Will my trip be useless if I don't rope drop?

[mrsbicewdw]

Also, alot of people here said to do MK at rope drop and that is was too busy in the middle of the day... I just assumed it is the same for every other park. Is that not true? What I mean is, could I plan to RD the two days (maybe 3) that we go to MK, but go at a "reasonable" time ~ 10 am or whatever, for the other parks? (Ok maybe I need to get there early for AK as I've read that the animals may be more active on the safari and treks earlier in the morning, plus that park does not stay open too late).
What do you think about RD at the other parks? Is it necessary?

Thanks all of you for such helpful responses!

I will totally agree with this. The ONLY time I have seen that darn male lion up and roaring is the one time I did rope drop at AK and went right to KS...it was a drizzly and cold morning but he was awake and moving and roaring. It was magic. And honestly, I have ridden that darn safari well over 50 times and that was the one time Mr.Lion decided to make a show of it. In the afternoons he was always sleeping on the "pride rock" or not visible...

 

[bellenbuzz]

Been there 7 times, never did rope drop, and all is well.....NOT a big deal

 

[Minniekins]

We've never done rope drop, always sleep in and stay late! And we love it, never feel like we missed something, as we've always done it that way. We are definitely night owls, and I think we wouldn't feel as happy if we felt like we had to do the parks according to someone else telling us how to do it the 'right' way, and would be pretty grumpy getting up and going so early! Even occasionally doing a late sitting breakfast ressie is hard sometimes, I try to schedule them after a night I know will be earlier, lol.

I have to say, I think it's a lot of pressure to start off a trip to disney, especially a first trip, thinking that 'rope drop is a must do, or the trip isn't even worth it', because that is so far from the truth! You can still have a fabulous, magical, disney vacation! You don't have to get on all the big rides early to have a successful vacation that you all love and that makes you wanna come back again! You already know you can't do everything, so no need to even worry about that, cause it's not possible anyway.

You'll be happier, in my opinion, doing things on your own schedule, enjoying the fun along the way, and not 'pushing everyone to get up extra early, run to that ride, then run over there to the next, and then the next, must fit this in early or we won't have the most fun, thinking oh no we can't miss that early ride or this will be a useless day'. That would just drive me crazy and I don't think the trip would be as fun, so my advice is if you like to sleep in, do it or you'll be grumpy! There's still much fun and magic to enjoy! And, if you decide you are thinking more along the lines that you'll feel you are missing out on max possible rides if you don't start early, then you gotta do what you gotta do, meaning rope drop! Hope you have a magical and relaxing vacation!

 

[kathy884]

There is a very easy solution for you for making this determination. Get a touringplans.com subscription for WDW (sounds like you already have that maybe) and Universal/IOA (a $4 add on or so) if you plan to do that too and use the custom touring plan feature. Copy over one of the touring plans for each park you want to do as a start to the custom touring plans option, put in your planned arrival time after rope drop, add and subtract attractions you'd like to do, and hit optimize. With this you'll see an order of things that is most efficient and expected wait times. You'll find that you may not fit in everything you want, so subtract a few more things or maybe lots of things and see if what you can fit in and waiting times look like it's worth it to go. I use this all the time to decide whether or not I want to do a trip (although -- I'm a rope drop person). Last year I had one and only one day at WDW and I used it to determine what I could do at the MK morning and what I could do p.m. at Epcot and whether that would be worth it to me to try to hit both (buy an expensive park hopper). For mid December this year (crowd level 3 before the Christmas crowds), I used it to see if one day with the park hopper at Universal / IOA would be enough for what we want to do (a.m. Universal and p.m. at IOA), so two custom plans, one with a later start time). What are the handful of things I want to do and what are my waits. This helped me determine that I want to do morning at Universal and afternoon at IOA, as afternoon wait times for what I wanted to do at Universal were not acceptable to me (first I tired morning at IOA and afternoon at Universal). But morning looked fine at Universal and at IOA afternoon waits were fine for the handful of things I wanted to do. I found out, I wouldn't have wanted to go to Universal and see the new stuff as an offsite visitor without doing rope drop. // I also with this found that I would have very short waits at the MK for almost everything we want to do, and I don't even need to bother with FP+ till I get there in case and will only use it if we want to add in a few things (lines of 20 minutes or less projected for almost everything with the order proposed).// I love love love this feature. I only do one to three park days per year in Orlando and this helps me figure out what I could reasonably fit in and if I even want to go based on time of year and hours I'd be able to hit a park or parks. // It's helped me decide not to do Christmas. It helped me to decide to go ahead and do mid December before Christmas crowds after my son's college finals, etc.

 

[lustergirl]

Have never hit rope drop on all of my vacays to Disney. Next trip I am going to do one morning at MK just to see the welcoming show. Early bird catches the worm

 

[Frozen2014]

Our first Disney trip is in October so am not talking from experience, but we have no rope drop plans. Getting up at 6:30am on vacation is not vacation (and yes, for us with showers, travel time etc...it would have to be 6:30am). Mind you, or kids tend to get up at 7am so I'm sure we'll still get to the park at a decent time. And if you are night owls as you say, you may not want to get there first thing and stay until the end. Obviously the advantage is less crowds both for rides and for great pictures (from what people have said) but with FP+ that should cover it. And isn't end of Feb a low crowd level? Many do rope drop, but each family needs to do what works best for them.

 

[Sharpdisney]

Thanks again for so much useful input -

One person mentioned seeing the active lion at RD time at AK.
What about RD at the other parks? It seems at MK it is more critical... but is it less critical (with FP+) at the other parks?
Keep in mind my DS is just 5 and too litle for RnRC and I think Mission Space (fine w/ me as they'd make me sick anyway!). That takes a couple of the big headliners out I think...

 

[Sparkly]

After several October trips, we decided to try a trip the last week of February this year. It was wonderful! You have the advantage of low crowds, with the added bonus of having cooler weather than we were used to during our hot, humid October trips. With the exception of one afternoon of rain, it was sunny every day, and even warm enough to go to the water park a couple of days!

According to easyWDW, our crowd levels were at a "4" the whole week we were there. There were not super-long lines except for the most popular rides (the "usual suspects" like TSM, Soarin').

Regarding your question about rope drop, here's my advice. Rope drop definitely benefits you, if you can manage it. Lots of people simply don't like to get up early when they're on vacation, and you can get so much done during the low crowds the first couple of hours of the morning.

But I think a compromise might work for you. Rope-drop at least a couple of days and see how your family does. Maybe you can rope-drop for part of your trip, and sleep in some days too. If you plan your FPs wisely, you can definitely hit the major attractions throughout the day, even if you don't arrive at park opening.

One thing to remember is that the parks are not open very late in February (most close by around 9:00 pm or earlier, unless they have an evening EMH). So your strategy of being a "night owl" might not work too well, given the limited park hours.

Good luck, and have fun!

Objection! MK regularly closed at 1am throughout our trip in Presidents Week. Before that it was 11pm. Still plenty of time to pop over after dinner and do a couple of rides before closing time

 

[Disfan1968]

YEP! Exactly! I love it when I see all the sleepy head people standing in line for Peter Pan for 80 minutes when I rode it 3 hours earlier in 5 minutes

Yeah- we'll be one of these "sleepy head" families you laugh at. But I'll laugh right back at you when my kids are RESTED because we slept in, and we are hitting, with short waits, major attractions fastpassed.

We'll be at the parks 10 days and will have 12 MK FP, and 6 for each other park. This allows us to ride all major attractions on a fast pass. We'll re-ride late at night when lines come down some, but we are park closers, not openers. No building heat for us, instead waning heat and no sun overhead. But again, we are going in summer, when park hours are LATE.

We sleep till ten, each "brunch" and then spend our daytime hours at the resort, at DTD, or at water parks. We hit a fastpass upon entering the park of the day at 4:00, and then our 5:00 PM ADR before hitting a couple more FPs right after. At that point we are past 8:00 PM and lines start to wane a bit. Maybe not to RD levels, but to manageable levels.

Lucky for us, our kids will sleep in. This sure doesn't work for everybody.

 

[Fivesacharm]

You're going to Disney World. There's about a zero percent chance that's you wouldn't have fun. Is it a good idea to go at rope drop? Definitely! Will you still have a blast of you don't? Ummm yeah!!!!

Don't get so over-obsessed with planning that you forget this is supposed to be fun!

 

[lugnut33]

Thanks again for so much useful input -

One person mentioned seeing the active lion at RD time at AK.
What about RD at the other parks? It seems at MK it is more critical... but is it less critical (with FP+) at the other parks?
Keep in mind my DS is just 5 and too litle for RnRC and I think Mission Space (fine w/ me as they'd make me sick anyway!). That takes a couple of the big headliners out I think...

If you think your little one will do better throughout the whole day by sleeping in, then let the little one sleep in. Remember, the vacation is all about the kid, so do what they like.

That said, I remember a survey done by the Unofficial Guide guys that said young kids prefer pool time over the parks. So don't forget to add some pool time into your schedule. Nice thing about doing rope drop is leaving the parks around 1 or 2 and going back to the resort for some pool time.

Again, you know your family best.

 

[Disfan1968]

If you think your little one will do better throughout the whole day by sleeping in, then let the little one sleep in. Remember, the vacation is all about the kid, so do what they like.

That said, I remember a survey done by the Unofficial Guide guys that said young kids prefer pool time over the parks. So don't forget to add some pool time into your schedule.

Totally agree! See my post above.

 

[ZephyrHawk]

We do not rope drop. We will never rope drop. We don't stand in long lines, we use FP and other methods. Plus, we're still riding rides with little to no lines when all the rope drop folks have toddled off to bed exhausted.

I once read a trip report where the author made fun of people who don't rope drop saying, "I can sleep in and have a big breakfast when I'm at home!" My response is, "That's nice for you. I can't. I have what's known as a 'job'."

 

[mrsbicewdw]

One thought as a mom of a preschooler - will your five year old even sleep in? I know my kids do not. No matter what time they go to bed they are up at the crack of dawn. So it would be more like my DH and I trying to sleep with a kid jumping up and down on the bed next to us like Christmas morning. lol. At that point, we might as well go do something. You might be a lucky mama and have a kid who sleeps though!

 

[JimmyV]

Objection! MK regularly closed at 1am throughout our trip in Presidents Week. Before that it was 11pm. Still plenty of time to pop over after dinner and do a couple of rides before closing time

Objection overruled. The OP is not going during the more crowded holiday week with extended hours.

 

[luvthemouse71]

Been there 7 times, never did rope drop, and all is well.....NOT a big deal

Yup. Regarding standing in line for 80 minutes for PP, nope. Never done it or had to do it, even without rope drop. I will not wait standby for more than 30 minutes, and even that pushes it.

Thank goodness for FP+, evening EMHs and going to WDW multiple times. We have more than enough time to see what we want to see, and we often don't get to the parks until 10-11 am.

 

[luvthemouse71]

We do not rope drop. We will never rope drop. We don't stand in long lines, we use FP and other methods. Plus, we're still riding rides with little to no lines when all the rope drop folks have toddled off to bed exhausted.

I once read a trip report where the author made fun of people who don't rope drop saying, "I can sleep in and have a big breakfast when I'm at home!" My response is, "That's nice for you. I can't. I have what's known as a 'job'."

Ha I love it.

 

[Manders77]

One thought as a mom of a preschooler - will your five year old even sleep in? I know my kids do not. No matter what time they go to bed they are up at the crack of dawn. So it would be more like my DH and I trying to sleep with a kid jumping up and down on the bed next to us like Christmas morning. lol. At that point, we might as well go do something. You might be a lucky mama and have a kid who sleeps though!

yes I agree. My young ones get up bright and early no matter what. Now DH is the late sleeper but he doesn't eat breakfast. My kids need a decent breakfast not just cereal bars or a donut. At home on weekends I make extra pancakes and waffles that we toast before school add fruit and milk and they have a meal. So I usually take them to get breakfast and by the time we finish DH will wake up. We are usually out by 8:30 if we don't get an early morning ADR. So think about getting your DS ready and fed and then head out. Or tell your DH to meet you later. I've done that too. Have a great trip.

 

[mickeyluv'r]

You mention lots of summer patterns. Have you experienced this evening dropoff during times of the year with shorter hours?

Yes.
Admittedly, I since this is June, I was thinking more about summer touring when I posted. I've been that exact week a number of times. Low crowds that week, so it's easy to do lots! Winter temps in the AM and PM can be cold = walk-on rides. The danger of Feb is variable temps, limited swimming. Plus is (near) walk-on rides. We add layers in am and PM = trip to room. In winter= dark early, so there are always evening hours, especially if you use PM emh.

Most recent trip that week was 2012. Our hours and touring was like this (PM emh has since lost one hour):

Arrival day - MK open 24hours! (Leap day!! We sadly stayed only just past 12am; we'd been awake all the previous night.)
Mar1: MK open to 8pm, (I think we did 11am - 7pm, w/7:30pm dinner w/ MK fireworks view)
Mar 2: Epcot 9 am to midnight with emh (near RD to near midnight)
Mar 3: AK 8am to 7pm with AM emh (emh too cold, but covered the park about 11am to 4:30pm, Chilly zebra viewing after Boma dinner!)

Mar 4: MK 9am to midnight (10:30am to 5pm, then 8 to midnight)
Mar 5: HS to 10PM with emh (I think we arrived about 9:20am-4pm, had dinner, returned until 10pm)
Mar 6:?? not sure, prob MK to 9pm.
Mar 7 - Epcot 9am to 9pm. First day of FLOWERFEST. I distinctly recall it was SO cold the butterflies in the butterfly house were not moving! It was mostly cloudy. When the sun hit the butterflies, they moved for about 30seconds. then they froze in place. We came back hours later, and they were still sitting on the mesh box from which they had been released. We all wore hats, gloves, jackets.
Mar 8: We had so thoroughly seen all of WDW, that we went to IoA instead. Easily covered everything we wished to ride at IoA before 5pm. We rode the JP dino-flume, but skipped the rest of the drencher rides. we were so wet and cold after JP, that we happily paid the $5 for the people dryer!

So using emh, we had plenty of PM hours. Feb dark starts early= temps drop = walk-on. The only very busy day was leap day. Our last ride that night was IaSW, which had a wait at midnight. We almost fell asleep! The first day of the Flowerfest was moderately busy, but we were mostly there to see flowers.

 

[CFioren317]

I have always had a great time as WDW and of all the trips and all the weeks I have gone, I did the rope drop exactly one time. At AK. And it really didn't add anything to the trip. If anything, it hurt because my 6 YO was wiped out later that day and we ended up back at the room all night. Did some night swimming which was nice, but the moral for me was always sleep as much as possible before the park so you can enjoy your time there.

Different strokes for different folks. If you aren't comfortable getting up that early, then my advice would be DON'T.