Green Light, GO! The Complete Guide to Disney World Rope Drop

If you’ve done any research on Walt Disney World at all, then you’ve heard the term “Rope Drop”.

You have no clue what it is, and all you know is that you have to do it. Military Disney Tips is here to help fill you in on everything you need to know about Rope Drop.

What is Rope Drop?

The term “Rope Drop” comes from back in the day, when Cast Members would hold a literal rope in front of the turnstiles to keep people from passing. People would line up ready to go, and when the park officially opened, the Cast Members would literally drop the rope to let the people in.

You may be on vacation, but you’re still getting up early at Disney! When people talk about being in the parks at Rope Drop, they are talking about being in the parks at or even before they actually open.

Wait… If the park is not “open”, how can you be in it? A little-known secret is that Walt Disney World opens the turnstiles about 30 minutes before the actual park opens. We’ve even been inside the Magic Kingdom 45 minutes before it was open!

To participate in Rope Drop fully, you’ll need to be eligible for Disney World’s Early Entry, that is, staying in a Disney-owned hotel or another on-property hotel that has Early Entry eligibility (see the list near the end of this post). Early Entry allows access to certain attractions (listed below) 30 minutes before the posted park opening time.

Why Rope Drop?

Now you’re tracking that we’re talking about getting up pretty early on vacation. Okay, more than pretty early. You see, if you are planning a Magic Kingdom day and it opens at 8:00 a.m., then that means you want to be at the Transportation and Ticket Center no later than 7:00 a.m. (or the front gate by 7:30).

Yes, you read that right. But trust us! It’s totally worth it.

There are two major reasons for wanting to Rope Drop the parks that are worth setting an alarm clock while on vacation.

1. Picture Time

Everybody wants the best pictures in Disney World, especially the ones in front of the castle, but there are always people in them! Let’s face it, in a park that welcomes over 50,000 people a day, you are going to struggle to be the only people in a picture anywhere in Walt Disney World!

After you go through the turnstiles to get into the park before rope drop, you have time to take all the pictures! There are very few people milling around in the parks this time of day, and you have great access to every angle of the castle. Take advantage!

Plus, in our experience, once the day gets going, we’re too busy having fun that we completely forget to take pictures at all.

Another thought is that the morning is a great time to get all of those photos in before you ride all the rides and sweat to death.

2. Rides, Rides, Rides, and More Rides!

Genie+ is not a guaranteed way to ride more rides, but Rope Drop is always a sure bet to ride a lot in a short period of time.

Most of the crowds arrive in the parks between 10:00 – 11:00, so those first couple of hours are some of the shortest lines all day. We like to call the 2 hours before the crowds arrive “Rope Drop Hours”. Unless you are going after one of the super popular rides like Slinky Dog Dash, Rise of Resistance, or Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, you can easily go on 3-5 attractions in 2 hours!

Things to Avoid During “Rope Drop Hours”

Avoid the super popular rides

• Avatar Flight of Passage
• Rise of the Resistance
• Slinky Dog Dash
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Save shows until the afternoon

Stage shows and attraction shows are a huge time suck, so while we love them, we are trying to maximize our Rope Drop Hours. Save things like Carousel of Progress and Beauty and the Beast Live on Stage for the hot afternoon when both the crowds and the sun are high. They make a great break from the heat.

Don’t have a particular order

If you are someone who loves to plan, then you have probably already mapped out your day. Planning a Disney World vacation is perfect for a person like you, except during the Rope Drop Hours.

These 2 hours are the time to fly by the seat of your pants and go where the times are low. My Disney Experience is your best friend.

Eating?

Have you not read the part where we said this is the time of the day with the LOWEST WAIT TIMES all day? Why would you want to waste it eating? We’re all for Disney snacks, and we love a themed Disney restaurant, but during these two hours, eat a granola bar from your backpack.

If you want a breakfast/brunch, try booking it for 10:30. This gives you plenty of time to enjoy the park and then relax. Think of it as a reward for getting up so early.

How to Rope Drop

First, Rope Drop is different depending on where you stay. Those staying at Disney’s Resort Hotels, Shades of Green, and several other on-property hotels are eligible for Early Entry, which is entering the parks and being able to experience the parks a half hour earlier than the masses staying at chain hotels in Kissimmee.

Once the ticket touchpoints (turnstiles) open to allow guests entry (45-60 minutes before the regular scheduled opening time), Disney will let everyone with a valid ticket into the park. For example, at the Magic Kingdom, all guests will be allowed onto Main Street USA. Paths deeper into the park will be roped off.

Main Street’s larger shops, such as the Emporium, will be open. The Main Street Bakery (Starbucks) will also be open for coffee and breakfast items.

Those with Early Entry access will be directed to another line, where their eligibility will be verified. They will then be allowed a little further into the park, into 2 different queue areas (one of the bridges to Tomorrowland & the bridge to Adventureland), where they will wait for the Early Entry Rope Drop.

Those without Early Entry will remain on Main Street for another half hour until all the ropes are dropped.

Eligible guests who want to take advantage of Early Entry should arrive at the park entrance 60 minutes before official opening (that is, 30 minutes before Early Entry). Off-site guests, who aren’t eligible for Early Theme Park Entry, should arrive 30 minutes before official opening.

To learn all about Early Entry, including open attractions, eligible hotels, and more, see our Early Entry post.

Details

Here are all of the details about how getting in for Early Entry works, what’s open, and who’s eligible.

How Early Entry Works

Early Entry is handled in 2 different ways, depending on which theme park you are entering.

Magic Kingdom

All guests, both those eligible for Early Entry and those who are not, are admitted through the park entrance and onto Main Street U.S.A.

Those who are Early Entry eligible will be directed to a queue on the right side of the hub, where their qualifying identification (MagicBands, resort room keys) will be checked. After the ID check, you’ll join the mass of people waiting to either enter Tomorrowland or Fantasyland. The crowds will gather on the bridges to these lands to wait for the cast members to drop the rope across the bridge and let them in.

Only Tomorrowland and Fantasyland are open at this time.

Those not eligible will only be allowed on Main Street and the Hub in front of Cinderella Castle to shop, have breakfast, or take pictures until the official opening time (30 minutes after rope drop)

EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, & Animal Kingdom

At all the other parks, those not eligible will be queued up off to one side of the entry area.

Those who are Early Entry eligible will be allowed to enter the park. They will have access to all areas of the park.

When they go to enter an attraction’s line, their qualifying identification will be checked.

Early Entry Attractions

Magiic Kingdom

• “it’s a small world”
• Astro Orbiter
• Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin
• Dumbo the Flying Elephant
• Mad Tea Party
• Mickey’s PhilharMagic
• Peter Pan’s Flight
• Prince Charming Regal Carrousel
• Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
• Space Mountain
• The Barnstormer
• The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh
• Tomorrowland Speedway
• Tomorrowland Transit Authority PeopleMover
• Under the Sea ~ Journey of The Little Mermaid
• Walt Disney’s Carousel of Progress

EPCOT

• Frozen Ever After
• Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind
• Mission: SPACE
• Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure
• Soarin’ Around the World
• Spaceship Earth
• Test Track
• The Seas with Nemo & Friends

Hollywood Studios

• Alien Swirling Saucers
• Mickey & Minnie’s Runaway Railway
• Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
• Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith
• Slinky Dog Dash
• Star Tours — The Adventures Continue
• Star Wars – Rise of the Resistance
• Twilight Zone Tower of Terror
• Toy Story Mania!

Animal Kingdom 

• Avatar Flight of Passage
• DINOSAUR (closing permanently in early 2026)
• Expedition Everest — Legend of the Forbidden Mountain
• Na’vi River Journey

Early Entry Eligible Hotels

Disney Resorts

• Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
• Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
• Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
• Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
• Disney’s Pop Century Resort
• Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
• Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
• Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
• Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort & Gran Destino Tower
• Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
• Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Disney’s Beach Club Resort
• Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
• Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
• Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
• Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Disney’s Yacht Club Resort

DVC Resorts

• Disney’s All-Star Movies Resort
• Disney’s All-Star Music Resort
• Disney’s All-Star Sports Resort
• Disney’s Art of Animation Resort
• Disney’s Pop Century Resort
• Cabins at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
• Campsites at Disney’s Fort Wilderness Resort
• Disney’s Caribbean Beach Resort
• Disney’s Coronado Springs Resort & Gran Destino Tower
• Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – French Quarter
• Disney’s Port Orleans Resort – Riverside
• Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge
• Disney’s Beach Club Resort
• Disney’s BoardWalk Inn
• Disney’s Contemporary Resort
• Disney’s Grand Floridian Resort & Spa
• Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort
• Disney’s Wilderness Lodge
• Disney’s Yacht Club Resort

Non-Disney On-Property Hotels

• Shades of Green on Walt Disney World Resort
• Walt Disney World Dolphin Hotel
• Walt Disney World Swan Hotel
• Walt Disney World Swan Reserve
• DoubleTree Suites by Hilton Orlando
• Drury Plaza Hotel Orlando Lake Buena Vista
• Four Seasons Resort Orlando
• Hilton Orlando Buena Vista Palace
• Hilton Orlando Lake Buena Vista
• Holiday Inn Orlando
• Renaissance Orlando Resort and Spa
• Signia by Hilton Orlando Bonnet Creek
• Waldorf Astoria Orlando
• Wyndham Garden Lake Buena Vista
• Wyndham Lake Buena Vista

What attraction would you run to at Rope Drop?

Just a reminder: Please, no actual running in Walt Disney World. It’s the most Magical Place on Earth, not Target on Black Friday.

---

Planning a Disney Trip? Want to get the best military discounts that are available? Feeling a little confused? See Our Great Disney Discount and Planning Info:

• Disney Veteran & Military Discount Eligibility Guide
• The Military Family’s Walt Disney World Comprehensive Vacation Planning and Preparation Guide 
• Military Disney Tips Disney Packing Checklist 
• Disney Military Tickets – Your Start to Finish Guide

Learn about the Disney Armed Forces Salute the best military discount that there is for Disney. See our Topic Overview Pages:

• Resorts/Hotel Overview Page
• Dining Overview Page
• Transportation Overview Page
• Technology Overview Page
• Shades of Green, WDW’s Military Only Resort