We will be in DLR Aug.18. We are Southern California residents and frequent Disneyland visitors however, this will be are first post-COVID trip and our first trip without the use of FP. For those who have been recently, what is the best way to take advantage of RD? We plan to be there super-early and hopefully at the “front of the pack”. Kids are teens so we are thinking maybe hitting the big mountains and MFSR but are also thinking knocking out Fantasyland early might be the way to go. What’s been the recent consensus? Any suggestions?
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Rope Drop Strategy for Disneyland
- Thread starter mamamousesd
- Start date
SuddenStorm
Well-Known Member
Don't go for Space Mountain or Peter Pan first. Those lines spike in the morning and remain consistent throughout the day, unless you're at the very front you'll be waiting in the only lines in the park.
I'd check out the other Mountains and the other Fantasyland stuff, you should be able to get through everything in a couple hours before doing Pan and Space.
I'd check out the other Mountains and the other Fantasyland stuff, you should be able to get through everything in a couple hours before doing Pan and Space.
waltography
Well-Known Member
Just adding to @SuddenStorm's great suggestions:
I'd add Snow White to the Fantasyland stuff to avoid right at the beginning of the day, because the re-do has bumped up the wait times to be comparable to Pan (how long that'll last is a different conversation entirely).
Big Thunder typically has low wait times throughout the day for some reason, so it's not imperative you do it first. Matterhorn is a better bet for first ride if you want to get a mountain out of the way; otherwise Indy is a good start as @CaptinEO suggested or Smugglers Run if it's a must-ride for your family.
Since you're going on a Wednesday though I'm honestly not worried at all about the crowds, so enjoy it!
If the park is anything like the last week, I don't think it will matter that much in the next few days as far as getting there at rope drop. By the afternoon, nothing looks beyond 30-40 minutes tops by 2:00 outside of maybe Space Mountain, Indy or Matterhorn. By the evening, it seems to be 20 minutes and under.
My REAL advice is just pay attention to the wait times on the app the next few days. If it's still pretty low through the weekend, I don't see a huge difference come next Wednesday. You'll probably be able to do everything you want no matter what your strategy is.
My REAL advice is just pay attention to the wait times on the app the next few days. If it's still pretty low through the weekend, I don't see a huge difference come next Wednesday. You'll probably be able to do everything you want no matter what your strategy is.
PiratesMansion
Well-Known Member
You can really clean up in Fantasyland in the morning and knock out all the dark rides and smaller things. Skip PP if you're not one of the very closest to rope drop.
I can't speak for SWGE, but usually it takes the west side of the park a while to fill up, so best strategy for me is to do as much of Fantasyland as possible before heading to the west side.
I can't speak for SWGE, but usually it takes the west side of the park a while to fill up, so best strategy for me is to do as much of Fantasyland as possible before heading to the west side.
Thank you for all the great advice. Family & I are really looking forward to being back in the parks.