Should we stress about “Rope Drop”?

[Randy Miller]

Finalizing plans for upcoming trip, bringing our 2 little Foster ( 1 soon to be adopted guys) lots of complex needs ( you’ve read about us before ) since both of them can be easily overwhelmed, and I “think” we will be approved for DAS ( I know, it’s never a guarantee) I’m wondering if we need to rush and go with the crowd right at “rope drop” or if you think we will be ok coming a bit after ( letting the “rush” crowd disperse) and then using our DAS pass to tour? The trip is really for them, so we aren’t worried about trying to get on any “huge” rides, just slowly making our way around with the goal of maybe 4 rides at first ( well, a better goal would be one ride) but definitely not a “rush”. What do you all think?

 

[Allison Joy]

I would definitely not stress about rope drop, personally. It doesn't sound like you're trying to go for all day, rope drop to close, so why stress it? To me, it's just more of a crowd, and if you go later, you can just stay a bit later. I can't think of any "perk" of rope drop, unless you like the excitement and crowd, or if you have a "huge" ride that you MUST go on, and want to be first, and is sound like neither would be the case for you.

 

[Evita_W]

It is vacation, you shouldn't stress about anything. But we are more go with the flow people. We tend to get up early and go until it gets too warm, then head back to the hotel and let it cool off and go back to the parks. We usually pick a few must dos per park if we want and make sure to work them in, but often we don't even do that.

 

[gap2368]

while I would not stress about rope drop the first hour the park are open the lines ( but at the most popular rides) are the shortest and you might find that helpful. so I would get there for rope drop but hang back some let the mass go in then make your way to your first ride.

 

[cellomom]

please do not stress about rope drop, enjoy that you are on a vacation. If you are traveling during hot weather, I would suggest trying to get there as early as possible. That way you can squeeze in some rides before the heat of the day.

 

[fabfemmeboy]

Don't stress about rope drop. Especially with a DAS to help with some of the longer lines, there is no reason to push yourself or the kiddos to get there super early and deal with the extra crowds. This last trip, we didn't hit rope drop once and still got everything we wanted to do done - and then some.

 

[mamabunny]

"Rope drop" is - for my money - not worth it. There's simply nothing compelling enough to me to fight the masses for. It's all going to be there, all day long, whether you are "First!" to see it that day or not!

The other thing I try to point out to the parents of littles is this: Remember that little kids *generally* don't know what's behind the bright colorful facades they see from their strollers. It could be a shop, a quick serve, a show, or a ride, or something else!!! All they know is that it *looks* colorful and fun - and they probably will recognize some of the characters, and that's always lots of fun for us to see, too! Little kids don't care if they don't ride every.single.ride - chances are pretty good that they can't even *name* every ride, let alone be worried about if they actually rode them or not! They will be happy just to be there, with you, and see everything, and laugh, and have fun. Disney World is made for them, and I promise - no matter what, even if you just play I spy all day while walking around, they will have a great time!

Now, I understand that your case is a bit different; you are bringing along a sweet little one who is in your care as a foster, and I have a feeling that you want to help them make some very special memories - after all, you don't know if they will ever be able to go back to Disney World again, and so you really want to make this trip special for them. (And that is just one reason why we love you ❤ ) But remember that you can do things like take photos, and collect little souvenirs (pressed pennies, a (clean) napkin that says "Disney World", maybe even save the "First trip" pin that you will get for each of the kids) then, print out the very best pictures, and make a special little scrapbook that they can take with them for the rest of their life to show the world that Randy took me to Disney World! ❤

Don't try to make this trip like the ones you see on the TV commercials - that will just lead to tears and sadness for *you*! Focus on what will be fun for each child; maybe pick out one "must do" at each Park, or for each day of the trip, and then just let everything else happen as it should. The Magic of Disney World is often overlooked by those who rush to be first in line; take your time, and let your little family soak it all up!

 

[redberyl]

We never do rope drop. First traveling then being in the parks exhausts my daughter, so I let her sleep in as late as she needs to. Better to face the parks well rested, everyone will have a better time that way. With das and fast pass we always get everything done that we want.

 

[cellomom]

"Rope drop" is - for my money - not worth it. There's simply nothing compelling enough to me to fight the masses for. It's all going to be there, all day long, whether you are "First!" to see it that day or not!

The other thing I try to point out to the parents of littles is this: Remember that little kids *generally* don't know what's behind the bright colorful facades they see from their strollers. It could be a shop, a quick serve, a show, or a ride, or something else!!! All they know is that it *looks* colorful and fun - and they probably will recognize some of the characters, and that's always lots of fun for us to see, too! Little kids don't care if they don't ride every.single.ride - chances are pretty good that they can't even *name* every ride, let alone be worried about if they actually rode them or not! They will be happy just to be there, with you, and see everything, and laugh, and have fun. Disney World is made for them, and I promise - no matter what, even if you just play I spy all day while walking around, they will have a great time!

One of my granddaughter’s favorite rides- the “transportation boats” from resorts to parks
Don’t stress, have fun, make memories

 

[NotTheBatesMotel]

We're not rope-droppers in my family. Yes, the lines might be shorter for the first 45 minutes or so, but you're waiting the same amount of time in front of the park instead of in a queue. It's not worth waking up early (my dudes get cranky when they have to wake up early!), dealing with a horde of people, and the stampeding of the bulls. I know people that LOVE it though. It's tradition and excitement for them vs. the anxiety it causes my family, so there's nothing wrong with it if you try it and prefer it!

 

[JLTraveling]

We are NOT early morning people, so rope drop is once in a blue moon for us. But, pro tip: The crowds are at least as thin in the last hour as they are in the first. And nobody's stampeding anymore. So whether you go late and stay, go early and then take a break and come back, or try to do the intrepid open to close....just plan anything "big" for right before the park closes.

 

[Randy Miller]

We are NOT early morning people, so rope drop is once in a blue moon for us. But, pro tip: The crowds are at least as thin in the last hour as they are in the first. And nobody's stampeding anymore. So whether you go late and stay, go early and then take a break and come back, or try to do the intrepid open to close....just plan anything "big" for right before the park closes.

They are pretty much “schedule” kids, so I cannot imagine being at the parks “late” ( as in, not back at hotel doing night time routine by 7:00 at the latest) but....they might surprise me! Thank you!

 

[WantToGoToWDW]

We always arrive at opening because we enjoy getting several attractions with no waits. Even with the DAS you are going to have gaps between attractions. You can only have one return time at once and the wait is the same as the standby line.

 

[Dispro1]

We've been to Disney 40+ times (stopped counting a long time ago lol) and I think we've only rope dropped twice. The last time we did it was to try to get RoR the week before Disney closed for the pandemic. We didn't get in a boarding group, and my daughter's chronic migraine condition flared really badly due to the early morning. That was the worst park day I can remember having ever, and I doubt we will ever try it again, but different things work for different people. I have friends who love to rope drop! This last trip we took (5/28-6/2/21) was my first experience using DAS (for myself not for DD), so I can tell you how things went for us when arriving later to parks. We got to MK around 9:30am on Saturday (5/29, park opened at 8am). I will say that the crowds picked up a lot by 10:30-11 (as usual), but the wait times still weren’t too bad except for the most popular rides (which still weren’t as bad as normal holiday weekend wait times). We used DAS for Peter Pan and SDMT but didn’t really need it for anything else because most rides would say 25 minutes and would actually only take around 18 minutes, if that. I think we did 5 rides total before our lunch reservation at 11:50. It was extremely hot after leaving the restaurant, so it was definitely time to go for us. I don’t think you’ll have any problems getting several things done even arriving later unless something drastic changes with park capacity, and even then, you'd be ok with DAS I think. So glad you are taking them, and I agree with others who said they will probably even enjoy transportation options at Disney and just seeing everything in the parks! So much eye candy at Disney...and not just for the kids but for the adults too! Hope you have a fantastic trip!

 

[lauritagoddess]

We were always rope droppers because my son was a really early waker anyway, so rope drop was no problem, and I did like getting a bunch of rides in me for it got crowded. When FP+ started, rope drop became less important since you knew that you were guaranteed at least 3 rides/attractions even if you got there later, as well as any FP you could get once you were in the park after thise were gone. With no FP+, we’ll be back to rope drop because my son has no patience for longer lines. We’ll be getting a DAS, hopefully, which will help, but rope drop will at least ensure we’ll get some attractions done before three crowds get too heavy. I just wish they would bring FP back.