Hi Allen!
I remember the first time my husband visited Walt Disney World with my family and we were waiting at the train station at the Magic Kingdom for the park to open. On that first day, he thought I was crazy for doing rope drop, and told me he wanted to sleep in the next day. Well, guess who is now all about the early mornings at Disney?
The best answer would depend a little bit on when your trip is scheduled. If you will be visiting next week, the most popular time of the year to visit, you may want to add a few extra minutes to this plan. Also, you mention being “at the front of the line for rope drop.” Being the very first, at the front of the line, can be a bit more challenging and while I cannot guarantee you will be FIRST, I can give you some tips for getting to the parks for rope drop.
For the Magic Kingdom I always plan to leave my resort room one hour before park opening and use Disney bus transportation. Typically resort buses begin 45 minutes before park opening, but sometimes they do arrive earlier. You can now use
My Disney Experience Mobile App to check bus times from your resort! If you are going to drive, I would still leave an hour in advance, leaving time to take the Monorail or ferry to the park entrance. I recommend always taking the bus to the Magic Kingdom because of this issue.
For Epcot, taking the bus one hour before is also recommended. If driving, I would leave 45 minutes before park opening.
If you’ll be heading for
Avatar Flight of Passage at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park, I recommend driving, and leaving your hotel 1 hour and 15 minutes before park opening, to arrive before resort Guests using the bus system. If you won’t be heading to Avatar Flight of Passage, and just want to enjoy the rest of the park, taking the bus an hour in advance should be fine.
For Disney’s Hollywood Studios, you should anticipate large crowds, due to the popularity of
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. I would not recommend the bus, and I would drive, leaving your hotel 1 hour and 15 minutes before park opening. The all-important
Boarding Group needed to access Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance will not be distributed until official park opening time, but you’ll need to be inside the park to be able to sign up for one.
I hope this helps you make your plan for each day, Allen. I love the excitement of rope drop. May the Force be with you!
- Kate