Rope Drop?

[Jason Reedy]

I keep hearing about "Rope Drop." I understand the idea, but...what is the best way to get to the Magic Kingdom that early? The boat schedule starts too late I would imagine (if I read it correctly). If you have done it before from FW, please let me know the best way to make that happen for my family one day!

Thanks! Only 30 days until our Fort Wilderness adventure! (CAN'T WAIT!)

Jason

 

[G719]

I keep hearing about "Rope Drop." I understand the idea, but...what is the best way to get to the Magic Kingdom that early? The boat schedule starts too late I would imagine (if I read it correctly). If you have done it before from FW, please let me know the best way to make that happen for my family one day!

Thanks! Only 30 days until our Fort Wilderness adventure! (CAN'T WAIT!)

Jason

Our experience in November is that we got on the first boat headed to MK on 2 different mornings. One day was 830 and one day was 630 for 7 am EMH. We made it just in time for the opening show which was still at the train station then. Now that it's in front of the castle, not sure of the timing. The previous November, we had a pre park opening breakfast and took the resort boat to the contemporary and walked to MK. We caught the boat at 7 am to make our 8 am ADR. We made it to MK at 735 according to my pictures timestamp.
The resort boat is the best option if you want to make it early. The MK boat will get you there right at opening.

 

[peg110]

If you are not on the very FIRST boat to the MK from the Fort you will likely miss Rope Drop. Even at that, you may be at the back of the crowd.

While I have not personally done it, the consensus seems to be to take the Boat (the smaller one) to the Contemporary Resort and then it's a short (5 minute?) walk to the entrance to the MK. Of course now you have to deal with the security....

Anyway, the boat to the CR runs much earlier (like 6 or 6:30 AM I think) and as such, you can typically get to the MK much earlier. Maybe not so much when the EMH is 7 AM but during normal opening times it's the way to go.

 

[PaHunter]

As previously posted, the smaller boat gets you to Contemporary then a short walk to MK. They used to hold everyone outside the entrance tunnels. Now Main St opens an hour before the rest of the park with The opening show being at the castle according to my recent readings. The small boat is the best option for early arrival, and security when walking should not be too bad, as the ferry passengers are now checked before boarding and so are monorail arrivals.

 

[lynzi2004]

When making rope drop or PPO reservations from the Fort, we always just drive to MK. It is a little more of a hassle, but I know exactly when to leave our campsite and can pretty much guarantee when we will get there. If you choose to drive, allow roughly 40 min from the time you pull away from the campsite till you are standing at the MK gates. (Note that is with a double stroller and 2 small kids loading/unloading)

 

[DisneyZB]

Our experience in November is that we got on the first boat headed to MK on 2 different mornings. One day was 830 and one day was 630 for 7 am EMH. We made it just in time for the opening show which was still at the train station then. Now that it's in front of the castle, not sure of the timing. The previous November, we had a pre park opening breakfast and took the resort boat to the contemporary and walked to MK. We caught the boat at 7 am to make our 8 am ADR. We made it to MK at 735 according to my pictures timestamp.
The resort boat is the best option if you want to make it early. The MK boat will get you there right at opening.

G719 is dead right. The boats to MK show up at the dock pertty much exactly half an hour before opening, but at least they sent two boats so everyone could make it on our days going there. You will make rope drop as long as there isn't a snafu. For us it was a TTC ferry breaking down right in the middle of the canal by the Contemporary and blocking traffic till it was hauled out of the way one day. That said, even running ten minutes late the crowds were still light and for the first hour we got quite a few rides in. The new security check point was quick and didn't hinder us at all. As mentioned, the boats to the Contempory were running one hour before opening and surprised us by how often they came and went so that might be the better option if you don't mind a little extra walking. I can't say anything about that security check point since we used the MK boat only. Have fun!