UNCgolf
Well-Known Member
I don't know why you think that if you don't arrive at rope drop you're going to be waiting in long stand-by lines all day.
I've literally never done that.
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Who has NEVER been to a rope-drop?
- Thread starter dsmith51
- Start date
I don't know why you think that if you don't arrive at rope drop you're going to be waiting in long stand-by lines all day.
I've literally never done that.
zurgandfriend
Well-Known Member
Me, I wanted to see what it was all about by my DW and DS like to sleep in on vacation.
DfromATX
Well-Known Member
I would probably have anxiety NOT doing rope drop. I admit by mid week it's hard to get up, but we do it. My (adult) kids balk at it, but admit they are glad because they know how much you get done at that time. For example, we knock out all of Fantasyland by 10:00.
We don't get up that early - probably more like by 7:00 and we are not big breakfast eaters. We just grab a banana so we don't waste a lot of time there. We are at the bus stop one hour before park opening - and most importantly - we leave mid afternoon for that much needed rest and then we head back late afternoon and close the parks down.
We don't get up that early - probably more like by 7:00 and we are not big breakfast eaters. We just grab a banana so we don't waste a lot of time there. We are at the bus stop one hour before park opening - and most importantly - we leave mid afternoon for that much needed rest and then we head back late afternoon and close the parks down.
HongKongFooy
Well-Known Member
Fully agree.
And outside of the Tokyo stampede at "open gate" early am roping I find peaceful and pleasant and such an investment yields some pretty darn fine dividends.
UNCgolf
Well-Known Member
I will say that I totally understand wanting to/feeling like you have to rope drop if you A. feel like you have to ride every single ride in the park and/or B. plan on leaving at some point in the afternoon.
But if you don't care about riding everything and are also planning to stay for most or all of the day, then there's really no necessity for rope dropping. You can still ride plenty of rides without ever waiting in a long line, especially if you have FastPasses for all the major attractions you care about (which I always have).
Personally, the two times I was essentially there for rope drop (by virtue of eating breakfast before the parks opened) were not any better than any of the days I haven't rope dropped. If anything, I enjoyed them slightly less than when I typically arrive 30-60 minutes after opening because of people rushing around everywhere and the back-up trying to get through security.
But if you don't care about riding everything and are also planning to stay for most or all of the day, then there's really no necessity for rope dropping. You can still ride plenty of rides without ever waiting in a long line, especially if you have FastPasses for all the major attractions you care about (which I always have).
Personally, the two times I was essentially there for rope drop (by virtue of eating breakfast before the parks opened) were not any better than any of the days I haven't rope dropped. If anything, I enjoyed them slightly less than when I typically arrive 30-60 minutes after opening because of people rushing around everywhere and the back-up trying to get through security.
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danyoung56
Well-Known Member
Exactly! On past trips I have planned some down time, or even sleeping in. In almost every case I blow that off and hit the parks. I just can't stand to be wasting good park time just chilling!
Trackmaster
Well-Known Member
I never actually said that. I NEVER make rope drop. My point is that some rides will just always have long lines no matter when you go. My point was about using the Fast Pass over standby. Nothing to do with rope drop.
Trackmaster
Well-Known Member
You could argue that rope drop is probably a good idea if you're in on a one day or 2-3 day ticket. If you're paying out of pocket $140 for the day (or maybe even getting close to $1,000 for a day if you're bringing a big family, I could see wanting to drip every last piece of Disney from 9AM-9PM.
Granted, since I live in the area and go 20 times a year, I only really ever go for 3-5 hours at a time. So I prefer getting there later and closing it down.
clarabellej
Well-Known Member
I’ve been to WDW many times and I think the only time I was super early was for a tour: Marceline to Magic Kingdom. It was a behind the scenes and we took a bus from Pop before the sun was up! Kinda cool, but definitely not my normal. It felt a little freaky seeing the place empty. Or maybe I was spooked because some of the secrets of HM were unveiled!! By the time we were done with the tour, which ended at Carousel of Progress, the park was already busy.
Then I vaguely recall making it to see the old Good Morning show at the front of MK. I think this was when we had an earlier breakfast at Crystal Palace. We caught one of the Main Street vehicles and rode up to the hub. People sometimes don’t realize, you can just hop on. Again, by the time we were done w/breakfast, the park was bustling.
So these may not count.
At DL, on the other hand, we were there for rope drop! I can’t recall if it was because of time difference. We had come from Texas. So I think time was on our side.
Honestly it was a little strange. We rode Peter Pan and Small World. My daughter was obsessed with Toontown. Remember the online game? It was like a dream come true for her. I remember before going into Toontown I saw that there was no wait to meet the Princesses & I was trying to insist on doing that first. She wanted to get to Toontown. So it caused a bit of a mother/daughter tiff, that I now regret. She was 8. She is 18 now. Silly, the things we hold onto & regret.
This was the year of the big Japanese quake & Anderson Cooper was announcing on CNN that radiation was washing up on the coast of California.
Those were my early days. I agree that on vacation, it is usually not worth it, IMO. I need my sleep! Not to mention not wanting to be a nag and having to harass a kid/teen to get moving. We still get up around 8:30 ish, which is early. That allows time to slowly make our way to the food court (Pop) and plenty of time for the bus, bag check, some autographs, before making it to a first FP. I don’t like rushing and I don’t like that woozy feeling I get if I do not sleep enough.
And speaking of FP: another reason to not have to rush, knowing you have 3 lined up. My first window is usually 10:30. Maybe one more before lunch and then one after the parade. Plenty of time! And with the current system, so easy to get by refreshing the app.
I was able to get 3 FOP passes for the two of us, at the height of all the hype. Another great tip for us non early birds, is to ride things before park closing. The rope drop peeps sometimes look a little crazy to me.
We tend to get later & later as our trip goes on.
Hoopsters
New Member
I lived 25 minutes from DLR for the first 45 years of my life, and NEVER rope dropped. I didn't even know that was a thing. I am not a morning person of a day that I know I'll leave when the park closes. I have never entered DLR parks before 11am, and have almost always done everything I wanted. Now regarding WDW, I have only been twice...once in Feb., 2011 with my hubby and kids who were 11 & 8 at the time. We had 10 nights at the BCV and 10 days of Park Hoppers so we didn't see the rush to get up early. Same for my 2nd WDW visit last May with my now adult DD. Never got up before 10am and arrived at the parks between 11:30 and noon. We had 5 days of Park Hoppers and saw everything we wanted. Note: we are not "character people" so we didn't need to allocate extra time for those long lines.
Does being a Former Cast Member count when you work the mornings!?
BoarderPhreak
Well-Known Member
Rope drop is life.
Get in, get out... Come back later.
Get in, get out... Come back later.
UNCgolf
Well-Known Member
Sure, there are definitely legitimate reasons to do it. I'm certainly not saying, nor do I believe, that no one should ever rope drop.
It's all about personal preferences. I like getting to the parks early (as I said, I'm usually there within an hour of opening) and staying most of the day; I just don't feel the need to rush to make sure I'm there at rope drop. If we were already awake and ready to go, I certainly wouldn't sit around and wait to avoid rope drop. But I also usually go for somewhere between 5-7 days, so I don't feel like I have to fit everything at a park into one day.
Tom P.
Well-Known Member
That is great in theory, but is impossible for many in practice.
I am the IT Director for a college. I can't take a week or two of vacation and remain 100% out of touch. Things happen from time to time. I am not spending all day in Magic Kingdom responding to work e-mails, but I do check my work e-mail once a day, and if I receive an urgent call or text, I respond as soon as I am able.
My workplace is very respectful of my vacation time and does not attempt to contact me if it is not necessary. But sometimes it is, and I respect that being able to respond on those occasions just goes with the territory of having a position with a high level of responsibility.
BoarderPhreak
Well-Known Member
Ha, small world! So am I. While I stay in touch, it's quick replies only. Academia ≠ eCommerce.