Rope Dropping From The Dream

[Husker Mike]

After our 4 night cruise on the Dream, we're heading to Disney World and staying at Bay Lake Tower. We are renting a car to take us to the Port, and I'm planning to just park it in the garage. (I got a decent rate on a rental car and it's actually coming in cheaper than most shuttles.) This is our first cruise, so I'm not sure how any of this works. But I've read that you COULD be off the boat by 7:30 am and it COULD take an hour to drive to Bay Lake Tower. The Magic Kingdom opens at 9 am that morning.

Is it completely insane to think that we COULD be in the park shortly after the park opens? I have no plans to request any FastPasses until lunchtime or the afternoon, but could it be possible to be in the park before 9:30 or 10 am? I figure we'd have to rush breakfast and probably use Express Walkoff... but I'm not sure whether we'd be insane to even try. I don't think that we'd miss much on the boat that morning; I figure everyone is rushed to get us off the boat anyway.

 

[FigmentSpark]

You could.

We were going north after our cruise. We parked in the parking lot and even used normal walk off and we were early breakfast. We had breakfast, got our Shutters USB, collected our bags (used a porter), and did customs. We were in the Daytona Beach mall (about an hour away) by 9:20 that morning. Now, it was a Saturday and not Orlando.

What day are you arriving? Will there be traffic? I don't think you have to use the I4, so that's an advantage. Be prepared to pay some tolls towards Disney and don't end up on the turnpike by accident. You might (don't count on it, but you never know) even make it before 9am.

 

[Mommb]

It is feasible to be at a park by 9:30. I’ve picked up luggage in the terminal, taken a shuttle to pick up a rental car, and been at Disney Springs a little after 9,

You certainly won’t miss anything on the boat in the morning — you are correct that the staff’s goal is to get everyone off the ship so everything can be cleaned and the next cruise’s passengers can board. About the only areas open are the restaurants for breakfast (including Cabana’s), Shutters for photo pick-up, and Guest Services for billing issues.

 

[Husker Mike]

It's a Dream four-night cruise, departing on Monday and returning on Friday morning. I know we're going to pay tolls on SR-528 (Beachline Expressway).

 

[Marc D]

It is not feasible to rope drop. Your plan does not take into account the transit time between the different steps. If you are willing to wait in line to get off at the earliest time, you should be leaving in your car by 7:50. You need to walk off the ship, possibly wait for the elevator because you want to keep your bags, go through customs, go to your car and get out of the terminal while hundreds with the same idea do the same.

You would be parking your car and dropping off your bags at BLT around 9 at the earliest since you are driving on a weekday, then you’d need to check in the hotel (or wait until later ?). The walk to MK takes about 10 minutes at a brisk pace, and even if you skip the main security area using the BLT pathway, you should be in the park by 9:20 at the minimum, IF all goes perfectly - no delay clearing the ship, no wait for customs, no traffic jam around Disney Springs, etc.

By the time you arrive at the first main attraction, after all that rushing, the rope drop crowd will have bumped the wait times to what they will be for the rest of the day.