WonkaKid
DIS Veteran
- Joined
- Apr 2, 2009
- Messages
- 4,718
As many of you know, I rope-drop nearly every Sunday and occasionally during the week. Since the launch of ROTR, I've noticed some big differences in how park attendance has changed and how Disney has approached the park opening. Notably:
• Guests are allowed into the park and up to the hub for rope drop at about 7:30. The ropes come down at around 7:48 (for an 8:00 opening) and guests are allowed into the park proper at about 7:50 - ten minutes early. I presume this is done in part to disperse crowds so that the rush for a ROTR BG is diffused rather than concentrated in one area.
• At the right of the hub, there are two ropes – one about 50 feet long and the other about five feet. Usually both come down but for some reason CMs informed us moments before RD yesterday that the shorter rope wouldn’t be down. Why they chose to cram us all – a larger than usual crowd -- into a tighter area seems senseless to me. I presume and hope that they have reasons.
• Typically it takes me 35 minutes to drive to the park and then another 10 – 15 once I’ve reached the parking structure. Over my past three visits it’s taken 45 minutes to go from the freeway exit to the park gates. One of the reasons is that few security lines are open. Indeed, yesterday there was a single line open and the queue stretched all the way back to the PS escalators. It broke into two lines a short time later but it still felt like a poor choice, given that everyone knows and expects large crowds.
• Once into the park, crowds seem OK. But the first hour – from structure arrival to inside the park – feels poorly managed. Hopefully Disney ramps up performance – opens more security lines and open park gates earlier to do away with lines that stretch nearly to the DCA entrance – or crowds mad for ROTR subside. It seems that neither is likely in the next few months.
I have park maps for anyone that would like a pair.
A few park pics:
The lone security line at around 7:00.
The ongoing HM refurb.
• Guests are allowed into the park and up to the hub for rope drop at about 7:30. The ropes come down at around 7:48 (for an 8:00 opening) and guests are allowed into the park proper at about 7:50 - ten minutes early. I presume this is done in part to disperse crowds so that the rush for a ROTR BG is diffused rather than concentrated in one area.
• At the right of the hub, there are two ropes – one about 50 feet long and the other about five feet. Usually both come down but for some reason CMs informed us moments before RD yesterday that the shorter rope wouldn’t be down. Why they chose to cram us all – a larger than usual crowd -- into a tighter area seems senseless to me. I presume and hope that they have reasons.
• Typically it takes me 35 minutes to drive to the park and then another 10 – 15 once I’ve reached the parking structure. Over my past three visits it’s taken 45 minutes to go from the freeway exit to the park gates. One of the reasons is that few security lines are open. Indeed, yesterday there was a single line open and the queue stretched all the way back to the PS escalators. It broke into two lines a short time later but it still felt like a poor choice, given that everyone knows and expects large crowds.
• Once into the park, crowds seem OK. But the first hour – from structure arrival to inside the park – feels poorly managed. Hopefully Disney ramps up performance – opens more security lines and open park gates earlier to do away with lines that stretch nearly to the DCA entrance – or crowds mad for ROTR subside. It seems that neither is likely in the next few months.
I have park maps for anyone that would like a pair.
A few park pics:
The lone security line at around 7:00.
The ongoing HM refurb.
