When do you enter park?

[ludari]

When I go to the parks I like to arrive at least 30/45 minutes before the park opens. That allows me time to park, get inside the park, and wait for rope drop.

 

[wenrob]

We're not the type to ride the same rides over and over so getting to the parks around opening or very shortly after works for us. If DLR has MM we start in DCA. If DCA has EMH we start in Disneyland. We usually have 4.5 days in the parks so plenty of time to get in what we want. I've done the 30-45 mins before rope drop thing only to realize I was waiting in line so I didn't have to wait in line. Makes for cranky kids and never made much of a difference when it comes to the way we do the parks.

 

[Jedi Mouse]

We used to get there 30-45 min before opening, now we get there a few minutes after. We found that standing in line before rope drop didn't actually save us much waiting (especially when you factor in the time spent waiting outside the park) and that extra hour of sleep was worth it.

 

[GeneralTso]

We aren't rope drop people, but we will in July so we can ride Galaxy.
We typically wait for the initial wave to get through. We're on vacation so getting up and out the door at 6 or 7 has zero appeal. We have some coffee, relax and then head out.

 

[Diszona]

One thing I will add is to factor in how many days you are there and how familiar you are with the parks. If it is your first visit or if you have only been a few times and still aren't familiar with the park then going early to give some extra time can be a huge benefit. Also if you are only there for one or two days and want to maximize your park time getting as much done as you can early can take off some of the stress of trying to get as much in with a limited amount of time.

 

[are you ready]

We leave our hotel pph an hour before park opening which depending on bag check gets us there about 15-30min before rope drop sometimes ore sometimes less. However our home time zone is 2 hours earlier then CA so usually the kids have been up and ready for a while by then.

 

[tarheelalum]

We get there about 15 minutes before the gates open. In the past we would get there 45 minutes before the gates opened but that extra time only put us ahead a few seconds of the people who got there 15 minutes early. Also it is very difficult to get my family up early and ready to go. Plus we have to go to Starbucks for caffeine in the morning before we get to the parks and that can be time consuming. So even getting there 15 minutes before the gates open can be challenging in my family. I see people with a bunch of little kids and wonder how they got there so early. They must wake up a 1 am.

 

[chickapin parterre]

Peter pan is the purposeful plan of that morning entry, at the gates at 45 mins before opening, into the gates 30 mins before rope drop, touching that rope for 30 mins....for I am not into any offerings of mirth on Main street, though was once tempted to give up my spot for a candy cane wrist band....nah, Peter Pan has few calories.

 

[Winnowill]

Peter pan is the purposeful plan of that morning entry, at the gates at 45 mins before opening, into the gates 30 mins before rope drop, touching that rope for 30 mins....for I am not into any offerings of mirth on Main street, though was once tempted to give up my spot for a candy cane wrist band....nah, Peter Pan has few calories.

If we're planning on riding PP, we always do the power rope drop. We usually only do it once a trip, sadly.

 

[luulu1999]

We usually try to get there at least 30 mins early aso, you will be amazed at how much you can get done in the mornings!!!

 

[WonkaKid]

All of these strategies have their advantages/disadvantages. Personally, I like to be at the front of rope drop so I can make PP. It's a fun, very Disney ride but I won't wait more than 20 minutes for it -- which almost always means ride it at rope drop or not at all. It's also cool to then be able to run to several other rides before the lines are too long. I hit Mr. Toad immediately after PP and sometimes there's no line at all. One time within the last two months I was first on both PP and Mr. Toad! Then I'll do Alice, Dumbo, Snow White and Pinocchio. I find it stimulating and a lot of fun to be able to hit so many rides in such little time . It's not just about being efficient, it's hitting six rides in 25 minutes. Feels like I have the run of the park . The only other time I've experience that was on a rainy day at DL Tokyo. After exiting Big Thunder at around 9:15 p.m., the park was virtually empty and I could run from ride-to-ride. I hit Pirates at about 9:59 and 45 seconds, a mere 15 seconds before the official park closing time. Great time!

 

[Robinjay]

I arrive at the parking structure 30-45 minutes before opening and am usually at rope drop or just after. I love the first few hours of Disneyland. I feel I can do so much with fewer crowds. Arriving later for me throws my fast pass plans off and out of whack and I feel like I am just off for the day.

Nights are just rough for me as the crowds are just too much for me to handle, especially with crowds centered around parades and fantasmic.

 

[Delilah1310]

Every family is so different.
Our DS9 has always been a super early riser and ready to go the moment his eyes were open!
So for us, getting to the gate 30 minutes prior to EMM has never been a challenge, and gives us a great advantage for shorter lines and multiple rides. we had one morning where we had 6 consecutive rides on California Screamin' and another morning (without EMM) where we stayed in our log on Splash at least four cycles before they asked us to get out.

I realize this is not for everyone, but since we are already up and functioning, why not take advantage?!
The trade off is that we have NEVER closed down the park, but on days with a afternoon nap, we can go pretty late.

 

[ButterflyKisses77]

We used to get there 30-45 min before opening, now we get there a few minutes after. We found that standing in line before rope drop didn't actually save us much waiting (especially when you factor in the time spent waiting outside the park) and that extra hour of sleep was worth it.

I second this!!

 

[Winnowill]

If we're going to DCA and planning on riding GotG or RSR first thing, we're early. If we're going to DL and planning on Peter Pan first thing, we're early. But we learned on our trip last week that anything else only requires getting there by regular park opening.