Time for a solid rope drop plan - will you help, please?

[momof2n2]

So - the hours are all in for our trip to DLR next month.

Our park days are as follows:
Tuesday, 6/12
Wednesday, 6/13
Saturday, 6/16
Tuesday, 6/19

We have rented a house in Garden Grove.
Google Maps offers three routes: 4.3 miles, 5.0 miles, and via highway 8.4 miles.

Tuesday, 6/12, we will want to do DLR with the Magic Morning 7AM - 8AM.
If we leave our rental at 6AM Google Maps estimates it should take 12-20 minutes at that hour of the day on that date.

Here come my slew of questions:


What parking will be available at 6:12AM/6:20AM?

Should we actually leave earlier than 6 AM? (We can do it.)

Will the Esplanade be open at that time?

We have tickets scanned into the app. Tix are from LMT. Do I actually bring our paper tix, too?

How long should I estimate it will take to get through the turnstile when they open?

We will join the crowd doing the mad dash to Peter Pan (because one of the nine of us LOVES Peter Pan. That is the baby of the family.... five years old.) Does it make sense to buy our MaxPass as we are waiting in either that line, or one of the Fantasyland rides that we are going to try to get through in that hour? Should I be buying it as we walk (run) to PP? Will moments count? (Can you tell we are WDW vets?)




Saying that - I need to confess right here that I am a little uptight about the LACK of planning we have to do. I suspect that after this trip is complete that I will look back and look favorably upon the more chilled out atmosphere wildly reported at DLR over WDW. But right now the lack of a game plan is a little disconcerting.

Also - I've been told I should plan on catching the fireworks every night given that they are frequently cancelled. That night, Fireworks are listed at DLR for 9:30 PM and F! is listed for 10:30PM. I know F! is purportedly better at DLR, than DHS, but we aren't huge fans of F! at DHS. On the other hand, the castle projections sound exciting. That being said, if we find nice spots for the fireworks (is that called Together Forever?) and they are cancelled for 9:30 PM, is there any chance whatsoever that we'd get a spot to see F!? Or would our window of opportunity have passed?

I eagerly await all suggestions.

 

[sas_mk]

I can’t answer all of your questions, but I do have some rope drop MaxPass advice!

If you get to Disneyland before it opens, they will begin to scan tickets and let people thru the turnstiles and into the park. Walk down Main Street. Take it all in. Enjoy it with your family. Then...once you are waiting near the castle for rope drop, pull out your phone, purchase your MaxPasses for the day and pick your first fastpass. Then, the CM’s will drop the rope and you can “walk with a purpose” to Peter Pan!

Have a great trip!

 

[momof2n2]

I can’t answer all of your questions, but I do have some rope drop MaxPass advice!

If you get to Disneyland before it opens, they will begin to scan tickets and let people thru the turnstiles and into the park. Walk down Main Street. Take it all in. Enjoy it with your family. Then...once you are waiting near the castle for rope drop, pull out your phone, purchase your MaxPasses for the day and pick your first fastpass. Then, the CM’s will drop the rope and you can “walk with a purpose” to Peter Pan!

Have a great trip!

Awesome! Thank you for weighing in. Glad to know there is some possibility for early queuing!

 

[WonkaKid]

I can't answer all of your questions, but I have some thoughts that I believe will be helpful with several of them.

What parking will be available at 6:12AM/6:20AM?

There will be ample parking @ Mickey and Friends. I always arrive on Sundays at about 7:05 for an 8:00 park opening. I usually get a great spot.

Should we actually leave earlier than 6 AM? (We can do it.)

I would absolutely leave earlier than that. If you leave at 6:00 for a 7:00 park open, by the time you park, get through security and make it to the gates, it'll be closer to 6:40. Lines will be quite long and guests likely will already be streaming in. A 5:30 or perhaps even 5:15 leave-time sounds like a better plan. If you arrive at the gates around 6:15, that should give you a reasonably comfortable spot. Several friends usually get to the gates at 6:00 on Sundays and they're always first.

Will the Esplanade be open at that time?

I believe so. If the park opens at 7:00, I believe it'll be open at 5:30.

How long should I estimate it will take to get through the turnstile when they open?

That depends on where you are in line. I'm almost always right at the front. The gates open anytime between 30 and 0 minutes prior to the actual park open time. If you're within the first ten or so people, you should be through in a matter of moments. They always scan the first several guests before they actually open so that following the countdown, those guests can pass through, having already been scanned.

We will join the crowd doing the mad dash to Peter Pan (because one of the nine of us LOVES Peter Pan. That is the baby of the family.... five years old.) Does it make sense to buy our MaxPass as we are waiting in either that line, or one of the Fantasyland rides that we are going to try to get through in that hour? Should I be buying it as we walk (run) to PP? Will moments count?

Might be advisable to buy them the moment you get in line at the gates. As you probably know, once your tix are scanned, you can claim your first MP/FP. I don't have a lot of experience with DW, but at DL a few moments won't make much of a difference.

Hope this is helpful!

Incidentally, may I suggest that you walk as fast as you can to PP but not run? Once one guest runs, it often triggers other to do the same and a stampede often results ;-). CMs have told me that they see people fall at RD regularly because they or someone else has run. I walk quickly and am almost always first on PP. Then again, I'm right at the rope and by myself so that might make it a little easier.

Best of luck and hope you have a great time! I'd be happy to send you a few park maps, if you like. You can message me your address.

Rob

 

[momof2n2]

I can't answer all of your questions, but I have some thoughts that I believe will be helpful with several of them.


There will be ample parking @ Mickey and Friends. I always arrive on Sundays at about 7:05 for an 8:00 park opening. I usually get a great spot.


I would absolutely leave earlier than that. If you leave at 6:00 for a 7:00 park open, by the time you park, get through security and make it to the gates, it'll be closer to 6:40. Lines will be quite long and guests likely will already be streaming in. A 5:30 or perhaps even 5:15 leave-time sounds like a better plan. If you arrive at the gates around 6:15, that should give you a reasonably comfortable spot. Several friends usually get to the gates at 6:00 on Sundays and they're always first.


I believe so. If the park opens at 7:00, I believe it'll be open at 5:30.


That depends on where you are in line. I'm almost always right at the front. The gates open anytime between 30 and 0 minutes prior to the actual park open time. If you're within the first ten or so people, you should be through in a matter of moments. They always scan the first several guests before they actually open so that following the countdown, those guests can pass through, having already been scanned.



Might be advisable to buy them the moment you get in line at the gates. As you probably know, once your tix are scanned, you can claim your first MP/FP. I don't have a lot of experience with DW, but at DL a few moments won't make much of a difference.

Hope this is helpful!

Incidentally, may I suggest that you walk as fast as you can to PP but not run? Once one guest runs, it often triggers other to do the same and a stampede often results ;-). CMs have told me that they see people fall at RD regularly because they or someone else has run. I walk quickly and am almost always first on PP. Then again, I'm right at the rope and by myself so that might make it a little easier.

Best of luck and hope you have a great time! I'd be happy to send you a few park maps, if you like. You can message me your address.

Rob

This is all great! Thank you.
And you DID send me maps a short while back. Thank you!!!!!

We will plan to go earlier.
Hmmm. Now I wonder if i should make my early day the following Tuesday? We have a rest day the day before. I just know I will relax as a whole when I can scratch Peter Pan off our list.

 

[Winnowill]

Note that, IF there's a significant line at PP at RD, DO NOT get in it. PP's line builds quickly, but typically maxes out around 40-50 minutes and stays around that length all day. Whereas other rides have very short lines for the whole of MM. if you can get on PP within 10-15 minutes of opening, do it. Otherwise, do the other Fantasyland rides, or even some of the Tomorrowland rides, all of which (except maybe Space) should have pretty short lines right at opening. Later in the day, PP's line will still be 40-50 minutes, but Star Tours will be an hour when you could have walked on during MM. You don't want to waste good morning touring waiting in a long PP line.

 

[Boku41]

I agree with Winnowill. A couple of years ago we wasted almost our whole MM in line at PP. We have started sacrificing one late night to PP. Right before closing, we go over to PP and get in line. It doesn't matter how long the line is, they will let you ride it as long as you were in line at closing time. This way, we don't care if it takes us 45+ minutes because we aren't missing any other rides. Nothing makes one as grumpy as only riding 2-3 rides during MM. It is hard to make it to PP with a large group and not be passed by a hundred other people walking/running faster than your group.

 

[dina444444]

M&F usually opens 30 minutes prior to EMH/MM. That will be the only parking lot open for EMH/MM. Toy Story opens later.

 

[WonkaKid]

This is all great! Thank you.
And you DID send me maps a short while back. Thank you!!!!!

Ha! I forgot! I've sent maps to probably 30 people over the past several months. It's hard to keep them straight .

Again, have a great time!

 

[WonkaKid]

Note that, IF there's a significant line at PP at RD, DO NOT get in it. PP's line builds quickly, but typically maxes out around 40-50 minutes and stays around that length all day. Whereas other rides have very short lines for the whole of MM. if you can get on PP within 10-15 minutes of opening, do it. Otherwise, do the other Fantasyland rides, or even some of the Tomorrowland rides...

@Winnowill is correct. I agree with this entirely.

 

[Skyegirl1999]

So, I haven't done an early entry to Disneyland in quite awhile, but I'm not positive that they follow the same procedure that they do for normal rope drop of "let guests in before 'opening,' have a rope by the hub, drop the rope." Can anyone weigh in on that experience vs. rope drop?

Here is the deal with Peter Pan in general. You can certainly get to the park an hour+ before it opens with the intent of being in the first wave of people on PP. You can stress the whole time about being at the "front of the pack," watching anxiously as other people's security lines, entrance lines, etc. go faster than yours. You can jostle for position at the rope. You can "walk with purpose" to the ride, and your prize for all of this time, effort, energy, and stress is that you get on it with less than a 10 minute wait. Note that all of this is MUCH harder to do with a group than it is for a single adult individual. I've done this a handful of times in the past several years (at the preference of other people), and we have usually been successful in getting on within a few minutes - but I find it fairly stressful, to be honest. And if Peter Pan isn't open immediately (which has happened to me), or if your kid trips and you end up 12 seconds behind everyone else and hit a 30+ minute line anyway, this was all a bit of a waste.

Orrrr, you can just decide that you're ok with waiting 30-40 minutes for this one ride, pick a time during the day when the line drops a bit, and go then. That can also be something you plan and prepare for - get a snack and enjoy it in line, bring a fun activity or two. I have a daughter who just turned 5, and this is definitely what we've done for years.

(Also keep in mind that Tuesday Magic Mornings are the worst.)

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Totally agree with WK about leaving earlier. With the size of your group, if you can aim to be in the car by 5/5:15 am that first day, do it. Your first day will take the most time because everything will be new. After that, the other days will be easier because you'll know where you'll be going, how the parking will work, where bag check is and how that will work, etc. (And, yes, M&F has restrooms on the ground level by the escalators! With all the kids in tow, this can be crucial information first thing in the morning and last thing at night!) Earlier on your first day allows for glitches, mistakes, and fixes. And if you end up with more than enough time once you arrive, Starbucks in DTD will be open! (If you don't already have the Starbucks app, it's free! And mobile ordering works at the 2 DTD stores!)
Get the Waze app to check traffic. You should be fine, but in Southern California it only takes one accident or construction zone to throw off all your careful calculations.
Try to do fireworks your first night. If you can check that off your list, it will be a big relief (then if you want to view again on another night from a different area, go for it!). The castle projections are very cool, but the building projections on Main Street (and the Coco effect only happens here) are really cool, too. Here is a video showing snippets of the fireworks from the different viewing areas: Together Forever fireworks view from different locations (video) -- you'll get an idea of how the show really has different looks from different places. After the fireworks are over, work your way over to NOS (slowly -- safety first!) to the wall in front of HM. Sit down to watch F! If you see any large openings for your group closer up and CMs let you stand there, by all means, move up! But, sitting on that wall to watch the show will give you enough of a taste to know whether your group will want to do the HB package another night to watch from up front by the water. You'll be able to hear all the music and see quite a bit of the show from the HM front wall. After F! is over, slowly work your way out, maybe catch one last ride to let the crowds disperse ahead of you.
Your next day will be so much easier because you'll be more familiar with things by then.

 

[dina444444]

Totally agree with WK about leaving earlier. With the size of your group, if you can aim to be in the car by 5/5:15 am that first day, do it. Your first day will take the most time because everything will be new. After that, the other days will be easier because you'll know where you'll be going, how the parking will work, where bag check is and how that will work, etc. (And, yes, M&F has restrooms on the ground level by the escalators! With all the kids in tow, this can be crucial information first thing in the morning and last thing at night!) Earlier on your first day allows for glitches, mistakes, and fixes. And if you end up with more than enough time once you arrive, Starbucks in DTD will be open! (If you don't already have the Starbucks app, it's free! And mobile ordering works at the 2 DTD stores!)
Get the Waze app to check traffic. You should be fine, but in Southern California it only takes one accident or construction zone to throw off all your careful calculations.
Try to do fireworks your first night. If you can check that off your list, it will be a big relief (then if you want to view again on another night from a different area, go for it!). The castle projections are very cool, but the building projections on Main Street (and the Coco effect only happens here) are really cool, too. Here is a video showing snippets of the fireworks from the different viewing areas: Together Forever fireworks view from different locations (video) -- you'll get an idea of how the show really has different looks from different places. After the fireworks are over, work your way over to NOS (slowly -- safety first!) to the wall in front of HM. Sit down to watch F! If you see any large openings for your group closer up and CMs let you stand there, by all means, move up! But, sitting on that wall to watch the show will give you enough of a taste to know whether your group will want to do the HB package another night to watch from up front by the water. You'll be able to hear all the music and see quite a bit of the show from the HM front wall. After F! is over, slowly work your way out, maybe catch one last ride to let the crowds disperse ahead of you.
Your next day will be so much easier because you'll be more familiar with things by then.

If EMH/MM is at 7am M&F will only open about 30 min before that.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

But there will be a line of cars waiting to go in. And, as WK has proven before, CMs will let guests leave their cars to use the M&F restrooms if necessary. The OP has a group of 9 people, most of whom are (excited) kids. Aiming to leave by 5am, means most likely that they won't actually leave at 5. If the OP's crew is anything like mine (none of whom are morning people), aiming for 5am means being sure to be out the door before 5:30. After her first day, the OP will have a much better idea of how long it will take her crew to get up, be out the door, and be at the gates before opening on her other park days. But for that critical first day, better to have too much time (which allows for a relaxed-not-anxious pace and the ability to laugh off Murphy's Law), than to be scrambling in anxiety/panic. When we get to M&F early, we eat breakfast in the car while we wait for the structure to open. That is much more relaxing than being stuck in traffic or rushing because we think we're late for opening.

 

[momof2n2]

Note that, IF there's a significant line at PP at RD, DO NOT get in it. PP's line builds quickly, but typically maxes out around 40-50 minutes and stays around that length all day. Whereas other rides have very short lines for the whole of MM. if you can get on PP within 10-15 minutes of opening, do it. Otherwise, do the other Fantasyland rides, or even some of the Tomorrowland rides, all of which (except maybe Space) should have pretty short lines right at opening. Later in the day, PP's line will still be 40-50 minutes, but Star Tours will be an hour when you could have walked on during MM. You don't want to waste good morning touring waiting in a long PP line.

I agree with Winnowill. A couple of years ago we wasted almost our whole MM in line at PP. We have started sacrificing one late night to PP. Right before closing, we go over to PP and get in line. It doesn't matter how long the line is, they will let you ride it as long as you were in line at closing time. This way, we don't care if it takes us 45+ minutes because we aren't missing any other rides. Nothing makes one as grumpy as only riding 2-3 rides during MM. It is hard to make it to PP with a large group and not be passed by a hundred other people walking/running faster than your group.

Here is the deal with Peter Pan in general. You can certainly get to the park an hour+ before it opens with the intent of being in the first wave of people on PP. You can stress the whole time about being at the "front of the pack," watching anxiously as other people's security lines, entrance lines, etc. go faster than yours. You can jostle for position at the rope. You can "walk with purpose" to the ride, and your prize for all of this time, effort, energy, and stress is that you get on it with less than a 10 minute wait. Note that all of this is MUCH harder to do with a group than it is for a single adult individual. I've done this a handful of times in the past several years (at the preference of other people), and we have usually been successful in getting on within a few minutes - but I find it fairly stressful, to be honest. And if Peter Pan isn't open immediately (which has happened to me), or if your kid trips and you end up 12 seconds behind everyone else and hit a 30+ minute line anyway, this was all a bit of a waste.

Orrrr, you can just decide that you're ok with waiting 30-40 minutes for this one ride, pick a time during the day when the line drops a bit, and go then. That can also be something you plan and prepare for - get a snack and enjoy it in line, bring a fun activity or two. I have a daughter who just turned 5, and this is definitely what we've done for years.

You all understand me (and my touring style and anxiety) very well.
This is very sound advice and to hear it from multiple people (and "liked" by others in the know) makes me really pay attention.
I have "wasted" my rope drop advantage over the years in lines to meet princesses (Rapunzel and Merida - I'm looking at you) while the males in my group have bagged countless rides. I don't want that to happen over Peter Pan. Especially since so much of Fantasyland is different at DLR than WDW.

I love waking up to a thread full of helpfulness. (East Coast we can't "see" the board until close to 6AM.)

 

[theluckyrabbit]

...Orrrr, you can just decide that you're ok with waiting 30-40 minutes for this one ride, pick a time during the day when the line drops a bit, and go then. That can also be something you plan and prepare for - get a snack and enjoy it in line, bring a fun activity or two. I have a daughter who just turned 5, and this is definitely what we've done for years...

This totally works. Or another option (and what we usually do) is to make PP your last ride of the night. We get in line about 10 minutes before closing, enjoy a treat and the pretty lights in FL, then exit to a closed park. Enjoy Main Street on your way out and bid DL a good night! Magic!

 

[momof2n2]

Totally agree with WK about leaving earlier. With the size of your group, if you can aim to be in the car by 5/5:15 am that first day, do it. Your first day will take the most time because everything will be new. After that, the other days will be easier because you'll know where you'll be going, how the parking will work, where bag check is and how that will work, etc. (And, yes, M&F has restrooms on the ground level by the escalators! With all the kids in tow, this can be crucial information first thing in the morning and last thing at night!) Earlier on your first day allows for glitches, mistakes, and fixes. And if you end up with more than enough time once you arrive, Starbucks in DTD will be open! (If you don't already have the Starbucks app, it's free! And mobile ordering works at the 2 DTD stores!)
Get the Waze app to check traffic. You should be fine, but in Southern California it only takes one accident or construction zone to throw off all your careful calculations.
Try to do fireworks your first night. If you can check that off your list, it will be a big relief (then if you want to view again on another night from a different area, go for it!). The castle projections are very cool, but the building projections on Main Street (and the Coco effect only happens here) are really cool, too. Here is a video showing snippets of the fireworks from the different viewing areas: Together Forever fireworks view from different locations (video) -- you'll get an idea of how the show really has different looks from different places. After the fireworks are over, work your way over to NOS (slowly -- safety first!) to the wall in front of HM. Sit down to watch F! If you see any large openings for your group closer up and CMs let you stand there, by all means, move up! But, sitting on that wall to watch the show will give you enough of a taste to know whether your group will want to do the HB package another night to watch from up front by the water. You'll be able to hear all the music and see quite a bit of the show from the HM front wall. After F! is over, slowly work your way out, maybe catch one last ride to let the crowds disperse ahead of you.
Your next day will be so much easier because you'll be more familiar with things by then.

But there will be a line of cars waiting to go in. And, as WK has proven before, CMs will let guests leave their cars to use the M&F restrooms if necessary. The OP has a group of 9 people, most of whom are (excited) kids. Aiming to leave by 5am, means most likely that they won't actually leave at 5. If the OP's crew is anything like mine (none of whom are morning people), aiming for 5am means being sure to be out the door before 5:30. After her first day, the OP will have a much better idea of how long it will take her crew to get up, be out the door, and be at the gates before opening on her other park days. But for that critical first day, better to have too much time (which allows for a relaxed-not-anxious pace and the ability to laugh off Murphy's Law), than to be scrambling in anxiety/panic. When we get to M&F early, we eat breakfast in the car while we wait for the structure to open. That is much more relaxing than being stuck in traffic or rushing because we think we're late for opening.

Starbucks and Waze apps - I'll get them. Thank you.
So it sounds like our first real line of the morning is going to be getting into the garage, huh? Fun.

Our travel party is me, DH (later 40's) kids 5-17 (four teens) and my mom (69).
We really are good at getting up and out. We will have been doing that for five days en route to SoCal. BUT - the BATHROOM concern is VERY real and THANK YOU! Having coffee-d up at the house we will probably have more than a few that need that facility!!!

I will look at those videos, too. I have to run out the door to work right now. I love the plan for a test of F! interest.

 

[momof2n2]

Can anyone suggest a nice spot for the Pixar Parade and when we should like up?

Is the 3:30 or 6:00 show a better time to watch in DLR?

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Starbucks and Waze apps - I'll get them. Thank you.
So it sounds like our first real line of the morning is going to be getting into the garage, huh? Fun.

Our travel party is me, DH (later 40's) kids 5-17 (four teens) and my mom (69).
We really are good at getting up and out. We will have been doing that for five days en route to SoCal. BUT - the BATHROOM concern is VERY real and THANK YOU! Having coffee-d up at the house we will probably have more than a few that need that facility!!!

I will look at those videos, too. I have to run out the door to work right now. I love the plan for a test of F! interest.

The Starbucks app comes in really handy for DTD. There are two stores in DTD, so make sure you are ordering from the one you want. Starbucks West is located next to the AMC and Earl of Sandwich (on the DLH end). The other Starbucks in the main DTD store by WOD (by the M&F tram stop). On regular, not-super-busy days, if you order before boarding the tram, your order should be waiting for you when you get to the main store. (Notice all the reclaimed wood with the nail holes lining the walls -- that store won a design award!)
NB There are two Starbucks locations in the parks (Market House in DL and Fiddler, Fifer, & the Practical, aka FF&P, in DCA), but mobile ordering does not work there. However, you can still use your Starbucks card to pay there.

The line for M&F in the morning isn't usually too long -- WK will know more about this since he is there more often. But being early and up front in the line means a better spot for you. And with a large group, at the end of a long day in the parks, a shorter walk to the car will be greatly appreciated. Don't forget to take a photo of your car/parking spot/character & row & number before leaving for the parks. It's amazing how easy it is to forget where you parked after an exhausting day. Sometimes all the characters really do look the same after 12 miles in the parks!

If your crew is good about getting up and out the door, then you'll be able to gauge best what time to leave for the parks. You don't need to be there at the crack of dawn, but you do want to be in line for the structure before they open. By the way, the restrooms are sort of behind the escalators, so they aren't super obvious. Lots of people walk by them all the time and don't even know they are there. But they are super convenient and reasonably large, so you usually don't have to wait in line.

For the F! test run, make sure to watch Jack Sparrow on the Columbia and the finale with the characters on the Mark Twain (my favorite part). The kids might really like the dragon.

 

[theluckyrabbit]

Can anyone suggest a nice spot for the Pixar Parade and when we should like up?

Is the 3:30 or 6:00 show a better time to watch in DLR?

Do your kids like to wave at the characters? If so, try to view from the area by the Alice in Wonderland restrooms near the Matterhorn. There is seating there, too. The CMs only allow parade viewing on that one side of the route in that area, so all the characters and parade dancers will only face that one direction. Your kids will get all the waves and you'll get great photos. Plus, while you are waiting and after the parade, the restrooms are right there. (Can you tell that restroom location is a theme with me? Youngest needed them all!) We haven't viewed this parade from that spot yet, so I'm not sure how early you would need to be there. Hopefully other DISers will chime in.