Rope Dropping FOP

[DisneyDad2015]

I had plans to get a FP for FOP for my Animal Kingdom day, however I couldn’t get a FP for it even at the 60 day mark (First time that’s happened to me). So now the plan is to rope drop the ride. How long of a wait can I realistically expect first thing in the morning?

 

[hyzdufan]

When doing the same thing, my touring plan that I designed on TP showed a wait of 40 minutes.

 

[dlavender]

Has anyone attempted an emh rope drop for this? Wondering if it's any less crazy

 

[hyzdufan]

That's what mine is - forgot to mention, sorry.

 

[magical-me]

We went at park opening, unfortunately I didn’t walk fast enough and had to wait 2 hours. That was in August during higher crowd times. But the que was pretty awesome. I didn’t feel bored at all.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

If you're interested in an alternate strategy, you can always wait until later in the evening when the lines are the shortest. This may be a more efficient use of time than being there really early in the morning, having to wait outside of a locked gate then fighting through a huge crowd.

Per Touring Plans a few weeks ago:

At 9:30 am, the posted wait was 210 minutes with an actual wait of 240.

At 9:30 pm, the posted wait was 60 minutes with an actual wait of 30.

 

[loves to dive]

We were there in early August, got to the park around 8:15 just because it was a resort change day on a split stay and we decided what the heck and drove over. They opened the tap styles about 5 or 10 min. after we got there, just enough time for my son to run get us both coffees while I waited in line, I actually had to step aside for about 4 families before he got back. Then they kept us at the entrance to Pandora until about 8:45 (park opened at 9). We were done with FOP by no later than 9:30.

 

[sharonabe]

I had plans to get a FP for FOP for my Animal Kingdom day, however I couldn’t get a FP for it even at the 60 day mark (First time that’s happened to me). So now the plan is to rope drop the ride. How long of a wait can I realistically expect first thing in the morning?

When doing the same thing, my touring plan that I designed on TP showed a wait of 40 minutes.

If you get to the park AT rope drop, you're wait will be at least an hour, if not longer.

If you get to the park 45 min- 1 hr BEFORE official opening, you'll still wait that hour, but it will be before the park opens, and you should be off FoP no later than 30 min after the park opens, and probably before.

 

[Marc D]

We did EMH rope drop last August. We arrived 45 min before opening, and we were 10 people back from the beginning of the no-bag line (that’s a must). We were on the second showing, with maybe a 15 min wait once we were inside the attraction. We were right on the rope until the Navi / FoP split, then got pushed back a bit. We were lucky with our bus arriving the earliest since 5 min after we arrived, there were at least a 100 guests in our line.

 

[chiburple]

You can also refresh for an FP like a madperson. I almost lost my sanity doing it, but it worked

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

I don't know how long you will wait, but I will say that my best friend and I called it "the running of the bulls."

I haven't seen a woman with a double stroller run like that. Ever.

The rest of the park was clear. Almost empty. For the entirety of the EMH.

 

[NH-to-FL]

Here's the trip report for my FoP rope drop experience:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/first-visit-to-pandora-8-4-17.3623699/

If you are there 90 minutes before park opening you will be at or very near the front of the line, depending on how fast you can walk from the tapstile opening to the rope headed to Pandora. Then you will basically "walk on" FoP. You can then head over to Navi River for a short wait ride. I was back out in front of FoP by 9:01am (they obviously opened FoP a bit before 9am) and back in Pandora after Navi River by 9:17am.

You do need to be there early to get near the front of the line as the wait time grows quickly. When I walked back into Pandora after my FoP ride the wait time was already showing 150 minutes. When I left Pandora at 9:20am the line for FoP was back almost to Tiffin's.

I am a morning person so rope drop suits me better than hanging around until the evening.

 

[ShadeDK]

If you get to the park AT rope drop, you're wait will be at least an hour, if not longer.

If you get to the park 45 min- 1 hr BEFORE official opening, you'll still wait that hour, but it will be before the park opens, and you should be off FoP no later than 30 min after the park opens, and probably before.

This. Your "wait" will be about 60 - 90 min regardless - it's just where and how you wait during that time.

I rope dropped FoP twice last month. I won't repeat all I've written in other threads about that but here are the basics (this was mid-Sept, so YMMV at busier times):

Day 1: at AK by 7:50 for a 9 am park opening. Gates opened at 8:15, Pandora opened at 8:30, off FoP by 9:05 (total wait: 60 minutes from AK arrival)

Day 2: at AK by 8:20 for 9 am park opening. Gates and Pandora already opened (so straight to the FoP line), off FoP by 9:50 (total wait: 75 minutes from AK arrival)

 

[julesabba]

I was just there on Monday. I was nervous about being far back for rope drop, so I took an Uber. I left All-Star Music around 6:45 and was at the front of Animal Kingdom at 6:55. There was already a small number of people at each turnstile. Tons of people were behind as the buses dropped off. They let us through at 7:27 and held us at the front of the bridge onto discovery island. Then, we power walked forward and stopped again (i forget where).
I walked pretty quickly through the queue and was off the ride by 8:15, waited for 20 minutes to ride Navi, rode the safari and was enjoying a breakfast wrap from kusifiri bakery by 9:15.
Uber gave me piece of mind.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

This. Your "wait" will be about 60 - 90 min regardless - it's just where and how you wait during that time.

I rope dropped FoP twice last month. I won't repeat all I've written in other threads about that but here are the basics (this was mid-Sept, so YMMV at busier times):

Day 1: at AK by 7:50 for a 9 am park opening. Gates opened at 8:15, Pandora opened at 8:30, off FoP by 9:05 (total wait: 60 minutes from AK arrival)

Day 2: at AK by 8:20 for 9 am park opening. Gates and Pandora already opened (so straight to the FoP line), off FoP by 9:50 (total wait: 75 minutes from AK arrival)

Nice recap. Time isn't free, whether you're waiting outside the locked gate early in the morning or in line a little later after the park opens.

The best thing about a late night plan is that we can generally walk up to the attraction during the last hour or so of operation and find the shortest lines of the day. The masses that were there in the morning are long gone.

 

[d0naldduck123]

I was just there on Monday. I was nervous about being far back for rope drop, so I took an Uber. I left All-Star Music around 6:45 and was at the front of Animal Kingdom at 6:55. There was already a small number of people at each turnstile. Tons of people were behind as the buses dropped off. They let us through at 7:27 and held us at the front of the bridge onto discovery island. Then, we power walked forward and stopped again (i forget where).
I walked pretty quickly through the queue and was off the ride by 8:15, waited for 20 minutes to ride Navi, rode the safari and was enjoying a breakfast wrap from kusifiri bakery by 9:15.
Uber gave me piece of mind.

Were you able to go through the whole queue? Or did they redirect to the FP line?

 

[MsPoppinsTX]

We (my 2 sisters and I) went on Sunday 10/8 and did FOP at rope drop. We got to the park at 7:30 for a 9am opening (used the Minnie Van service). We were pretty close to the front of our turnstile to get in (about 6 people back). They let us in at 8:15ish and then we walked (quickly) over to the first stop before the bridge to Pandora. About 8:30, they let us over the bridge and we stopped on that side - we were only a couple rows back at this point. Then about 8:40 they walked everyone very slowly towards the ride. Of course we still had a family make a human chain and try to weave their way forward - that was the only real frustrating thing that happened (I mean, we're all trying to stay with our own party and it doesn't help when people do something annoying like that). We were off the ride by 9:00 and back out in the park. The wait time for FOP showed 180 minutes already. We then waited for my mom to make her way to Pandora to get in line for the Navi River - we got in that line about 9:15 and waited 45 minutes. Sunday was a pretty crowded day since it was a holiday weekend. The ride was amazing and totally worth getting to the park early and doing rope drop.

 

[Penguinempress]

I agree with @chiburple - keep refreshing for a Fast Pass. I always stay off site and of course the FPs were all gone at 30 days. But I'd spend about 5 minutes a day just constantly refreshing on the app and eventually got FPs.

 

[jillt2ph]

My whole dilemma is what day is best to do this - EMH day or no? I am leaning towards EMH day...