in MK. Everything else isn't terribly crowded. As for the heat, sure, it's hot. It's July in Florida. But a little common sense goes a long way. We love summer in WDW, it's the best time to go!

 

[FlightlessDuck]

Was the July 2-9 comment directed towards heat (which I am definitely nervous about or crowds). For any of you that have went during the first see Of July are crowds worse than Easter? Easter week of or week after is the only other times we have been (3 times total).

It was a combination of the two. It is hot in Orlando in July, but it is also pretty crowded. Not Easter crowded, though.

Then again, we have always survived in the crowds of summer. Mostly by doing rope drop and escaping after lunch. Now that our children our older, we don't do the midday breaks as much, but when they were young, we all could use a nap by 1PM.