Arriving to Disneyland early within the morning, earlier than park opening is important to an environment friendly day. This shares technique for beginning your day and twine drop ideas for California’s busiest theme park, together with what time to reach, which sights to prioritize, and extra. (Up to date September 15, 2024.)
Rather a lot has modified in the previous couple of years. Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway opened in Toontown, and earlier than that Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge debuted together with its two sights, Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run and Star Wars Rise of the Resistance. That modifications the rope drop dynamic, as many friends are drawn deep in Disneyland to the Star Wars stuff.
Then there are the operational modifications. The massive one is modifications to Early Entry, which is now not every day in each parks as of 2024. Extra considerably, Disneyland has changed free FastPass and paid MaxPass with Lightning Lane Multi-Cross and Single Cross (each paid). See our Information to Lightning Lanes at Disneyland & DCA for extra on how this difficult paid FastPass works.
Rope drop at Disneyland is an expertise that may be fulfilling or depressing, relying upon the way you put together for it. To start with, let’s deal with what rope drop is for the Disneyland first-timers. It’s merely when the lands and sights formally open, which is synonymous with the revealed park opening time.
Nevertheless, because the turnstiles normally admit friends earlier than park opening, Disney followers have demarcated the 2 occasions with the ‘rope drop’ time period. If it’s simpler, simply consider “rope drop” as “very first thing within the morning” at Disneyland. Along with rope drop being a time, it’s additionally a verb (“we’re rope dropping Mr. Toad’s Wild Journey”).
Rope dropping issues has unfold past the realm of Disney parks, too. We’ve been recognized to say, “we’re rope dropping In-N-Out Burger,” which is admittedly simply us banging on their door at 10:20 a.m. yelling, “WE WANTS THE DOUBLE DOUBLE!” (A joke I’m recycling from my Magic Kingdom rope drop put up because it’s truly extra related to Californians.)
Accordingly the following tips solely apply to non-Early Entry days. With that mentioned, let’s check out how rope drop performs out in Disneyland…
When it is best to depart your lodge to reach at Disneyland for rope drop is a fairly widespread query. It relies upon upon the place you’re staying. Standard knowledge is to reach an hour prematurely. I don’t disagree with this recommendation, however I’d make clear what “arrive” means–be via bag test and standing within the Esplanade (the world between Disneyland and Disney California Journey) an hour earlier than official park opening time.
If you happen to’re at a lodge instantly throughout the road, this implies leaving your lodge 75 minutes earlier than the revealed park opening time. Down the road a bit farther? Plan to depart your room 80-90 minutes early. If you happen to’re staying far off-site, driving and parking, it may imply leaving your lodge two hours prematurely.
This “arrival” level of clarification is critical, as many first-time guests don’t understand there are 2-5 factors of friction to the arrival expertise: Southern California morning rush hour visitors, strains to get into the parking construction/tons, parking tram strains, bag test strains, and turnstile strains.
Don’t underestimate the strains or congestion in any of those situations. Whereas Disneyland is way more compact than Walt Disney World, its crowd circulate infrastructure exterior the parks is noticeably worse, and this has turn into a extra pronounced downside within the final couple of years. All of those friction factors might be important and stress inducing, and also you get rid of 3 of them simply by staying at a lodge inside strolling distance.
We wish to arrive on the bag test line about 70 minutes earlier than park opening as a result of that is virtually all the time early sufficient to beat the crowds and breeze via. On busier days, in the event you arrive at bag test underneath an hour prematurely of park opening, you possibly can be ready quarter-hour at bag test. If you happen to arrive proper at park opening, you possibly can wait half-hour or extra, relying upon the season.
If you happen to’re impatient like me, the wait at bag test is excruciating. It could be quarter-hour, however it feels like 55 as you slowly creep ahead, eye the strains round you that invariably appears to be shifting quicker, and groan because the safety guard at your desk opens each single pouch and sun shades case, whereas each different desk as an alternative receives a fast once-over. I perceive that safety is essential and all that, however Disneyland’s course of is painful and inconsistent.
I’d quite arrive earlier than the hordes of different friends, breeze via shortly, and spend that very same time ready within the relative consolation of the Esplanade between Disneyland and Disney California Journey. The realm is spacious, inviting, has an excellent background music loop, and is simply flat-out a greater technique to get you in temper for beginning your morning at Disneyland.
As famous above, Early Entry is now not each day in each parks. As of late 2024, the schedule is Tuesday, Thursday and Saturday for Early Entry at Disneyland. Which means that in an ideal world, you’d go to Disneyland on Monday, Wednesday, Friday, or Sunday in the event you’re not eligible for Early Entry.
That’s as a result of Early Entry is an on-site visitor perk that permits these staying on the three Disney-owned accommodations at Disneyland Resort to enter the parks half-hour previous to park opening every morning. Because of this in the event you rope drop Disneyland on an Early Entry day, you’re behind all of these on-site friends, which isn’t best. No less than, in concept.
The excellent news in the event you can’t select your days is that Early Entry shouldn’t be included with any tickets or Good Neighbor Lodge packages, that means that solely 3 accommodations are eligible. Due to this, the pool of eligible friends is kind of small. This makes it massively advantageous for many who are eligible for Early Entry, as few others are round to benefit from it.
The flip facet of that Early Entry is minimally impactful to off-site friends, as a result of by the point Early Entry is over, most of these friends have “moved on” to trying to rope drop Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. Whereas they do have a definite benefit there, that dynamic means Early Entry has virtually zero affect to common rope drop in Fantasyland. See our Information to Early Entry at Disneyland & DCA for recommendation about profiting from this on-site perk.
For now, again to your often scheduled rope drop technique, already in progress and largely unaffected by Early Entry…
Disneyland’s turnstiles sometimes open 30-45 minutes earlier than park opening. If you happen to’re on the entrance of this line, you may get fortunate together with your ticket being scanned in even sooner than this, which actually solely issues in the event you’re shopping for Lightning Lanes. It’s not an enormous head-start, so in the event you’d quite dangle again and benefit from the Esplanade with out being in a cramped line, don’t fear.
A couple of minutes later, the turnstiles open and Disneyland begins admitting friends to Essential Avenue. The precise time relies upon upon crowds, however we’ve skilled this as early as an hour earlier than park opening, however extra generally round half-hour earlier than official park opening.
In case you are utilizing Lightning Lane Multi-Cross, you’ll wish to guide your first number of the day for House Mountain in some unspecified time in the future early on. Ideally, you’ll have an early return time and can have the ability to do House Mountain after your first wave of sights, as soon as strains begin constructing. See our 1-Day Disneyland Itinerary Utilizing Lightning Lanes for particular technique.
As soon as inside Disneyland, we take pleasure in savoring the leisurely stroll up Essential Avenue. Perusing the numerous reward retailers which might be open on Essential Avenue with out folks is a pleasant expertise. It’s additionally good to seize a cup of espresso at Starbucks from the Essential Avenue Bakery as a choose me up.
In direction of the top of Essential Avenue or close to the Central Plaza, you’ll encounter Safety and different Solid Members who received’t can help you proceed any farther into the park. Generally they’ll truly use a rope to dam the trail that can later be dropped as soon as the park formally opens. (Therefore the time period rope drop!)
As soon as that rope drops, Disneyland’s sights open, and also you’ll need to determine the place to move first. Lots of the group will head to Fantasyland, however now many friends additionally head to Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge and Tomorrowland.
There are a bunch of competing theories about how it is best to ‘zig when others zag’ and go to another land as an alternative. These are all ostensibly compelling, particularly in the event you’re a contrarian or wish to suppose you’re smarter than everybody else.
These methods are additionally all flawed. Keep on with the tried and true–head to Fantasyland. Even in the event you don’t have young children, that is the fitting method. Not solely are these timeless sights a quintessential a part of the Disneyland expertise, however a number of don’t provide Lightning Lane line-skipping entry and are simple to knock out within the morning in fast succession.
The explanation that Fantasyland is the “right” place to begin is kind of easy: the minimal completion time for each attraction in Fantasyland is considerably lower than options round Disneyland. Particularly, Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance takes endlessly from begin to end, and it typically has delayed openings.
Fantasyland darkish rides are largely old fashioned, no-nonsense sights. They’ve quick queues, no pre-show, and dump you proper out close to different attraction entrances. The minimal journey time for many Fantasyland sights is underneath 5 minutes. You possibly can simply accomplish a half-dozen Fantasyland sights, if no more, within the first hour that Disneyland is open.
Against this, the period of Indiana Jones Journey, plus strolling via the queue, boarding the attraction, and exiting is over quarter-hour. House Mountain is over 10 minutes. Haunted Mansion is over 15. And so forth. Then, when these sights dump you out, you continue to have a modest stroll to the following attraction. At most, you possibly can solely do 3-4 of those sights within the first hour that Disneyland is open.
Fantasyland is probably the most condensed land at Disneyland, and you may actually clear up by doing these quick darkish rides in fast succession earlier than the group builds. In our 1-Day Disneyland Itinerary, we cowl probably the most environment friendly order for doing these Fantasyland sights, plus the whole lot else after the morning rush.
Ideally, you’ll begin with Peter Pan’s Flight, which may have the longest line later within the day. Nevertheless, in the event you’re additional again within the pack or its line is spilling out of the indoor queue, skip it and do Snow White’s Enchanted Want, Alice in Wonderland, and different sights as an alternative. The objective right here is to journey the wave and keep forward of the crowds–that requires pondering in your toes and skipping rides as needed.
Though these Fantasyland sights by no means peak as excessive as Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance, House Mountain or Indiana Jones Journey when it comes to particular person wait occasions, the time you’ll save in mixture by beginning in Fantasyland far exceeds the time it can save you by rope dropping a distinct a part of the park.
After you’re completed in Fantasyland, you might have a few choices. One is to move again to Toontown, the place you’ll have the ability to do Disneyland’s latest journey: Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway. Along with that, you possibly can hit Roger Rabbit’s Automobile Toon Spin, and Chip ‘n’ Dale’s GADGETcoaster with low wait occasions. If you happen to’re into characters, you’ll additionally discover them again right here–additionally with quick strains.
Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway truly doesn’t have too unhealthy of waits all through the day, however there’s upside in doing all of these issues and beating the crowds to Toontown. (It may be unpleasantly crowded noon.)
Personally, I’d attempt to stretch my luck just a little additional and knock out Matterhorn “on the way in which” to Toontown. You must nonetheless have the ability to hit the entire above sights with minimal waits. After Toontown, you possibly can hit “it’s a small world” with a low wait time, too. This method is perfect, as you’re knocking out lots early within the morning.
If you happen to’re completely tired of Fantasyland darkish rides, the most effective various is Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge–however you’ve gotta be quick…and fortunate. Actually, I’m going to (as soon as once more) warn you towards doing Rise of the Resistance at rope drop. It’s high-risk (and stress), low reward.
With that mentioned, in the event you do hit Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance early (assuming no morning downtime) after which bounce to Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, you possibly can sometimes comply with up with Huge Thunder or Indiana Jones Journey, Haunted Mansion, and Pirates of the Caribbean. That’s not a foul technique to begin the day!
One other various is to begin in Tomorrowland, knocking out House Mountain first adopted by secondary sights and ending up with Matterhorn earlier than heading again to Toontown. Once more, until you’re particularly averse to Fantasyland for some motive, this simply isn’t going to avoid wasting you as a lot time.
The underside line is that Fantasyland is way and away the most effective rope drop possibility at Disneyland. There isn’t any counterintuitive ‘hack’ or secret technique right here. Each put up you learn like that is going to advocate Fantasyland first. Even with “everybody” advising this, it’s nonetheless the most effective method. Don’t overthink it or be a contrarian.
At this level, it needs to be about an hour or so after rope drop, and also you’ve in all probability been awake for at the very least a number of hours. If you happen to did begin in Fantasyland, you possibly can maintain the ‘effectivity’ practice rolling at full steam forward, it’s not a foul concept to move to Frontierland and New Orleans Sq. at this level to decompress a bit.
Each of those lands are beautiful within the morning, and also you’ll nonetheless be forward of the complete wave of the crowds in them. It’s nice to absorb their ambiance, possibly take pleasure in a morning snack, and admire the “little issues” that make Disneyland particular. These quiet moments of pure whimsy are when the magic occurs, and what retains us going again.
Planning a Southern California trip? For park admission offers, learn Suggestions for Saving Cash on Disneyland Tickets. Study on-site and off-site accommodations in our Anaheim Lodge Critiques & Rankings. For the place to eat, take a look at our Disneyland Restaurant Critiques. For distinctive concepts of issues that’ll enhance your journey, take a look at What to Pack for Disney. For complete recommendation, seek the advice of our Disneyland Trip Planning Information. Lastly, for guides past Disney, take a look at our Southern California Itineraries for day journeys to Los Angeles, Laguna Seashore, and tons of different locations!
Your Ideas
What’s your Disneyland rope drop technique? Do you comply with the tried and true Fantasyland technique, do you go for thrills in Tomorrowland, or begin someplace fully completely different? Do you wish to savor the low crowds and have a leisurely expertise later within the morning? Do you agree or disagree with our recommendation? Any questions we can assist you reply? Listening to suggestions about your experiences is each fascinating to us and useful to different readers, so please share your ideas under within the feedback!
