Seven Dwarfs Mine Train Open on Time?

[WhitneyMB]

Does Seven Dwarfs Mine Train frequently have difficulty opening on time for MK Early Entry? We’ve rope-dropped it four times and only twice did it actually open on time.

Have we just been unlucky or does this happen frequently? Trying to make plans for our December trip. Thank you!!

 

[hardcorestitch]

It truly varies from day to day… you can’t always assume those Seven Dwarfs or any attraction for that matter will open on time.

 

[Kooks and Bay Bay]

What I've found is that MK is the most reliable for the attractions to actually open on time.

Meanwhile it seems that HS and EPCOT are the parks that multiple rides don't open on time.

I get park hopper tickets and I'm actually considering starting each day at MK and then hopping to the other parks since I have been wasting a lot of time in the morning with attractions not up and running.

 

[BrianL]

I think it usually does, though I don't have the experience to prove it. It is not known as a ride that has a lot of reliability issues though.

 

[scrappinginontario]

I’ve found it opens with ETPE most times we’ve tried, unless it’s raining then less dependable.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It wasn't open for us in 2017 when we were on site both days we tried it and it was the only ride to do that. It can be due to staffing FWIW not always a mechanical issue. Others have reported this one as being a stand out for not always being open at early entry over the years but it would be hard to say it would be an issue every time you go because it clearly isn't.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

If you want an alternate strategy, we save 7D for the end of the day when the line gets short. Our longest wait ever for this attraction was 20 minutes during opening week in 2014 with most waits now being around 10 minutes. We did get stuck in a torrential downpour waiting for 7D on our last visit but were given next day redemption passes that I was able to roll forward to later in the week.

 

[WhitneyMB]

Thanks! I really appreciate the information. I’m taking my sister and her family for their first and maybe only trip. We’ll probably still try to rope drop SDMT unless it’s raining based on what I’ve heard here.

 

[SL6827]

Most likely, Disney doesn't want to staff it on those days it doesn't open on time.

 

[ParrotBill]

I rope-dropped it 3 times in August. With an 8:30 target, twice it opened at 8:20 and once at 8:40. The two 8:20s gave me time to get in line at Tron before the 9am crowd.

 

[AZMermaid]

I rope-dropped it 3 times in August. With an 8:30 target, twice it opened at 8:20 and once at 8:40. The two 8:20s gave me time to get in line at Tron before the 9am crowd.

How long did you wait for Tron? Was thinking about going for this strategy.

 

[SL6827]

They did this a LOT with ROTR in Hollywood Studios. Many times it was not opening on time simply because of staffing. I was told this by a CM. We purchased the ILL for that ride for that reason. And sure enough, it wasn't open on time the day we went. This is the first I have heard of them doing such with Mine Train. Ridiculous.

 

[Flash_Sloth]

I wasn't first in line yesterday, but it was running before official ETPE and I had boarded just before official start. But previous trip, we got burned one time when 7DMT had a delayed opening.

 

[scrappinginontario]

How long did you wait for Tron? Was thinking about going for this strategy.

Please note Tron is not part of ETPE but you may join the Tron line during ETPE.

 

[Flash_Sloth]

I rope dropped 7DMT this morning. I guess I was in the first 100 in the ride queue. It started a few minutes before ETPE, and I was riding it when ETPE officially began.

 

[BrianL]

Please note Tron is not part of ETPE but you may join the Tron line during ETPE.

True, but you can get a quicker ride if you can join that line before all the people who enter at normal park-open. I did this on my last trip - hit 7DMT in a pretty good position, and was able to get off and hustle over to TRON to join the line. The 9 AM people were just coming in, and a few of them beat me, but the line grew exponentially behind me. I did probably have a half-hour wait, which isn't maybe the best use of rope-drop time, but it's not a bad option if TRON is a priority.

 

[Flash_Sloth]

True, but you can get a quicker ride if you can join that line before all the people who enter at normal park-open. I did this on my last trip - hit 7DMT in a pretty good position, and was able to get off and hustle over to TRON to join the line. The 9 AM people were just coming in, and a few of them beat me, but the line grew exponentially behind me. I did probably have a half-hour wait, which isn't maybe the best use of rope-drop time, but it's not a bad option if TRON is a priority.

Early morning crowds were a little lighter today, which is a MNSSHP day. I caught an early bus to be near the front of the line for 7DMT during ETPE. I was able to do 7DMT, Space Mountain twice, and then hop in line for TRON just before normal park opening. I was off TRON approx. 35 minutes after normal park opening.

I wouldn't expect to be able to do this on a non-party day.

 

[AnnaKristoff2013]

Most likely, Disney doesn't want to staff it on those days it doesn't open on time.

This is just not true and would make no sense from an operations standpoint. There are lots of other, less popular rides they could keep closed during early entry if they needed to save by cutting staffing, and there’d be no reason to keep that information secret.

 

[SL6827]

This is just not true and would make no sense from an operations standpoint. There are lots of other, less popular rides they could keep closed during early entry if they needed to save by cutting staffing, and there’d be no reason to keep that information secret.

Thats what the CM told me exactly.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

This is just not true and would make no sense from an operations standpoint. There are lots of other, less popular rides they could keep closed during early entry if they needed to save by cutting staffing, and there’d be no reason to keep that information secret.

There are times where staffing is reallocated elsewhere in the mornings, from what my CM friend said it is often due to callouts from other CMs. That said of course there is a reason Disney wouldn't want staffing issues to be front and center to the guest's notification so I wouldn't say "there'd be no reason to keep that information secret" there are a lot of reasons why they wouldn't want to disclose a lot of things and is why they don't disclose a lot of things. We know a lot more stuff than is publicly announced here on the Boards for example just by having a few insiders (like Len Testa for example) than will ever be publicly acknowledged by Disney.

As far as less popular rides they could keep closed Disney (or any theme park company) isn't necessarily going to use popularity of an attraction for what they opt to do. You could, and this is purely just to give another perspective, see it from the standpoint of low wait attractions that a guest can get more attractions ridden in less time thereby being more satisfied with their park time. That is a strategy many employ in the mornings whether it is Early Entry or just park opening, you could go for the attraction that may garner higher waits later on but by doing so sacrifice the ability to go on even lower wait time attractions and multiple of them in the same amount of time you waited for the one attraction. That shouldn't be construed as saying Disney cuts staff at 7DMT, etc just speaking to the "less popular rides" part of your statement