Slinky Dog Rope Drop is a Living Hell

[Jcon]

People get excited and they lose their minds. It's completely uncalled for but completely predictable.

If you get there first to rope drop, you should be the first to ride which ever ride you want. Having a stroller or moving slower should not be a detriment. There are a lot of things Dis could do to fix this situation but they seem unwilling to do so.

 

[Tigger's ally]

Tier one/ E ticket rides= Fast pass

all other rides= rope drop

While the crowd heads to Slinky I would head to TSMM and ride it 2/3 times before the line builds.

 

[Meglen]

Not a single ride in all of wdw is worth that hassle and waiting 3 hours. ( Waited at Rd than again at the ride) .

The way I think of Rd is you are waiting in an imaginary line with no boundaries hopeing to get on the "long" line ride. But you waited outside the park already so where is the time saving ? People who rope drop the long line rides let's everyone else Rd the medium rides with no wait. So keep being silly so I can get my tot and rockenrollercoaster done in 20 min.

 

[karen4546]

hope your day gets better.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

I've done it twice and it was fine.
We just walked back with the masses and walked into the line.
First time we never even stopped in the line at all.
Second time it ended up being probably an 8 minute wait.
Since the attraction isn'tTHAT great in our opinion we don't plan to ride it at all next time.

 

[Jcon]

Not a single ride in all of wdw is worth that hassle and waiting 3 hours. ( Waited at Rd than again at the ride) .

The way I think of Rd is you are waiting in an imaginary line with no boundaries hopeing to get on the "long" line ride. But you waited outside the park already so where is the time saving ? People who rope drop the long line rides let's everyone else Rd the medium rides with no wait. So keep being silly so I can get my tot and rockenrollercoaster done in 20 min.

Kind of misses the point. OP waited 90 minutes (or whatever) before the park opened, then had a bunch of people pass her and create a 90 minute line in front of her. She should have had first access, if she was first. Dis doesn't really care.

You can go on whatever ride you want and use whatever time you feel is appropriate. OP chose to do RD, assuming she would be the first to ride SDD or near first.

 

[Queen of the WDW Scene]

Not a single ride in all of wdw is worth that hassle and waiting 3 hours. ( Waited at Rd than again at the ride) .

The way I think of Rd is you are waiting in an imaginary line with no boundaries hopeing to get on the "long" line ride. But you waited outside the park already so where is the time saving ? People who rope drop the long line rides let's everyone else Rd the medium rides with no wait. So keep being silly so I can get my tot and rockenrollercoaster done in 20 min.

I'd rather wait 30 minutes prior to a park opening and then have more time to do attractions while the park is open vs getting there after the park is open and waiting 3 hours during park hours to go on a mediocre ride.

 

[Tink_83]

Not a single ride in all of wdw is worth that hassle and waiting 3 hours. ( Waited at Rd than again at the ride) .

The way I think of Rd is you are waiting in an imaginary line with no boundaries hopeing to get on the "long" line ride. But you waited outside the park already so where is the time saving ? People who rope drop the long line rides let's everyone else Rd the medium rides with no wait. So keep being silly so I can get my tot and rockenrollercoaster done in 20 min.

Unless they couldn’t get a FP for it and this was now their only way to ride. Personally if you are at the front of RD they should walk around with like morning of FP so you can choose the ride you are essentially waiting for and get on it first, regardless of the stampede... Also maybe that would stop some of the craziness.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

People get excited and they lose their minds. It's completely uncalled for but completely predictable.

If you get there first to rope drop, you should be the first to ride which ever ride you want. Having a stroller or moving slower should not be a detriment. There are a lot of things Dis could do to fix this situation but they seem unwilling to do so.

The only thing I can truly think of to ensure everyone is in a line is to only have 1 bag check open, becomes first come first serve and then there's ropes with CMs lined throughout all the way to the attraction once you get past security so that the first person in line at the tapstiles stays the first person in line. That's an unrealistic way and sounds like a nightmare of a line.

Unfortunately you're going to have people in all sorts of places do that. I remember going to a Twilight movie premiere being the first in line after waiting the entire day....and yeah I mean the entire day in the summer heat..outside the movie theater. Despite all the "no running stay in line" comments people still shoved us out of the way, ran, briskly walked, etc all to get into the theater first once they opened the theater for our movie time. That was the days before assigned seating occurred.

People shouldn't shove, there should be more control and I agree more CMs (though that of course comes with paying those CMs), but they can't prevent it all without causing a more negative impact IMO by making everyone be in 1 and only 1 line the whole way there.

 

[kniquy]

I thought rope drop cast members were supposed to make people walk.

It is sad that people have to turn a fun day at a park into a mob stampede. I would talk with someone at guest services to explain your experience and dissatisfaction. Maybe they do need more CM's to properly handle the crowds. Maybe the CM's also need to announce the procedure prior to RD - letting people know there will be no running, shoving allowed and they could put a little warning that if it people are seen doing such acts they will be escorted out of the park. It does become a safety situation when you do have children, whether walking or in strollers being over taken by mobs of people.

We have never been ones to RD to the newest hot attraction for the fear of exactly what you described - getting there super early, doing your part by walking and still ending up waiting an ungodly amount of time to ride. Our last family trip was with 2 seniors and a 4yo who walked, no stroller - no way was I going subject ourselves to those crazy RD situations. We usually head in the opposite direction of the mob of people.

 

[FutureDisneyEventPlanner]

Tier one/ E ticket rides= Fast pass

all other rides= rope drop

While the crowd heads to Slinky I would head to TSMM and ride it 2/3 times before the line builds.

YES to this! Rope drop is great IF you do it effectively. I've never, and probably will never, rope drop Slinky, FOP, or 7DMT. I always shoot for a FP. And if I can't get it, I just don't bother or I try at night. The amount of times I rode Everest at rope drop while everyone else was in Pandora was crazy, and also made me very dizzy lol

 

[Jcon]

Tom Brady usually picks MK so I'd assume the same for 2020

Please no.

The only thing I can truly think of to ensure everyone is in a line is to only have 1 bag check open, becomes first come first serve and then there's ropes with CMs lined throughout all the way to the attraction once you get past security so that the first person in line at the tapstiles stays the first person in line. That's an unrealistic way and sounds like a nightmare of a line.

Unfortunately you're going to have people in all sorts of places do that. I remember going to a Twilight movie premiere being the first in line after waiting the entire day....and yeah I mean the entire day in the summer heat..outside the movie theater. Despite all the "no running stay in line" comments people still shoved us out of the way, ran, briskly walked, etc all to get into the theater first once they opened the theater for our movie time. That was the days before assigned seating occurred.

People shouldn't shove, there should be more control and I agree more CMs (though that of course comes with paying those CMs), but they can't prevent it all without causing a more negative impact IMO by making everyone be in 1 and only 1 line the whole way there.

An alternative could be that they hand out special FPs for the riders choice that need to be used within the first 15 minutes after RD. As you clear security, they funnel you through a line where you choose to take one FP for whichever ride you want to ride. Once one ride is gone, say, SDD, you can grab a different one if you choose. Or, you can go to SDD and be the one of the first to ride after the 15 minutes (or so) buffer passes.

That way, those that get there first can get to the ride first and showing up last minute before RD hoping to run faster than everyone else, does not benefit you as much.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

For comparison purposes, I just checked Touring Plans from yesterday and the actual wait for Slinky was 18 minutes at about 7:45 pm. There's no need to arrive early and fight through that crowd.

The early guest arrived at 7:30 am and rode once in 3 hours. The late guest could have arrived at 7:30 pm and rode twice in 30 minutes.

That’s a big difference.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

An alternative could be that they hand out special FPs for the riders choice that need to be used within the first 15 minutes after RD. As you clear security, they funnel you through a line where you choose to take one FP for whichever ride you want to ride. Once one ride is gone, say, SDD, you can grab a different one if you choose. Or, you can go to SDD and be the one of the first to ride after the 15 minutes (or so) buffer passes.

That way, those that get there first can get to the ride first and showing up last minute before RD hoping to run faster than everyone else, does not benefit you as much.

It's a way but I honestly don't see how it's a fair way to do it. It penalizes people who don't or can't get up there at RD or who are the unlucky ones to be there just after the last FP is handed out.

Being in Standby is a leveling it out. Giving FPs out does not level that out. Plus how do you explain to people that you get 3 FPs per day you can pre-book that come with your ticket but if you get your butt up to the gates X time ahead you get another FP?

I see your way as going back to the old way of doing it. I'm not sure we can have both. Either it's Standby at RD or it's back to the old way of Legacy FP. A hybrid system IMO is not a fair way. The way you're wanting it is giving more FPs to people and I just don't see how that is right thing to do IMO.

 

[Jcon]

It's a way but I honestly don't see how it's a fair way to do it. It penalizes people who don't or can't get up there at RD or who are the unlucky ones to be there just after the last FP is handed out.

Being in Standby is a leveling it out. Giving FPs out does not level that out. Plus how do you explain to people that you get 3 FPs per day you can pre-book that come with your ticket but if you get your butt up to the gates X time ahead you get another FP?

I see your way as going back to the old way of doing it. I'm not sure we can have both. Either it's Standby at RD or it's back to the old way of Legacy FP. A hybrid system IMO is not a fair way. The way you're wanting it is giving more FPs to people and I just don't see how that is right thing to do IMO.

It's the first 15 minutes after the park opens. It's simply to remove the incentive to show up right at RD, then run past people with strollers who have been waiting much longer than you.

If you show up right at RD, you should be behind everyone who was there before you.

It's not an additional FP where you have this big window. It's good only for the first 15 (or so) minutes after RD and ensures you're not having to fight off some people that are clearly prepared to push in front of you to ride a popular ride.

If you're getting there last minute, right before RD, are you not expecting to wait at least 15 minutes in line?

 

[GADisneyDad14]

For comparison purposes, I just checked Touring Plans from yesterday and the actual wait for Slinky was 18 minutes at about 7:45 pm. There's no need to arrive early and fight through that crowd.

The early guest arrived at 7:30 am and rode once in 3 hours. The late guest could have arrived at 7:30 pm and rode twice in 30 minutes.

Not that it matters, but the late guest yesterday would have also been riding in the rain, FWIW.

A quick flip through the past week of TP data shows higher last hour wait times that still make your point, but the 18 min data point yesterday is a bit of an anomaly.

 

[Praying Colonel]

I just need to rant. We were the good guys. We showed up at 7:45 for a 9am park opem. We were literally the first in line at the turnstiles. Right at the front of the rope drop crowd. We started walking when they said to and then the chaos began. People were running all around us, shoving the side of the stroller with my baby in it, cutting between me and my husband with the other stroller so I had to slow down to find him. Now we are at the end of a 90 minute line, hundreds if people in front of us when we have already waited 90 minutes. I want to cry. People are awful. I thought rope drop cast members were supposed to make people walk.

 

[tamerbelles]

I'm so sorry you had a terrible experience! And I sincerely hope your day gets better.

Can we discuss how strollers and TSL are a nightmare in general? ONE narrow ramp for people going in and out?! (Unless they have changed it since September, but I highly doubt they have.) I'm guessing that was half the hold-up for you this morning. UGH. They need to fix that.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It's the first 15 minutes after the park opens. It's simply to remove the incentive to show up right at RD, then run past people with strollers who have been waiting much longer than you.

If you show up right at RD, you should be behind everyone who was there before you.

It's not an additional FP where you have this big window. It's good only for the first 15 (or so) minutes after RD and ensures you're not having to fight off some people that are clearly prepared to push in front of you to ride a popular ride.

If you're getting there last minute, right before RD, are you not expecting to wait at least 15 minutes in line?

I don't see how giving people FPs curbs the behavior. It's still a FP no matter what and for a ride of your choosing by your earlier comment. With or without a FP people still want to be on the ride before someone else. Human nature for the bulk of folks. Have you not seen people act the same when it comes to entering the FP line? I, personally that is, would see it as just an unequal thing.

I do agree that if you show up at RD you should be behind everyone else that was there before you but that should actually be the case whatever time you show up be that right at RD or 45mins before RD or 1hr before RD.

What I will say is there are times with FOP for instance that people have been bypassed through the opening sequences right at RD and I *think* EMH too which obviously shaves time off.

But that's just my opinion certainly doesn't mean yours is wrong by any means.

 

[YawningDodo]

Unless they couldn’t get a FP for it and this was now their only way to ride. Personally if you are at the front of RD they should walk around with like morning of FP so you can choose the ride you are essentially waiting for and get on it first, regardless of the stampede... Also maybe that would stop some of the craziness.

This. Anymore I don't see rope drop as the be-all end-all to getting around long standby lines, but sometimes it's just your best option. In 2018 I had only one day in WDW and really wanted to experience FoP. Since I'd added my WDW stay less than 30 days before my stay, I was never able to get a FP for it despite trying frequently--and since I also really wanted to see HEA, evening wasn't an option, either. Sometimes people are just working with the best option they have.

I will say...I don't know if it's worse at DHS/Toy Story Land, but in January 2018 I had a pretty good experience doing rope drop at AK. I was far from the first to show up, and I think since I was in the front-ish middle part of the crowd I dealt with less madness--anyone who was going to sprint got out ahead of me before I even passed through the gate, and whatever, good riddance, I'd rather be further back in the line than deal with that.