Rope Drop Strategy for Disneyland and Disney California Adventure with Lightning Lanes and Individual Lightning Lanes

[SeanSD]

Looking for advice. We are staying at Disneyland Hotel so have EE. So no more virtual queue for Runaway Railway but it’s not open at early entry? So what’s best plan for early entry to be ready for Runaway first thing? Alternatively should we do Tomorrowland and then head to Star Wars rope drop are for ROTR and Smugglers Run and pay for Runaway ILL?
Basically ROTR and Runaway are our main goals for the day. But trying to avoid a 50 minute wait. And it’s this weekend…

 

[DLRExpert]

Looking for advice. We are stating at Disneyland Hotel so have EE. So no more virtual queue for Runaway Railway but it’s not open at early entry? So what’s best plan for early entry to be ready for Runaway first thing? Alternatively should we do Tomorrowland and then head to Star Wars rope drop are for ROTR and Smugglers Run and pay for Runaway ILL?
Basically ROTR and Runaway are our main goals for the day. But trying to avoid a 50 minute wait. And it’s this weekend…

Are you buying into Genie+ or ILL?
How important are the Fantasyland rides to you?

 

[SeanSD]

Sorry should have mentioned we will have Genie+. I don’t mind paying for ILL if I have to but was hoping with Genie+ and early entry we could get ROTR and Runaway without paying of waiting too long. Fantasyland doesn’t hold much interest for us.

 

[mdmost]

Neither is an option with early entry. You'll only be a step closer to both and ahead of the rope drop crowd. You'll fair better with Runaway than ROTR given you can be in Fantasyland and get up to ToonTown faster. ROTR you will be equidistant with the Adventureland crowd. You can go in near Big Thunder but you're still having to run to not get stuck in a long line. Frankly, the ILL is worth it IMO since you can jump on later if the ride breaks down, which it will.

 

[SeanSD]

Thank you

 

[DLRExpert]

I would not risk doing that for Rise as it tends to be down at opening. Railway has a better chance of being open.
Note: if Rise is down at opening you may want to walk by there after Railway and see if it opens when you get there.

If Fantasyland holds no/zero interest then ride Space Mountain or something else in Tomorrowland, head over to Toontown area 10-15 minutes before park opening and ride Railway. Goal is to be out of the Fantasyland Toontown area by 820am.

At 820am-10am, is when I would start with Big Thunder or the Matterhorn. Then Jungle Cruise, Pirates, Mansion, Splash.

Otherwise just enjoy the park (Fish for MEP LLs) and ride Rise and Railway when you are okay with waiting in line. More than likely the waits will be much shorter than the time shown in the app. For example a 60 minute line for Rise is probably more like 40-50 minutes for Railway a 60 minute wait is more like 45-30 minutes.

 

[justinliew]

Question that I wanted to confirm: the reason you want your first LL for 10am or later is because pre-10am the standby lines are short enough that getting a, say, 8:30am Space Mountain LL is a waste, since you can't get another Space Mountain LL? Last time I went was Fastpass/Maxpass era and so that wasn't an issue then due to the 1 per day?

 

[goofy1954]

Question that I wanted to confirm: the reason you want your first LL for 10am or later is because pre-10am the standby lines are short enough that getting a, say, 8:30am Space Mountain LL is a waste, since you can't get another Space Mountain LL? Last time I went was Fastpass/Maxpass era and so that wasn't an issue then due to the 1 per day?

I've wondered about this as well.
All the other LL attractions in Tomorrowland don't seem to have lines that early in the morning, soon we'll expect to do those standby.
I'm expecting to make our first LL for Matterhorn just after 10 a.m. Unlike some attractions where the preshow is with seeing, there's absolutely no reason to stand in that queue for more than a few minutes.

 

[DLRExpert]

I've wondered about this as well.
All the other LL attractions in Tomorrowland don't seem to have lines that early in the morning, soon we'll expect to do those standby.
I'm expecting to make our first LL for Matterhorn just after 10 a.m. Unlike some attractions where the preshow is with seeing, there's absolutely no reason to stand in that queue for more than a few minutes.

No need for Matterhorn LL either.
8am-845am: Space Mountain then Matterhorn.
Then Autopia, Buzz, Star Tours.

 

[goofy1954]

We have two seniors in our group, so as much as possible we are trying to sequence attractions in order so as to minimize walking.
We're going to try to finish Tomorrowland in its entirety first and then get a LL for Matterhorn about 10 a.m. -- if we need one -- before moving on to Toontown.

 

[DLRExpert]

We have two seniors in our group, so as much as possible we are trying to sequence attractions in order so as to minimize walking.
We're going to try to finish Tomorrowland in its entirety first and then get a LL for Matterhorn about 10 a.m. -- if we need one -- before moving on to Toontown.

Start at Matterhorn then to Space Mountain. Space Mountain will still have a short line until 830am.
The Space Mountain wait time does not change much from 8am-830am.

 

[goofy1954]

We're taking the Monorail in, so no.

 

[SeanSD]

Thanks all. We did EE, ended up doing Buzz as Space Mountain was temp closed, then lined up for Runaway and got in first group so no wait. We ended up doing everything but Rise, as 60+ wait on a Saturday and decided not to pay $50 for ILL since we have done it before but hit every other ride in park we did wanted to. Sunday at DCA with EE and Genie+ they notified us RSR wouldn’t be open early so rope dropped Web Slingers and were second couple in line. Did some Cars stuff then Toy Story without Genie. We did ILL for RSR ($15 each) as when it came up after 10:00 the wait was already 60. We did everything else we wanted to and used our Genie+ for second rides on Web and Toy Story.

 

[DLRExpert]

We're taking the Monorail in, so no.

Know that the monorail station is about the same distance from the Matterhorn as it is to Space Mountain.

Especially if you exit the Monorail near the tail. Matterhorn is probably even closer.

 

[goofy1954]

Good to know.
Sounds like Matterhorn may be closed for refurbishment during our three-day visit April 18-20, so the point may be moot.

 

[FLCA026]

What is MEP?

 

[justinliew]

What is MEP?

https://www.disboards.com/threads/how-to-fish-for-lightning-lane-experience-passes.3869584/

 

[matsterrocks]

How much time ahead are you with rope drop no EE? If park opens at 8am what time do you get to say Space Mountain vrs if you show up at the park at 8am? Sounds like you have to spend 1.5 hours in line before the park opens in order to rope drop? Can you use the busses from the Toy Story parking lot to rope drop?

 

[DLRExpert]

How much time ahead are you with rope drop no EE? If park opens at 8am what time do you get to say Space Mountain vrs if you show up at the park at 8am? Sounds like you have to spend 1.5 hours in line before the park opens in order to rope drop? Can you use the busses from the Toy Story parking lot to rope drop?

With no EE you can still make Rope Drop.
Space Mountain will usually have a wait of 20 minutes or less at Rope Drop, but if you are using LL and Fantasyland attractions are important to you then you may want to focus on the Fantasyland attractions at rope drop instead of Space Mountain (no LL on Fantasyland attractions).

Toy Story parking lot opens at 7am, maybe slightly earlier.
Your goal to make a 8am Rope Drop is to be at the main entrance by 730am-740am.

 

[matsterrocks]

With no EE you can still make Rope Drop.
Space Mountain will usually have a wait of 20 minutes or less at Roper Drop, but if you are using LL and Fantasyland attractions are important to you then you may want to focus on the Fantasyland attractions at rope drop instead of Space Mountain (no LL on Fantasyland attractions).

Toy Story parking lot opens at 7am, maybe slightly earlier.
Your goal to make a 8am Rope Drop is to be at the main entrance by 730am-740am.

So if you were to show up at the gate at 8am and skip Space Mountain you would be pretty much in the same position as being there for rope drop correct?

I hear they do security at the Toy Story Parking lot before boarding busses in the AM so what time would the first bus leave the parking lot and get you to the park at what time?

Won't have EE but what part of the park do they have access to before rope drop?