Here at DFB, we don’t always get along. Sometimes, we have VERY different opinions. My colleague Kayleigh and I have been beefing about one controversial park tip and we need to figure out who’s right.

There are lots of different ways that you can plan your Disney World vacation. Some people prioritize the thrill rides, others want to see every show, and some of us are mostly just there for the snacks (that’s me). You can spend all day at the parks or choose to take advantage of Disney Springs or the water parks instead. Basically what I’m saying is there’s no one right way to do Disney World.

But there’s one very specific Disney World ride strategy that I think is absolutely essential. I literally ALWAYS use this tip when I’m there. Every single day. And I was SHOCKED to learn that Kayleigh NEVER does it! In fact, her strategy is the exact opposite. So we’re fighting it out today to see who’s RIGHT.

What is this controversial Disney World strategy? It’s ROPE DROP! Rope drop is when you get to the Disney World theme parks before they open (we recommend at least a half hour before the park opens) so that as soon as they open, you can head straight to the most popular rides and get on them with little to no wait.

The ride wait times first thing in the morning are lower than what you’ll see later in the day, and I’m usually able to get on two or three big rides before those lines start to get long.

Don’t forget about Early Theme Park Entry! If you’re starting at a Disney World hotel, you can enter any of the four theme parks a half hour BEFORE they officially open. That means you’ll need to be at the entrance a full hour before the official opening time so that you’re still a half hour before Early Entry. Not every ride opens during Early Entry — you can see a full list of the rides that open for this extra half hour each morning here.

Sounds like a good idea, right? I certainly think so. But I’m being unfair here because I’m already trying to get you on my side before Kayleigh even has gotten to make her points against this tip (which — admittedly — she has some really good ones).

So the way we’re going to fight this out is by sharing our PRO rope drop opinions and ANTI rope drop opinions and letting you decide what works best for your group when you visit! I’ll (Sara) type in maroon, and Kayleigh will type in dark blue so you know who’s who.

PRO Rope Drop

Early Bird Gets to Walk On Seven Dwarfs Mine Train

Sara: So the most obvious pro for rope drop is that the lines to get on those super popular Disney World rides are SHORT first thing in the morning. If you can get through the chaos of getting into the park and to the ride you want, you just might be able to walk on Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, Avatar Flight of Passage, or even Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. That’s not possible later in the day. 

Kayleigh: It totally IS possible, but it might take a bit of extra planning. We’ll chat more about that later. However, I do agree that rope dropping is a surefire way to knock rides out one after the other. But if you’re the type of person who likes to ride a ride, then grab a snack, then shop for souvenirs, then ride another ride, rope dropping isn’t the best choice! (It’s me, I’m one of those people.)

Sara: Ah, yeah, rope dropping does not make for a casual Disney World day! That sort of fits my high-anxiety, must-plan-everything personality, though. But I love that I get a good 45 minutes or so in the morning to get on rides with short lines! Even if the lines look long, they usually don’t take much time at all because the Cast Members haven’t expanded the queues, so everyone’s just walking straight onto the ride.

Kayleigh: Everyone is also usually speed walking through the queue to get on the ride even though they’re already in line for said ride. Make it make sense! 

Sara: It’s an adrenaline rush. We’re all hyped up on Disney magic.

Click here to see which ride you should go to FIRST in each park.

Nap Time Is Essential

Sara: I’m sort of a morning person, not in the sense that I love waking up early every day, but once I’m up and going, I actually have more energy in the mornings and I tend to crash in the afternoon. Because I feel awake and ready to go in the mornings, that’s when I have the energy to battle the crowds to get on my favorite rides.

Kayleigh: This is fair! It’s not that I’m not a morning person, I just prefer slow mornings! I like to wake up and slowly get ready for the day as I wake up. If my morning feels chaotic and rushed, then I typically feel frazzled for the rest of the day. However, I have so many friends who LOVE busy mornings and are actually energized by the thrill of rope dropping, haha. 

Sara: Yes, that goes back to the adrenaline thing! Maybe I’m just a thrill junkie. 🤷‍♀️

My goal is always to get as much done EARLY, before that afternoon crash, so that I can go back and take a nap at the hotel later on or just find a place to chill in the park once 2 or 3PM hits. (Pro tip: Nomad Lounge in Disney’s Animal Kingdom is the BEST place for a mid-afternoon break.)

Nap time is mandatory for me, and it’s also essential for my two little nephews (ages 3 and 5). Whenever I’m at Disney World with them, we definitely do the early morning rope drop/mid-afternoon nap and pool time strategy, because they’re up at 6AM anyways, which means EVERYONE’S up at 6AM, so why not just head to the parks?

Kayleigh: This is one thing that I can absolutely agree with! If you have smaller kiddos, rope dropping is likely the way to go. In my experience, those little rascals are up and at ’em at 6AM ready to see Mickey anyway. Plus, I can agree that it can almost feel like you’re getting more BANG for your buck by rope dropping, since you’ll then have the luxury of nap and pool time.

Sara: Yes! The bang for your buck thing is real to me — if I’m in the park literally when it opens, I feel like I’m maximizing the value (even if I leave to take a nap later on 😂).

Find out where our DFB reporters HIDE when they need a break in Magic Kingdom.

It’s FREE

Sara: My family almost always stays at Value Resorts (shout out to Pop Century!), so we don’t get the Extended Evening Hours perk. To get that perk, you have to pay more and stay at a Deluxe hotel instead. 

Kayleigh: It’s also important to note that even if you’re staying at a Deluxe hotel, you won’t have extended evening hours every single night the same way you have early entry every single morning if you stay at a Disney hotel. Select parks have extended evening hours on specific nights — so that might even add an extra layer of planning. You’ll have to decide which park you want to visit each night to take advantage of those! 

Sara: ^ Good point! There are also other ways to pay more in order to access shorter ride times — like Genie+, Individual Lightning Lanes, and After Hours events — but why would you pay extra when you could just wake up a little bit earlier and get on the rides quickly for FREE?  

I’ll admit, I still pay extra for Genie+ when I go to Magic Kingdom and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, but I rarely pay extra for the Individual Lightning Lane rides like Seven Dwarfs Mine Train and Rise of the Resistance. Instead, I rope drop those attractions and save $14-$25 (per person).

Kayleigh: Yep, totally agree on the Individual Lightning Lanes! I’ll only buy those for an extra ride on Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind or TRON Lightcycle / Run! 

Sara: Definitely! Those don’t have standby queues at all, so getting into the virtual queue or buying an Individual Lightning Lane are the only two ways to get on.

Learn all about virtual queues in Disney World here!

The Sun Isn’t Trying to Kill Me

Sara: This pro is simple: Disney World is in Orlando, FL, and it gets HOT there. I don’t live in Florida, and I’m not used to that unbearable afternoon heat, so going to the parks early in the day and then finding air conditioning to wait out the worst of the heat is 100% worth the early morning wake-up call to me.

Kayleigh: Okay, but the humidity is WAY worse in the morning. I can handle the heat later in the day as long as I’m not all sticky.

Sara: Oh no, is it really?! I don’t think I’ve ever noticed that — I’ve just assumed it’s humid all day long, but maybe it’s because I get sticky in the morning and it just never goes away. 

Kayleigh: And one more pro tip — if you just wait until the sun goes down in the evening, you can still be in the parks when it’s not so hot out! And that also means you get to hop in ride lines right after the fireworks end (in Magic Kingdom), which is also a great time to find some short lines.

Here are our best tips for surviving HOT weather in Disney World.

ANTI Rope Drop

WHY Is Everyone RUNNING?!

Kayleigh: I’m going to explain this from the perspective of a former Cast Member! I used to work at the Haunted Mansion, and there were a few shifts that I’d have to work super duper early and manage rope drop. I think this is where my anti-rope drop mindset started. You see, rope dropping is pretty rough on Cast Members. Not because of rope dropping in itself, but because some of the people are just a little TOO excited. 

Sara: Oh, I don’t even know if I want to know your horror stories about rope drop — I always feel so bad for the Cast Members who have to manage that early morning madness. 

Kayleigh: HAHA — oh yes. The first time I had to work rope drop, I quite literally almost cried. It’s really hard to run in a Victorian maid costume and Doc Martens, but maybe that’s a story for another day… .

When the ropes come down in the early morning and guests are welcomed into each of the lands, it’s a rule of thumb that Cast Members MUST stay in front of all of the guests until they meet up with other Cast Members who are approaching them from the other side of the land. Well, I almost always ended up SPRINTING because Sally and John were too eager to get on Big Thunder Mountain and started sprinting as soon as they entered Liberty Square. It truly feels like a gazelle trying to outrun some hungry lions. 

From a visitor’s perspective, it can be just as stressful. It’s chaotic, and you don’t really want to run, but if you DON’T run, you might get stuck at the very end of the line for your favorite ride. P.S.: Please don’t run. Love, a former Cast Member.

Sara: This really is a good point. Rope drop is without a doubt the most stressful moment of my Disney World vacation. Every time. People are running, you’re worried about being last in line, you can’t find half your party, and someone just stepped on your foot for the 15th time in 2 minutes. I cannot deny that it’s chaotic. But that chaos is worth it if I only wait 5 minutes for Flight of Passage! 

Kayleigh: I’ll let you enjoy the satisfaction of knowing that while you’re riding Flight of Passage after a 5-minute wait, I’m still snoozing and will catch it at a 35-minute wait later on. (And yep, I’ll consider this a great wait time! That’s about the longest I’d wait for a ride, though.)

Sara: HOW are you riding it later in the day with a 35-minute wait?! I always see it at like 120+ minutes!

Kayleigh: Wait til later! Lots of people think Animal Kingdom is a half-day park, so they’ll go there first (since it usually opens before all the rest of the parks) and then leave midday. If you wait until just before the park is about to close or even just late afternoon, those wait times go WAY down.

Sara: I’m offended that anyone would call Animal Kingdom a half-day park, but we can talk more about that another time. 

Get Kayleigh’s take on rope drop at Animal Kingdom here!

Who Wants To Be Cranky at Disney World?

Kayleigh: Listen, when I don’t get enough sleep, I’m a zombie. And not the nice, lazy kind. I am a mean, menace-to-humanity, not-very-magical kind of zombie. I don’t like to feel like that, and my husband also doesn’t really like to deal with my sleepy antics. Plus, this bad mood is only exaggerated when I’m rushing through my morning to get to the parks in time. 

I like to sleep in until around 8AM, slowly wake up, and enjoy some coffee in my hotel room as I get ready for the day. (And yes, I’m one of those people. I fix my hair, put on makeup, and wear frilly things around the parks. It makes me happy!) To me, this routine is what makes Disney World feel like a true vacation. I always hear people say that Disney World doesn’t count as a vacation because it doesn’t allow you time to relax. This is a total myth! I relax all. the. time. at Disney World and it starts with making sure I get enough sleep.

Sara: (Not me saying “I need another vacation” literally every time I get home from Disney World…)

Kayleigh: So, when I wake up and slowly get ready, arrive to the parks at 10:30AM after 8 to 9 hours of sleep, I am a happy girl. I’m in a good mood, I’m enjoying myself, and I actually remember my vacation instead of being so tired that I just kind of…exist. We make jokes about Disney Delirium and being “Disney Tired,” but that’s just…not fun for me. 

Sara: You gotta EARN your Disney day! If you’re not up at 5AM and dragging your tired feet through Magic Kingdom by 2PM WHAT ARE YOU DOING?! (please read that in a comically mean drill sergeant voice.) 

No, I get what you’re saying here and I think it’s totally a personality thing. If you know you’re NOT a morning person, rope drop might be your literal worst nightmare!

Kayleigh: I totally love my mornings, don’t get me wrong. I’d just rather spend them alone with my husband and some coffee while I do my skincare routine in a Disney World hotel bathroom. You feel me? I think that rope drop is just my worst nightmare in general, haha! 

There Are Other Ways To Snag Shorter Waits

Kayleigh: Whenever we can, my Disney crew and I stay at deluxe resorts — our favorite being Disney’s Saratoga Springs! It’s always so quiet and cozy. I love it! One of our best tips for getting that deluxe experience without paying those deluxe prices is to look into DVC rental programs. You can rent other people’s points from them and reserve your room at a fraction of the normal cost.

Sara: Yes! David’s Disney Vacation Club Rentals has a good reputation, and my mom and I are actually gonna try that for our next trip later this year, so we’ll see if that converts me to the “extended evening hours instead of rope dropping” team.

Kayleigh: Another good tip is to check out the Disney World Swan and Dolphin! These hotels are owned by Marriott Bonvoy and will actually get you the same perks as a deluxe hotel for half the price point if you can score a good deal. Plus, they’re in a SUPER convenient area next to Disney’s BoardWalk. This means we can walk to EPCOT, Hollywood Studios, and the Skyliner. Plus, you can walk to BoardWalk’s bus stop to get to the other parks. 

Anyway, whenever we stay deluxe, we get Extended Evening Hours. Since we’re already paying for that, we’d like to have the energy to utilize them! By getting a later start to the day, we can actually enjoy the Extended Evening Hours. There are shorter waits, lower crowds, and some rides are just way better at night! 

Sara: But then you don’t get the character-building experience of stampeding (while walking, of course) with a crowd of thousands of other people towards a roller coaster. Just sayin’ — you’re missing out.

Learn more about Extended Evening Hours here!

Genie+ Exists for a Reason!

Kayleigh: Here’s the thing. Genie+ can be super expensive, and for a larger family, purchasing the tool every day can break a Disney World budget. For a larger group, this tip might not work! But my husband and I don’t have kids in our family, so when we’re in the parks alone, we almost always splurge on the skip-the-line service.

This usually means we’re spending $50-$60 dollars per day on Genie+, which is WORTH IT for us. This might mean we get fewer snacks and souvenirs, but once again, we consider it to be worth it. 

Sara: Yeah, you lost me at “fewer snacks.”

Kayleigh: You got me there. It’s a sad sacrifice. Especially when I can only get one Gingerbread Cookie Sandwich in EPCOT (what I like to call a Gingy Cookie Sammie) instead of three. (Yes, I’ve done that before. It didn’t end well but it was delicious.)

Sara: Totally with you on the Gingy Cookie Sammie train. That treat alone is worth waking up early for.

Kayleigh: Anyway, I understand that Genie+ might not be in the cards for every single day of your vacation, especially if your Disney crew consists of more than just two people. In this case, I agree with Sara in that you should totally budget to have it at Magic Kingdom and Hollywood Studios. When we go with a larger group of our family members, we usually limit it to just those two parks. 

Click here to see our FULL GUIDE to using Disney Genie+!

Empty Bus Club!

Kayleigh: When we’re ready to head to the parks around 10AM(ish), there are usually no lines for the resort buses or Skyliner! We walk right on to the buses, get to choose a seat, and often get to have lovely chats with the bus drivers and the handful of other folks that are on the bus. 

Having a peaceful ride to the parks in the morning and not having to stand in yet another line is so wonderful. Similarly, the Starbucks line is usually significantly shorter by the time I arrive to the parks! The less time I spend waiting in lines, the better. 

Sara: I do have to wait in line for the bus or Skyliner or Starbucks, but then I don’t have to wait in line at the rides. …Is it possible that it’s all evening out and actually we’re experiencing the exact same time waiting in line, just for different things?!

Kayleigh: I don’t wait in lines, remember?! Genie+ is my bestie. However, Genie+ steals all my money. So. Maybe he’s not a very good bestie. But he does come in handy. 

Sara: Ah, yeah, that’s not a very bestie-like thing to do.

Kayleigh: I think it’s fair to say that there’s totally no wrong way to do Disney World, as Sara mentioned earlier! It all depends on your personality and what your vacation goals are. For now, Sara and I will just have to meet up in the evenings after we’ve both had our perfect but very different mornings (except… maybe we totally should spend the mornings together to experience each others’ perfect Disney day). But we can both agree that there are several pros and cons to both. 

What do you say? Are you Team Rope Drop or Team Snooze Button? You know where we stand! 

We’re at Disney World every single day, and we’re always here to bring you our BEST advice and tips based on things we’ve learned along the way. Stay tuned to DFB for more Disney vacation planning tips and updates on all the latest Disney news!

Click here for the ULTIMATE guide to planning a Disney World vacation.

What do you think? Are you pro or anti rope drop in Disney World? Make your argument in the comments!