Disney in a Minute: What is Rope Drop?

If you’ve talked with Disney fans, Disney vacation planners, or looked at different websites about how to plan your day at a park, you’ve probably come across the term “rope drop.” But you may be wondering what this bit of Disney lingo means. Answer: it’s a noun, a verb, and a strategy, but even frequent Disney visitors may not always agree on exactly what it means.

As a noun, “rope drop” refers to the moment when a Disney theme park officially opens for the day. The phrase comes from the early days of the parks, when Cast Members would literally hold guests back behind a rope before attractions opened. When the time came, they’d drop the rope – and the dash to the most popular rides would begin. (Truth be told, the Cast Members usually coil the rope up neatly and ask guests not to enter until they get the ok. And in other cases, cast members may not use a rope, but form a line – or “rope” – with their bodies.)

As a verb, it’s a little more complicated. That’s because the tapstiles to a park open well before (usually at least half an hour before) the park opens for the day. So if Magic Kingdom opens at 9 am and two different guests say they’re going to “rope drop” the park, one could be talking about arriving at the official opening time of 9 am, and one could be speaking about getting there almost an hour earlier to guarantee that they have their “knees on the rope”. And that’s before you even get to the question of whether you’re targeting the official opening time, or half an hour earlier for the beginning of Early Entry. (If you’re using a touring plan with our Lines app, there’s a setting that lets you specify which one you mean so that you can get the most effective recommendation.)

As a strategy, plenty of guests invest in rope drop because it’s one of the best ways to cut down on how long you’ll spend in line. By arriving early, you can get a lot done before the most crowded times of the day, when wait times can get really long. Rope dropping is one of the best ways for bumping up your attraction count without paying for upcharge Lightning Lane access.

To learn more about arriving for rope drop at Disney World or getting the most out of the experience, you should read these really helpful articles:

• Getting to Rope Drop at Disney World
• Making the Most of Disney World Rope Drop

The term “rope drop” is a general piece of Disney slang that applies to all the parks. But over the years, it’s broken containment and become a term you’ll hear throughout the theme park community. You might even hear it used with something that’s not a theme park, like “I’m going to rope drop the supermarket on the day before Thanksgiving because I don’t want to spend two hours in the checkout line.”

Disney in a Minute is a series of short posts designed to help you better understand a Disney term or planning topic. Do you have a Disney term that you think needs a little more explanation? Let us know in the comments!