Who has NEVER been to a rope-drop?

[MickeyLuv'r]

I see going to a theme park as kind of a game.

Technically, I've always compared it to a kind of puzzle, but roughly the same idea.

For me, it isn't just about massive production hauls, but making the most of our time. By 'most' I don't mean quantity(of rides), I mean maximizing my group's happiness. Some trips, solving the puzzle even means seeing how much we can do on a super-low budget.

Some days, the puzzle solution is actually slowing down, if that's what makes the group happiest.

 

[MickeyLuv'r]

Honestly, you're better off closing parks down than rope dropping. If you plan to spend the whole day. The only advantage of rope dropping if that it extends your day. Instead of getting 9 hours of action, you get 11. But Disney crowds start out fast. Everybody thinks they can handle a full day at the park, but a few hours before close, the guests start to walk around like zombies. If you get to the park later, you can be cleaning up when everyone's leaving or falling asleep.

That used to be true.
Back when MK stayed open until 2am or later.

This past summer, ugh! Park hours were much reduced, unless we were willing to shell out $$$ for a stupid party.

Who wants to PRE-PAY for non-refundable tickets to celebrate Halloween in August?

That's just wrong, on so many levels!

 

[Elfinko]

We're there to relax. Waking up a the -crack of dawn, scarfing down breakfast and standing in line at the park entrance isn't my idea of relaxing. So no. Never done a rope-drop.

 

[UNCgolf]

Yeah, why go to Disney if you are going to sleep in your hotel all day and then go out when it is most crowded and just stand around for a couple hours.

There's more to Disney than just getting on the rides -- I've never rope dropped and I've also never spent a bunch of time waiting in line.

I usually still get to the parks early (within an hour or so of opening); I just don't set an alarm and rush to try to be there the second they open. That's not any fun.

 

[Trackmaster]

Technically, I've always compared it to a kind of puzzle, but roughly the same idea.

For me, it isn't just about massive production hauls, but making the most of our time. By 'most' I don't mean quantity(of rides), I mean maximizing my group's happiness. Some trips, solving the puzzle even means seeing how much we can do on a super-low budget.

Some days, the puzzle solution is actually slowing down, if that's what makes the group happiest.

I probably see it as more of a game because I have different goals. I pretty much just care about the rides, the major rides especially. I do enjoy fireworks and some other things, but I spend most time getting production on the major stuff. I also either go in very small groups or by myself, so I can be a lot more selfish.

From what I've seen, if you're just mostly going for rides, its best to wait until the day of, and then clean up with the FP+'s by refreshing enough. Granted, if you cared about all the stuff across the resort, I could see the need for planning out as early as possible.

My philosophy is that I can dine, shop, and see shows anywhere. I go to a theme park for the rides, that I can't get anywhere but a theme park.

 

[Trackmaster]

Yeah, usually the people who are like, relax, I'm just going to wing Disney end up to be the complaining Dad who is whining the entire trip how Disney is horrible with long lines for all the rides.

Bonus points if the dad complains about how overcrowded it is and how Disney needs to do something to fix it... AND complains about how overpriced and expensive it is and how Disney needs to fix it. And he mentions these two things in the same breath.

 

[UNCgolf]

yeah, dont' rope drop. Rope drop is no good.

I won't! Why would I want to ruin perfect days by making them worse?

 

[Trackmaster]

And then he is watching sports on his phone but then mom complains and they get in a big argument and they pack up and leave the park at 4 pm (having arrived at noon) and go to Disney Springs, only to have long wait times for the restaurants, so they end up watching a movie at AMC and pay $20 for popcorn and drinks and then after the movie the lines for the restaurants are still long so they end up going to the overpriced McDonald's off West Irlo at 2 am.

And then the Facebook feeds of all of their friends are blown up by all of the pictures that the family took making it seem like they all had the best times of their lives.

 

[dsmith51]

I think the most time I've ever spent waiting in a ride queue is about 45 minutes. That's my limit. If it looks longer than that, I'll skip it and come back later in the day when it's not so backed up. And I think it was the queue for one of the Fantasyland rides (Snow White, Peter Pan or Winnie the Pooh). Ridiculous to have a queue longer than this for a 3-minute ride!

 

[Dave B]

I'll drop dead before I'll do a rope drop.

I'm on holiday. I sleep. Then I get up when I want. I've a fairly established routine of 'yoga wif DGF, breakfast, pool, coffee plus work mails, then slowly make my way to the parks'.

I refuse to be disciplined by TWDC to get up at 5am. Lunacy.

One could say Lunacy would be doing anything work related on vacation, like checking work mails...…. just saying

 

[HongKongFooy]

By your logic you would never play board games, video games, or sports, because there's too much thinking involved,

Nope, not at all.

There is a time and a place to get into the competitive spirit.........playing Monopoly, cheer tournament for the 15 year old girl, running a political campaign, stuffing one's face with Nathan hotdogs on 4th of July, pursuing that coveted tennis scholarship to Stanford.........you get the idea.

Vacationing at Disney is not one of them.

 

[carterd2002]

I have rope-dropped Universal but not any Disney park, but only because we really REALLY wanted to ride Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure...

 

[dsmith51]

I have rope-dropped Universal but not any Disney park, but only because we really REALLY wanted to ride Hagrid's Motorbike Adventure...

I just can't see myself waiting 8+ hours to stand in line for a ride. At any park.

 

[cjack300zx]

Never have and most likely never will. I'm on vacation I like to sleep in a little bit which what is I never get on a normal work week.

 

[carterd2002]

I just can't see myself waiting 8+ hours to stand in line for a ride. At any park.

me neither, as I only waited 2.5 hours, which was the longest I've ever waited for any ride in my life, and it was totally worth it!

 

[HongKongFooy]

I just can't see myself waiting 8+ hours to stand in line for a ride.

Why do it???

You must know that there will be posters who will come along and correct you.

 

[Trackmaster]

Nope, not at all.

There is a time and a place to get into the competitive spirit.........playing Monopoly, cheer tournament for the 15 year old girl, running a political campaign, stuffing one's face with Nathan hotdogs on 4th of July, pursuing that coveted tennis scholarship to Stanford.........you get the idea.

Vacationing at Disney is not one of them.

Well OK then. Enjoy waiting in endless stand-by lines on your relaxing vacation instead of marathoning all of the best rides with Fast Pass Plus. I personally don't find endless stand-by lines relaxing or fun at all.

 

[unmitigated disaster]

I don't see what's so novel about getting to the Parks at opening because they're less crowded. Lots of places have their least busy times at opening. I can tell you getting to the Grand Canyon at 8 AM meant we had plenty of choices for parking, though of course that's not Park opening there since it's always open. People were circling the parking lots like sharks when we left at about 3.

 

[HongKongFooy]

I don't wait in 'endless' lines; I rope as needed. I rope Disneyland and DCA, I roped every single day in Paris(4 out of 4) and in Tokyo I rope it with more conviction than the locals who show up 1.5 hours prior to "gate open"

Also, I work the FP system routinely.

But more importantly what's with building up this phantom park touring and then assigning it to me.......only to argue against it.

You're grasping at straws here............

(and then taking those to build human figure)

 

[Trackmaster]

I don't wait in 'endless' lines; I rope as needed. I rope Disneyland and DCA, I roped every single day in Paris(4 out of 4) and in Tokyo I rope it with more conviction than the locals who show up 1.5 hours prior to "gate open

Also, I work the FP system routinely.

But more importantly what's with building up this phantom park touring and then assigning it me.......only to argue against it.

You're grasping at straws here............

(and then taking those to build human figure)

Noting personal. I don't even know you. I think I was just arguing that there's no shame in doing a little work to get on what you want. That was mainly all I was saying. I just find the "vacation" mentality cringey and pointless. But that's a whole other matter.