The concept of “Rope Drop” is second nature to many guests, but some guests need a little incentive to get up early!
With the new change of herding guests in the Hub vs at the Train Station for the Welcome Show, things have changed a little bit…but not a ton!
Starting with a Decision
As the Magic Kingdom continues to evolve, the decisions for Rope Drop are becoming more and more of a coin flip.
- Do you go with the crowds to Tron Lightcycle Run?
- Do you knock out the dominos, starting with Peter Pan’s Flight and then to Haunted Mansion, Pirates of the Caribbean and then Adventureland/Frontierland?
All of these are up in the air, but we’ll share what worked for us on our last trip and then you can make the plan of attack for you and your party.
Tron Lightcycle Run (Tomorrowland)
We had never been on Tron, so the decision for us was an easy one.
We ended up starting the day in the herd of guests heading to the back of Tomorrowland, which subsequently was where the rest of the early morning entry folks had already lined up for. The thing to keep in mind is that you never know what obstacles will be in your way on the specific day that you’re aiming to be in the Magic Kingdom, so having a back up plan will definitely be your friend.
For this specific day, our Tron ride looked like this:
- Turnstiles at 8:45am
- Tomorrowland sprint at 8:56am
- Line was at the Tron Sign at 9:04am
- Lockers at 9:44am
- Off-the-ride selfie at 9:56am
After this ride, you can choose to go anywhere else but our day was already messed up because multiple attractions were either not at full capacity or were down for the beginning of the morning. It happens, so we made the best of it and ended up going to our next attraction.
“Not Riding Tron” Tips
We are huge fans of starting the day with a plan that involves riding two or three attractions before getting a morning snack.
HAUNTED MANSION (LIBERTY SQUARE)
One of my favourite attractions to do first thing in the morning is the Haunted Mansion, mostly due to the opening cast members still being in full “MAGIC” mode and starting the day in the stretching room is an incredible experience that’s worth the run to Liberty Square.
The tip for this ride is that if you’re rope dropping, there will actually be two separate lines that merge into a single queue. Guests go from the Hub past the Hall of Presidents and past Columbia Harbour House, while others think that walking beside the Castle into Fantasyland to Peter Pan’s Flight is the best way to start the day.
Riding Peter Pan’s Flight is actually best when it’s a 5-minute wait, as it allows for the Haunted Mansion operations to start up into a well-oiled machine before you get there. This way you’re not stuck in a line later in Fantasyland and you’re able to enjoy more air conditioning to cool off from the run!
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Additional Attractions to Check Off Your List
Pirates of the Caribbean (Adventurland)
There are two things to keep in mind with Pirates in the AM.
The first is that the probability of getting your own boat (or sharing with one or two other families) is all depending on how fast you can walk to the attraction.
Secondly, they only have one side of the queue (and one half of the boats) running until around 1030-11am so keep that in the back of your head as you’re walking through the fort to board your boats!
Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (Frontierland)
If you head to the back of the park first thing, you could probably ride BTM a couple times before the rest of the folks make their way through the other attractions, but this can be hit or miss.
Under the Sea – The Journey of the Little Mermaid (New Fantasyland)
This is such a great attraction to get done before 10am because it’s hidden in a part of the Magic Kingdom that takes a little effort to get to if you’re in a hurry.
Remember that it’s a clamshell (similar to a Doombuggy @ The Haunted Mansion), so the constant loading attraction can go through a fair amount of guests an hour!
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MORNING EARLY MORNING ENTRY TIP
If you’re planning on being at the Magic Kingdom during Morning Early Entry, keep in mind that only half of the park is open. Adventureland, Frontierland and Liberty Square don’t open until the park officially opens, so wandering over to try to get on the Haunted Mansion won’t work!
WHAT’S THE BEST TOURING PLAN FOR EARLY ENTRY?
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Under the Sea – The Journey of Little Mermaid
- Buzz Lightyear Space Ranger Spin
ONCE THE PARK OPENS
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- Haunted Mansion (take the breezeway from Adventureland to Liberty Square)
- Big Thunder Mountain
- Then breakfast at Gaston’s Tavern!
Hope this helps! Any time that we can add value by providing insights…bonus!