Second Best Time to Arrive?

[LadyRozalin]

Ok, so originally I wanted to do Rope Drop.

Most of my group are not morning people. One in particular, gets migraines with seizure-like activity that will knock her out all day if we push her to get up too early. And it looks like we're getting our mobility challenged group members their ECVs offsite now, so I'm not worried about the park running out.

This means that if I do try to do Rope Drop, I'll probably be by myself. :/

So, for those of us wanting a little later start, what is usually the best time to show up? Is there a certain sweet spot where the lines usually aren't as bad, a time to be there before (or after!) to avoid a rush? Any advice?

 

[starlite_]

Realistically the shorter lines will always be during the earliest couple of hours and latest couple of hours. So that means that lines will be "normal" at any time after 10-10:30. They tend to increase between noon and I wanna say 4-5 PM since that's when most young families are in the park and go back down a bit after dinner.

Also, there is no shame in rope dropping by yourself! You can for sure get at the very least 3-4 rides in the first hour if you rope drop if that's what you want

 

[Federalist45]

Ok, so originally I wanted to do Rope Drop.

Most of my group are not morning people. One in particular, gets migraines with seizure-like activity that will knock her out all day if we push her to get up too early. And it looks like we're getting our mobility challenged group members their ECVs offsite now, so I'm not worried about the park running out.

This means that if I do try to do Rope Drop, I'll probably be by myself. :/

So, for those of us wanting a little later start, what is usually the best time to show up? Is there a certain sweet spot where the lines usually aren't as bad, a time to be there before (or after!) to avoid a rush? Any advice?

I can’t recommend rope drop by yourself enough. Have a magical adventure on your own in the morning with only your Disney dream to worry about.

Don’t want to ride things alone? Snag a street side table at Carnation Cafe and people watch.

Rope drop isn’t just great because you can knock out attractions. It has a buzz and excitement all its own. Few to zero families arguing, everyone being nice to CMs. Even if it’s just you, try it once.

That aside, assuming you aren’t going to wait all the way into the potential late lunch time lull (which may or may not materialize) just get there as early as your group can muster, IMO.

 

[Steven G]

The best times of the day are:

Rope Drop+ 2-3 hours after (immensely better than other times)
During the parade (slightly better)
During the Fireworks/WOC/Fantasmic (slightly better)
The last two hours til close (better, but typically not as good as rope drop)

Remember, if you get in line for an attraction before the park closes, they usually will let you get on the ride.

The worst times: noon to 6pm. Also, typically the warmest/hottest.

 

[DLgal]

Best time to enter the parks is 10am to noon, if you miss rope drop.

 

[FeistyDisneyMom]

My family has never quite made it to rope drop, and as I'm the primary organizer, if I don't bring them all with me, they might never get there . That said, arriving anytime in the morning is typically a good time to arrive. Things seem to get more crowded around noon and especially around 1pm when hopping is allowed there can be bottlenecks getting into either park.

We've enjoyed lighter crowds from 8-11am every trip we've made, and while we don't get the whole 'walk on' experience that rope-droppers manage, we still can fit in quite a few rides and experiences before lunch!

 

[smartlabelprint]

The main reason I plan to rope drop one of our days is the calm that is fantasyland. My son in particular gets *visually* overstimulated from his sensory processing disorder. I want him to have one calm morning. But…he’d wake up at 9:30 Anaheim time every day given the option.

 

[Katiegrose]

I just got back from the parks on Monday and Tuesday- I got to Disneyland about 11:30 on Tuesday (we needed some sleep). We had my mom drop us off at the downtown disney drop off area and walked over to the monorail- This was SO much easier! I highly recommend if you are able to do this to do it and not look back. Scanning tickets was SO much easier at the monorail entrance, and you then get dropped off in the heart of tomorrowland and don't have to fight the main street crowds. The park was busy, but getting into the park felt SO much less stressful this way. We have a wheelchair and it was easy to load on the monorail. Also, if you happen to use DAS or Genie+ on your trip, the system recognizes you are "in the park" once your ticket is scanned, so you can begin making selections on the monorail ride over.

 

[LadyRozalin]

Thank you for all of the responses and advice!

It looks like the consensus is that the lines will be best earlier and then later, with them being the worst between noon and 4-5pm.

So I will aim to get most everyone in the park no later than 11am each day. (not trying to wait until evening to see the parks! lol)

Obviously if someone decides to do otherwise individually, that's their decision. Not trying to force anyone to a set schedule, as I know health issues may alter individual plans. I'm going to lay out MY schedule, according to what's best for the group, and then others will do as they need. With the exception of the fact that if I do plan reservations for a certain restaurant, I'm going to insist they meet there at the right time, since I read there's a fee if you don't show up. (But if they can't for health reasons, I understand.)

Many are recommending that I go ahead and do rope drop by myself anyway! It's a thought, though I'm not sure I'd feel safe riding the 1.5 miles from the house to the park by myself (I'm one of the ECV users). Possibly once I've done the ride a few times with others, so maybe if I'm feeling adventurous a few days in, and no one else is, I'll try it! If I'm doing all that, I'm probably riding something, but I appreciate the suggestion that I could sit at Carnation Café and people watch. I'll definitely keep that one in mind for if I get there and then don't feel brave enough to ride things alone.

Also! I had read that if you are in line for an attraction before the park closes, that they will usually still let you get on the ride. That is an excellent thing to know, thank you for bringing it up!

I know many of us are excited about Fantasyland in particular! It's good to know that it has a calm vibe in the morning at rope drop-might be a selling factor to get everyone up at least one morning. lol

I'd heard about the monorail being a way to get in the park to Tomorrowland a bit easier sometimes. Having 6 of us in ECVs though, I don't know if it wouldn't be a huge hassle to try to board together. It is on some of our lists to want to ride it, though, so maybe when we're not all together sometime.

Some great food for thought here! Ultimately, the takeaway seems to be, get moving and get to the parks before 11am if possible. I'm going to plan with this in mind. Thank you all so much!

 

[BGinCali]

Just wanted to add that the dining fee for a ”no show” would be if none of you showed up. As an example, if you have reservations for 8 and 6 of you are there on time (with 2 unable to join), there is no fee. (This is for true dining reservations …the WOC dessert party for example would need to be cancelled with advance notice or else charged full amount).

 

[LadyRozalin]

Thank you, I appreciate you letting me know! It was a concern, but not a huge one. It's nice to know I'm not going to get penalized if someone can't make it to regular dining reservations. I kind of figured about the WOC dessert party (which I DO plan to do, if it's available during my stay), so I'm hoping everyone can make that! It sounds like a very memorable experience, and one of the things I am most excited about possibly doing.

 

[danceintherain]

With ECVs, I would avoid arriving during a parade. It's rough enough getting beyond main street on foot with all the people gathered on the curb.

Beyond that, I wouldn't obsess over it. Try to plan one "Rope Drop" day early in the trip, so everyone can get a feel for it, and they might surprise you with their willingness to do it more often.

 

[cari12]

I just got back from the parks on Monday and Tuesday- I got to Disneyland about 11:30 on Tuesday (we needed some sleep). We had my mom drop us off at the downtown disney drop off area and walked over to the monorail- This was SO much easier! I highly recommend if you are able to do this to do it and not look back. Scanning tickets was SO much easier at the monorail entrance, and you then get dropped off in the heart of tomorrowland and don't have to fight the main street crowds. The park was busy, but getting into the park felt SO much less stressful this way. We have a wheelchair and it was easy to load on the monorail. Also, if you happen to use DAS or Genie+ on your trip, the system recognizes you are "in the park" once your ticket is scanned, so you can begin making selections on the monorail ride over.

Thank you for this reminder. We are having dinner at Goofy’s one day and was thinking we’d have to walk all the way there and then back again. But we could get the monorail back. Great tip!