7DMT: Rope Drop or 5:30pm FP?

[MissMeg]

Hey y'all! I'm headed to MK on Labor Day (Sept. 4, 2017) with my boyfriend. It will be the first of four days in the parks and we want to make sure it's great! It is both of our first "adult" trips to WDW, so we are still newbies on this FP planning thing.

I got our FPs 30 days in advance, and the earliest time available for 7DMT was 5:30pm. Knowing this is a hard-to-get FP, I snagged it. I also got a Peter Pan FP from 10-11 and a Big Thunder Mountain FP from 11-12. My general plan is to rope drop Space Mountain and do the Tomorrow Land/Fantasy Land rides we're interested with low waits until we get on PP at maybe 10:15 or 10:30. Then, we'll head to Mansion on our way to BTMR. We'll standby for rides, eat at BOG (rez at 1:15pm), and see the parade until our return time for 7DMT at 5:30pm.

However, now I'm having second thoughts. Would it be more prudent to get a Space Mountain FP from 9-10am and forego the late 7DMT FP? If that were the case, we were hoping we could rope drop 7DMT and still make it to Space Mountain by 10am. Then we'd continue with PP, HM, and BTMR as discussed above. What we like about this plan is that we could likely snag 4th and 5th FPs for rides like Jungle Cruise and Pirates later in the day when they have longer waits. What we don't like about this plan is that it's risky. Obviously, there's no guarantee 7DMT won't be totally packed or broken down. Does anyone have insight on wait time for 7DMT at rope drop? Is it possible/likely to be off the ride by 9:50, leaving us enough time to get to Space? Is this is smart move, or will it end up leaving us in longer lines for Space/7DMT than we would have in Scenario 1?

A few notes for context:
1) Though we are new to WDW, we were APs at DL from 2012-2104! We've been on the DL versions of SM, PP, HM, etc. LOADS of times!
2) Thus, our priority really is 7DMT as neither of us have ever been on it or anything like it.
3) We tend to be ride focused over shows, dining, shopping, people-watching etc. in our planning. We really want to see the parade and fireworks, but we don't need to have the best spot in the house or anything!
4) If we do end up trying to rope drop 7DMT, we probably want to take our afternoon break at Trader Sams, which again neither of us have had the pleasure of visiting.
5) I know that none of us can predict the future in terms of wait times, break downs, weather, etc., so really I'm just hoping to get some "expert opinions" for the most likely or recommended path to Magic Kingdom success! Won't hold you accountable if we crash and burn

Thus, WDW experts, what would you do? 1) Keep 7DMT FP at 5:30pm? 2) Get a SM FP for 9am and RD 7DMT? 3) Something else? Thanks in advance!!!

 

[Andy_0410]

I would do 7 dwarfs at rope drop and get a different fastpass mainly so I could pick up more fastpasses throughout the day (if there is any due to the day you are visiting)
Got to the park once for rope drop back when it was at the front of the park and the time was 30 or 40 mins for 7 dwarfs we did it anyway thinking that was the plan and we would still be done for 930
It was only about 15 mins wait so we did the right thing

 

[TiggerDad]

I would keep the FP but still rope drop 7DMT. If you sleep in, or get stuck in traffic, or the ride is down, etc., you still have a backup plan for what is your top priority. If all goes well, and you decide you don't need to ride it again, then go ahead and change that 5:30 FP to something earlier. I'd keep checking over the next few weeks to see if something opens up earlier than 5:30 but wouldn't count on that happening.

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

Another option is to make 7DMT your last ride of the day.

Get in line right before park closing. Once the park is technically closed, and no more fastpass holders are entering the queue, the wait time will be a fraction of what is posted.

 

[MissMeg]

I would do 7 dwarfs at rope drop and get a different fastpass mainly so I could pick up more fastpasses throughout the day (if there is any due to the day you are visiting)
Got to the park once for rope drop back when it was at the front of the park and the time was 30 or 40 mins for 7 dwarfs we did it anyway thinking that was the plan and we would still be done for 930
It was only about 15 mins wait so we did the right thing

Thanks! Great to hear a personal experience that didn't include too much of a wait. That bodes well for us.

 

[MissMeg]

I would keep the FP but still rope drop 7DMT. If you sleep in, or get stuck in traffic, or the ride is down, etc., you still have a backup plan for what is your top priority. If all goes well, and you decide you don't need to ride it again, then go ahead and change that 5:30 FP to something earlier. I'd keep checking over the next few weeks to see if something opens up earlier than 5:30 but wouldn't count on that happening.

This is such a fantastic idea... I didn't even think of this as an option. That is perfect! That way we know we'll get on the ride even if something goes awry in the morning. Thank you!!!

 

[MissMeg]

Another option is to make 7DMT your last ride of the day.

Get in line right before park closing. Once the park is technically closed, and no more fastpass holders are entering the queue, the wait time will be a fraction of what is posted.

I like this idea as well. Have you ever done this? Is it exhausting to be in line so late, or is it just fun to experience one last ride? Thanks!

 

[Dave B]

Having done it a couple times, I would tell you to rope drop 7DMT, you could get once at least twice in the first 20-30 minutes, then get right over to Space Mountain

 

[Clamman73]

Interesting dilemma...With the Mine Train rope drop, you have to be up in the front of the pack so you can get on and off in a quick enough fashion to get to Space in a fast enough time so that doesn't start to back up.
My choice is usually to rope drop Mine Train, and in your scenario I would change the Mine Train fastpass to a JC from 12-1, and then there should be fastpasses still available as a fourth for Space.

However, I'd almost be inclined not to change, and rope drop Space, but then do Buzz and Peoplemover next to get them done and out of the way, and then your PP fastpass. That puts you in a position to not worry about Tomorrowland later on and you still can enjoy an afternoon break and come back later for your Mine Train fastpass.

 

[dreamfinder]

What does the other FP availability look like for other rides that day? They won't add more FP availability, so it's really just going to be handfuls that get freed up as people change plans if stuff is fully booked now. If everything worthwhile looks pretty solidly booked then you may not really gain anything from moving to an earlier FP for Space and chancing a 4th FP later on. And if the lines are bad, then you may relish the opportunity to walk on a ride in the afternoon. Depends on your touring style. There are people from both schools of thought.

 

[MissMeg]

What does the other FP availability look like for other rides that day? They won't add more FP availability, so it's really just going to be handfuls that get freed up as people change plans if stuff is fully booked now. If everything worthwhile looks pretty solidly booked then you may not really gain anything from moving to an earlier FP for Space and chancing a 4th FP later on. And if the lines are bad, then you may relish the opportunity to walk on a ride in the afternoon. Depends on your touring style. There are people from both schools of thought.

At the moment, FP availability looks pretty much wide open with the exception of 7DMT, PP, and Splash Mountain (which is closed for refurbishment). I checked around noontime and 2pm and there's lots of availability on JC, Space, etc. However, I don't doubt it'll fill up a bit (or a lot) as we get closer to the day.

With that in mind, what'd you think?

 

[MissMeg]

Having done it a couple times, I would tell you to rope drop 7DMT, you could get once at least twice in the first 20-30 minutes, then get right over to Space Mountain

Thanks for your insight! Were these experiences during high, middle, or low season? Labor Day seems to be the transition between the summer high season and September's comparative lows. Different crowd tracker websites rate it in the 4-6/10 range in terms of busyness.

 

[Disney4family]

Rope Drop for 7D this past week was pure insanity. The poor CMs had to deal with a mob of people who seemed to have lost their minds. We tried it once and did the other lands the other mornings - less elbowing, shoving and cursing.

 

[Dave B]

June, August, March and twice in November

 

[Wendy Pleakley]

I like this idea as well. Have you ever done this? Is it exhausting to be in line so late, or is it just fun to experience one last ride? Thanks!

Up to the individual. When I did this the MK closed at 9 or 10 as I recall. I didn't find it tiring, and I'm always happy to do one last ride rather than leave with the crowds.

 

[WDW_Jon]

Rope drop it and then get some more fast passes early afternoon...