Disneyland Rope Drop Strategy and Guide

Rope Drop is a Disney Parks tradition that is done by guests at all 12 Disney Parks around the world everyday. I think it’s one of the best ways to get ahead of long lines at popular attractions, and it’s something I do on most of my visits to the Disney Parks. But what is it? Why do so many Disney aficionados swear by rope drop? And most importantly, if you’re a Disney newbie, what do you have to do to rope drop successfully? Well that’s what this Disneyland rope drop strategy and guide will answer.

Hopefully by following this guide, you’ll be more equipped to rope drop Disneyland like a pro. Just remember though that no one can guarantee that any part of your Disneyland day will go off without a hitch. Rides may close, weather may get in the way, and many other unknown factors may come into play. That’s why the best kind of plan is to have good planning. Thinking on my feet has saved me time and again at Disneyland, so while I can give you as many tips as I can, sometimes unexpected things happen that you just have to deal with and adjust to. But don’t worry as no matter what happens, I’m sure you’ll still have a memorable day.

That being said, I hope this guide tells you everything you need to know. Let’s get right to it!

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What is Rope Drop?

The phrase “Rope Drop” generally refers to three things: (1) the first 2-2 ½ hours in the morning that a park is open when the lines for attractions are generally shorter than what they would be later in the day, (2) the event when the rope holding guests back from accessing the park is literally dropped at park opening, and (3) when guests arrive at a park before it opens to get a good spot for when the rope drops.

Combining all three, Rope Drop is when guests arrive early, typically before opening, to take advantage of lower wait times in the morning in order to hit as many attractions as possible with minimal wait. During rope drop, guests will bounce from ride to ride before the main crowds arrive and wait times get longer.

Disneyland Rope Drop Times

Disneyland’s Rope Drop time usually starts at 8am and lasts till 10-10:30am depending on when the crowds arrive for the day. Generally, wait times for attractions will remain low until about 2 – 2 ½ hours after the park opens.

Arrive Early! Arrive Early! Arrive Early!

It goes without saying but the best way to maximize your time during rope drop is to arrive early. I would suggest arriving at security on Harbor Boulevard or at the Mickey and Friends parking structure an hour and 15 minutes before opening so that you can be at the gates of the parks 1 hour before opening time. It’s absolutely crucial to be at the front of the pack for rope drop if you want to be able to knock out as many rides as possible.

You might be wondering why this is crucial. I mean everyone is probably going to the same attraction as you. What will having a couple of people ahead of you in line do? Well to put it simply, the sooner you get on an attraction, the sooner you can get off of it and start making your way to your second attraction. Then it snowballs and next thing you know you’ve done 6-8 attractions by the time rope drop is over. Being early decompresses your day and, while rope drop may be a chaotic way to start your morning, it ensures that the rest of your day is more easy and less stressful.

Rope Drop and Lightning Lane

In general, I wouldn’t recommend booking and using Lightning Lanes during rope drop. Most lines will be short in the morning so you wouldn’t be saving a lot of time by skipping already short queues. I would still purchase Lightning Lane Multi Pass and book your first lightning lane at the beginning of the day, and then modify it so that its return time gets pushed back until its past rope drop time. This ensures that you’re using Lightning Lanes when lines are at their worst. For more info on Disneyland Lightning Lanes, click here.

Rope Drop Disneyland Specifics

Unlike in my DCA Rope Drop strategy, I highly discourage you from criss-crossing the park during rope drop. Disneyland is so attraction dense compared to DCA. DCA’s heavy hitters are scattered sparsely around the park. This means that you have no choice but to criss-cross the park.

At Disneyland, however, you’ll be more efficient if you tackle a single land or two during rope drop and ride all the rides available in that area. The less time you spend walking from ride to ride, the more you can do during rope drop. If you’re successful, you’ll do anywhere from 6-8 rides in 2 ½ hours.

As for what rides to rope drop, in my opinion there’s only one ride you shouldn’t rope drop. I have mentioned this in the itineraries, and I will shout it from the rooftops if I have to, but I HIGHLY discourage you from rope dropping Rise of the Resistance. It’s where 75% of the crowds are going to go in the morning and you have a 50-50 chance that the ride isn’t operating at the beginning of the day. It’s too big of a gamble and, by the time you get there and realize that it’s closed, it is possible you would’ve wasted valuable park time.

Instead, I would highly recommend rope dropping either Indiana Jones or Space Mountain. Indiana Jones and Space Mountain are usually open to start the day, and they usually get wait times of an hour or longer later in the day. I would pick Indiana Jones over Space Mountain, though, unless Space Mountain is that important to you, mostly because Indiana Jones is near other attractions that should be high on your rope drop priority list.

Attractions like Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain, Pirates of the Caribbean, and Tiana’s Bayou Adventure are all great attractions to do during Rope Drop. If you go with Space Mountain you would only really be near Matterhorn Bobsleds and Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. You have a lot more options and flexibility if you rope drop Indiana Jones, so definitely consider going that way.

Also, I know a lot of websites, podcasts, and vlogs will recommend you don’t rope drop Peter Pan. I semi-agree, but only to an extent. If you can be sure you’re one of the first 30 people on the ride (meaning you’re at the front of the crowd during rope drop, then by all means go rope drop it. If you’re not that close to the front, however, then I would recommend heading to Space Mountain or Indiana Jones unless your family really wants to do Fantasyland.

Fantasyland is actually a great area to rope drop. I once rope dropped Fantasyland and got 9 rides in by 10am. That was made up entirely of rides in Fantasyland. Fantasyland is the most attraction dense area of the resort, so you could potentially knock out a couple of the rides here in the morning in quick succession if these rides are on your priorities list. Again, rule of thumb is if you’re in front of the crowds, then rope dropping Peter Pan is fine. If not, head elsewhere.

Remember, there is a chance that some rides will be closed to start the day. To prevent being frazzled by this, always have a backup plan. I remember when I went to Magic Kingdom for the first time, our first, second, third, and fourth options were all closed to start the day. But we pivoted and adjusted well so we still ended up doing all of them anyway! Have good planning folks. This Disneyland rope drop strategy can only help so much.

Disneyland Rope Drop Strategy Option 1: Indiana Jones Adventure

Start your day by arriving early. Be at security (wherever you choose to do security) by 6:45am. That way you’re at the gates by 7:15am and are in by 7:35am. Once you’re in, head on over to the entrance to Adventureland. You should be at the front of the rope if you do this successfully, or at the most a few people behind the groups at the front of the rope.

When the rope drops, make your way briskly towards Indiana Jones. You should be at the front of the crowd if you do this successfully. A cast member will then lead you slowly towards the loading station. You should be done with this attraction by 8:15am.

Once you’re done with this ride, make your way over to the Jungle Cruise. The Jungle Cruise entrance is right beside the Indiana Jones entrance, so you should be on the ride at this point by 8:20am. You might even luck out and get a whole boat to yourselves if there’s no one else in line at that point.

Next head to Frontierland and go on Big Thunder Mountain. It’ll take you maybe 2-5 minutes to get to Big Thunder from the Jungle Cruise. The line should still be empty at this point and you should be off the ride by 8:40am. This one gets a long queue later in the day, so it’s best to do it now when lines are at their shortest.

After Big Thunder Mountain, follow the curve of the Rivers of America to get to the Haunted Mansion! This is my favorite attraction at Disneyland, and it also gets waits of upwards of 45 minutes during the day, so doing it now will save you lots of time later. You should be off this ride by 9:05am.

Now I’m going to recommend you ride Tiana’s Bayou Adventure now, especially if you’re visiting in the summer. Lines for this ride will push 100 minutes in the summer because people want to escape the heat. Doing it now while everyone is preoccupied with other rides might be best, but also you’re more than free to skip it and ride it later in the day if you don’t want to be wet so early in the morning. You should be off the ride by 9:30am.

Once you’re done with Tiana’s, head on over to Pirates of the Caribbean. This is a lengthy ride, with the whole experience taking about 21 minutes. I would recommend saving this ride for the end of rope drop so that you can maximize your rope drop time. You should be off the ride at 10:05am.

Finally, head to Fantasyland and try to do Matterhorn Bobsleds. If the regular line is long, consider doing Single Rider. If the line is too long for you, you can always ride another Fantasyland ride like Alice in Wonderland or Mr Toad’s Wild Ride. This is what I mean by being flexible and adjusting to the situation at hand.

And there you have it! You did 6-8 rides, depending which ones you chose to do, with the help of this Disneyland rope drop strategy. You’ve done Disney like a pro! But let’s say you want to start with Space Mountain. What would your rope drop look like? Well I’ve got you covered below!

Disneyland Rope Drop Strategy Option 2: Space Mountain

Just like the previous strategy, be at the park early so you can be at the Tomorrowland rope by 7:35am. The closer you are to the rope, the better. After the rope drops, walk briskly to Space Mountain. A cast member will slowly walk you to the front of the attraction. You should be off the attraction by 8:20am.

Once that’s done, make your way over to the Matterhorn Bobsleds. The line for this ride shouldn’t be too long as most people don’t normally prioritize it during rope drop. You should be off the ride by 8:45am.

Afterwards, head over to Toontown to go on Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. This ride usually gets a long line later in the day, so it would be best to do it in the morning. It’s also quite a lengthy experience due to the queue and pre-show. You’ll be off this ride by 9:15am.

Head to nearby Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin and finish off Toontown. This is a ride with one of the lowest hourly capacities of any Disneyland ride, so doing it early if it’s a priority for you is a must. You should be off the ride by 9:30am.

After this I recommend doing some of the Fantasyland dark rides. Start with Alice in Wonderland and then slowly make your way to Mr. Toad, Snow White, and Pinocchio. You could also ride It’s a Small World at this time. This should close out your Disneyland rope drop strategy and would have you riding anywhere from 5-9 rides depending on how many Fantasyland rides you’re able to tackle.

Disneyland Rope Drop Strategy Option 3: Peter Pan

If you’re lucky enough to be at the front of the queue for Fantasyland, then I would recommend you head to Peter Pan’s Flight first. Once the rope drops, head there as fast as you can. If you time it right and are one of the first people there, you should be off the ride by 8:15am.

Then, it’s time to do the other Fantasyland Dark Rides. Start with Alice in Wonderland, then go to Mr. Toad, Snow White, and Pinocchio. You can hit these rides in quick succession if you’re lucky with minimal to no wait. You should be done with these 4 rides by 9:05am.

Next, you’re going to want to do the Matterhorn Bobsleds. The line may be a bit long at this point, but if it’s less than 30 minutes I highly recommend riding it already. You should be off the ride by 9:30am.

Then, head into Toontown and get on Roger Rabbit’s Car Toon Spin. This ride balloons in wait time sooner than Runaway Railway, so do that as soon as you can. You should be off the ride by 9:55am.

Your last destination on this Disneyland Rope Drop Strategy is going to be Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Go there immediately after Roger Rabbit. You should be off the ride and done with Rope Drop by 10:35am. This should close out your Disneyland rope drop strategy and would have you riding anywhere from 5-8 rides depending on how many of the Fantasyland dark rides you’re able to ride.

Disneyland Rope Drop Strategy and Guide Conclusion

I hope you learned a lot about rope drop, how it works, and how to tackle it best at Disneyland. If you have any questions, feel free to contact me on my socials!

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