WHAT IS ROPE DROP?
‘Rope Drop’ is Disney’s term for when a park (or area inside of a park) opens for the day. Normally, a cast member will use a rope to block off an area and once the rope “drops” guests are free to enter the park!
The first few hours after rope drop are a great chance to do some of your favorite rides and attractions without long wait times! Guests that plan to maximize their park day utilize this early morning strategy to knock out some of the more popular rides that tend to have longer wait times.
WHAT IS EARLY PARK ENTRY?
This is separate from Rope Dropping! Guests staying at a Disney Resort hotel (or other participating hotel) get Early Park Entry (at all 4 theme parks) each morning. Early Entry allows hotel guests to enter and start riding rides 30 minutes before the official park opening time. Another perk for staying on Disney property!
Although 30 minutes doesn’t seem like much time, it is a great opportunity to take advantage of low crowds and low wait times for some of the rides you want to check off your to-do list. It’s a great way for those wanting to maximize their park day!
What time should I get to the parks for Early Park Entry?
I’d suggest arriving at least 1 hour prior to the official park opening time if you are a Resort guest utilizing Early Park Entry.
MAGIC KINGDOM
At Disney’s Magic Kingdom, cast members will typically let ALL guests into the park 45 min – 1 hour before park opening.
This early opening time is for ALL GUESTS, regardless of if you are staying at a Disney Resort or not. This is a great chance to walk down Main Street, take some photos in front of the castle, grab a Starbucks coffee or explore some of the souvenir shops.
EARLY PARK ENTRY AT MAGIC KINGDOM
If you are staying at a Walt Disney World Resort hotel, you will have access to “Early Theme Park Entry” at the parks! This means that resort guests will be able to enter 30 minutes before the official park opening time. So if park opening is at 9AM – Early Entry would be at 8:30AM.
WHAT LANDS ARE INCLUDED IN EARLY ENTRY?
At Magic Kingdom, Early Entry for resort guests includes Fantasyland and Tomorrowland.
So, there will be ropes blocking each of the lands within the park. They’ll ‘drop’ the rope for Resort guests ONLY – 30 mins prior to park opening – in both Fantasyland and Tomorrowland.
If your plan is to hop on one of the most popular rides first thing (like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train or Space Mountain) – then you’ll want to be at the front of the line at Early Entry rope drop so you can hurry on over to ride those rides!
If you’re not staying on site, you won’t want to rope drop a bigger ride like Seven Dwarfs or Space Mountain because the Resort guests that utilized Early Park Entry will already be in those lines. My strategy is to instead ‘rope drop’ something in the lands that didn’t have Early Park Entry – so Adventureland, Frontierland, etc.
Rope drop for all of the lands in Magic Kingdom for all guests will be at official park opening.
These rides & attractions are included in Early Park Entry:
- FANTASYLAND
- “it’s a small world”
- Dumbo
- Mad Tea Party
- Mickey’s PhilharMagic
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- The Barnstormer
- The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
- Under the Sea – Journey of The Little Mermaid
- TOMORROWLAND
- Astro Orbiter
- Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
- Space Mountain
- Tomorrowland Speedway
- PeopleMover
- Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress
EARLY PARK ENTRY AT HOLLYWOOD STUDIOS:
For this park, the earlier you arrive – the better! Hollywood Studios sometimes opens earlier than the 30 minute Early Park Entry time for Resort guests.
The following rides & attractions are included in Early Park Entry:
- Alien Swirling Saucers
- Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster
- Slinky Dog Dash
- Star Tours
- Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance
- The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
- Toy Story Mania
EARLY PARK ENTRY AT ANIMAL KINGDOM:
At Disney’s Animal Kingdom, I’d suggest aiming to arrive an hour before park opening to utilize Early Entry (in case they let you in early!)
The following rides are included in Early Park Entry:
- Avatar Flight of Passage**
- DINOSAUR
- Expedition Everest
- It’s Tough to Be a Bug!
- Na’vi River Journey
- TriceraTop Spin
EARLY PARK ENTRY AT EPCOT
Like Animal Kingdom, I’d suggest arriving 1 hour before park opening in case they let you in the park early.
Rides & attractions included in Early Park Entry include:
- Beauty & The Beast Sing-Along
- Frozen Ever After
- Mission: SPACE
- Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
- Soarin’
- Spaceship Earth
- Test Track
- The Seas with Nemo & Friends
LET’S RECAP!
IF YOU’RE STAYING ON DISNEY PROPERTY: take advantage of Early Park Entry!
≫ You can enter each of the 4 theme parks 30 minutes before the scheduled park opening time.
IF YOU’RE NOT A DISNEY RESORT HOTEL GUEST: utilize Rope Drop to maximize your park day! Get there early!
NOT AN EARLY RISER?
Me either! So if Rope Dropping or Early Park Entry isn’t your thing, be sure to utilize Genie+ or Individual Lightning Lane attractions to maximize your time in the parks!
