If you want to make the most out of your trip to Disneyland, you definitely need to consider rope dropping. This is something you can do at all Walt Disney Company parks like Disneyland and Walt Disney World. This begs the question, what is rope drop at Disneyland, exactly?
Rope drop basically points to the time Disney parks and attractions officially open. Disney lovers normalize rope dropping or arriving an hour before the actual time of opening. It’s a strategy that saves them excruciating hours of waiting in lines.
To make sure that you make the most of your day at Disneyland, we’re here to back you up with some of the best Disneyland rope drop tips. With these tips, you can save 1-2 hours of waiting time, so stick around!
A Closer Look at Rope Dropping at Disneyland
Rope drop marks the beginning of the day at Disneyland.
You see, the gates typically open to the general public earlier than the scheduled opening time of the park.
This creates an opportunity for guests to walk through and wait comfortably in the esplanade, as opposed to waiting at the bag check or scanning area.
When the arm of the clock hits the scheduled time, guests are then allowed to access the rest of the park.
One of the perks of rope dropping is that you get to be one of those happy guests to tour around your favorite Disney park location first.
You won’t have to waste much time waiting since you’ll be on the first wave. You’ll get ahead of hordes of people and finish most of what’s on your checklist first.
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Best Tips for Rope Dropping at Disneyland
To make sure that your rope dropping won’t go wrong, here are our tips for you:
Tip #1: Be at the Park 45-60 Minutes in Advance
The main idea behind rope dropping is to be one of the first few people in line. And for that to happen, you’ll need to wake up early and get to Disneyland in advance.
If you’re staying near the vicinity of Disneyland, then you should leave your place at least an hour before the opening time.
However, if you’re farther, you should estimate your travel time. Make sure to be at the main gate of Disneyland 45-60 minutes before the scheduled opening.
Usually, the first few in the line will be scanned. Then, 30 minutes before the actual opening hour, they’ll be allowed to walk right through. At one point, they’ll be halted by either a literal rope that stretches from one side to the other or by the cast members themselves.
As you make it through the main street, you can roam around and entertain yourself by taking pictures. Then, you can head to the area where you want to start your day. You can do the same on Buena Vista Street in California Adventure.
When the park officially opens, the cast members will drop the rope and allow you to access the vastness of the park.
Tip #2: Take Advantage of Early Entry
An Early Entry is a perk only available to guests staying at a Disneyland Resort hotel. They’ll have 30-minute early access to select attractions and shopping locations in Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure park.
With the 30-minute early admission, you can get ahead of everyone else and check some of the biggest attractions off your list before the guests flock to the parks.
So, if you’re planning to reserve a hotel room, better to do it in one of Disneyland’s hotels.
Early entry is not the same as Magic Morning or Extra Magic Hours.
Tip #3: Make A Rope Drop Strategy and Choose Where You Want to Head First
Once the rope drops, the guests will breeze through their target attractions and you won’t want to be left behind.
With that in mind, you need to strategize and plan your to-go attractions a day before you rope drop at Disneyland.
Here are a few points to head up to:
- Tomorrowland
- Fantasyland
- Frontierland
- Adventureland
- New Orleans Square
- Bear Country
Whether or not you have kids with you, Fantasyland offers a timeless attraction that you’ll enjoy and finish in quick succession. The queues there are short, there aren’t pre-shows, and you can easily jump to nearby attraction entrances.
You can start at Peter Pan’s Flight since this attraction gets the longest line later in the day. Then, you can move to Snow White’s Enchanted Wish and other attractions of your choosing.
After making the most of Fantasyland, you can jump right off to Frontierland and entertain yourself at Tom Sawyer Island. Then, you can decompress a bit and fill your probably groaning tummy at any dining location near your area.
While you’re on a break, you can check Disneyland’s official app for the wait times on popular Disneyland attractions such as Rise of the Resistance. If the waiting time is under 60 minutes, then it’s your moment to go for it.
It’s not recommended to rope drop at Rise of the Resistance in Star Wars Galaxy’s Edge since it gets pretty crowded very early in the morning. It’ll take a lot of your time and hinder you from accomplishing most of your to-do list.
The line at Rise of the Resistance usually dies down later during the day, so another option you can take is to get in line minutes before the ride closes. When you’re already in line, the staff will still let you go on the ride.
Other great attractions to try to go to early are Space Mountain, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, and Indiana Jones Adventure.
If you’re rope dropping in California Adventure, then you’ll want to go to Radiator Springs Racers early in the day before the line reaches about 2 hours long.
Tip #4: Download and Use the Disneyland App
With the Disneyland app, you can conveniently mobile order food and check the wait time for some of the attractions. You’ll also want to connect your Disneyland tickets to you app.
Plus, you can purchase Genie Plus and save more waiting time by booking your individual lightning lane reservations through the app.
With this, your rope drop at Disneyland will surely be a success.
Wrapping Up
Now that you know what rope drop at Disneyland is, you should be well-prepared to begin your day there as early as possible and check off all of the rides on your list.
By arriving at the gate an hour before the official park opening time, you’ll save more time and create a lot of meaningful moments with your company.
Not everyone is willing to give up a good sleep; we get that. But if you’re really looking to make the most out of your day at Disneyland, consider sleeping early so that you can wake up early.
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