Hello, Clinton! Thanks for visiting the Disney Parks Moms Panel!
I have always been an early riser and I love being at the parks for rope drop. Since you will be staying at Disney’s Paradise Pier Hotel, you actually have access to
Extra Magic Hour every day of your stay which includes exclusive access to Disney California Adventure Park on Mondays, Wednesdays, Fridays, and Sundays. On Tuesdays, Thursdays, and Saturdays, you can enter Disneyland Park one hour early for Extra Magic Hour and it’s possible that the Disneyland Monorail will be running during this time. You will need your park tickets and your room key cards to enter Disneyland Park via the monorail during Extra Magic Hour. In my experience, however, there have been very few times when the monorail was actually running early in the morning, so we always find it much more efficient to walk straight to the park gates. This way, we can guarantee that we are in the right place at the right time for rope drop. I would plan on walking to the gates for Extra Magic Hour and if the Disneyland Monorail is up and running when you walk by, then feel free to hop aboard!
We like to take the Disneyland Monorail to head back to the hotel when we are ready for a mid-day break or at the end of a long day in the parks. It certainly saves us some steps on our way back to the hotel. Or, you can treat it like an attraction and make the full loop around the parks to get some great views of Matterhorn Bobsleds and Sleeping Beauty Castle. You can even look up the wait time for the Disneyland Monorail on the
Disneyland app just like you would any other attraction.
I hope this helps! I am an Extra Magic Hour fanatic, so if you want any more tips on navigating the parks early, please stop by again with your questions!
-Linda