Rope drop?

[h2odivers]

Rope drop, what's the big deal? I've never been to a "rope drop" so I don't understand what the big deal is. I understand that you'll be one of the first ones into the park but so what. Maybe I'm ignorant, so please explain to me what I'm missing.

 

[hollygolitely93]

Lower wait times. By time your done with headliners everyone else is rolling in. Also for peak times it is best chance to get in demand FPs. We are going in a week and will do rope drop to minimize waits and avoid crowds...and secure Jedi training slot

 

[FlightlessDuck]

It purely has to do with making the most of your day. If you go during the busy seasons, being at the park before opening gives you a leg up over everyone who don't ahow up until 10 or 11 am.

There is no way I am waiting in line 45+ minutes for Dumbo or Peter Pan, so we get to the park for rope drop.

 

[TLHB70]

It purely has to do with making the most of your day. If you go during the busy seasons, being at the park before opening gives you a leg up over everyone who don't ahow up until 10 or 11 am.

There is no way I am waiting in line 45+ minutes for Dumbo or Peter Pan, so we get to the park for rope drop.

I agree. I do it every morning of every trip, and I never visit during peak times. I travel on low or moderate crowd days. I just feel like I am getting the most for my time and money by going at rope drop.
By the way, I love the MK welcome song and "show" just before rope drop! That is one of my favorite parts each visit. I love hearing that then entering to see Main Street and the castle!

 

[Queen2PrincessG]

To me it's overrated. I arrived roughly 30-45 min after "rope drop and had no issues. It's really more about the people who are impatient and don't want to wait. The now! now! now! people. The only "rope drop really worth the early am is at MK. The show is great.

 

[RMulieri]

It purely has to do with making the most of your day. If you go during the busy seasons, being at the park before opening gives you a leg up over everyone who don't ahow up until 10 or 11 am.

There is no way I am waiting in line 45+ minutes for Dumbo or Peter Pan, so we get to the park for rope drop.

This
I could care less about any little opening shows etc..Rope Drop allows me to get the headliner attractions done and fastpasses secured for later on with little to no waits.By the time crowds roll in around 10-11am- I am chilling out .I hate crowds and I hate waits and getting there for rope drop means less of both...We are a family of morning people anyway

 

[Art 1]

It is no big deal and highly overrated on The Dis.

 

[Queen2PrincessG]

It is no big deal and highly overrated on The Dis.

yup. I mean I don't get it you pay close to 80 bucks for a ticket and instead of enjoying the atmosphere, you spend your time trying to beat everyone to rides? Not my idea of fun. I don't care if I'm first or last it's still the same ride. I'm not missing out on anything. The irony to me is that a lot of the people who rave and go on and on about getting there for rope drop go so often that does it matter if you don't ride a couple of things.

I guess that is my viewpoint. I know I'll be back so if I didn't get to ride or see something I will next time.

 

[bowbat]

We never get there for rope drop, but arrive soon enough after to enjoy the same low crowds. Yesterday MK opened at 9. We got there around 9:15, and by noon had done all our Fantasyland rides (including 2x walk-on Peter Pan), HM, Big Thunder Mountain, Jungle Cruise, Buzz, and Peoplemover. I don't think we waited more than 5 minutes for everything.

 

[TLHB70]

yup. I mean I don't get it you pay close to 80 bucks for a ticket and instead of enjoying the atmosphere, you spend your time trying to beat everyone to rides? Not my idea of fun. I don't care if I'm first or last it's still the same ride. I'm not missing out on anything. The irony to me is that a lot of the people who rave and go on and on about getting there for rope drop go so often that does it matter if you don't ride a couple of things.

I guess that is my viewpoint. I know I'll be back so if I didn't get to ride or see something I will next time.

I respectfully disagree and see it differently than this. I get there at rope drop, ride all of the headline rides with no waits, grab fastpasses, and then I am able to relax and enjoy the atmosphere, stroll around the park and take it all in while others are waiting in line for rides I experienced earlier. I DO enjoy the atmosphere because I am free to do that and not get held up in a line.
I understand everyone has their personal preferences. I am not saying you are wrong for doing it your way and enjoying it your way. I just don't think there is a right or wrong answer here. It all boils down to how others find enjoyment. I just did not want you, or others, to think I am not enjoying the atmosphere. I feel that getting rides in early allows me to enjoy the atmosphere during the more crowded time later in the day.
I guess I need to add that I am naturally a morning person. I get up at 5 AM at home, and I enjoy mornings.

 

[pepe of ohio]

We're very early morning people....no different on vacation...best time of the day is early morn, watching the resort come to life, first cup of coffee on the balcony and seeing the sun come up......night time is far over rated...

The only park we care to get to RD is the MK, best little opening show on property...really gets you in the mood for a really great time of the best park...you don't have to rush thru with the others but hang back and take your time thru the turnstiles and get that first glimpse up Main Street without the huge crowds....we wander to Adventureland and feel like we're all alone.....guess everyone else went to Fantasyland.....

By the time we work our way around to the Haunted Mansion, doing every single attraction as we pass, the crowds start to thicken, it's around 12-ish and time for us to cruise thru the castle and shop our way out of the park for a resort pool picnic.....we got 1/2 the park done before the sleepy heads made it up Main Street....

The other parks are not so much RD parks but we do arrive alittle after....doesn't really matter what time you arrive at any of the parks....there will be line for security and turnstiles all day....but it goes fast....but nothing says Disney to us than the RD at the MK....just so much gaiety and anticipation seeing and walking up Main Street...I wouldn't care if I ever went to the other parks, MK does it for us......and we're not commando's, chase after FP people at all, hardly ever used a FP....really during our stays have had no need for them.....

Where else can we get up with the chickens, have a cup of coffee at the pool, take a dip.....enjoy the morning air and still be in the MK before RD...surely not at home.....

 

[nhl66pens]

I agree, I get up 4:15 every morning and even on the weekends my daughter's activities have us up and out the door by 7. Getting up early is no big deal for us. And just because you get there at RD doesn't mean you can't enjoy the atmosphere. In fact, you may be able to enjoy it more because the crowds quickly thin out at RD and you get to stroll around with hardly anyone in the park. If you add the fact that the parks are not open as long during the winter then you have another reason to make the most of the time they are open.

 

[nklooz]

I respectfully disagree and see it differently than this. I get there at rope drop, ride all of the headline rides with no waits, grab fastpasses, and then I am able to relax and enjoy the atmosphere, stroll around the park and take it all in while others are waiting in line for rides I experienced earlier. I DO enjoy the atmosphere because I am free to do that and not get held up in a line.
I understand everyone has their personal preferences. I am not saying you are wrong for doing it your way and enjoying it your way. I just don't think there is a right or wrong answer here. It all boils down to how others find enjoyment. I just did not want you, or others, to think I am not enjoying the atmosphere. I feel that getting rides in early allows me to enjoy the atmosphere during the more crowded time later in the day.
I guess I need to add that I am naturally a morning person. I get up at 5 AM at home, and I enjoy mornings.

I completely agree with this. It's not about racing, it's not about being first, it's not about being me me me, and it's not about any type of opening show. It is about minimizing waits so I spend as little of my day as possible waiting in line because I have bought an expensive ticket so the last thing I want to spend my time doing is waiting in line. If you're there at Rope drop, you can ride more rides before the majority of people get in to the park so the rides have much shorter lines, you can enjoy more, and you don't have kids who are bored waiting in a 30 minute line. At 1:00-2:00 when crowds are thick and lines are long, we can stroll along Main Street, walk trails at AK, etc. or head back to our resort to enjoy the pool we are also paying a lot of money for. To each their own, but I wouldn't call rope drop overrated nor would I call not doing rope drop a bad choice, I would say they're both just a personal opinion based on personal touring style. The potential of waiting 45 minutes in line is worse than waking up a little earlier for me. For others, they feel differently. All about what is important to you.

But, in a nutshell, those that do rope drop are most often doing it for the reduced lines and crowds not for the show (generalizing here).

HTH.

ETA: Special things have happend to us being at RD that have been amazing for my daughter. Family of the day, first ride on EE so getting a special button, being first at AK and my DD got to roll the scroll for the times board with Mickey and get special seats for FotLK, first ride on Dumbo so she got to ride w/Stitch, into Fantasyland early so getting to play ring around the rosie with Minnie and Daisy, riding on ToT twice in a row w/no waits right away. If you don't call that enjoying the atmosphere, I'm not sure what is!!!

 

[TLHB70]

But, in a nutshell, those that do rope drop are most often doing it for the reduced lines and crowds not for the show (generalizing here).


ETA: Special things have happend to us being at RD that have been amazing for my daughter. Family of the day, first ride on EE so getting a special button, being first at AK and my DD got to roll the scroll for the times board with Mickey and get special seats for FotLK, first ride on Dumbo so she got to ride w/Stitch, into Fantasyland early so getting to play ring around the rosie with Minnie and Daisy, riding on ToT twice in a row w/no waits right away. If you don't call that enjoying the atmosphere, I'm not sure what is!!!

Yep, I have to echo this.
The MK opening show is the icing on the cake. We would still get there for rope drop even if they did not have the show.

We have also been picked to open three of the four parks being at rope drop. We have been chosen to go on the AK safari before park opens. We have been picked up at Epcot in a Test Track car and been driven to the ride. We rode Test Track first, before the ride opened to the public. My DD was chosen on another trip to scroll the times board at AK. We were chosen to ride ToT first just before park opening at HS one trip. It has given us very special memories!

 

[Scrapchick]

It's really more about the people who are impatient and don't want to wait. The now! now! now! people.

Not everyone who attends the "rope drop" is the now, now, now type or impatient. I feel that if I spent close to 2 thousand on a trip I am going to be there from open to close to enjoy myself not sleep in ( can do for free at home).

I only get the chance to go on a trip like this once every 7-10 years so yeah...making it worth my while without being "impatient".

 

[conniehar90]

Since we starting getting to the parks for rope drop about 5 years ago, we have never waited more than 10/15 minutes for a ride. We hit the headliners, get our fast passes and enjoy the day. Granted, we don't stop and smell the roses for the first couple of hours, but when everyone else is waiting in long lines later that day, we are relaxing and enjoying our day. Waiting in lines make you exhausted. You don't realize it until you try it the other way. Worth it!

I agree that MK is the only good opening show. But, unless you are skipping TSMM, you need to be at rope drop at DHS.

 

[Cin]

I prefer to get there for rope drop because I like the lower crowds. It's much easier to maneuver with fewer people. I can get a lot of great photos with no people in them and great shots of Cinderella Castle at MK and other memory makers. It is nice to walk right up to Splash Mountain or Kimanjaro Safari's and get boarded with no wait too. I was able to ride Winnie the Pooh and Peter Pan back to back several times as there was no line whatsoever that early in the morning. I wake up and rise around 430-0500 on any given day so to me the park opening at 0900 is not early at all. I go at a leisurely pace and get FP's as I can and take my time and enjoy the moment and I am certainly not on the run to get to the next thing. Yes I have a list of things I would like to experience while I am there, but things like stopping and watching the Harmony Barbershop Quartet and catching a performance by Piano Jim at Casey's or the Move it Shake It Celebrate It! parade are on it too. Tour how you want, it's your trip. I like early mornings but that is just my way.

 

[Queen2PrincessG]

I'm up at 5am every morning so no making it to a park at 8 a is no biggie and am I saying my way is the only right way. I just don't understand getting up early for the sole point of getting on rides. Everyone tours differently and what is right for their family. Here on the Dis a lot of things are blown to these epic proportions. Often when a new person come the first thing people say is You have to do Rope drop if you plan on doing everything and that is just not true. Also the constantly complaining about waiting in line. It's an amusement park you will have a line somewhere and like I said doesn't matter if your are first or last, everyone is going to enjoy the same ride. When I think back to Disney pre fast pass it was not a miserable time.

 

[ses1230]

To me it's overrated. I arrived roughly 30-45 min after "rope drop and had no issues. It's really more about the people who are impatient and don't want to wait. The now! now! now! people. The only "rope drop really worth the early am is at MK. The show is great.

This is not necessarily true. My kids are up at 6:45 anyway, even on vacation. We do the headliners at a slow pace, not rushing or in the " now" mentality. Then we go back for naps after a great morning. Rope drop isn't for everyone, I agree with that, but it works for some touring styles and is not overrated. It all depends on what you (not you personally) want to achieve.

 

[Dizneykidz]

We always try to get to MK in time for the rope drop. It's great for hitting the rides without fast passes with no waits!