15 Tips for Rope Dropping Disney World with Little Kids

Rope dropping is one of the best ways to get the most of your trip to Disney World. Unfortunately, we’re not your experts on rope dropping. Our family doesn’t get up early, and even when we do, we struggle to get out the door in a timely manner with our three kids. We probably only get one good rope drop per trip.

So, to give you the best info on getting on good rides without a Lightning Lane, I went to the masters. Doug and Derek from the Rope Drop Radio podcast have spent the last seven years getting up early to ride the rides so that they can give you the best tips on their podcast. (Check out their informative Disney podcast here)

They hosted me for an episode. Then they let me turn the tables and grill them about the best ways to get on the early rides with my little kids. Now all I have to do is set my alarm earlier. We’ll see.

Rope Drop at Magic Kingdom: It looks crazy, but once everyone heads to different rides, things go fast.

What is Rope Dropping at Disney World?

First, we need a definition. Rope dropping is showing up to a Disney Park before it opens so that you can run to the best attractions without having to wait in a long line or spend money on a Lightning Lane (Disney’s priority queue system, check my guide to Lightning Lanes and Genie Plus here). Disney calls it rope dropping because they used to block off the park with a literal rope and then remove it when it was time to enter. Now, I guess we can call it gate crashing.

I’ll use the terms “rides” and “attractions” interchangeably because I’m lazy, but at Disney World, everything is called an attraction. Once upon a time, Walt overheard some older people saying they “don’t do rides” but found that if he called them attractions, everyone wanted to ride them.

How to Get out of the Hotel with a Toddler

How do you get from bed head to game ready in a timely manner?

The first step to getting to rope drop is setting your alarm. You want to arrive at the parks at least 30 minutes prior to park opening. Here’s the best strategy for doing that:

-Have your stroller packed the night before. Have the snacks, diaper bag, sunscreen, etc. ready for the day. Here’s a list of Amazon stuff to bring along with your stroller.

-Have your breakfast and coffee planned out and preferably already in the room. Don’t drink too much coffee, or you’ll end rope dropping the bathroom before you can get to the first ride. The fast breakfast options aren’t great at Disney resorts, so make an Amazon Fresh Order to have lots of stuff ready in the room.

-Plan out transportation. Know what the fastest way is into the park. Don’t drive to Magic Kingdom if you can help it because you’ll have to board the monorail (or boat) to get to the parks. The buses from Disney properties will take you right to the entrance. Buses, the Skyliner, or a boat from certain resorts are also great options. Disney transportation starts 45 minutes before the park opens.

If you do drive, start driving an hour before the park opens. You’ll likely have to wait awhile to get into the parking lot. Then, consider if it’s worth the money for priority parking. You can park near the front of the park, which makes it a lot easier to get the stroller to the entrance. Otherwise, you might have to fold it up for the tram.

Priority Parking Tip: DO NOT leave your flashers on after you park the car. We came back to a dead battery one time and had to get a stranger to jump it for us. Disney has a car care center that’s supposed to help, but they weren’t answering that day.

-Speaking of strollers, make sure you know the rules for each type of transportation. You’ll have to fold up the stroller for the buses and trams. You’ll have to fold up side-by-side double strollers for the Skyliner. Most of the boats will let you keep the strollers open. Keep all your gear in bags that you can easily take in and out of the stroller. For the best single strollers and best double strollers for Disney, head here.

Stroller Parking for Rope Drop

There are various stroller parking lots around each park and near each ride. You’ll need to park the stroller there before you get on a ride. Mark your stroller well, so you can find it later (a sign, brightly colored duct tape, or a balloon). It might not be in the exact same place because cast members (Disney employees) will constantly be organizing the strollers to make them fit.

Matching outfits, hand-painted shoes, double jogging stroller, and a grandma that looks like Paula Deen. We’re ready for Rope Drop.

The best strategy here is to drop off one parent and the children in strollers at the entrance of the ride while the other parent (usually the dad in the Rope Drop Radio dads’ experience) to run and park the stroller. It’s so much easier to release the children in front of the ride rather than in stroller parking.

Etiquette: Don’t let the waiting family join the queue before the rest of the party gets there. Nobody likes it when someone is trying to “catch up to their family” deep inside the ride. Just wait at the entrance.

Get More Rides by Splitting Up

If you have kids too short to ride certain rides, and you have other kids that are old enough for the bigger attractions, the best strategy is to split up. Send one parent with the younger kids to the rides they can ride, and let another parent go with the older kids on the bigger attractions. Then meet up afterwards.

Tip: If you’re really fast, get a rider swap for the bigger rides for the parent with the toddler. Then head to the other attraction. That way, the parent with the toddler can ride the big attraction through the Lightning Lane after you finish the first ride. That also means that one of the older kids (whichever is your favorite) can ride that ride twice.

Rope Drop Strategies for Toddlers for Each Park at Disney World

After the initial strategies, I grilled Derek and Doug for their tips for each park. Let’s go over which rides you should head to with your little ones at each Disney Park. And here’s the best Disney World parks for your toddler ranked.

Rope Dropping Magic Kingdom with Small Kids

We can be hardcore about rope drop when we wake up on time. Rain or Shine.

Magic Kingdom has the most rides with no height restrictions and the most rides total of any park. Here’s what Doug and Derek recommend you set your sights on at rope drop. First, head to Peter Pan, then see if you can get on Winnie the Pooh, Barnstormer (height restriction but very low), Jungle Cruise, Tea Cups, or Dumbo. As Second Dad to the Right, I fully endorse the priority of Peter Pan. I recommend Jungle Cruise or Winnie the Pooh second because they are so much closer to Peter Pan.

Rope Dropping EPCOT with Small Kids

The best time to see Olaf is in the morning without waiting in a long line.

EPCOT has two entrances. What you rope drop with your littles depends entirely on which entrance you come in. If you come in the front entrance, take your little one to Frozen. If you come in via the International Gateway in the back of the park, head straight to Ratatouille. Whichever one of these you do first, head to the other second.

Rope Dropping Hollywood Studios with Small Kids

At Hollywood Studios, there’s no debate for Doug and Derek. You want to go straight to Mickey and Minnie’s Runaway Railway in the Chinese Theater at the very center of the park. Then maybe head to Toy Story Mania, or maybe even Rise of the Resistance. Unfortunately, there aren’t a lot of attractions without a height restriction at Hollywood Studios, but there are a lot of great shows.

However, Rise of the Resistance is prone to breaking down, so I recommend getting a Lightning Lane. Even though it costs extra money, it’s insurance that you’ll get a pass to head back there once it’s up and running again.

If your child is tall enough, Slinky Dog is the best ride to rope drop with small kids, since it has a low height restriction.

Second Daughter to the Right picked Slinky Dog as her favorite ride when she was three. She still stands by it 5 years later.

Rope Dropping Animal Kingdom with Small Kids

For Animal Kingdom, Doug and Derek offer two options. The first option is the Safari. This is a great ride for little ones who will love seeing the exotic animals. This is also the only queue that you can take your stroller through. The Cast Members will even park the stroller for you just before boarding.

You can see endangered rhinos on the safari at Disney World in Animal Kingdom.

If you have older kids, they recommend sending the older kids and one parent to Flight of Passage, while the other parent and the younger kids head to the Nav’i River ride. Again, if you’re fast, you can get the second parent a rider switch at Flight of Passage so they can use the Lightning Lane once they get off the river.

Conclusion and Further Reading

Hopefully, this prepares you for maximizing your early morning time at Disney World. For more tips and tricks for rope dropping and rides, check out Rope Drop Radio wherever you get your podcasts. Here’s the link again. After you’re done at the parks, check out my guide for kids at Disney Springs.

If you want more information on having fun at Disney with a baby or toddler, read this. And for the best rides at Disney World for the littlest kids, check this post out.