What time to head to AK at rope drop?

[kmk1180]

So if your planning a day to AK and want to be there at rope drop, heading directly to FoP...what time should you plan on being at the gates?
I assume people start to line up well before rope drop..just wondering what time they usually start lining up?

 

[Robo]

So if your planning a day to AK and want to be there at rope drop, heading directly to FoP...what time should you plan on being at the gates?
I assume people start to line up well before rope drop..just wondering what time they usually start lining up?

45-90 min. before the posted opening time, depending on the overall crowd-level.

 

[sharonabe]

So if your planning a day to AK and want to be there at rope drop, heading directly to FoP...what time should you plan on being at the gates?
I assume people start to line up well before rope drop..just wondering what time they usually start lining up?

Not only are they lining up, but AK is consistently letting people into the park about 30-45 min earlier than stated opening time and leading the pack over to Pandora.

If you want to ride without a long wait after park opening, you want to be at AK at least 45 min and probably one hour before opening.

 

[NH-to-FL]

I would say 60-90 minutes depending on opening time and expected crowd level. In early August I arrived at the park at 7:30am for a 9am opening. After waiting at Security, the tapstiles, and the rope to Pandora I "walked on" FoP and was back out in Pandora by 9:01am.

See my Pandora trip report here:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/first-visit-to-pandora-8-4-17.3623699/

 

[DisneyMom93]

So people rope drop and wait 90 minutes to get in... and how long is the wait once you get in? No wait? 30 minute wait?

Just wondering why people wake up so much earlier to wait in line before the park opens, instead of waiting on the line once the park opens. Doesn't it add up to the same amount of time waiting?

I guess if you're an early riser I can see doing it since you're up anyway, and then you have the entire day at AK from park opening. I'm not sure I can see waking up an hour and a half earlier to save a half hour waiting time. I'm just trying to figure out the logistics.

EDITED: I based this on the current 120 minute wait listed in MDE app right now.

 

[Wubar]

I believe the logic is that even though you might be waiting in line for 60-90 minutes, either to get into the park or in the ride queue once you enter the park, if you rope drop for a 9am park opening time, you might be off the ride shortly after 9am, and then have the full day at the park! Otherwise, if you get off the ride at 10-10:30am, you've lost 90 minutes of open park time...

 

[NH-to-FL]

So people rope drop and wait 90 minutes to get in... and how long is the wait once you get in? No wait? 30 minute wait?

On my visit in early August, the wait time when I exited FoP at 9:01am was 150 minutes. So if I had arrived at park opening the wait would have been much longer. And after FoP I went to standby at Navi River and was done by 9:17am. I then walked up to the Safari which was showing a 20 minute wait. That day I decided not to take the Safari but if I did I could have finished three of the AK headliners, without FP's, before 10:30am.

I believe the logic is that even though you might be waiting in line for 60-90 minutes, either to get into the park or in the ride queue once you enter the park, if you rope drop for a 9am park opening time, you might be off the ride shortly after 9am, and then have the full day at the park! Otherwise, if you get off the ride at 10-10:30am, you've lost 90 minutes of open park time...

Yes! What Wubar said!

I am an early riser so rope drop works for me. And for some reason the wait for rope drop seems less annoying than waiting when the park is open. It was also broken up into three chunks with a nice walk between the tapstiles and the Pandora rope.

Another alternative is to go at the end of the day when wait times drop again.

 

[Klayfish]

Another alternative is to go at the end of the day when wait times drop again.

For FoP and Navi, the wait times really don't go down at the end of the day, especially FoP. I know MDE lists the wait time longer than it really is at closing, but from the size of the line we saw it was definitely not a short wait. Safari line all but disappears at night, but Pandora...no such luck.

 

[UConnFan]

Another alternative is to go at the end of the day when wait times drop again.

I'm wondering how long the wait is typically by the end of the day? (I'll start looking at the wait times too)

Edit: Just kidding, I should have kept reading.

 

[kmk1180]

I would say 60-90 minutes depending on opening time and expected crowd level. In early August I arrived at the park at 7:30am for a 9am opening. After waiting at Security, the tapstiles, and the rope to Pandora I "walked on" FoP and was back out in Pandora by 9:01am.

See my Pandora trip report here:

https://www.disboards.com/threads/first-visit-to-pandora-8-4-17.3623699/

That sounds perfect...we're not going till mid August. Gives me a little hope it' won't be unbareably packed.

 

[megveg]

I rope dropped an EMH Morning on Monday December 4th, with EMH starting at 8am.

I took an uber from All star Sports and was dropped off at AK at 6:55am. There were already 30 or so people waiting for bag check to open. At 7:05 they opened bag check and I was 3rd in line at a tap point. The "rope" was dropped at 7:20 AM wirh Cast member escort to the bridge.

At 7:30, cast members guided the hoarde of people to Pandora and i was in line and matched with an avatar on FOP at 7:38.

Walked off the ride, moved to River Journey, was in a boat and starting the ride at exactly 8am.

From then on, Pandora was a SWAMP of people, I went on safari and Everest with No waits (best safari ever) and was done with everything I wanted to do by 9:15.

It wasn't crowded but the rope drop crowd was intense but if you planned for it, it was easy.

I hope this helps someone!!