I’d rather leave Epcot late than arrive early I’ve mentioned that rope dropping at Disney’s Hollywood Studios is essential if getting a Boarding Pass for Rise of the Resistance is at the top of your must-do list. I also mentioned earlier that if the newest ride isn’t all that important to you, you might not want to rope drop at the park. But what about the other three parks? I thought that I would mention those now.
Whether or not you decide to rope drop right now it up to you. I’ll tell you from personal experience, it’s kind of nice to sleep in. When the parks first reopened I went from open to close, but it wasn’t because I had to in order to get everything done. It was because I was so glad to be back!
It’s probably not a bad idea to rope drop at Disney’s Animal Kingdom these days. If you plan your day well, you can ride Flight of Passage more than once. Disney’s Animal Kingdom is also usually the first park to open, and early in the day is still when it is the least crowded. It is not hard to hit everything at Disney’s Animal Kingdom right now, especially if you arrive early.
At the Magic Kingdom, I like to wait a little while. It isn’t because I don’t want to ride Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, it’s because it takes so long to get to the park! Disney is limiting the people allowed on the Monorail right now, so it takes a while to get there if that’s your transportation of choice. I rode the ferry once since the parks reopened, and I didn’t feel safe. People weren’t staying where the markers were, and everyone walked off together as a group. Right now, I’ll head to the Transportation & Ticket Center about an hour after the Magic Kingdom opens. The Monorail situation will usually have calmed down by then. If you do plan to rope drop the Magic Kingdom, give yourself some extra time.
I don’t even bother trying to get to Epcot when it opens. Since Epcot has been opening late people can sleep in and still arrive when it opens, so getting into the park takes time. I can easily do everything that I want to do at Epcot if I arrive in the middle of the afternoon. This includes if I plan to sample some of the foods from the Taste of Epcot International Food & Wine Festival. I much prefer to stay later at Epcot, because Spaceship Earth is so beautiful after dark. The crowd tends to thin out later in the day, so if I didn’t have a chance to ride something I’ll get in line after the sun goes down. World Showcase also has beautiful sunsets.
This is how I do the Walt Disney World theme parks these days. Then again, as a local Annual Passholder, I have plenty of opportunities to visit. If you haven’t been back yet, then you might want to rope drop all four theme parks. Take it from me, it is magical to be back.