What time do you get to DL, and when do you leave?

[Disneyland1084]

I'm almost 43 and have been more than 20 times. When I was a kid, my family and I would be there from opening until closing, 8 am to 1 am. Hotel/pool breaks were unheard of for us. Now, we're there for rope drop, and I leave with my 2 year old after fireworks while DH stays longer with our two older ones. However, there would be NO argument from me if everyone wanted to leave after dinner. I really am getting old.

 

[Lisa24jks]

I don't necessarily "rope drop" in the traditional sense anymore (occasionally, but not every time), but I will get there roughly around opening, because I love how quiet the park is that early and how easy it is to pack in a few popular rides in the morning. (Relatively speaking.)

Leaving absolutely depends on the weather and how tired we are and also who I'm with. If I'm solo, I will stay after the fireworks, but if I have my mom with me, we might leave between dinner/fireworks if she gets too cold or too tired. I definitely am past the age of "rope drop to close" though. And I generally get everything done that I want to do pre-fireworks anyway. (Plus, I think if maybe I were local I could close out the park on a good night, but I'm not, so it usually means the next day is another early park day or I have to get up and drive 4-5 hours to go home, so no thanks.)

 

[Gypsybear]

Rope Drop to Closing, every time

 

[DLgal]

I do not have the stamina, either physically or mentally, to do rope drop to closing. I can manage 8-10 hours, max, and I'm DONE. It just stops being fun after that point.

We typically arrive between 10 and 11 am (on an early arrival day) and stay until about 6 or so, OR we arrive between 3 and 4pm and stay until 9 or 10.

 

[LeiaOfAlderaan]

When I was a kid I lived in SoCal and we only did day trips, so no breaks. It was too long ago for me to remember but knowing my family I’m sure we didn’t get there at rope drop.

All of my trips since I moved to NorCal, we get there at rope drop (like line up about 1/2 hour before opening, never been able to get there any earlier!), take a break after lunch until about 5 or 6, then stay until 11 or 12. I always try to nap during the PM break because I am not a morning person and it gets really hard to wake up early and go to bed late several days in a row! But we make the sacrifice.

 

[Gypsybear]

I do not have the stamina, either physically or mentally, to do rope drop to closing. I can manage 8-10 hours, max, and I'm DONE. It just stops being fun after that point.

We typically arrive between 10 and 11 am (on an early arrival day) and stay until about 6 or so, OR we arrive between 3 and 4pm and stay until 9 or 10.

There are days when it's a challenge, but we always make it through the day. I, unfortunately, walk with a cane, due to a semi-successful surgery, so the day can be taxing at times. I just sit for a couple of minutes and take a sip of soda, look at the app, and plan the next stop.

 

[disneycat321]

I always do rope drop, no matter what. It's a nonnegotiable.

I've definitely done rope drop to close (8am-12am) a few times before. It's a bit much for me, and the experience is greatly diminished the next day if I've gotten little sleep.

These days, my preferred way to do DLR is rope drop, return to the hotel (always in walking distance across Harbor) for an afternoon break/nap, and then go back and stay as late as feels good - sometime between 9pm and midnight, though midnight is more rare these days.

 

[gelatoni fan]

It really depends on what I feel like doing. If I want to do Midway Mania, I'll rope drop DCA. If I want to do the Frontierland shooting arcade, then I'll rope drop Disneyland. If I'm trying to look for specific characters to draw, I'll try to get into DCA by 9:30 for the list to come out. Otherwise, I'll just check the showtimes and make sure I arrive in time for that or before noon for virtual queue.

Fireworks are always a priority but how late I stay depends on my mood at the time. If there's a Tomorrowland dance party, I'll always still till at least that ends unless I have a flight out that night.

It also depends on how many days I'm planning to do. I can do 3 consecutive days of rope drop to closing at about 35K steps per day before needing a shorter 4th day or 12 hour days of 25K steps per day pretty much endlessly.

 

[evilmommie]

No more open to close for us. Back with kids, yes. Now if it's a solo day trip - usually 9ish to 3ish. If with friends and/or hubby...it's usually an afternoon start time...a few rides, a sit down meal, maybe a few adult drinks and then we usually watch a summer spectacular (BTW, we tour the same way if stay on property at DLR or fly to WDW). Hubby and I both had very stressful careers and I refuse to be anxious about my Disney plans. I stayed at Dland with a friend until midnight a few weeks ago and thought I was going to turn into a

 

[lalasmama]

I'm 43... I tend to go just after rope drop (like 15 minutes after opening), and stay until around 10:00-ish. Sometimes a little earlier, sometimes a little later. If it's winter, I'm there rope drop to closing (not difficult when it's 9:00am to 8:00 or 9:00pm).

 

[nikerbokers]

I'll be 37 this summer. With or without, I take a nap/break. I rope drop. Open the park, take a break around 2pm for a couple hours. Return around 5 and close the park.

 

[KPeterso]

Depends the type of day I am looking at. Typically, I try for rope drop, but am not always successful between parking lines and trams. And those days, i usually leave around 4ish. But then there are the times when I do an evening at DL, so I will arrive between 2-4 and leave around 10 or so. I am kind of fluid leaving those days due to crowds at the trams though.

 

[Tinkaboo]

Definitely rope drop…you just can’t miss those golden hours in the morning.
Stay until noon or after lunch if made rezzies. Back to Candy Cane for a rest then to parks about 4 until close.

Works for me!

 

[MonocularVision]

We are typically a roll in around 10-11 and close sort of family. This last trip we decided to go two days with a day off in the middle and go open to close both days. We were exhausted but man, lotta fun.

 

[DontSpamMe]

Rope drop until noon. Back to home base and return at 4pm for dinner and stay until closing. It's the way we beat genie plus and save up energy for consecutive days in the parks.

 

[bwvBound]

Generally we show up around 11a and leave around 3p. If we are staying overnight in nearby accommodations, we'll stay for the 1st evening show of something ... but rarely close the park as we might have decades ago. The 10+ miles of walking don't bother me but I hate staying up past 9p. LOL. Yep, getting old!

 

[StarlitNight05]

We rope drop, take a 3-4 hour afternoon break, and then attempt to close the park down. Sometimes we make it, sometimes not. We try our best though...there is something pretty magical about getting in one last ride minutes before closing and walking out to a near empty park