Rope drop at Magic Kingdom has both pros and cons. It’s a strategy offering the promise of a quieter park, smaller wait times, and chances to save money. It is also an early morning start, fuelled by coffee leading to a day with grumpy people who feel sleepy. Is rope dropping Magic Kingdom right for you on your holiday? Read on to find out.
What is rope drop at Magic Kingdom?
Rope drop at Magic Kingdom is the same as rope drop at every other Disney park. Rope drop is the time when the park opens to everyone. When you rope drop a park, you enter at opening time. The average opening time for Magic Kingdom is 9am, but always check the app for opening time on the days you visit.
When you rope drop Magic Kingdom you need to remember that getting to the entrance can take up to an hour from car park, through security, via tram or ferry and then into the park. Only resort guests have the option of taking the bus, monorail, or resort boat direct to the park entrance.
Why use the rope drop strategy?
People call arriving at opening time and immediately heading to popular rides, or certain areas and attractions rope drop strategy. It’s where you use the typically quieter time of early morning in the parks to do things. This can include heading to the attractions that matter most to you to beat long queue times, getting the best picture, and ultimately having your best Magic Kingdom experience.
Rope drop strategy is available to everyone and it’s free. The main reason most people choose to rope drop is to enjoy the most popular rides with smaller wait times than in the middle of the day. Aside from the wait time benefits, rope drop strategy offers guests a quieter morning park experience with fewer crowds. This means every attraction has a smaller queue, well, everything except Starbucks on Main Street U.S.A!
The pros of rope drop at Magic Kingdom
It’s the most popular Walt Disney World park, it’s got the most attractions in the smallest space, and it is the home of Disney magic. Choosing to rope drop this park has many advantages and will add magic to your day.
1: It’s the most popular theme park in the world
Magic Kingdom is where people want to be, with visitors voting with their feet year after year. With a daily average footfall of 48,587 visitors in 2023, it was the most visited theme park in the world. At busy times this daily number is higher but imagine trying to ride 42 attractions with that many people in a park! If that isn’t a reason to use rope drop strategy to beat the midday queue lines for rides, what is?
2: Shorter queue times
One of the biggest reasons for rope dropping Magic Kingdom is the shorter queue times. All rides are open, and any resort guests with Early Entry access will only be in queue lines for certain Magic Kingdom rides in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. This means that if you head towards Adventureland or Frontierland rides first thing, no one is in the queue before you. You join a queue line starting from 0.
A shorter queue time in Magic Kingdom means you have the chance to explore more of this iconic park during your day. Whether that means:
- people watching with a coffee on Main Street USA while you bask in the magical view of Cinderella Castle.
- Using your extra time to experience as many Magic Kingdom attractions as you can.
- Or finding something else magical like dining experiences, character interactions or photos.
Rope drop strategy aims to give you more time to enjoy the things that matter to you.
3: Using rope drop to experience the most popular rides
Use rope drop strategy to ride the most popular rides in Magic Kingdom. Choose to head to one of these attractions which have the highest wait times in Magic Kingdom every day:
- Space Mountain
- Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
- Jungle Cruise
- Big Thunder Mine Train
- Peter Pan’s Flight
- Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
Did you know that the average wait time in the middle of the day for these rides is over an hour? Queue times for Peter Pan’s Flight and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train often get closer to 2 hours on busy days. If you don’t want to queue and you don’t want to buy Lightning Lane Multi Pass or Single Pass, this is your best free option to ride with a smaller queue.
TRON
From the 9th September you need to add TRON to this list. Heading to this ride as part of your rope drop strategy is likely to save you time as queue times are going to be high for this popular fast rollercoaster ride. It looks like the Magic Kingdom thrill seekers who enjoy rope dropping are going to have some choices to make.
4: Using rope drop for every ride
Use rope drop to experience all the attractions Magic Kingdom has to offer, not just the popular rides. Rope drop your favourite ride, the rides you have yet to experience, or even use rope drop as a time to ride the same ride more than once. Yes, it is possible to go round and round on an attraction using the rope drop strategy.
Crowds tend to flock to Fantasyland for Peter Pan’s Flight and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and now to TRON in Tomorrowland to beat the queues. Instead of following the trend, you can use rope drop to visit other rides that you may enjoy more. As much as we like a ride on Peter Pan’s Flight, it’s not worth queueing more than 30 minutes for. It is never going to make a must ride recommendation list for most adults or thrill seekers.
Use rope drop to ride what you want when it is quieter to ride. That will add more value to your experience. The Haunted Mansion and Buzz Light Year Space Ranger Spin are always high on our list. As everyone is rushing to the big-ticket rides you can enjoy these rides at rope drop with much lower queue times.
5: Maximise your day
Rope dropping will save you time if you plan to spend all day in the parks, or if you have an itinerary. The queue times are lower and by riding earlier you find yourself with more time later in the day allowing you to get more experiences in.
Maximising your day include giving you more time to:
- enjoying more rides and shows
- add in a Magic Kingdom dining experience in the park at Cinderella’s Royal Table or in a nearby resort hotel like at 1900 Park Fare at The Grand Floridian
- experience magic in different parks by park hopping
- use the early start as a way to eat at quieter times. You’ll be hungry for lunch sooner when you start early, so why not rope drop and have a character brunch or quiet quick service meal. You’ll miss the busiest times for dining too and might even be able to pick up an unexpected character dining experience around 11am as it isn’t a popular time to eat.
This list isn’t endless, and you can maximise your day in many more ways to suit your needs. Having the option to experience a more magical day is a great advantage of rope dropping Magic Kingdom. If you’re planning a magical day, there is no place better than Magic Kingdom to start.
6: Saves money
For budget conscious visitors to Magic Kingdom, rope drop will save you money. It is a free way to reduce queueing times, offering the same planning convenience of Lightning Lanes. You know what time you will be heading to the park to ride, just as you do with a Lightning Lane selection.
a) Lightning Lane: Multi Pass
Lightning Lane Multi Pass in Magic Kingdom costs an average of $28 (£21) a day per person. This fluctuates daily, and Disney’s predicted crowd level affects the cost. If you use rope drop to ride tier one Lightning Lane rides, you will reduce the likelihood of finding it necessary to buy in Magic Kingdom. The Lightning Lane Multi Pass does however have other benefits which rope drop strategy cannot beat.
b)Lightning Lane: Single Pass for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and TRON
You can only purchase a Lightning Lane Single Pass for 2 rides in Magic Kingdom: TRON and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. Using rope drop for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train or TRON will save you an average of $12 – $15 per person. That works out at a £10 saving per person which pays for a quick service meal for lunch!
c) Use it with other strategies
You can use rope drop strategy for free and combine it with other strategies to beat queue times to help maximise your day and save money. You can rope drop and enjoy an early couple of hours in the park, then have Lightning Lanes booked for the busier hours thanks to the new advanced planning options. Being able to hold 3 Lightning Lane passes at any one time, means you can use rope drop to ride a favourite ride and a Lightning Lane to ride it a second time in the day with the advantage of reduced queue times again.
7: Beats the heat
Rope dropping Magic Kingdom is one of the best strategies to beat the heat. Temperatures are cooler in the morning, so no matter what you are looking to get out of your Magic Kingdom day, when it’s hot rope dropping gives you the best chance of a magical day. Queueing for any amount of time in the heat is no fun. If you are looking for more tips to Beat the Spring and Summer Heat head here.
8: Makes jet lag magical
There is nothing worse than jet lag, but you can turn that problem to your advantage with rope drop strategy. When everyone else is struggling to get up but your body is wide awake thanks to jet lag, rope drop Magic Kingdom. It takes effort to rope drop this park, but if you’re already awake thanks to a Trans-Atlantic time difference when flying in from the UK, use it to get your holiday off to the best start.
There is nothing better than walking into Magic Kingdom on the first day of your holiday to low crowds and the view of the castle. You also won’t feel as tired as trying to rope drop later in your holiday, so make the most the time it takes to adjust to US time and have fun.
9: Better photos
Photo spots are less crowded first thing in the morning, as most people who rope drop do so to get into a ride queue. You can use this time to capture photos from around Magic Kingdom that don’t feature large groups of people in the background. This is perfect if you enjoy Disney Bounding and want to capture your looks.
Photo spots like the wishing well near Cinderella Castle will also be quiet. A picture of Main Street USA looking to Cinderella Castle from the Walt Disney World Railroad, after the initial rope fall footfall disperses, is a magical morning shot to capture and cherish as a holiday memory.
10: Smaller queues for top character interactions
If you are keen for character meet and greets, morning is a great time to visit. Mickey Mouse at Town Square Theater gets queue times of nearly an hour later in the day, so he is the perfect character experience to rope drop. Plus, you get to ask him for any recommendations to make your day in his park even more magical!
Be aware that only the fixed character meet and greets open at rope drop, and not all of them do. The following popular character meet and greets offer rope drop experiences:
- Meet Mickey at Town Square Theater from 9am
- Meet Cinderella and a visiting princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
- Meet Tiana and a visiting princess at Princess Fairytale Hall
Meeting Daring Pals in Storybook Circus, or Ariel in her grotto is not available until about an hour after opening.
The advantage of a character meet and greets at rope drop is that you are more likely to be picture perfect, particularly if you are looking to capture a moment with young children.
11: Eat in quieter quick service locations
When you rope drop Magic Kingdom, lunch time inevitably ends up being earlier thanks to the early start. 11am is the perfect time to head into a quick service location and enjoy the best seat in the house. It’s easier to get a table watching ‘it’s a small world’ go by in Pinocchio Village Haus at quiet times, and it’s a more enjoyable experience too.
All of the quick service locations provide a better dining experience away from the peak meal times. Rope drop has often meant a very early start and if you are busy getting in as many ride experiences as you can with lower crowds breakfast has probably been an on the go snack. By 11am, tummy rumbling after a busy morning, and with crowd levels visibly beginning to increase, you tend to find yourself thinking about lunch. This is the best time to head into a quick service outlet and grab a bite. You might find you even get the best seat in the house as other guests are only just entering the park for their day.
In Pinocchio Village Haus it’s easier to get a table watching ‘it’s a small world’ go by and in Columbia Harbour House you can enjoy a relaxed experience with delicious food upstairs away from the hustle and bustle of the park.
12: Peaceful in the park
Rope drop is a quieter time in the park. For guests looking to take in hidden mickeys, to experience the intricate details Imagineers put into the theming of the areas, and to snap pictures without crowds this is the time of day for you. People watching with a coffee or a cup of tea from Starbucks is great at this time of day as you watch everyone eagerly entering the park.
The cons of rope drop at Magic Kingdom
Rope dropping Magic Kingdom needs an alarm clock, a strategy, and some determination. They are not necessarily things you want to have to do on a Disney holiday from the UK, meaning that rope drop has some big cons to consider.
1: Earlier start than rope dropping any other park
Rope dropping Magic Kingdom requires an earlier start than rope dropping any other park in Disney World. The only time this is not true is for resort guests who use the bus to get into Magic Kingdom. For guests travelling in by car, they have to allow at least 45 minutes to get to Magic Kingdom from the time they park their car. You will also likely find yourself in a queue first thing in the morning at Magic Kingdom, so you need to arrive earlier than park opening to enjoy the benefits of rope drop. This means you will need to allow 45 minutes to get to Magic Kingdom, as well as a further 45 minutes to wait outside before opening time if you want to maximise your rope drop strategy.
Adding an extra 1 hour and 30 minutes to the opening time, just to get the benefits of rope drop is a big task when you are on holiday. It also means a pretty early alarm clock depending on how far away your accommodation is from Disney’s Magic Kingdom. Most people wanting to rope drop Magic Kingdom have a 5am start! That’s a big con for lots of people on holiday, particularly when you may enjoy watching evening shows and you don’t get back to resorts until after 11pm.
2: Trading time in one queue for time in a different queue
You are trading time in queues. When you rope drop Magic Kingdom you often queue before entering the park to get to the rides with shorter queue times.
Often, guests are permitted into Main Street USA during the hour before opening, but this is at Disney’s discretion. It’s a way for Disney to reduce the queues that form outside. However, this still results in people queueing and congregating near the pathway towards the land they are heading for. You will often find large groups and queues forming in front of the castle to head to Fantasyland.
So, although your time in one static queue is reducing, the time you spend in queues in different places will begin to add up. Guests who rope drop Magic Kingdom are trading spending their time in one ride queue for time in several shorter different queues.
3: More room for miscalculating time to get in
There are more variables affecting your rope drop strategy at Magic Kingdom. This means there is an increase in probability that you might miss rope drop and your strategy will become less effective the later you are arriving at the park. From the longer journey to the park by monorail or ferry boat, to parking up in a car park with over 12,000 spaces, getting into Magic Kingdom is time consuming.
Waiting for the tram in the car park or just missing the monorail or ferry boat, it all adds more time on to a lengthy entrance process that is unique to Magic Kingdom. There is nothing more frustrating than being able to see the towers of Cinderella Castle in the distance and watching the ferry boat leave without you on it when you plan on rope dropping. If you don’t leave time, those extra minutes add up and you miss it.
Being stopped at security, then missing the boat, then not being able to scan into the park and your time has vanished. Yes, this does also happen to guests, and it is how we missed our first attempt at rope dropping Magic Kingdom.
4: Power walking crowds
Welcoming rope droppers into the park is like watching a stampede of power walkers. Most people surge in the direction of Fantasyland or Tomorrowland to make the most of rope drop, and this can be an overwhelming experience. The Black Friday mentality hits for many people waiting and your Disney rope drop experience ends up giving you flashbacks.
The whole experience of being part of a big surge of rope droppers is unpleasant. We have found this to be the case on days where it is expected to be busy, like Christmas Eve and Good Friday.
5: Distractions
Being let into Main Street USA a little earlier to wait is exciting as the shops and drinks vendors are open. Deciding to not join the queues forming near the staff standing in front of entrances to the lands of Tomorrowland, Fantasyland and Frontierland is a great idea. Rope drop is meant to reduce your time in crowds after all.
The only problem with this strategy is that you can get distracted by the merch and miss the opening altogether. There is nothing worse than standing there and realising you put in all that effort, got to the park, and then a Mickey shaped confectionary distracted you. You miss the opening by 5 minutes. Although the wait times will still be lower, it will not be what you thought it would be pre-distraction. Plus you have the added frustration in yourself which momentarily steals from your magical rope drop experience and the pride you have in achieving it. Don’t let it; we all get distracted, especially by Mickey food.
6: Tired
Rope dropping involves a very early Disney World morning alarm. This can leave you feeling worn out and tired pretty fast, particularly if you like enjoying the night time shows. Heading to rope drop at Magic Kingdom feeling tired is hard, and if your legs ache from days of walking, your feet are sore, and you are a coffee fuelled adult, rope drop is not a great experience.
If you have tired children, the rope drop experience can also quickly become trying at Magic Kingdom with the extra travel and steps. It’s one to avoid if you are feeling tired.
7: The queue is not starting at 0 for the most popular rides
The popular rides will already have a queue at the time of rope drop. This includes TRON and Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, 2 of the most popular rides with stand by lines. This is because Early Entry guests will have been in the park for half an hour before rope drop. They are able to join the queue lines for the popular rides open to them in Fantasyland and Tomorrowland. Queue times for these rides will quickly pick up within the first 10 minutes of rope drop, so there is no room for error. Also, you will not be first on the ride. If you want that experience you need to head to a different Magic Kingdom land.
8: You cannot use rope drop to ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Tiana’s Bayou Adventure is not available to rope drop so if you are thinking it might be worth it to get on that ride, it isn’t. Currently, the only way to ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure using a standby line is to have a ticket for Mickey’s Not So Scary Halloween Party. During party hours, guests have been able to ride without using virtual queues or Lightning Lane Single Pass.
9: Rope drop crowd levels happen at other times of the day
The point of rope drop strategy is to experience your favourite attractions with a lower wait time for free. You don’t need to use rope drop to find lower queue times as it happens at other times of the day too. If you are looking for a free strategy to beat the queues, with out the early wake-up call, consider these times:
- After the shows in the evening, queue times drop lower than they do during rope drop.
- If the rain starts falling, queue times for outdoor attractions including Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Jungle Cruise drop. In the unusual instance of a persistent wet morning or afternoon, these rides will have low wait times. If you don’t mind getting wet, wait times are low, just like at rope drop.
- Instead of a night time show, ride the popular attractions. Wait times drop the closer it gets to showtime. Joining a queue then is a great way to beat the queues without using rope drop strategy.
Is it worth rope dropping Magic Kingdom in 2024?
Now we know the pros and cons of rope dropping Magic Kingdom, you can work out the guests who may find it worthwhile. Let’s take a look at some guest scenarios to see whether rope drop is worthwhile in Magic Kingdom.
Resort Guests
Resort guests have the option to use Early Entry, which may provide a more effective strategy to beat the queue lines. This does mean that you will already be in the park at the time of rope drop so can continue to use this hour to make the most of lower wait times.
If you are a resort guest who is heading in for rope drop because you fancied an extra hour in bed, our advice would be to use the bus to get to Magic Kingdom. It will save time. Rope drop will have wait time perks, but they will not be as good as early entry. Rope drop is not really worthwhile if you’re a resort guest. Head in for Early Entry instead even if you don’t head in for the time it begins and consider rope drop a continuation of the early entry perk. Although crowd levels go up once rope drop happens.
Guests on a budget
If you’re budget conscious, this is the free strategy that will cut your wait time. Make use of it, along with heading to the parks at other quieter times to enjoy lower wait times. You will find it helps in reducing the need for lightning lanes, as you can get more done. Rope drop will be worthwhile for you at Magic Kingdom.
Guests wanting to avoid the heat
When the Spring and Summer temperatures are high rope drop will make your queueing and park experiences better. By 11am temperatures can feel overwhelming and standing in crowds, particularly outside queue lines like the one for Jungle Cruise or Big Thunder Mountain are not great places to be. Rope dropping Magic Kingdom on these days benefits all guests.
Large groups
Rope drop can be difficult to arrange for Magic Kingdom if there is a large group of you. Not everyone may want to experience the 5am wake-up call, and it can be hard to arrange successful meet-ups if everyone is not travelling from the same place at the same time. Rope dropping can mean splitting up your group so everyone can have the Disney experience they want. This is a perfect example of how rope drop strategy boils down to personal choice and having the Disney experience you want.
Multi-generational groups
Rope drop is tricky to navigate with multi-generational groups and just like with larger groups, you may find it necessary to leave people behind. If you are a multi-generational group staying offsite this can add time and cost to your day if you plan to do things later on together.
If you share a hire car, guests away from Magic Kingdom will need to find alternative options to meet-up at your next experience. The time it may take to go back, or the cost of getting taxis, may well outweigh the use of the strategy to save queue time and money.
Disney Adults
If you are a couple, or a group if Disney Adults there are other ways to beat the queue times aside from rope drop. Riding during the last hour of park opening may be more advantageous for you. The rope drop experience although worthwhile as an experience at Magic Kingdom, is not a worthwhile and essential queue strategy.
Guests looking for quieter experiences
Go ten minutes after rope drop time if you’re looking for a quiet time in the park without the ready set go mentality of people looking to beat the queue times on a budget. If you just want to enjoy a quiet park and don’t want to ride the popular rides, a little after rope drop time, works well.
Are you really saving time?
It’s just a better queueing experience with less time in one place and more movement and excitement. If you rope drop Magic Kingdom by waiting outside or in Main Street USA for an hour you are essentially having a wander before you can ride in a very nice Disney themed waiting area. You can look in the shops if you won’t get distracted and you can enjoy a coffee with a view, but you are waiting.
Is it a worthwhile experience, yes. As a strategy for Magic Kingdom in 2024, we don’t think it is essential to beat the queues.
The verdict
The pros and cons are equal, so it comes down to what you want to achieve from a visit to Magic Kingdom. As a Magic Kingdom experience, it’s a must do. As a queue line strategy, there are other options which will beat queue times in a similar way. Rope dropping comes down to the experience you are looking to have in Magic Kingdom, the people in your party and whether you’re a morning person.
We always recommend trying rope drop and we can confirm that the strategy does work to save queueing time and lightning lane costs. Some mornings, we have found it more successful than others, but it is a successful strategy 9/10 times.
