Rope Drop Strategy for Disneyland and Disney California Adventure with Lightning Lanes and Individual Lightning Lanes

[JC1984]

Consider Touring Plans over Genie.

Thanks for this was really considering this.

 

[clarker99]

Thanks for this was really considering this.

$8/yr for DLR which def saved me from paying for Genie+.

 

[DLRExpert]

updated and added park hopper plan

 

[superdeluxe]

Just completed 4 park days (with hopper). Genie+/ILL was not necessary. If you rope drop (ie get to parks at 7:40am). You can do 5-6 (maybe more) attractions by 10:30 with limited wait times. Parks fill up by 10:30-11am but you still have 10hours of park time.

We rode RotR, Web slingers, RSR each day twice a day.

Personally, I would not spend $20/per to ride Rotr bc of its unreliability. Twice we were evacuated and given LL passes to return later. Folks who paid $20 were MAD. The ride shuts the line down @ 8pm. If you choose to pay, do it earlier in the day so if/when it goes down you have time to come back. The ride is worth the wait or $$ but it is down a lot.

Consider Touring Plans over Genie.

What is touring plans?

 

[mdmost]

What is touring plans?

The free Genie forecasting portion before Disney decided to monetize it. They crowd source actual wait times from users at the parks versus what's posted by Disney. They also analyze data from multiple years to give you a better idea of what the actual wait times might be. We used it previously in WDW to help when there was no Fastpass or Genie+. They also have crowd level forecasting but it can be hit and miss. It's worth the $8 a year, IMO.

 

[sosoready]

Adding my thanks to DLRExpert! Your plans gave me the confidence to cancel a tour and a framework to customize based on what we wanted to do.

I think the crowds were heavier our day and I was a newbie to the park and app so our experience wasn't quite as smooth as those listed above. There were several times that LL return times were fairly far out and we had to make priority choices.

We only had one day and ROTR was on the must do list so we paid the bounty. I listened to some of the advice and got a late morning return, so we had time if the ride went down. It did appear to go down later in the afternoon and if we'd waited I think we could have missed out.

I'll post our rides on the Experiences w Genie page. I appreciated having references to try to figure things out!

 

[dr&momto2boys]

Are the "Holiday" plans in the first few posts here still the best plan now and into February?

 

[DLRExpert]

Are the "Holiday" plans in the first few posts here still the best plan now and into February?

You can use the same plan. I will update once Holiday attractions are no more. Spoiler it won't change much.

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

What's the consensus on using the Monorail from the Disneyland Hotel for rope drop / opening? We'll be staying there soon (likely a one and done, as we have family in LA) and are toying with taking the Monorail in to experience it, versus the impulse to get as much done at rope drop as possible.

Any experience with this?

 

[COASTIEandMATE]

What's the consensus on using the Monorail from the Disneyland Hotel for rope drop / opening? We'll be staying there soon (likely a one and done, as we have family in LA) and are toying with taking the Monorail in to experience it, versus the impulse to get as much done at rope drop as possible.

Any experience with this?

Yes for many years it was fun and fast!! To be dropped in the park and do a few rides with no lines! However the Monorail is down for a few months now so you will have to keep your eye out for when it returns to service!! TaTa For Now... Karen and Ron

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

Thank you Karen and Ron! It looks like its opening just before we’re supposed to arrive in early March, so we’ll see how it goes!

 

[DLRExpert]

original posts updated for Haunted Mansion being closed.

 

[disneylover102]

I did Rise first Monday, Tuesday, and Wednesday and it was by far the best thing I could’ve done first. But that’s because I was by myself and at the front of the rope and fast to get to Rise. I got to security at 7:45 on Monday and Tuesday and 7:15 on Wednesday (I needed a little more of an advantage because I had to get a locker after going through security). I was scanned in around 8:15 and waiting at Frontierland until 9. I was always in the first ride vehicle. When I got off the line was stretching all the way through Galaxy’s Edge and it always broke down at some point that morning but after I rode. So if you’re like me and can be right at the front and are unhealthily obsessed with Rise it’s absolutely the best strategy. Space definitely would’ve been the next best option because I waited about half an hour for it after doing Rise and it just gets longer because LL is super prioritized. The wait for Space and Rise was also not bad at all at park closing but keep in mind that Rise isn’t always open until park closing (it definitely isn’t if park closing is after 9). Honestly Indy isn’t too hard to get a fairly short wait at in the middle of the day so I probably won’t do that first anymore like I have in the past now that Rise is standby and Space single rider is gone. Peter Pan would also be a great ride to do first like it always has been.

As for DCA I did WEB Slingers first on Friday 1/7 and same deal as Rise I was at the very front. When I got off the entire queue was full. Then I did Guardians and the entire queue besides the extended queue was full and it took 45 minutes because of LL. Racers single rider was walk on after that. So if you can be at the very front WS is a great first ride, if not do something else first

 

[Wilcojoe]

So it sounds like your getting to the park over an hour and a half before rope drop and this past week was relatively slow. How far back does the crowd get at rope drop?

 

[disneylover102]

So it sounds like your getting to the park over an hour and a half before rope drop and this past week was relatively slow. How far back does the crowd get at rope drop?

It goes pretty far back. From my experience by the time security opens at about 8:10 the line goes all the way back to Harbor and is looped around back to security. The gates at DL open within a few minutes (I think DCA gates opened about 15 minutes later the time I started there) and then once you get to the rope for rope drop the crowds just build and build and build behind you. The 3 times I started at Rise I didn’t look behind me a ton but when I did there were people behind me basically as far as I could see into Main Street. I didn’t look behind me when I started at DCA. The earlier you can get there the more of a head start you get to your day

 

[Wilcojoe]

Wow that’s crazy. I can’t believe how much it’s changed since I was last there in 2016. How long before rope drop do they typically scan your ticket?

 

[disneylover102]

Wow that’s crazy. I can’t believe how much it’s changed since I was last there in 2016. How long before rope drop do they typically scan your ticket?

This time it was 45 minutes before official opening at DL and 30 at DCA

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

Am I correct in thinking that Virtual Queues for Rise and Webslingers are no longer in effect? So it’s traditional standby or ILL?

 

[disneylover102]

Am I correct in thinking that Virtual Queues for Rise and Webslingers are no longer in effect? So it’s traditional standby or ILL?

That is correct

 

[EPCOT-O.G.]

Thank you!