Tell me about your Rope Drop mornings!

[DisFam95]

We're staying at WL and going in August so really want take advantage of the "least hot" (won;t say cool) part of the day! I've heard be at the park around 8:20.

What time do you wake up? We'll be eating either donuts in the room or quick service. Then the whole transport!! Can't wrap my head around it!

Thanks!

 

[bbjunkie]

For a 9:00am rope drop, 8:20 is about right. We were in line at our resort bus stop by 30 minutes before that, and made it by about then each day. If we didn't have breakfast reservations, we did the same as you...grabbed a quick muffin and juice, then we're on our way. We also used Josh's advice...lurk near the entrance where pre-opening ADR's are admitted, they will open up those lines to all just before rope drop. Worked great!

 

[TwoCortWort]

We're staying at WL and going in August so really want take advantage of the "least hot" (won;t say cool) part of the day! I've heard be at the park around 8:20.

What time do you wake up? We'll be eating either donuts in the room or quick service. Then the whole transport!! Can't wrap my head around it!

Thanks!

30-40 minutes before hand to see the welcome thing. We don't stay at the MK resorts, so we get to the bus 7:45 and so for me that means being up at about 7:00

 

[caroline1851]

We went in early June and for a 9am rope drop, we got up 7:15, left our room at 7:45. Each day we made it to the park we were going to no later than 8:15.

 

[cakebaker]

I think arriving by 8:20 will get you pretty close to the front. We stayed at the WL a week or so ago and they direct service to the MK with no other stops so the ride was very short- maybe 5-10 minutes. It takes all of us at least 30 minutes to get ready, but we didn't do a qs meal- it was granola bars and drinks from the room on the way to the bus stop.

 

[BridgetBordeaux]

.............and better to show up 5 or 10 minutes earlier than planned, as opposed to showing up 10 minutes later than planned. The difference in the crowd in front of you is quite noticeable between 815 and 830.

Even if you have an a.m. emh park to visit, you still want to show up no less than 35/40 minutes early.

One more thing............EP, AK, and DHS have been known to open anything from 5 to 15 minutes early. MK seems to be pretty strict about opening at the posted time.

 

[xlsm]

Last August 5 - 12 we were at WL, I have a trip report in my signature if you want to see what we did in more detail. We loooooove the Lodge. I've never stayed anywhere else!

We are early risers, but Disney wears us out. We do try to be up by 6:30, but I'll let the kids stay in bed until closer to time to leave the room. For rope drop on a day when we don't have an 8am ADR, we usually get to the bus stop no later than 745. The bus takes such a short time, that first thing in the morning it is our preference for transport. We use the ferry when we go back later in the day. We like to be there early, but 8:20 will work. Like a PP said, the difference in 10 to 15 minutes can be astounding.

Have a great trip!! We like Disney World in the summer

 

[WillAustin]

When we stay at CR/BLT it's an easy walk over to MK. Less than 10 minutes. We are usually up by 7:15. Sometimes we bring breakfast to eat at the rope. Being early can pay off. We were family of the day at Epcot once.

 

[Aurora0427]

We're staying at WL and going in August so really want take advantage of the "least hot" (won;t say cool) part of the day! I've heard be at the park around 8:20.

What time do you wake up? We'll be eating either donuts in the room or quick service. Then the whole transport!! Can't wrap my head around it!

Thanks!

That will be perfect. The trick to making rope drop from WL is catching the boat- if you're planning on being at the actual park by 8:20, you'll be in great shape. We usually made it to the boat dock by 8:15 and caught a boat before 8:30, making rope drop. As a pp noted, you can take a bus but we never did that, so no input on that route! Regarding breakfast, it'll be quicker to eat donuts in the room. We were surprised at how crowded the quick service restaurant was at WL. Get there really early if you go that route!

 

[lroger01]

It's hard to know how YOUR family will handle mornings. I suggest you have a few tests before your trip that requires you to be up early. Try and plan things everyone will at least be semi-interested in and plan breakfast similar to what you'll have at Disney. Then, without being overly obvious, time out how long it takes everyone to get up and get ready.

After the first test, make adjustments and try again - maybe set out everyones clothes the night before, or have the kid with the long hair shower the night before.

For the third test, alert everyone that you're "practicing" for Disney mornings and see how they respond. Hopefully you'll have it all down and know how long it takes your crew to get ready to go.

 

[si-am]

We tend to be early to stuff in general. I really hate the stressy feeling of "what if I don't make it in time," so I avoid that. For a 9am opening, we're up by 6:30am, at the food court by 7am, and then at the bus stop by 7:30am.

Yes, we are always really early to whatever park. But it's worth it, in the end, to avoid lines for a few hours.

 

[Disney Mom 7272]

Ours depends on whether we have a breakfast planned that morning. We always go in September and usually at least 2 days we have a 8:00am breakfast scheduled so we have to get up really early to make sure to get there on time. We always get there at rope drop every day that we are there. Definitely less crowded early in the mornings!!

 

[WillAustin]

Yes, we are always really early to whatever park. But it's worth it, in the end, to avoid lines for a few hours.

I'd always rather wait at rope drop than in a line later.

 

[hopeful4fl]

I'd always rather wait at rope drop than in a line later.

So...... I am simply trying to understand, since I have never done rope drop. If you are going to wait in line at RD for 30+ min, why is it any different than waiting in line at a ride?

 

[cakebaker]

So...... I am simply trying to understand, since I have never done rope drop. If you are going to wait in line at RD for 30+ min, why is it any different than waiting in line at a ride?

Waiting in line for 30 minutes in the morning saves us time on many, many rides later in the morning when it's getting hotter and hotter. I much prefer standing around for 30 minutes in the cooler air, when I can choose a shady spot to sit if I want, than standing in a line with hundreds of equally hot people later in the day.

 

[hopeful4fl]

Makes perfect sense. I have been to DW in Jan, so temp was not an issue. At this time though, I completely get it.

 

[WillAustin]

So...... I am simply trying to understand, since I have never done rope drop. If you are going to wait in line at RD for 30+ min, why is it any different than waiting in line at a ride?

Cakebaker's answer is the same as mine. We can sit at the park waiting for it to open, get coffee and donuts, and it's not hot yet.

 

[si-am]

So...... I am simply trying to understand, since I have never done rope drop. If you are going to wait in line at RD for 30+ min, why is it any different than waiting in line at a ride?

You can guarantee your wait time at rope drop. That's harder to do at a ride, if that makes sense. I can get to MK at 8:15 and know I'm going to be standing there for 30-44 minutes, but I also know that, by doing so, I'm not going to be waiting in long lines for rides for a while. It's a trade off: Getting there later means I'm subject to the whims of ride wait times generated by all the people who entered before us, and I might not get as much done.

I go to Disney every year, and our rope drop strategy has always paid off for us,even though I'm really not a morning person "in real life." Lol

 

[kiapepito]

So if emh is 8 am and staying at aoa should we catch the shuttle at 6:45 am?

 

[Willows909]

So what rides do you hit first at MK when you do RD? What's everyone's plan on that?