Coming in at Rope Drop maximizes the time NOT spent waiting in line. You can accomplish all of FL in 45 minutes or so if you go first thing, plus retrieving 1-2 FPs for later in the day. People can wait 45 minutes for Peter Pan in the middle of the day.
If done properly, you can hold FPs to all of the major rides in DL by 10a. Like HydroGuy said above, the windows are so much shorter, mostly because people are more concerned with riding the rides as opposed to getting FPs, simply because the lines are minimal.
The reason we do Rope Drop EVERY time is because we can do all of FL, and 2 turns on BLAB, while also securing ST and SpcMtn FP before heading over to DCA at 930. This sets us up for the rest of the day in Tomorrowland, while eliminating FL for the day.
Anytime we bring "amateurs", (we're the "pros"), I show them FL around 200p, when the place is a zoo. I tell them THIS is why we do it the way we do it.
I say every minute in the park prior to 11a is worth 5-6 minutes after due to crowds. I secure all my FPs (or multiple) and get the slow-loading rides out of the way. We can take a break in the middle of the day (if necessary) without worrying how the break will affect us. We're done with all the work by 12-1230.
We will NEVER not do Rope Drop again. Not worth the time for me.
BC
). But that is the exception and not the rule. And the RD line for DL will be all the shorter because of it.
