The New Approach to Early Theme Park Entry and Rope Drop
Walt Disney World implemented a change this week, and it’s a big one.
Theme park behavior at Magic Kingdom has remained generally the same since 2014, when Seven Dwarfs Mine Train opened.
Image: Disney
Since then, the flow of traffic eventually leads to New Fantasyland, where guests ride the swaying roller coaster.
While other attractions have opened in the interim, none of them seriously challenged Seven Dwarfs Mine Train as the park alpha…until now.
Image Credit: Disney
On September 9th, 2024, nearly 18 months after Tron Lightcycle / Run opened, Disney changed the roller coaster to a standby queue.
As of now, guests can stand in line for Tron, the newest thrill ride at Walt Disney World (I’m not counting Tiana’s Bayou Adventure).
Time to Brave the Crowds!
Turning Tron into a standby attraction fundamentally changes crowd behavior at the start of a Magic Kingdom day.
So, let’s go over a few Early Theme Park Entry and Rope Drop tips for the fall of 2024.
Starting at Seven Dwarfs Mine Train
Let’s acknowledge that nobody’s quite sure how park behavior will work since the change is so recent.
Still, we do have 10 years of data regarding crowd behavior before Tron switched to a standby queue.
Spring Break Crowds
Until recently, the crowds were quite predictable. Most people headed to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
Importantly, some of them arrived before the park opened to guests.
Spring Break Crowds
Disney rewards its most loyal customers by offering unique amenities.
Probably the best of them is Early Theme Park Entry.
Credit: Disney
This amenity enables guests staying at official Walt Disney World resorts to enter the parks half an hour before the official opening.
So, when you don’t stay at an official Disney resort, you’ll arrive at the presumed opening and quickly discover large crowds at your favorite attractions… like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
While a handful of other attractions, such as Jungle Cruise, Peter Pan’s Flight, and Space Mountain, sometimes surpass the average wait time for Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, it’s typically the longest line at Magic Kingdom.
Thus, the most informed guests head straight to Magic Kingdom as soon as Early Theme Park Entry allows.
Magic Kingdom Rope Drop
As of September, the debate becomes how many people maintain this behavior – and the answer may surprise you.
For reasons passing understanding, Disney has chosen not to operate Tron Lightcycle / Run as part of Early Theme Park Entry.
Photo: Disney
Therefore, guests don’t really have to choose between the two roller coasters… yet.
Presumably, Disney will change this soon, but none of us has any idea about a target date.
The Tactician’s Rope Drop
Photo: Disney
Not everyone heads directly to Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, though.
Many guests take a more tactical approach.
Since many guests head to New Fantasyland, others target Adventureland, Tomorrowland, or a different part of New Fantasyland.
Earlier, I mentioned three rides that have longer wait times. You’ll notice that Jungle Cruise is in Adventureland, Space Mountain is in Tomorrowland, and Peter Pan’s Flight sits on the other side of New Fantasyland.
Then, we have those unique souls who simply head to their favorite attraction. It’s a bold strategy, Cotton. And it works!
With most guests at the park’s most popular attractions, most Magic Kingdom attractions are virtually walk-on during Early Theme Park Entry.
That trend often continues into Rope Drop as well.
While the numbers seem large while you’re waiting to enter the parks, the reality is that only a small percentage of guests arrive before 10 a.m.
Strategic park guests can maximize their time while experiencing several attractions before the crowds form.
While I’m a Seven Dwarfs Mine Train sprinter as a rule, I’ve had tremendous luck with this tactical approach.
Jungle Cruise
You can often ride Jungle Cruise, Pirates of the Caribbean, and be standing in line for a third attraction by 10 a.m.
You’ll feel like you’re winning at Disney when you’re this fortunate.
Predicting Tron’s Impact
When the park officially opens, everything changes now.
Guests have the option of sprinting to Tron Lightcycle / Run instead.
You may expect all guests to target Tron, Walt Disney World’s current alpha thrill ride.
That’s not necessarily the case, though.
Not all guests keep up with Disney news, which is why you’re smart to read MickeyBlog every day.
Simply stated, a lot of casual tourists don’t know it’s available as a standby queue now.
Then again, the least informed tourists likely don’t know what a digital queue or boarding pass is, either.
So, what we’re witnessing right now is what they’d expected all along.
Photo: Disney
If anything, their surprise will be that Tron isn’t available as part of Early Theme Park Entry.
Then, we have the side factor of the recent Lightning Lane Multi Pass changes.
Photo: Disney
Guests can schedule their Lightning Lanes up to seven days early.
Some of them must skip the Tron rope drop out of necessity because they booked attraction reservations elsewhere.
Also, we’re in September, Disney World’s slowest month. That fact reduces the crowds substantially.
So, there are good reasons why the Tron crowds may be tolerable for the time being.
Where Should You Go at Rope Drop?
Right now, nothing changes during Early Theme Park Entry.
Since Tron doesn’t open for another 30 minutes, guests will maintain their previous strategies.
Still, there’s one tactic you might employ.
You could rope drop Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin or maybe even Space Mountain on less crowded days.
Then, once you’re done with your ride, you can stand in the waiting area for Tron.
You won’t be anywhere near first in line because some people will do this at Early Theme Park Entry.
I’m against that approach, though.
You’re undoing the benefits of having Early Theme Park Entry, because you’re not riding anything.
You’re just standing in line for 30 minutes, and then you’ll wait a little longer once Tron officially opens.
On all but the busiest days, you’ve basically waited as long as if you’d ridden in the middle of the day.
By prioritizing something else in Tomorrowland, you’ll have the joy of a Disney ride followed by a less significant wait for Tron. It’s win-win.
By the way, the more daring strategy is to take the same approach at Seven Dwarfs Mine Train.
It’s a risk, but you might ride both roller coasters by 10 a.m.
What I’d Do
Image Credit: Disney
At rope drop, I wouldn’t suggest either Tron or Seven Dwarfs Mine Train right now.
I expect tourists to have tunnel vision about these two attractions, so I’d try something like Peter Pan’s Flight instead.
Peter Pan’s Flight
In fact, I suspect that you could ride Peter Pan’s Flight, It’s a Small World, and Haunted Mansion within the first two hours after Early Theme Park Entry begins.
Then again, if you just want to ride Tron, go do that. You can now!
This will be status quo at Disney until the next shoe drops.
It’ll be either Tron joining Early Theme Park Entry, Tiana’s Bayou Adventure adding a standby queue, or one/both of them joining Lightning Lane.
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Feature Photo: Disney
