To all my fellow non rope droppers...

[lambdabeta]

I'm not so sure about that. For example, I've heard from late nighters that have been able to ride FoP twice during the last hour of operation. I've never heard of a rope dropper being able to do that.

That is my point. Is it better to close the park when they have a late night? Or RD when they have EMH or at park opening? I am just trying to figure out plans. Just wondering which people find better. It may just depend on the park and time of year.

 

[mi*vida*loca]

That is my point. Is it better to close the park when they have a late night? Or RD when they have EMH or at park opening? I am just trying to figure out plans. Just wondering which people find better. It may just depend on the park and time of year.

It depends on parks, time of year and how late the park is open. The later the better.

 

[nutshell]

I'm not so sure about that. For example, I've heard from late nighters that have been able to ride FoP twice during the last hour of operation. I've never heard of a rope dropper being able to do that.

BUT, what if the rope dropper rides it at RP, a second time with a FP, and two more times at closing!

 

[nutshell]

Wanna bet on the "get more done" part? (this is all in good fun, not angry) I would bet you a dozen donuts that...with the exception of the two or three busiest holidays of the year (Xmas to New Years, etc...)...I can do just as much as a rope dropper if I show up at 9:45am. That's the beauty of FP+. I truly don't count, but in a day when we're in the park from 10:00am to 3:00pm, I'd bet we go through 7 or 8 FP+, plus the few things we do without FP+ (i.e. Living w/Land) and time for lunch (we pack our own, so it doesn't take long).

Yes, there are plenty of ways to do WDW. Rope dropping isn't wrong, but nor is not getting up with the roosters.

I see your dozen donuts and raise you a box of Oreos!

 

[Jimmy Mouse]

I see your dozen donuts and raise you a box of Oreos!

I'll hold the donuts and Oreos for safe keeping.

 

[Klayfish]

I see your dozen donuts and raise you a box of Oreos!

Make it Double Stuff Oreos, big shot.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

BUT, what if the rope dropper rides it at RP, a second time with a FP, and two more times at closing!

The rope dropper will wear out and head back to the resort well before closing time as he got up too early.

That's one of the biggest reasons why the lines are shortest at night. Even the most well intended guest will eventually drop out early due to heat, crowds, etc.

 

[ellbell]

The rope dropper will wear out and head back to the resort well before closing time as he got up too early.

That's one of the biggest reasons why the lines are shortest at night. Even the most well intended guest will eventually drop out early due to heat, crowds, etc.

I rope drop and park close. I take a nap mid-day. So i could potentially do the the scenario suggested.

 

[nutshell]

The rope dropper will wear out and head back to the resort well before closing time as he got up too early.

That's one of the biggest reasons why the lines are shortest at night. Even the most well intended guest will eventually drop out early due to heat, crowds, etc.

I actually take a nap in the afternoon and return until closing. Best of both worlds. I love it!

 

[Klayfish]

Again, multiple ways to skin a cat (no cats were harmed in the typing of this message).

So if you rope drop, go back to the hotel, then come back, that's a lot of time going back and forth. Nothing at all wrong with it, but it's just another way of doing it vs the person who doesn't take a planned break.

Like I said, we show up around 10:00am and usually stay until about 4pm. All kidding aside, I'd be willing to bet that I can get as much done as a rope dropper who shows up for the 8am park open and leaves at 2:00pm...Christmas to New Years week aside.

 

[desertbloom]

With the exception of an early character breakfast or tour....We let ourselves sleep until we naturally wake up, have a leisurely coffee, get dressed and then start our day. Our kid is an adult so it’s often just us. After so many trips, we just don’t feel the need to rush around or get in every ride. Plus, I like the parks better at night when it is all lit up and I don’t need to worry about my vampire pale skin burning.

 

[ppjluvsdvc]

Well we do a mixture of both during our week. It depends on what we have planned. I would probably do more later if the parks were open later. It seems that they just keep reducing the hours that the parks are open. We have been going the beginning of March for the last few years due to school schedules and it seems that no park is open after 9pm unless we do a special event like the After Hours night. I miss the late night hours.

 

[kittyab]

We sleep in till about 8 am, have coffee on the patio, eat breakfast, have a shower and great ready to go. We are usually in the parks by 11 am. We are on vacation.

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

I actually take a nap in the afternoon and return until closing. Best of both worlds. I love it!

So when do you do what I consider "afternoon" type stuff like CoP, Philharmagic, Laugh Floor, Hall of Presidents, etc.? I wouldn't want to waste prime evening hours on these types of attractions.

 

[melana]

My group and I have slowly progressed from rope drop people to get to the park when we want to type of people.

Now that doesn’t mean that we don’t sometimes get to the parks, especially AK, at opening but if we are a few minutes over or even half hour over we are good. With FP, it ensures we get to ride what we want at times that are good for us.

We also still do an occasional early breakfast at MK at Crystal Palace but that’s about it.

On my solo trip this past October the only park I really got to pre opening was AK because I just like the park in the morning better than later in the day.

I am growing to be a big fan of visiting parks in the later parts of the day, especially Epcot.

 

[Mamapapa]

I am DYING to try the stay out late sleep in late strategy but have not been able to yet. My kids get up by 6am every single day, including on vacation. And when they're up, we're up so it's not worth fighting it (I fight and win on weekends at home, can't suppress their excitement on vacation!). Went once with my older son and my mom and it would have worked then, but I found out my mom has a 9pm bedtime on vacation!! So hopefully someday I will find out what it's like to close down a park, until then, I will continue to know what it's like to open every park!!!

 

[Dee McGee]

How do you typically spend your mornings?

We sleep in a little longer so that we are rested well enough to stay til park close.

 

[mickeyfanachey1999]

I am an early riser but I'm the only early riser in our party of 4. I get up whenever I wake up which is usually around 6. I head out for a walk/run for a bit. After that I grab a shower and get dressed. Then I head to town to get breakfast. I do all of this as slowly as I can so when I get back around 9 I will see the first stirrings of DS15, DS7 and DW. They eat breakfast and I wait patiently. Sometimes we don't make a park until 11:00 or so. We usually break around 4 to freshen up and head back to the park with the latest hours that day.

 

[mbtohill]

Sleeping. I wish I could say I was naturally an early riser, but I'm just not, and never will be. Before we had our D, my H and I would set alarms and get there at rope drop and struggle through the foggy brain and crankiness. But when we started taking our D to WDW at around age 2, we started working around her schedule (she's not an early riser either), and we found we could still get to do everything we wanted...we just had to plan/strategize differently (we often adopt the "vampire strategy" from Allears.net in the hot summer months). Once we made this discovery, there was no going back to being rope-droppers for us...H and I have to get up early most of the rest of the year, so we really enjoy not having to on vacation.

But I totally envy the people like my sister who are up at 5 am with a smile on their face every day, weekend or not, raring to go!

Vampire Strategy??? Do tell!!!

We've been rope droppers forever, but since we switched from going in May to going in August as our girls got into High School the heat is just CRAZY. Would love to hear how the "vampire strategy" works and try to adopt it this summer.

 

[VicarJT]

My group and I have slowly progressed from rope drop people to get to the park when we want to type of people.

Now that doesn’t mean that we don’t sometimes get to the parks, especially AK, at opening but if we are a few minutes over or even half hour over we are good. With FP, it ensures we get to ride what we want at times that are good for us.

We also still do an occasional early breakfast at MK at Crystal Palace but that’s about it.

On my solo trip this past October the only park I really got to pre opening was AK because I just like the park in the morning better than later in the day.

I am growing to be a big fan of visiting parks in the later parts of the day, especially Epcot.

We do a couple of rope drops each trip, but by and large, we start our days more slowly. No alarm, coffee and beignets for breakfast, then make our way to the parks in time for early-afternoon FP+. We do travel at the end of Feb, so the afternoons tend to be glorious. The exception to all of this is Animal Kingdom which is amazing enough in the morning to (gasp!) set an alarm for while on vacation!