When our family goes to Disneyland we are avid rope droppers. Those first couple hours of park opening are so crucial to us that if we’re not going to make it for rope drop, we almost feel like–why bother? Okay, maybe that’s a little extreme and I know rope drop doesn’t work for everyone. However, in my experience, if you can make it to rope drop at Disneyland you’re more likely to have a smooth start to your magical day. Keep in mind that we are on the West Coast and are most familiar with Disneyland. Although the basic premise of rope drop is the same at different parks, details and times might vary so always double check based on your location. Some links contain affiliates, all opinions are my own.

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what is rope drop at Disneyland?

Rope Drop (n.) 1. When the park opens. 2. The time of day guests can officially head to their desired rides. “We’re going to be there for rope drop.”

(v.) 1. The act of sacrificing sleep to ensure you get a good start to your Disney Day. 2. Being strategic about your first rides of the day. “We’re going to rope drop Big Thunder Mountain.”

The Disney parks are somewhat unique to other theme parks in many ways. One of the things they do differently is they have rope drop. This means that guests can head through security and enter the park usually 30 minutes prior to opening. However, the only access you’ll have is to Main Street, U.S.A. There are literally ropes strung up across all the entrances to the various lands from the “Plaza Hub” in front of the castle. I believe the two main reasons that Disney does this are: (1) It helps ease opening congestion at the turnstiles; and (2) It get guests inside the park waiting for rides to open that are a captive audience for the shops on Main Street.

what time should you rope drop?

Your strategy for arrival time will vary depending on what your goals are. Personally, we just want to get into the park and utilize low lines. Due to this, we don’t worry about being in the front of the pack. We usually aim to be going through Security by 7:30 am because by then the Security lines have died way down. Then we’re usually in the park by 7:45 am and just have a little bit to wait until the ropes drop. However, sometimes there have been holdups at the turnstiles and we’re just walking into the park when the ropes drop. So keep in mind that if you cut it too close you might miss out. In our experience, the turnstile lines for Disney’s California Adventure are never as long as they are for Disneyland.

Times to keep in mind (with an 8:00 am park opening):

• 7:00 am–Security opens
• 7:30 am–Typically when the turnstiles open

Exclusive for Disneyland Resort Hotel Guests: If you are staying at one of the three Disneyland hotels (Grand Californian, Disneyland Hotel, or Paradise Pier) then you get early park entry. That means that every day of your hotel reservation you can not only get into the park 30 minutes early, but by showing a valid room key you have the ability to ride certain rides before the park officially opens. At Disneyland you should have access to Fantasyland and Tomorrow Land. At Disney’s California Adventure you should have access to: Avenger’s Campus, Monster’s Inc, Soarin’, Incredicoaster, Ariel’s Undersea Adventure, and Mater’s Junkyard Jamboree.

rope drop strategies

what rides not to rope drop

I want to start by saying that these are our personal opinions based off of our experience and preferences. I know many people who would disagree and have a completely different strategy for rope drop. That being said, we usually don’t utilize rope drop for rides that are single rider, are often still closed at park opening, or have extra long ride times. You can look up ride times here. Make sure you always have a backup plan in case your desired rope drop ride is not yet open! Here are the rides we do not recommend using rope drop for:

• Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance (is often closed first thing and many people rush here)
• Peter Pan’s Flight (many people head here and it’s available early for hotel guests)
• Disneyland Railroad (one of the longest rides and lines are typically short throughout the day)
• Pirates of the Caribbean (a long ride and line usually stays short for the first couple hours)
• Finding Nemo Submarine Voyage (a long ride and the load/unload time is long)
• “It’s a Small World” (the line is usually pretty manageable throughout the day)
• Radiator Springs Racers (can be closed first thing many people rush here)
• Web Slingers (has a single rider line so wait unless you have to ride together)

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our typical rope drop route for Disneyland

We usually start with Big Thunder Mountain Railroad. Not many people go here and often we can walk right on it and ride it twice. Then we head to Adventureland or New Orleans Square to hit the rides there. We also like to keep an eye on the Disneyland app and see what’s happening with Rise of the Resistance. Since it is regularly not open first thing, sometimes you can hop in line after the first hour of park opening for the shortest wait it will be all day.

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our typical rope drop route for Disney’s California Adventure

Often we’ll head to the back of the park to Pixar Pier. Our objective is always Toy Story Mania but it’s not always open first thing. If we get back there and it’s not open yet we’ll head to Incredicoaster or other rides back on Pixar Pier. Guardians of the Galaxy is another good ride to rope drop because there’s no single rider line for it and the line is typically long all day.

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Have you ever done rope drop at Disneyland before?