If you’ve ever been to Disney World or are planning to take a trip, you may have heard of a phrase: rope drop. Some of you may even be wondering what that means! Rope drop is one of my favorite parts of the day at the Disney theme parks for many reasons. Read on to learn what rope drop is and how to do it!
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What is rope drop?
The term rope drop refers to when a person or group arrives to a Walt Disney World theme park before it opens in order to be one of the first guests inside. Sometimes cast members literally lead you with a rope so no one runs over each other trying to get to their desired attraction. When you get close enough to the attraction and it’s ready for riders the cast members will drop the rope (hence the name) and it’s go time!
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How to Rope Drop
Like I said, to rope drop you have to arrive to the park BEFORE it opens. So If a park opens at 9 AM, you need to arrive by at least 8:30 AM to rope drop, but preferably at least an hour to an hour and a half early if you want to be towards the front of the line (especially because a lot of parks will start to let you through the turn styles and security before official opening to make more space for guests.) When you first arrive to rope drop and there is already a line, don’t fret! It may look like a lot of people, but it’s no where near the capacity for the park. Parks typically (in non-covid times) don’t start filling up until an hour to two hours after official opening. When you are rope dropping, make sure to wear your walking shoes and make sure everyone in your party is on the same page about where you are going and how you are going to get there!
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How do I get to the parks so early?
To get to the park early enough to rope drop you will either need to plan to allow extra time to wait for a bus/monorail/skyliner/boat, drive yourself, or ride share (my personal preference).
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What do I do once I get to the park?
Once you arrive to the park and get in line (or start the line if you are lucky enough to be first!)! You will have to wait here awhile for the park to start opening (worth it!) so you might want to have some ideas to pass the time while waiting in line ready! A few minutes before the park starts to open, the cast members will start letting you show your tickets (Magic bands, etc) and go through the turnstiles. Once you are through the turnstiles try not to dilly dally. You want to get through and then start booking it as far forward as you can. (Power walk, do not run, or you will be told to stop and slow down). Cast members will probably be somewhere in front of you with a long rope to make sure you stay behind them. Please make sure you do stay behind them. However, just because you have to stay behind the cast members does not mean you have to stay behind the people in front of you! This is not a line yet! It’s just a mass of people walking towards attractions. Do the best you can to power walk and pass people (politely) if you can. A strategy my family uses is to have a front runner and everyone else does their best to keep up with them! Cast members may make you stop and wait again (for example: in Magic Kingdom cast members will let you in, but you can’t go past the entrance to Adventureland. Once you get to Adventureland you will have to stop and wait again. The good news about this is you have a great view of the Castle! Once the park officially opens cast members will begin walking again and you will repeat the same process until you get close enough to the attraction, they drop the rope, and guests can start lining up for rides!
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Make sure to keep checking back because we’ll be talking about rope drop all week! Up next are some strategies for rope dropping Magic Kingdom!