How early do people line up for RD?

K

KARmom

New Member
Original Poster
Just curious. Do people start lining up an hour or more before? Especially with this E&A thing and new RD procedure I'm assuming crazy people will be there early.
 
Tuvalu

Tuvalu

Premium Member
Yes, people arrive up to an hour or more before MK's opening time. However, all guests are held in front of the train station (after entering the turnstiles) until the Welcome Show is concluded (about five minutes prior to posted opening time.) Then guests are allowed into the tunnels onto Main Street.
 
Disvillain63

Disvillain63

Well-Known Member
We have arrived about a half an hour before and been at the front of the line. Most of the people arriving an hour before are going in for early ADRs.
 
Weather_Lady

Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
People do start lining up veeeeery early at the MK for the A/E M&G, but it isn't really "necessary" to be that early...

When we were there last week (on crowd days rated about 6/10, by touringplans' reckoning), we arrived for rope drop at the Magic Kingdom at about 8:20am (with a 9:00am park opening.) Immediately in front of us at the left-hand underpass gate was a group of about two dozen mothers and daughters who said that they'd lined up beginning at 6:45am in order to get to the Anna/Elsa meet-and-greet. (A similarly-sized group was waiting at the second underpass gate). While a few hundred people had arrived between these early birds and us, that crowd was concentrated in the center of the entrance area, for a decent view of the Welcome Show. Sidestepping that group to line up directly in front of an underpass gate and sacrificing a good Welcome Show view, it was possible for us to get directly behind the early arrivals, which is how we ended up there even though they'd gotten there 90 minutes before us. After all was said and done, we entered the park less than a minute after the first person through the gates.
 
LucyK

LucyK

Well-Known Member
I'm one of those crazy ones who arrive 8AM for a 9AM opening at every park! And I can honestly say that in most cases there is two or more families already in the lines of mingling around near the underpass gates.
 
Marc Gil

Marc Gil

Well-Known Member
It's best to go during Rope Drop!

I went to MK for rope drop last month, but for some reason, there was no "Welcome Show". The park was listed to open at 9:00, but I arrived about 45 minutes before, and they were letting people into the park.

It must have been EMH... I just stayed in MS and did some shopping while I waited for my ADR for Crystal Palace.

Anyway, I have been to a normal non-EMH day and I would say that people start coming at around thirty minutes prior to opening.
 
E

eggraid101

New Member
Weather_Lady said:
People do start lining up veeeeery early at the MK for the A/E M&G, but it isn't really "necessary" to be that early...

When we were there last week (on crowd days rated about 6/10, by touringplans' reckoning), we arrived for rope drop at the Magic Kingdom at about 8:20am (with a 9:00am park opening.) Immediately in front of us at the left-hand underpass gate was a group of about two dozen mothers and daughters who said that they'd lined up beginning at 6:45am in order to get to the Anna/Elsa meet-and-greet. (A similarly-sized group was waiting at the second underpass gate). While a few hundred people had arrived between these early birds and us, that crowd was concentrated in the center of the entrance area, for a decent view of the Welcome Show. Sidestepping that group to line up directly in front of an underpass gate and sacrificing a good Welcome Show view, it was possible for us to get directly behind the early arrivals, which is how we ended up there even though they'd gotten there 90 minutes before us. After all was said and done, we entered the park less than a minute after the first person through the gates.
Click to expand...

So did you go to the Elsa & Anna M&G first thing? How long did you wait in line there if you did? We were thinking of doing that first, as there are no Fast Passes available for them the day we will be there in June
 
WDWResort

WDWResort

Active Member
You will always think you're gonna be one of the first ones there, truth is, there are dozens already there before you, lol. I'd say an hour before is fine.
 
WDWResort

WDWResort

Active Member
Weather_Lady said:
People do start lining up veeeeery early at the MK for the A/E M&G, but it isn't really "necessary" to be that early...

When we were there last week (on crowd days rated about 6/10, by touringplans' reckoning), we arrived for rope drop at the Magic Kingdom at about 8:20am (with a 9:00am park opening.) Immediately in front of us at the left-hand underpass gate was a group of about two dozen mothers and daughters who said that they'd lined up beginning at 6:45am in order to get to the Anna/Elsa meet-and-greet. (A similarly-sized group was waiting at the second underpass gate). While a few hundred people had arrived between these early birds and us, that crowd was concentrated in the center of the entrance area, for a decent view of the Welcome Show. Sidestepping that group to line up directly in front of an underpass gate and sacrificing a good Welcome Show view, it was possible for us to get directly behind the early arrivals, which is how we ended up there even though they'd gotten there 90 minutes before us. After all was said and done, we entered the park less than a minute after the first person through the gates.
Click to expand...

Isn't there a section specifically for Anna & Elsa M&G where they walk the guests towards Princess Fairytale Hall?
 
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eggraid101

New Member
So you wait in line at rope drop 45 mins, then how long is the wait once you get inside the park? at rope drop was there a sign that said "E&A M&G line here" or anything?
 
Weather_Lady

Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
eggraid101 said:
So did you go to the Elsa & Anna M&G first thing? How long did you wait in line there if you did? We were thinking of doing that first, as there are no Fast Passes available for them the day we will be there in June
Click to expand...

We didn't -- we weren't in line at rope drop for A&E (we'd done it with Fastpasses earlier in the week - getting that FP was like getting one of Willy Wonka's Golden Tickets).

Instead, we were bound for Splash/BTMRR, and walked quickly through the shops on the left and emerged well ahead of the PFTH-bound herd on Main Street, which was being guided slowly toward the castle behind a wall of CMs (presumably with a rope). Of course, our passage through the shops offered no benefit at all, since there were additional rope drops at the entrance to each land, and we had to stop and wait for those while the rest of the crowd caught up, upon which all of the entrances leading from the hub into a land were opened simultaneously...
 
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Weather_Lady

Weather_Lady

Well-Known Member
WDWResort said:
Isn't there a section specifically for Anna & Elsa M&G where they walk the guests towards Princess Fairytale Hall?
Click to expand...

There was none when we were there (May 9, 2014). However, CMs seemed keenly aware that the people at the front of the line(s) were there for A&E, and shouted instructions about the new rope drop procedure/herding around the Carrousel from the head of the line, a couple of minutes before rope drop. (Of course, only the first 50 people in each line could actually hear those instructions, but I guess the CMs wanted the "first wave" of people in particular to realize that there was no need to sprint ahead, as their way down Main Street would be blocked and slowed.)
 

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