WDW COVID-19 Operational Changes- Reservation System-Rope Drop Procedures

[Brittney Cornwell]

Hi, we are staying at Shades of Green in January and plan to go to all of the parks. I am thinking we will take monorail from TTC to MK and then Uber/Lyft to the rest of the parks. What time should we get to each park to ensure we are there early to rope drop?

 

[partypug]

If you'd like to get there about half an hour before rope drop for Epcot, HS, and AK, I would aim to leave at least 45 minutes before the park opens. If you're using Lyft, you can actually schedule your ride the night before so you don't have to waste time waiting for a driver. For Magic Kingdom, I'd allow at an hour and 15 minutes. Of course, this is all dependent on how early before rope drop you'd like to be there.

 

[Brittney Cornwell]

If you'd like to get there about half an hour before rope drop for Epcot, HS, and AK, I would aim to leave at least 45 minutes before the park opens. If you're using Lyft, you can actually schedule your ride the night before so you don't have to waste time waiting for a driver. For Magic Kingdom, I'd allow at an hour and 15 minutes. Of course, this is all dependent on how early before rope drop you'd like to be there.

Great suggestion on scheduling the night before! Is the rideshare drop off open all the time or do the parking lots need to open first?

 

[soniam]

Great suggestion on scheduling the night before! Is the rideshare drop off open all the time or do the parking lots need to open first?

Parking lots have to open first.

 

[Heather07438]

If you really want to be in front of the pack for rope drop to take full advantage, you need to be there almost an hour before official open. Parks have been opening 30-50 minutes before official opening and usually many rides start operating then. That's how we see reports of people going over to their 3rd ride only 5 minutes after official open.

But to do this you'll need to be at the front of the ropedrop crowd and that's not so easy anymore since the parking lots are late to open, which will hold up an uber too. Even WDW transpo is holding back guests like in the case of MK where they try not to have buses, monorail or ferry dropping guests before 8:30 on a 9am open.

So what to do? Uber somewhere close to the park entrance that you can walk the rest of the way. To get in to a resort like Boardwalk or Contemporary, you're going to need a Mobile Order. Some have been getting dropped off at the Speedway close to HS and walking the last 3/4 mile:



We're going in January too I'm keeping an eye out to see any changes between Christmas and Jan 8 when we arrive. If things are basically the same, we'll try our best to be at security check an hour before each park opens.

 

[MagicalMawMaw]

How can you get to AK by rope drop. Is there a place to Uber to & walk from?

 

[disneygirlsng]

How can you get to AK by rope drop. Is there a place to Uber to & walk from?

AK does not have a place you can walk from. If you Uber you will have to go to the normal rideshare drop off, meaning you would have to wait for the parking lot to open.

 

[Tormania]

It's humorous that the parks are soft-opening well before official open times but then you have to work pretty hard to actually already be there to take full advantage of it as parking lots and more importantly for us, WDW bus transportation, seem to be lagging behind. We rely solely on the buses and we aren't needing to be front of the line so as long as we can get there for most of the extra early times then we'll be fine.

 

[Lsdolphin]

So if Disney Springs reaches capacity what happens with arriving Disney Resort busses does the capacity limit not apply to resort guest?

 

[muffyn]

is this correct ; parking lots open about 45 minutes before park opening
but you can line up at 1 hour prior to opening
BUT if you arrive before 1 hour prior to opening they will turn you around
is this about it?
have there been exceptions?
thanks!

 

[yulilin3]

is this correct ; parking lots open about 45 minutes before park opening
but you can line up at 1 hour prior to opening
BUT if you arrive before 1 hour prior to opening they will turn you around
is this about it?
have there been exceptions?
thanks!

Merged you to the proper thread, this has been asked and answered many times here and in the transportation forum
Nothing is guaranteed right now as this decision is made by operations daily
Mk line up am hour before
Al and Epcot line up about 1 hour before, sometimes they make you drive around until about 50 min
Dhs line up 75 min before

 

[yulilin3]

Park hopping returns
https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...9Sgbqiol7YRhYVDHSzJpOQYJ7GPx8F2vtmM53DUW-6RyQ

 

[Violetspider]

Park hopping returns
https://disneyparks.disney.go.com/b...9Sgbqiol7YRhYVDHSzJpOQYJ7GPx8F2vtmM53DUW-6RyQ

Yay! I'll be there the first week of January, perfect timing...yippee!!!!

 

[yulilin3]

Grand floridian to mk walkway is now open

 

[preemiemama]

Grand floridian to mk walkway is now open

Quite the news day with both the walkway and park hopping !

 

[jstbcuz]

Trying to plan a trip, but want to know what parks already are "full" due to reservations. Thanks for your help!

 

[Fangorn]

Here's the link to the availability calendar.

https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/a...ort,passholder,tickets&defaultSegment=tickets

Steve

 

[jstbcuz]

Thank you.

 

[zebrastreyepz]

Thanks for some good news @yulilin3!

 

[dachsie]

So If I am reading that PH article right, you will be allowed to change parks after 2pm, correct?