👎 Top 2 rope drop FAILS

Wrong place, wrong time 😭

What could possibly go wrong?

Oh, so many things.

Even after dozens of theme park mornings, I pretty much learn something new every time. The aim of this newsletter is to pass that wisdom on, so maybe you won’t have the same learning curve as me.

Today’s topic is how to screw up rope drop, the most intense and important part of any theme park day. Get it wrong and you might as well have just stayed in bed.

Waiting for the rope to drop at Disneyland.

I’ve talked A LOT about why rope drop is such a big deal, and you can feel free to revisit some of these Go Informed greatest hits for more context:

• Go Informed podcast episode 44 - How to rope drop

• These newsletter posts:

  • The free & simple way to beat the crowd every time 💥

    Rope drop double-up

Two easy mistakes cause the most morning mayhem

#1: Getting there 5 minutes too late

It’s just like Ricky Bobby always says, if you’re not first you’re last.

For most theme parks, there are a series of gates before you’ll actually get to that rope. Here are the typical steps that take time:

• Leaving your hotel

  • Can you walk to the park? How far is it?

  • Will you need to wait for a bus, boat, or monorail?

  • Are you driving and need to park your car?

• Park security check

  • Where do you go through security?

    • At most parks, this is either at the park gates or at the entrance to the surrounding mall, like Universal Orlando’s CityWalk or Anaheim’s Downtown Disney.

    • You might go through security as you leave your hotel. This is the case at Disney World’s monorail resorts, and at Disneyland’s Grand Californian Hotel.

• The park gate

  • This is where your ticket is scanned, and it usually really does happen right at the park entrance.

• The rope

  • If you enter the park early enough, you’ll be held somewhere inside the gates until actual park opening time.

    

    First at the gate. Let me in!!

Figure out what time you need to be at the park gate to be at the front of that rope

Then work backwards.

In general, theme parks start letting guests through the gates around 15-30 minutes before the actual opening time. This is your target time!

If you get to that park gate AFTER guests are already entering, you’ve missed your chance to be at the front of the rope. This means instead of being #10 in line, you could be #1000.

If you’re heading for a major attraction, that could mean a wait-time difference of an hour or more! Just by being a few minutes late.

Not sure how far it is from your hotel to the park gate? Ask when you get to your hotel. Even better, do some research ahead of time to get a sense of the distances. Then be sure to add a few extra minutes, just in case.

These two posts on my website can help:

• Disney World and Universal Orlando walking distances

• Disneyland walking distances

#2: Going to the wrong place

Besides just getting a slightly-too-late-start, what can make the difference is simply taking a wrong turn. It’s super easy to do and I did it last month in Disneyland.

Here are some things to know before you go:

At your hotel

• Where is the bus stop? Monorail station? Boat dock?

• What’s the walking route?

• If you’re driving, what’s the best route?

  

  The entrance to Hyperspace Mountain, Paris Disneyland. Hear all about my Paris Disneyland trip here.

In the park

• What ride do you want to do first?

• Is there more than one rope where guests are held? Be sure to go to the one closest to your destination. Ask if you’re not sure.

• Inside the park, what is the quickest way to get from the rope to your target ride? If you’re early, you’ll have time waiting at the rope to work out the route.

Arm yourself with a well-informed plan and you can truly be first, and let everyone else be last 😉 Now go have fun!

Comments

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