Which park(s) are more important to hit RD?

[Mikie]

I'm daydreaming way ahead for our next trip. It will be the first time in 20 years I'll have immediate family only and no toddlers or preschoolers! My kids will be 9-15 and all my relative expertise in touring with our old style/flow will likely be out the window with kids who will have to be dragged out of bed, but ready and willing to stay late.

Assuming I'll only get a few rope drops out of them, which park(s) would you say are more crucial for RD? We generally do 2 days MK and Epcot, 1 each AK and DHS. We like to do a little bit of just about everything. I can't think of any ride we intentionally skip, except stitch , and some we may put lower on our list and simply run out of time for. We'll re-ride coasters and favorites if lines are good, but a successful trip doesn't hinge on it.

 

[Itinkso]

With FPs, you could let them sleep in and then have them join you in the park before the first scheduled FP.

If you can get them to agree to rope drop or morning EMH, I would choose DHS and MK. Being a DL vet, Epcot's TT and Soarin' aren't must-dos for us. If they are for your family, you would have to rope drop due to the Tiering.

 

[LSUfan4444]

Hollywood Studios and Epcot by far because of tiering with the FP

 

[ilovebassets]

If Soarin' and TestTrack are both very important to you, then rope drop for Epcot is a must if you are only planning one day there.

We find rope drop at Magic Kingdom to also be very important. Even though there is no tiering here, there's simply so much to see and do that it's hard to fit it all in during good touring hours. Also, everything is quite close together at MK, so you can get A LOT done by being at rope drop (vs. say Epcot, where you're doing rope drop basically to hit one headliner.)

DHS is less important for rope drop to us, but if it's really important to you to do all the headliners, then you will want to rope drop.

Animal Kingdom is probably the least necessary to rope drop. No tiering, and you can fast pass all the attractions that tend to get long lines (Dinosaur, Everest, and the Safari). Plus if you stay until the end of the day, crowds do diminish there rather early.

 

[SplashMo]

MK is by far the best to Rope Drop. Obtain FP+ starting 2 hours after open and then rope drop, FP+ x3 and then go for more FP+. Move up your FP+ as you pass the second mickey.

I would just arrive late to DS with FP+. If you miss Fantasmic you can ride TSMM more at the last hour and also standby RNR during the day sometime. Hopefully though hit Fantasmic.

AK you can arrive late and be fine with FP+ or RD without FP+ and use your FP+ at a different park. or arrive at 2 on a night the park is open late amd rides should have calmed down. Or arrive at noon and have lunch hit a show and then ride rides....

Epcot with two trips you can hit both TT and SOARIN. Or you can do it with one rope drop. Yu could also arrive late with SOARIN FP+ and single rider line TT.

My choice would be two rope drops for MK and one for Epcot and then the others optional including the second Epcot. But I would rope drop MK twice without fail...

 

[GatorMama]

If you'll be staying onsite, maybe staying for evening EMHs would be a better fit for your family? I'd look
At those first. The RD the other parks

 

[Mikie]

If you'll be staying onsite, maybe staying for evening EMHs would be a better fit for your family? I'd look
At those first. The RD the other parks

Despite always being onsite, I don't think we've ever hit EMH. . .i think the "recommended" parks always avoid them and we haven't been able to stay up that late til now. Are EMH as productive as rope drop hours, or better than midday, but not-quite-as-good-as first few hours after Rope Drop? (I mean evening EMH. I think even I will want to sleep in through morning EMH)

 

[Mikie]

Hollywood Studios and Epcot by far because of tiering with the FP

Hmmm. . . I was thinking DHS might not need to be a rope drop day as long as we didn't need Jedi training, but I forgot that even after signing up for that, we were still pretty early at RnR and we were among the last people with a short wait before the toy story people all arrived and filled the line. This was probably by 9:20 or so.

 

[mggeary]

Hollywood Studios and Epcot by far because of tiering with the FP

This is correct. DHS and Epcot are the most helpful, particularly if you want to ride TSMM/RnRC or Soarin/Test track multiple times. These two parks are also the most important to show up early, 45 min before opening to be at the front of the line.

MK is least important to show up that early since you are let into the preshow area prior to opening. 30 min early at MK is often more than sufficient to be one of the first in the park.

 

[Lovetherodent]

I don't know, if we're all staying in the same hotel room, I can make noise to get anybody up and out the door in time fro RD . We're getting up for HS because we can't get FPs for RNRC AND TSMM. None of us liked Soarin' (Are we the only people who think seeing the feet of the people on the bench ahead of you completely ruins the effect?), so no need to do Epcot. And MK? Well, we're hoping to hit it between 6pm and close. Hit the rides when everybody else is watching the parades and the fireworks. We'll do the 7am EMH if we didn't get to everything, and if the 19yo old night person can't haul it out of bed for that, she can meet us at Epcot at 9.

 

[GatorMama]

Many people think late EMHs are almost as effective at great ride times but ONLY if you stay for that full time. If it's an extra 3 hours, stay all 3. Don't leave after one. If you have hoppers, you could go tomthe lower crowd parks in the morning and the park with PM EMHs at night. (Which is what I would do if my kids weren't too young for such late nights. I'd do a RD in the morning at the lowest park then PM EMHs that night. Then rest all day the next day by the pool with a margarita