Tell me about your Rope Drop mornings!

[crostorfer]

Rope drop, and the importance of arrival time for it, varies greatly depending on when you go. In my experience late August is one of the least crowded times to be in Orlando. We traded terrible weather for the lowest crowd levels I have ever seen. Arriving 30-45 minutes prior to RD isn't imperative in mid-late August, in terms of ride wait times.

 

[mullysisters]

Withnout rope drop or EMH I just couldn' t go to WDW. I can't take the crowds. I get up at 530am at home so sleeping in to 630am is a bonus. I get a coffee at the QS and drink it at the bus stop, if the bus comes just hold onto it (no drinking). I ride two or three headliners at the park then stop for a quick bite (at MK that would be a funnel cake or waffle from Sleepy Hollow) I expect that it is much harder with the kids.
This was May 8th of this year when I got to Adventureland, I couldn't believe it so I took a picture.

 

[itchin2go]

Here's a link to a recent post from easywdw.com. Really good walk through of a rope drop morning.

http://www.easywdw.com/uncategorize...ring-plan-in-practice-may-20-2015/#more-15692

 

[Malsf05]

I'll be doing rope drop with my family for the first time, this August. We are staying at the treehouse villas in Saratoga Spring so my understanding is that we have to get to MK by about 0830, so hopefully we'll be on the bus by 0715. My plan is to hit fantasyland first with fast passes for space, splash, and 7DMT.

 

[GatorMama]

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

Depends on what is important to you! We've always done FL first thing. Usually Peter Pan as our first ride. This time we will do Winnie the Pooh first and then Peter Pan because I want enough of a line at PP to see the fun new queue!

 

[Lisa loves Pooh]

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.

Mine is similar.

The only thing I see is that jr compromises sleep because you may arrive earlier than intended. But like trying to het through Atlanta at rush hour--to get ahead of the curve, that is the option. That half hour idle wait reaps the benefits of avoiding some longer waits later.

 

[Blue32]

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?

Also...when you are waiting for the park to open you are not "spending" park time by waiting. When you wait in lines in the park, especially longer ones, you are spending that time waiting as park time. Waiting to enter usually allows you to get more done in those early morning hours.

 

[Willows909]

Love reading this thread. We have always gone in May and September, mostly September. Never felt the need to do rope drop simply because of these times of the year. We are a little out of touch with the new FP+ having done resort only visits the last couple of years. Love Buzz and Splash Mountain, so trying to make sure we get a multiple rides on those for sure. Would you recommend we hit Splash first? No kids with us, but we have people with scooters this time, and this is their second trip.

 

[itchin2go]

Love reading this thread. We have always gone in May and September, mostly September. Never felt the need to do rope drop simply because of these times of the year. We are a little out of touch with the new FP+ having done resort only visits the last couple of years. Love Buzz and Splash Mountain, so trying to make sure we get a multiple rides on those for sure. Would you recommend we hit Splash first? No kids with us, but we have people with scooters this time, and this is their second trip.

We hit up Splash and BTMRR first on our last trip. We used to hit Fantasyland first, but thought it might be better to avoid the mayhem over there. It was dead. I'm sure 30 minutes later, it was mobbed, but right off the bat? Empty. So, yes, I think heading straight to Splash is a good idea. The only thing is, more than once, it hasn't been running first thing. I don't know if that's common, but it has happened to us twice. However, it WAS up and running after my family got off BTMRR.

 

[lroger01]

Love reading this thread. We have always gone in May and September, mostly September. Never felt the need to do rope drop simply because of these times of the year. We are a little out of touch with the new FP+ having done resort only visits the last couple of years. Love Buzz and Splash Mountain, so trying to make sure we get a multiple rides on those for sure. Would you recommend we hit Splash first? No kids with us, but we have people with scooters this time, and this is their second trip.

Keep in mind, that the ride time on Splash is 10 minutes - plus quite a few minutes to just walk through the queue. You might consider going to Fantasy Land first and hitting up the short rides (PP, Pooh, Mermaid, Barnstormer, etc.) their first for 30 minutes before moving on to Frontier Land. A good wait times app that includes expected (not just posted) wait times, would help keep you from getting there too late.

 

[itchin2go]

Keep in mind, that the ride time on Splash is 10 minutes - plus quite a few minutes to just walk through the queue. You might consider going to Fantasy Land first and hitting up the short rides (PP, Pooh, Mermaid, Barnstormer, etc.) their first for 30 minutes before moving on to Frontier Land. A good wait times app that includes expected (not just posted) wait times, would help keep you from getting there too late.

Good point. When we started out in Frontierland, it was one of 2 MK days for us, and weren't looking to do much in Fantasyland. Had a FP for Peter Pan. We started off in Tomorrowland the next day.

 

[samsteele]

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

Everyone will have a different strategy. I always like rope drop. I try to divide MK into roughly two parts . . . left side of Main Street & right side of Main Street. Since I like to have at least 2 full days at MK, one day I go left to Adventureland (avoiding the big crowds heading to 7DMT) and go to POC x 2 (and if with young niece, to Flying Carpets), then Frontierland for BTM x 2 and then to Haunted Mansion. I then check to see my time and whether I can fit in Small World before an early lunch at Columbia Harbor House or if I have a BOG lunch ressie. After lunch, I do my FP+, try to fit in either a visit to Tom Sawyer Island or Country Bears, and eventually make my way back to Adventureland for Enchanted Tikki Rom & Jungle Cruise. Dinner is usually at the Poly and then I go back to MK to ride Jungle Cruise in the dark before deciding whether to stay for fireworks or call it an earlier evening. On the second MK day, I head with the crowd to 7DMT, then to Peter Pan, then to Haunted Mansion, to Small World and then check my time. If too early for lunch, I try for Philharmagic then lunch. After lunch, I start on FP+ and gradually make my way to Carousel of Progress, Buzz Lightyear and People Mover. I like to take a break at Cheshire Cafe for a cake cup, check to see if Gaston is out doing his show & interaction with guests, and then I relax a bit and do some shopping before dinner. I find that by breaking MK into two and generally staying on one side for the entire day, I reduce a lot of extra walking. Josh at easywdw has excellent touring plans and his are obviously much more efficient than mine but this works for me & and my interests. NB don't forget about the railroad. If you need to get from one side of the park to the other and can't face the walk, get onboard for easy transport. Enjoy your vacation!

 

[Willows909]

Hadn't thought about that 10 minutes for Splash! Everyone has great ideas. I'll be making my FP+ selections in just a few weeks for everyone. Usually not much of a planner ( I did love the old FP for that reason!), but so looking forward to vacation! Having seen the Main Street Parade a number of times, I'm sure we'll be on a few rides during that!