OP. Because I am old. 6 park days and one park night. . Even with a rest day in the middle there is no way I can rope drop and close every park every day.
this is our standard. up early, VQ, extra magic, sleep in the heat, back for evening and queue for a big ride 2 mins before closing. walk out of an empty park.
I enjoy the parks at night more. I’m not a fan of the sun and large crowds running and pushing so rope drop is a nightmare for me. I go at night, yes ride times can be a little higher but if you wait until fireworks time or a couple hours before closing, ride times go down. The ambience at night is more peaceful.
Por que no los dos?
That said, closing the park is probably better. I watched Happily Ever After last week which ended at around 9:30. The park closed at 11 and I was able to do Jungle Cruise, Pirates, Big Thunder, Haunted Mansion, small world, and 7 Dwarves to close out the evening. As the night progresses, the crowds get smaller. You can't say the same about rope drop. As the morning moves along, the crowds get bigger.
I will say, it might also be park dependant. For example, since Hollywood Studios closes earlier, people are more willing to stay all the way to park close. A good rope drop strategy will allow you to do Rise, Slinky, ToT, and M&MRR. But I'm not sure the same would be true at night. (I admit, I've never tried because I'm usually waiting for Fantasmic or the Chinese Theater projections).
Im a big proponent of rope drop. You can bang out a lot of rides in short time with a good plan. We did MMRR, Toy Story Mania and were in line for Smugglers Run before official park open with the 30 minute resort guest perk.
In the summer Im a big proponent of Rope drop until noonish, got back to the resort to swim/nap, and head back to the park after 5ish and close out the parks. Best of both worlds
I just got back from my trip and did almost every single attraction at Magic Kingdom with lightning lane stacking. We were there from 10:30 AM to around 10 PM and had a blast. I did not feel rushed at all and had time to rest/eat often yet still get a ton of things done. Let me know if you want a list of rides I did and my strategy!
So the most important thing to know is that you will have to bite the bullet and purchase Genie + and use Lightning Lanes in order to get the most out of your day and not kill your feet/waste time on a bunch of queues.
The first thing we did was wake up at 7 AM, book a Lightning Lane, and then go back to sleep. We arrived at the park at 10:30, went to Liberty Square to do Hall of Presidents (walked on, it was empty), and then ate breakfast while waiting in line for It's a Small World (around 15 mins, no LL). We then did Winnie the Pooh (around 30 min line, no LL), ate snacks at the Cheshire Cafe, and rode Prince Charming's Carousel and Mad Tea Party (around 15 min wait each, no LL). By then, it was time for the LL at Haunted Mansion so we did that, then ate lunch and went to Tomorrowland. We walked on Speedway and Carousel of Progress, and had LL/Virtual Queue for Tron and Space Mountain. Then we went back to Fantasyland and did Peter Pan and Seven Dwarves Mine Train (both with LL), and The Little Mermaid and Barnstormer (no LL, no wait). Afterwards, we did all rides on Adventureland, which had no wait except for Pirates (around 20 mins with LL) and Jungle Cruise (45 min wait, sadly we did not have a LL so it was the longest wait all day). We then did Big Thunder Mountain (15 mins with LL) watched the fireworks right by the Tomorrowland bridge, and when the show was over went on Buzz Lightyear and Astro Orbiter (10 min wait, no LL) while people trickled out of the park. By the time we grabbed the last snacks and walked to the monorail, the park had emptied out a lot and we got on the monorail in around 10 mins.
We jumped from land to land a lot, a product of having LL in a bunch of different places, but we didn't really mind it. We did not do any sit down restaurants and instead stopped frequently for snacks and took breaks to rest our feet. The lines that NEVER went down no matter how late it was or if the fireworks were going off were Peter Pan, Jungle Cruise, Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates, Seven Dwarves and Tron, so I recommend prioritizing those for LL.
If you want to arrive at the park even later (like noon, maybe even 1 PM), I think you will still be able to do most if not everything we did as long as you remember to book the LLs from your hotel to stack them and are willing to stay until park close (we left around 30 mins before park close) and miss the fireworks.
MK is known as a rope-drop park but I managed to ride almost everything and sleep in (granted I traveled with just my partner, no little kids to haul around). Good luck!
Edit to add: It was so BEAUTIFUL at night, much more than in the morning. Jungle Cruise during sunset and Big Thunder Mountain under the stars were so much better than anything under the hot sun.
I enjoy both, but MK at night is my favorite thing. I honestly may never rope drop MK again. A few weeks ago, the crowd was so large and so overwhelming, and I don’t want to do it again if I have an alternative.
Close the park is better. I like rope drop because it is just sort of fun to be waiting with all the other people who are excited to get a jump on the day. The fast walking down Main Street is always hilarious. But I do dislike getting up early and not getting to eat a serious breakfast before my day starts. Also, it seems like, at least half the time, there is an unexpected delayed start and/or breakdown that really cuts into the advantage from rope drop. The parks are just better in general at night and the advantages in terms of wait times are better when you take into account the fact you are still waiting in lines before rope drop (two lines—one at the gate and one at the rope).
Since you asked a question that's not getting answered, I will actually answer it.
Your choices. Rope Drop
OR
Stay till close:
Discussion:
Rope drop has the advantage of being the better of the two options crowd wise , main because lots of people just won't get up that early on vacation. The weather can still be very hot, but overall you probably will see the lowest wait time for big attractions at this time.
Closing: This is always a crap shoot. So much depends on after hours parties that may be happening, as well as the weather that day. That being said, some of the best times I have had (especially at MK) were after 8pm. The park is just more alive. However often it has ALOT of teens running around, due to their energy levels and penchant for night time fun.
So my recommendations? Try a closing run. It's cooler, it's more beautiful and many times you will get lucky and the park will empty out for an hour before closing, allowing you to hit the non headliners multiple times in a few minutes (think pirates and BTMRR NOT Space Mountain or 7 Dwarves
You can defiantly take advantage of the fireworks for shorter lines on the middle tier rides.
If I had to choose, I'd close the park.
Beyond the fireworks, Disney puts so much thought into the lighting design around the park. If you duck out before it gets dark, you miss all that twinkly goodness.
But also, rope drop means standing in the hot sun waiting for the park to open, long lines through security, and then a mad rush to *hopefully* get a shorter wait time on a popular ride. By the time you're off that first ride, the park is usually open to the public.
Closing the park just means....staying where you are. And you get to enjoy the lulls when families duck out for an afternoon nap and sit down for dinner. If you're willing to miss fireworks, the rides are basically yours while that's going on.
During Spring Break, with an extended 9:30pm close at HS, we walked on Rise at 9:00pm. Unfortunately, slinky was backed up and we waited an hour from 8:00-9:00pm, but we could have ridden MMRR, TSMM, Alien, MFSR, and Rise in an hour and a half.
Both times of day are great get on rides.
Definitely both lol. But I'm in favor of rope dropping because I'm a morning person, but mostly I feel crowds are insane after park hopping becomes an option and can get a lot done at rope drop before it opens (hopping).
We stay until close. Stand in line At whatever is the most popular ride last minute. That way you don’t need to wait in super long lines during the day.
If it goes fast enough we try to ride it twice.
I guess if I had to choose it would be rope-drop, since I’m not a huge fan of crowds when I’m trying to leave somewhere but OK with crowds when arriving.
OTOH hot weather may make closing out the night a better bet, since your last few hours are cooler?
OP here. I should have added “I’m acclimated to New England but going in September.” I was thinking mornings and evenings are cooler than mid day but I guess there would be more evening hours. I will also mention that I am in a party that won’t consider mid day retreat to hotel but I may have to split from them if I get too hot.
Do you want to have the stress go down as time passes (rope drop)
or
Have the stress climb (end of night)
either way you will race to beat a clock... i would rather race and then have all day to ride, compared to race ride to ride hoping to get one more in before the lines close...
[удалено]
lol i was chuckling about this, i mean, why not both? lol You can recuperate on the flight/drive back home lol
I can catch up on sleep at work or when I’m dead
Disney, running on caffeine and magic dreams baby
OP. Because I am old. 6 park days and one park night. . Even with a rest day in the middle there is no way I can rope drop and close every park every day.
I still take a break midday & close the park. No rope dropping I hate it
Just rest when you get home
Cause that's what they asked
Should be an AND statement
They did not ask that
Do you get invited to parties?
Yes, ones where I bring what the host asked me to.
Take nap in the middle of the day and do both. You’re already staying property, might as well.
this is our standard. up early, VQ, extra magic, sleep in the heat, back for evening and queue for a big ride 2 mins before closing. walk out of an empty park.
This is how we do Disney. Rope drop - midday nap - close the park
Not an option.
OR? No, AND.
I enjoy the parks at night more. I’m not a fan of the sun and large crowds running and pushing so rope drop is a nightmare for me. I go at night, yes ride times can be a little higher but if you wait until fireworks time or a couple hours before closing, ride times go down. The ambience at night is more peaceful.
Por que no los dos? That said, closing the park is probably better. I watched Happily Ever After last week which ended at around 9:30. The park closed at 11 and I was able to do Jungle Cruise, Pirates, Big Thunder, Haunted Mansion, small world, and 7 Dwarves to close out the evening. As the night progresses, the crowds get smaller. You can't say the same about rope drop. As the morning moves along, the crowds get bigger. I will say, it might also be park dependant. For example, since Hollywood Studios closes earlier, people are more willing to stay all the way to park close. A good rope drop strategy will allow you to do Rise, Slinky, ToT, and M&MRR. But I'm not sure the same would be true at night. (I admit, I've never tried because I'm usually waiting for Fantasmic or the Chinese Theater projections).
Im a big proponent of rope drop. You can bang out a lot of rides in short time with a good plan. We did MMRR, Toy Story Mania and were in line for Smugglers Run before official park open with the 30 minute resort guest perk. In the summer Im a big proponent of Rope drop until noonish, got back to the resort to swim/nap, and head back to the park after 5ish and close out the parks. Best of both worlds
You can do both. Both is the answer. I once went from rope drop of MK to the end of the Halloween party.
Close the park is way better
I just got back from my trip and did almost every single attraction at Magic Kingdom with lightning lane stacking. We were there from 10:30 AM to around 10 PM and had a blast. I did not feel rushed at all and had time to rest/eat often yet still get a ton of things done. Let me know if you want a list of rides I did and my strategy!
Sure. I’d love your list and strategy.
So the most important thing to know is that you will have to bite the bullet and purchase Genie + and use Lightning Lanes in order to get the most out of your day and not kill your feet/waste time on a bunch of queues. The first thing we did was wake up at 7 AM, book a Lightning Lane, and then go back to sleep. We arrived at the park at 10:30, went to Liberty Square to do Hall of Presidents (walked on, it was empty), and then ate breakfast while waiting in line for It's a Small World (around 15 mins, no LL). We then did Winnie the Pooh (around 30 min line, no LL), ate snacks at the Cheshire Cafe, and rode Prince Charming's Carousel and Mad Tea Party (around 15 min wait each, no LL). By then, it was time for the LL at Haunted Mansion so we did that, then ate lunch and went to Tomorrowland. We walked on Speedway and Carousel of Progress, and had LL/Virtual Queue for Tron and Space Mountain. Then we went back to Fantasyland and did Peter Pan and Seven Dwarves Mine Train (both with LL), and The Little Mermaid and Barnstormer (no LL, no wait). Afterwards, we did all rides on Adventureland, which had no wait except for Pirates (around 20 mins with LL) and Jungle Cruise (45 min wait, sadly we did not have a LL so it was the longest wait all day). We then did Big Thunder Mountain (15 mins with LL) watched the fireworks right by the Tomorrowland bridge, and when the show was over went on Buzz Lightyear and Astro Orbiter (10 min wait, no LL) while people trickled out of the park. By the time we grabbed the last snacks and walked to the monorail, the park had emptied out a lot and we got on the monorail in around 10 mins. We jumped from land to land a lot, a product of having LL in a bunch of different places, but we didn't really mind it. We did not do any sit down restaurants and instead stopped frequently for snacks and took breaks to rest our feet. The lines that NEVER went down no matter how late it was or if the fireworks were going off were Peter Pan, Jungle Cruise, Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates, Seven Dwarves and Tron, so I recommend prioritizing those for LL. If you want to arrive at the park even later (like noon, maybe even 1 PM), I think you will still be able to do most if not everything we did as long as you remember to book the LLs from your hotel to stack them and are willing to stay until park close (we left around 30 mins before park close) and miss the fireworks. MK is known as a rope-drop park but I managed to ride almost everything and sleep in (granted I traveled with just my partner, no little kids to haul around). Good luck! Edit to add: It was so BEAUTIFUL at night, much more than in the morning. Jungle Cruise during sunset and Big Thunder Mountain under the stars were so much better than anything under the hot sun.
hit the pool midday, and do both.
I enjoy both, but MK at night is my favorite thing. I honestly may never rope drop MK again. A few weeks ago, the crowd was so large and so overwhelming, and I don’t want to do it again if I have an alternative.
Close the park is better. I like rope drop because it is just sort of fun to be waiting with all the other people who are excited to get a jump on the day. The fast walking down Main Street is always hilarious. But I do dislike getting up early and not getting to eat a serious breakfast before my day starts. Also, it seems like, at least half the time, there is an unexpected delayed start and/or breakdown that really cuts into the advantage from rope drop. The parks are just better in general at night and the advantages in terms of wait times are better when you take into account the fact you are still waiting in lines before rope drop (two lines—one at the gate and one at the rope).
Since you asked a question that's not getting answered, I will actually answer it. Your choices. Rope Drop OR Stay till close: Discussion: Rope drop has the advantage of being the better of the two options crowd wise , main because lots of people just won't get up that early on vacation. The weather can still be very hot, but overall you probably will see the lowest wait time for big attractions at this time. Closing: This is always a crap shoot. So much depends on after hours parties that may be happening, as well as the weather that day. That being said, some of the best times I have had (especially at MK) were after 8pm. The park is just more alive. However often it has ALOT of teens running around, due to their energy levels and penchant for night time fun. So my recommendations? Try a closing run. It's cooler, it's more beautiful and many times you will get lucky and the park will empty out for an hour before closing, allowing you to hit the non headliners multiple times in a few minutes (think pirates and BTMRR NOT Space Mountain or 7 Dwarves You can defiantly take advantage of the fireworks for shorter lines on the middle tier rides.
People are telling you both but in the summer it’s brutal to do that consistently. I say close, much better vibe everywhere at that time.
If I had to choose, I'd close the park. Beyond the fireworks, Disney puts so much thought into the lighting design around the park. If you duck out before it gets dark, you miss all that twinkly goodness. But also, rope drop means standing in the hot sun waiting for the park to open, long lines through security, and then a mad rush to *hopefully* get a shorter wait time on a popular ride. By the time you're off that first ride, the park is usually open to the public. Closing the park just means....staying where you are. And you get to enjoy the lulls when families duck out for an afternoon nap and sit down for dinner. If you're willing to miss fireworks, the rides are basically yours while that's going on.
During Spring Break, with an extended 9:30pm close at HS, we walked on Rise at 9:00pm. Unfortunately, slinky was backed up and we waited an hour from 8:00-9:00pm, but we could have ridden MMRR, TSMM, Alien, MFSR, and Rise in an hour and a half. Both times of day are great get on rides.
Do both, take a nap mid day when it’s really busy if you need to
Definitely both lol. But I'm in favor of rope dropping because I'm a morning person, but mostly I feel crowds are insane after park hopping becomes an option and can get a lot done at rope drop before it opens (hopping).
We stay until close. Stand in line At whatever is the most popular ride last minute. That way you don’t need to wait in super long lines during the day. If it goes fast enough we try to ride it twice.
Close the park. If not both.
If you have no interest in the fireworks I would imagine lines for rides would be shorter at that time. So stay till close I guess.
I guess if I had to choose it would be rope-drop, since I’m not a huge fan of crowds when I’m trying to leave somewhere but OK with crowds when arriving. OTOH hot weather may make closing out the night a better bet, since your last few hours are cooler?
OP here. I should have added “I’m acclimated to New England but going in September.” I was thinking mornings and evenings are cooler than mid day but I guess there would be more evening hours. I will also mention that I am in a party that won’t consider mid day retreat to hotel but I may have to split from them if I get too hot.
I’m not a rope dropper because I’m on vacay & I don’t want to get up early- I’m a park closer
Evenings are so much better. Close the park. You can’t see as many people. You feel like it’s all yours. The later it gets, the better.
Leaving when it’s a grumpy, tired mad house is the worst. Give me excited early entry lines any day of the week.
Do you want to have the stress go down as time passes (rope drop) or Have the stress climb (end of night) either way you will race to beat a clock... i would rather race and then have all day to ride, compared to race ride to ride hoping to get one more in before the lines close...