We are HUGE rope-drop fans in Disney World, but, believe me, we’ve messed up BIG TIME!

Making sure you do EVERYTHING you want while on vacation at Disney World is no easy feat even with tools like Genie+ and lightning lanes to help you out. That’s why it’s so important to use all the best tricks to your advantage!

If you’re planning to rope-drop (e.g. be one of the first people in the parks — literally named because the Cast Members hold ropes over the entrances to the lands) Magic Kingdom before the park officially opens, you can LEARN FROM OUR MISTAKES and really maximize your time!

You’re so eager to get to Magic Kingdom after planning the best vacation yet, only to have that excitement take over your best intentions. The next thing you know all of your preplanning, well-timed advice you’ve heeded, and good ole fashion street smarts have gone by the wayside and you’re blinded by the light hitting Cinderella Castle. Sound familiar? Heed our mistakes and make sure you’re prepared for rope drop at Magic Kingdom so you don’t repeat any of these!

We’ve rounded up our BEST tips to help you not only get through rope drop but sail right through as easily as possible!

Be Aware Of Your TOTAL Travel Time

Parking at Magic Kingdom’s parking lot is a bit of a journey. While its distance from the entrance of the park adds to the atmosphere, it can definitely be a hassle and a time sink.

Make sure you’ve calculated your rope-drop with plenty of time to spare to get through the toll plaza to enter the parking lot, park your car, take the tram to the front of the TTC (or possibly wait a bit on it because it may be making rounds when you walk up), pass through security (assuming you’ve not alerted the metal detectors with your bag), and then walk to either the Ferryboat or Monorail.

Once you’ve gotten to the transportation there’s a short ride over to the front of the park where you’ll be greeted by the Cast Members scanning folks in for the day. This is all the more reason why Disney highly recommends allowing at least 1 1/2 hours when traveling within Disney World property — because sometimes getting from point A to point B is a process.

Choosing The Right Strategy

Your very first instinct when rope-dropping is to head straight for one of the most popular rides or attractions in the park… and if that’s what you want to use your rope drop time for, we say go for it! But allow us to challenge your thinking on that a bit.

If that ride wait time is the highest of all the other rides in the parks at that moment, it might not be the best use of your time. How many other rides do you think you could get knocked out while you would be waiting to ride that one ride? At least a few popular rides, probably — and there are a LOT of popular rides in Magic Kingdom whose wait times will grow throughout the day.

We’ve used strategies like grabbing a Lightning Lane for the uber-popular Seven Dwarfs Mine Train for later in the day, and using that morning timeframe to knock out multiple rides — and sometimes even whole lands like Tomorrowland, Frontierland, and Adventureland — before the park really starts filling up. So weigh your options and plan for what matters most to you!

Let’s Talk About Early Entry

If you’re staying at a Disney World hotel, you could get into the park BEFORE the official rope-drop entry. Yes, like beyond the holding area in the hub in front of Cinderella Castle.

If you’re able to take advantage of this extra 30 Early Entry minutes before the park officially opens, there’s an even better chance that you could knock out a few extra rides. But here’s where the MISTAKE comes in: be warned this isn’t for the FULL park.

At early entry you’ll only be able to access Tomorrowland and Fantasyland. There’s PLENTY to do in each to keep you busy for 30 minutes, but just don’t bank on using this time to ride some of the other popular attractions like Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, or Haunted Mansion. Those won’t be open until the official park opening time, so don’t get your hopes dashed!

Define “Rope-Drop”

We’ve seen a lot of disappointed faces as they round through the turnstiles at the entrance of Magic Kingdom only to discover they’re not actually the first ones to enter the park (or to already be in line for that matter) RIGHT as the park is opening. This happens because Disney World parks will often sneakily open before their posted opening time!

If you want to be one of the first (or THE first) on an attraction in the morning, arrive closer to an hour prior to Magic Kingdom’s opening just in case. Yes, that means being in place on Main Street and not just getting to the parking lot.

Let’s Stop At Starbucks On The Way!

Another common mistake people make when visiting Magic Kingdom is thinking there won’t be a line in the morning at Starbucks. However, we’re here to tell you it’s just as busy here as it is at home.

If you’re used to grabbing your Starbucks early in the morning to start your day, you’ll want to arrive earlier than rope-drop to make sure you’ve had time to get through the line (BTW, it usually winds out the door and down Main Street U.S.A.)

Now to help you out, we’ve found plenty of other places to grab your morning cup of coffee and chances are they won’t be as crowded since they’re not the first coffee stop you’ll see. You’re welcome!

Be Sure You’re Actually In Line

Ok, this is one that we’ve been guilty of lots of times and not just during rope-drop, but it’s very easy to do! We’ve stood “in line” behind a group of people only to realize later that they weren’t actually in line… which means neither were you this whole time.

It’s totally fine to peer around that group to check and see if they’re moving up with the line, or look around for a Cast Member nearby that may be holding a sign for the end of the line. If you’re gregarious, you can even ask the folks if they’re actually in line! Maybe you’ll make a new friend!

Rope-drop can be an awesome way to start to your day at Magic Kingdom if you’re willing to follow a little bit of friendly advice to help it go as smoothly as possible for you. Be sure to check back with us for more Disney tips and tricks soon!

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Are you a rope-drop kind of person? What’s your favorite thing to do first? Tell us in the comments!