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Show Summary
You've been to Disneyland, experienced the magical rides, and watched the enchanting shows, but have you ever wondered about the secret behind maximizing your park visit? Allow us to demystify the concept of the Disneyland rope drop! Joined by Leo, co-founder of Always Thriving, we delve into the ins and outs of this tradition. From defining what rope drop is and why it's named so, to advising on the best rides to rope drop, we offer a comprehensive guide to beat the morning rush and enjoy your favorite attractions without the crowd.
We discuss the pros and cons of rope dropping famous attractions like Rise of the Resistance and Peter Pan, and talk about how Genie Plus changes the rope dropping game. We share our personal experiences and strategies for arriving early and having a backup plan to ensure a smooth and enjoyable visit.
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Show Transcript
Maximize Disneyland Experience With Rope Drop
Welcome to the park Magic podcast, your place for insider tips for your next Disneyland Adventure. Whether you're a first timer or first time in a while visitor, we're here to unwrap the secrets to creating and simplifying your dream Disneyland vacation.
Robyn:
Today, we are talking about the thing that is talked about so much on TikTok and Instagram, and that is rope drops. So if you've never been to Disneyland before, or you've never done rope drop before, this episode is going to basically be a tutorial in what to do and what we don't think maybe you need to do for rope drop. So I have Leo from Always Thriving on TikTok, one of the co-founders of that; he is awesome. He goes to Disney all the time, just like me. And both of us have annual passes right now. But we both have had many years of our lives where we didn't have annual passes. And so when you don't have an annual pass, you really have to maximize those days a little bit more, especially if you're a Disney adult and you have like 12 rides that you love and can't miss. So we're going to talk a little bit about rope drop, when to use it. We might even throw in sometimes on when to skip rope drop as well. So, Leo, can you tell us a little bit about your love and history of experience with Disneyland?
Leo:
Yeah, of course. Thank you so much for having me this morning. So Disney and Disneyland have always been a part of my life more. So as I got older, I didn't go so much when I was younger. But now, as an adult with adult money, we are able to go as often as we can. So like you said, this year, we finally have magic keys. And so we've been going as much as we can. And so, as a family, we've gone later in life. And so it's really nice for us to enjoy all of these things. And like you said, I'm part of always thriving on Tik Tok with my cousin Bree. And we just post all of our fun adventures, all of the food, how to rope drop, how to do fun things, different rates to do. So. That's kind of where we're at.
Robyn:
So let's go ahead and start off by what is rope drop? And why is it called that? Because it's kind of, one of those weird Disney terminologies that I think a lot of people just kind of throw around. But if you are not used to Disney terminology, you're like, what do we all play tug of war? What is happening?
Leo:
No, yeah, so rope drop, there's an actual rope at Disneyland that is dropped once you are allowed to enter into the different parts of the park. And so you would get there early, they would let you in. And they allow you to about, right in front of the castle to go into the different lands. And on each of them, they're blocked off by cast members and by a rope. And then at eight o'clock, there's a magical greeting that comes on, welcomes you to the park, and the ropes are dropped. And you're able to go into the park and enjoy it.
Robyn:
And if you're staying at one of the Disneyland hotels, then you actually get in before that.
Leo:
Yes, you do.
Robyn:
And with rope drop, basically, you know the park opens at eight, then they let you into, like Main Street at 7:30. And people who are like 'I'm going to get as many rides in as possible,' they will go straight and they will wait for that 30 minutes right in front of the land that they want to head to. And when they drop the rope, everybody walks. It is entertaining just to watch people try to power walk without getting in trouble because you're not allowed to run. People take it very seriously. So, you know, I don't know about you. But if I had like a little one that was walking, not in a stroller, I would probably wait till that initial section goes, it can be a little intense.
Leo:
Yeah, people were really serious. And there are very, very intense, quote, speed walkers that are going through those things. So if you do have little ones, hang to the side for a second or pick them up and walk with them if you don't have a stroller, because I mean it is a crowd and there's a group of people and you always have to be safely in the park because you never know what's going to happen. But that is a very intense time in the morning. But it's a really fun time because everyone's just super excited to be in the parks and to do some of the fun things that they want to do. So it's an intense time but it's really fun too.
Robyn:
That doesn't make it sound very much fun. The reason people rope drop is because there are two times of the day when the lines are the shortest, and that is the first two hours of the park open and the last two hours before park closes, especially if you're trying to avoid paying for Genie plus, which a Genie plus is basically you pay to be in a shorter, faster-moving line. So if you're not going to do that, and there are lines that you know are going to be long, like Space Mountain, Indiana Jones, Rise of the Resistance, Peter Pan, then a lot of people will say, 'Let's go in line right away for these rides before the lines get long.' And then that will give us more time in the parks to do other things.
Leo:
Yes, a lot of people love Disney and Disneyland, so a lot of people go. But like you said, in the morning, the wait times for these rides are so much shorter. And so, it's a good way to get in as many rides as you can in the morning, if you're going for the day or just for a couple of days, or if you have little ones and other energies in the morning to get things done before naptime, it's such a great time to go and just experience it. Because on some of them, you could really just walk on to some of the rides which you won't be able to later in the day.
Robyn:
So I mean, Space Mountain might have a 70-minute wait time. The rest of the day, you might be able to get on in 15 minutes and then go right to a couple of other attractions nearby, kind of, knock a bunch of things off your list very quickly.
Leo:
Yes.
Robyn:
I would love to hear, like, when do you decide to rope drop and when do you decide not to drop? Because I have, like, my internal criteria. But I'd love to hear what yours is.
Leo:
I know, so I am an avid rope dropper. And I rope drop so many times, acting like it's the last time I'm going to be at the parks. But there are some things to think about. If you're going to rope drop, if you're not going to rope drop. If I'm going there for just like a day, or a day or two, and there's something new that's out or I want to do all the rides I want to do in the morning because I want to go see the show in the afternoon, then I will for sure rope drop. If I'm going with someone that hasn't really been there or they're not going to be there for a while, I will strongly encourage them to rope-drop if they're able to get up early in the morning, just so they can maximize what they're spending at the parks. And you're going there to go on these fun rides and to do as much as you can. And so, kind of like right there is how I would decide if I'm going to rope drop or I'm going to encourage my group to rope drop with me.
Robyn:
And you know, my criteria is pretty much the same. It's like if we're going to be there one day or less, or I'm going to somebody who doesn't have an annual pass, we're going with somebody who, like, wants to do all of the thrill rides and things that need to be in right away. Or if we're going around like, a busy time period, if you're going around Thanksgiving, the week between Christmas and New Year, if you're going then, you know may the force be with you. You know different times like that, then we'll rope drop. I don't know about you, but I kind of also have this other rule. If you rope drop, you also need a nappy time.
Leo:
Yeah. So me and my cousin that do our TikTok together, we are opposite. So I am ready to go at, like, whatever time in the morning we decided. And she always looks at me like, 'Are you sure we're gonna rope drop today?' Hoping that I say no. And I'm ready. And so, depending on how hard we're going in the morning, I definitely come back to the hotel room, take a nap, decompress, and might change it to a different outfit if we need to. And then we go back because in the morning, we already did so many things that we wanted to do because we'd rope dropped. So now we can go back in the afternoon and just kind of relax and do some more things or go see a show. Or if we have a reservation somewhere, we don't have to rush or run around. We will just enjoy it after that.
Robyn:
And you know, I know that it seems counterintuitive. If the whole point of rope drop is to maximize the number of hours you have in the park, why would you go home and take a nap? The reason is, is that if the park opens at eight, then you have until about 10 before rides get busy, unless it's, you know, one of those peak periods. Then between like one and four is when everybody's in the park. So it's the hottest during the summer, which makes it not as much fun. So like maybe we'll leave the parks around one or two, come back at three or four after we've slept, you know, we've maybe done a swim, something along those lines. And the reason we do that is so that we can make sure that we are up at the parks after fireworks. Because the number one rule if you go with me is we do not leave after fireworks; that is not when we're leaving. If you want to get the best times in the park, when you're going to have the less time in lines, you want to be at the open and at the close. And if you try to do open to close, unless you're 19 to 20 for two days in a row, you will not have fun. It's not fun at the end of the days.
Leo:
No, I tried to do that sometimes. And then I have to get humbled. And then I get humbled real quick and realize, 'oh, I need to relax and go take a nap.' And that's good too, to go back to take a nap. If you have little ones, they can rest, relax, decompress. If you have older ones in your group, they need to rest. Even if you have new people that have never been to the park, it could be a lot and overwhelming, and it could be a lot of walking that they're not used to and stuff. So you want everyone to be happy, even though you want everyone to enjoy every ride that they can. So, rope dropping, coming back, taking a little break, and then going back is a really good strategy.
Robyn:
And if you're just somebody that, you know, you will not have a good day if you have to get up that early, then just really strategize and maybe still take that nap, get in there. If you can get there by nine and then take a nap and then try to stay till 11 or 12 on busy days, that's usually how late it's open. Or, you know, stay as close to close as you can. It's kind of like a reverse rope drop. After fireworks, a good chunk of the parks disappear. I will tell you that they don't really aggressively update the times on the app to show that the lines are going down. But the lines are going down, and there's fewer people that are using Lightning lanes. So the standby lines do go faster as well. Yes, yes. Let's talk about what time you need to be at the parks?
Leo:
If you're me, I want to be there like, before 7 am. I want to be as far in the line to scan in as possible to get in for that second little rope drop at 7:30 to wait for the 8 am open. But if you're there no later than like 7:30, you should be fine, depending on what side of the park you want to go to, at least for when I do it. And I usually come through Downtown Disney or by the Disneyland Hotel, one of those entrances in the morning, because they're usually a little shorter than the main entrance off on the other side. I would recommend those times, but it is different for each group and for the day. So, it just depends a little bit, but I will say no later than 7:30.
Robyn:
Rope Dropping Attractions
For me it depends on what we're going to try to look out for. So, if you're going to try to do Peter Pan or Rise of the Resistance, I want to be standing, like next to the gate before they open. So I will get to security at like maybe 6:45. If I'm going with someone with little kids, where we're probably going to be rope-dropping something not a big attraction like that, then, you know, we'll probably get there around 7:45.
One of the things that people who don't like rope drops, while you're trying to avoid standing in line, but you're still standing waiting for each of these things to open. And it is like an hour and a half anyway. But the idea is to kind of add more time to the total day. Yes, exactly. Also, it's really important to know that you might have plans to open an hour walk to Rise of the Resistance, or a specific attraction, there's a lot of failure to open, Disney keeps people very safe. And so if a sensor isn't working, if it doesn't pass this really crazy safety checklist, then they'll say I know the park's open at eight, this ride is not opening until we check everything that we've determined is needed to make sure that this ride will be safe for everybody. So it's frustrating, but it's a good thing.
So, I went to rope drop with a friend. And the husband really wanted to rope drop Radiator Springs Racers, which is the one in California Adventure that you would need to be at the front of the gate for and the wife did not want to get up. We got up because he was insistent. And he really wanted to do that. And then racers didn't open up when the park did. And his wife looked at him and she said, 'I could be sleeping right now.' So, you need to have a backup. If your primary attraction does not open, what is a ride nearby that you're wanting to do right away? Or what is your game plan, which is I think one of the negative things about trying to rope drop Rides, is because if it doesn't open, you have to really rethink about where you want to go next.
Leo:
Rise is a big one to rope drop. I don't rope drop Rise, but a lot of people do. And I see those power walkers get there. And it just depends. And like you said, sometimes they're checking extra things. So you need to have a plan B, C, D, and E of how you want to do your morning in case any of these are closed for whatever reason.
Robyn:
And it doesn't mean they're going to be closed all day, it might be a half hour, it might be two hours, but they will open up just not right now.
Leo:
Yes, exactly.
Robyn:
When I see people talk about rope drop, a lot of people talk about, like you got to do Peter Pan, you got to do Rise, those are the two ones that I will never rope drop. I don't know if you feel the same way.
Leo:
I feel like you are doing a disservice to yourself and your day if you try to rope drop Rise or Peter Pan because everyone else in America is trying to rope drop those rides. And it's probably because they're not as experienced and they don't know. But if you go the wrong way, you end up on the other side of Rise, and you have to walk all the way to the end of the line. So there was no point in walking there, or everyone that has a child is power walking to Peter Pan. So it's delay might be less, but it's still gonna be a huge wait.
Robyn:
Unless you can touch the rope, yeah, then maybe. But for Peter Pan, the queue gets big so fast that you could have gotten up all that time early to avoid a 40-minute line and then still ended up being in a 40-minute line where you could have done seven other attractions in that time period and then done Peter Pan in the evening. If you do that after 10 pm, the line is much shorter.
Leo:
Yeah. If you do that, right around that time, after fireworks, when families are going you can just walk on and it's not a problem.
Robyn:
Let's talk about what you do if you are using Genie plus and what do you rope drop first? If you don't, because I feel like if you have Genie plus or don't have Genie plus, that dramatically changes what I'm going to rope drop.
Leo:
Yeah, if you have Genie plus, awesome, congratulations. That's very exciting. When we've used Genie plus in the past, we still have rope drop a ride or two that might be super busy later on. And then, right after that, we're signing up and scheduling the rides after that, so that we're always walking to a ride and always using it to the best that we can.
Robyn:
Optimizing Genie Plus at Disneyland
If I have Genie plus and there's nothing on Genie plus that I want to ride twice. So, the thing about Genie plus is if I know I want to ride Space Mountain three times, Genie plus is only going to get me on there once. So then I might still rope drop Space Mountain, so I can ride it twice, and then book it for later in the day. I'm kind of a Space Mountain freak. So most people do not want to ride Space Mountain three times in a day.
Leo:
We are these people. Robyn, it's okay.
Robyn:
I have a support group on Tuesday. It's fine. I did it 13 times in a day once.
Leo:
Oh, my goodness. I like that.
Robyn:
It was really awesome. That was when paper fast passes were around. And that was a good time. Yeah, that was good times. So if I have Genie+, what I focus on is the attractions that don't have Genie+ offerings. So, Jungle Cruise, Pirates, Fantasyland, with the exception of Peter Pan, I save that for later. Those are the kind of the ones that I focus on, because those lines get longer. And there isn't the Genie+ option to bypass those. And the Jungle Cruise line, especially in Pirates, you're in the sun in the summer, especially, I want to get those knocked out first. And if you go to those rides, usually the lines don't get longer until like around nine o'clock. So I can knock out quite a few of them in the morning. And so I might get like six or seven attractions done between 8 am and like 10:30. Yeah, that's a really good way to do it. And then as soon as I get in, I book my first, add plus right away, because now you can move the Genie+ and it doesn't restart your timer. So if I was to go on Halloween, Haunted Mansion is going to be super crazy. So I will book my first Lightning Lane for Haunted Mansion right away. And then I will just move it until I see that the lines are a little bit longer. And then I'll go do that attraction. But I can continue to start booking my Genie pluses in the meantime.
Leo:
Yes, Genie+ is a really good thing. Once you understand how to use it and are strategizing quickly, because you could do so much and ride it as many times as you want if you can rope drop and then still ride it later and not have to worry about being in a line. So, Genie+ is awesome if it's part of your trip.
Robyn:
There's this really awesome YouTube video from a channel called Defunctland. He talks about FastPasses and MaxPass and now Genie Plus, and kind of like the evolution and what it was supposed to do. And you know, somebody like me who really knows Genie Plus, even on a busy day, I can probably get maybe 14 to 18 attractions done in a day. Whereas somebody who doesn't know Genie+, they might only be able to use Genie Plus for two or three attractions because the order that you do attractions at Disneyland makes a huge difference. What would you do without Genie Plus? What are the things that you usually rope drop first?
Leo:
So if I'm not using Genie Plus, what I would probably rope drop in the morning would be Space Mountain, Indiana Jones, Jungle Cruise, Haunted Mansion, Big Thunder Mountain, all of those big ones depending on which parks. If I'm at Disneyland, I would do those. If I'm at California Adventure, it would be either Guardians of the Galaxy or Cars. Spider-Man isn't my favorite, but it is fun.
Robyn:
I only like it because I can beat my son at it. We're in Toy Story, like he's been doing it longer. And so I never beat my son at Toy Story. But I'm always like, 'I am the champion.' And I'm not even sure how I'm doing it. So I like Spider-Man just because it makes me feel like a winner in life.
Leo:
I mean, it's good cardio for your arms, and I'm always exhausted. And I always realize that I should probably be lifting something when I'm done with that.
Robyn:
I always tell people make sure you completely relax your arms in between sections, because you're like, like at the angel like.
Leo:
It's pretty intense, Spider-Man obviously, but that's why he does it so well. Yeah, I probably wouldn't rope drop those ones, just depending. And then go from there. I would usually leave Rise for later, either at the end of my morning of what I'm trying to do or even after the fireworks towards the end, because that line can be really long since it is super popular. So it just depends.
Robyn:
Now, one note about Rise: If you are going to Disneyland just to ride the Star Wars attraction, Rise goes down a lot. And when it goes down, it usually goes down for two or three hours. So, if your day will not be complete without doing Rise, I would recommend trying to get it done before three o'clock. If you're a Star Wars fan and you're really excited about it, you know, and it's like a make-or-break for your trip, this is something that I would cough up the money for an individual Lightning Lane for.
Leo:
No, we just did that with our family. We went for my nephew's graduation. And they haven't been to Disneyland for years—my sisters and their kids. So, we did get the Lightning Lane for that one because we knew we had to ride that no matter what happened. They wanted to do it right away at rope drop. And, as you can, please listen to me, I promise we're gonna get to it, we have the Lightning Lane, we're going to do this quickly—let's just go ride all of these rides first, and then we will get to that one. But if you'd have to have that on your trip, I would recommend getting a Lightning Lane if you're not going to be coming back soon or if you just live for Star Wars and need to do it. That also works too.
Robyn:
Alright, so let's go through and summarize. So if you're going to rope drop, you need to plan for a nap time.
Leo:
Yes.
Robyn:
If you're 20, you might be able to do dawn to dusk, but it's going to be intense. And every time I try to do the full day, the last two hours, I'm like walking from rides, but I'm in so much pain from walking. And I'm so tired, and everybody—like everybody's grouchy—everybody's fighting; it's not fun. So we take a nap, come back refreshed, excited. I 100%—I'm a big fan of the nap. So plan to nap.
Tips for Maximizing Your Disney Trip
If you want to do any of the big thrill rides, you want to try to be at the security gate anywhere, would you say like 6:30 to 7? Or would you say 6:45 to 7?
Leo:
I mean, me personally? 6:30, 6:45. As long as you're On Property no later than 7 am, you should be fine, but 6:30 would be the best.
Robyn:
And then, you're going to make sure you know where you want to go, where you have backups, and you need to look at the best path to get to where you want to be. Even though we told you not to ride Rise first, I know that there's gonna be people who want to ride rides. So if you want to ride Rise, Rise is more on the side of Galaxy's Edge, closer to Winnie the Pooh. I usually walk through to get to Rise from like, past Hungry Bear. Is that usually the way you go?
Leo:
Yeah.
Robyn:
There's a restaurant called Hungry Bear. If you just ask cast members which way to Critter Country, then they'll point you in the direction of that. That's going to be the closest point to enter into Galaxy's Edge on the Rise of the Resistance side. With Radiator Springs, know that attraction is always really popular. If you have little ones and you know that you're going to end up riding that by yourself, there's a single rider line that moves pretty quickly. I'm not always a fan of the single rider lines. But for that ride, I think it's worth it.
Leo:
Yeah, that one's fun, whether you're with family or yourself.
Robyn:
Yeah, we talked about the common mistakes, like we recommend that you avoid Peter Pan, go the opposite direction of what everybody else is going because here's the problem. Before you know, rope drop wasn't as popular, and so you could get a ton done. And then a bunch of people put TikToks up saying rope drop. And then now everybody's rope dropping. And then all of those TikToks say 'Do rise and Peter Pan first.' So now we've got all of these people heading to these two attractions. And Peter Pan loads very slowly, so does Rise of the Resistance. So it's just not the best option. Now, if TikTok all of a sudden starts saying everybody should read Jungle Cruise first, then don't ride Jungle Cruise anymore. So whatever TikToks you're watching, this, I would do this one first. I would say don't do that. If you're somebody that likes to overthink things like me, then you can go at eight o'clock as you're logging into work, just kind of have the Disneyland app open and kind of look and watch how the line weights show on the app over time. They're not completely accurate, but they can give you an idea.
Leo:
Yes, exactly. That's a good idea.
Robyn:
Is there anything else for rope drop that we need to talk about?
Leo:
Wear comfortable shoes?
Robyn:
Yes, I always tell people to bring two pairs of shoes. Yeah, I bring one pair of shoes that I know that I want to use most of the time, and I bring another pair in case they get wet or I get a blister. And then sometimes just changing shoes will make your feet so much happier.
Leo:
I will, because I tried to do Disneyland rope drop in Crocs, and that was a horrible situation. And I wish I had two pairs that day. But I didn't.
Robyn:
The number one rule of Disney is: you never wear brand new shoes to the parks, never, no matter how cool they are. I don't care what they are. Never wear new shoes, never wear shoes you've not walked long distances in the park, no matter how cute they are. I don't know about you, but I usually walk anywhere from like, seven to 12 miles in a day at Disneyland.
Leo:
Easily!
Robyn:
Easily. So I think we've covered most of the things for rope drop. Let's do some of these lightning questions to help give people an idea of some of the favorite things. What is your favorite attraction?
Leo:
My favorite attraction is Rise of the Resistance. I think it is amazing. It is perfect for any Star Wars fan, whether you like the new movies or older movies. It's fully immersive; you feel like you're really in a part of Star Wars. The cast members are really great; they treat you how you think you would be treated in that situation. And it's super fun.
Robyn:
We’re big Star Wars fans!
Leo:
Me too.
Robyn:
And so, the first time I went in, I was like, I couldn't not believe how immersive and how in the story they made it feel. And I don't want to spoil anything for anybody. But I will say, if you are claustrophobic, you should probably watch a ride-through video because there's a little section that might be difficult for people who are very claustrophobic. But for the most part, it's a really great ride. No big drops, just one little tiny drop. It's a great attraction. Even my mom, who doesn't really do well on thrill rides, was okay on that.
Leo:
Okay, yeah, my favorite hands down.
Robyn:
Alright, and then what is your favorite show or meet and greet?
Leo:
My favorite show now that I went to was 'The Lion King' one. And I don't know if it's because I haven't seen it in a while or I was just hungry, but it started and I already had tears coming out.
Robyn:
My sister came back sobbing.
Leo:
All of the performers, dancers, and singers—everyone is so talented. And you just see everyone's so happy and excited to tell this story that all of us know so well. And it's almost like you're seeing 'The Lion King' on Broadway. It's just amazing, and it's beautifully done. The colors are amazing, the singing is amazing. And I was just casually sobbing while I was recording it. So that's my new favorite one.
Robyn:
It is really Broadway quality. So, if you've wanted to be like, 'I would love to have my children experience that kind of entertainment,' one, it's great for that too. You're sitting down for quite a bit of time, and especially when you've been walking all day, like just having everybody sit down for a little bit. There's a little quick-serve called Troubadour Tavern that you can get a big potato; you can have that while you're watching. There's a whole bunch of snacks and churros and stuff on your way over there. It's something that if I know somebody hasn't been in a while, I usually say, 'This is one of the things that we have to do.’
Leo:
Yes.
Robyn:
What is always in your bag or pockets when you head to the park.
Leo:
So, I always have a portable fan. In my bag, I always have water. I always have extra snacks, just in case I'm hungry or someone in the group is hangry. There's always food because we don't want that warmth in the parks. I always have a battery pack with me because now I'm recording so much more in the parks. I have my gimbal with me, and mints and floss because you never know who you're going to meet; you never know what characters you're going to meet.
Robyn:
Yeah, and I think I want to back up on the snacks because I see people telling people not to bring snacks in the park, especially if you've got little ones with you, bring snacks in the park. But for me, as a grown-up adult, even if I'm going by myself, I always put snacks in my bags because sometimes you're like, 'oh, I'll just get it after I get off this attraction.' And then maybe it takes a little longer. Or sometimes you don't realize you're hungry until you stop moving for a little bit. So, have, you know, some granola or some nuts, or we would do a lot of, like the fruit, snacks and like, apples and stuff just for when somebody looks like maybe they could use something. And then there's water refilling stations all over the parks. And water bottles at Disney are super expensive. I mean, the cheap ones are like four bucks each.
Leo:
Yeah, snacks are always good, especially when you're in line, like you said, waiting. And even if you're not eating it, you could see someone else in line that looks like they need a snack. And then when you want, it just makes their whole life better. And so it's always funny when you pull up snacks, and everyone's so excited because, like you said, people don't realize how hungry they are until they start hearing some little plastic move. And they're like, 'I need to eat something.'
Robyn:
It’s nice to be able to help other people sometimes because, you know, if somebody hasn't brought snacks or they ran out of snacks, sometimes they can feel a little stuck.
Leo:
Yes, sure.
Robyn:
Is there any other, like parting Disney advice that you would give people?
Leo:
Don't be afraid to rope drop. Think about it before you go. If you want a churro in the park, buy it. And just be as pleasant as you can to the cast members and to each other because all of us are there to have fun. And we always want to make everyone's experience exciting. So I would say that.
Robyn:
Rope drop, if you can do it. Because maybe you just don't do mornings, you can still have a great day without rope dropping.
Leo:
Yes, that is true.
Robyn:
You do not have to rope drop. I know that a lot of videos make it seem like you can't have a good day. That's not true. If you want to try to get on all of the thrill rides and you're not going to do Genie+, it will go a long way to help you spending less time in line. But I've done many trips and not rope dropped and had wonderful days.
Leo:
Yes, so you can do it without. You could still have fun; it will still be just as magical and exciting. So do it both ways, whichever you like.
Robyn:
And it's okay to do rope drop one day and not do rope drop another.
Leo:
Or you might go into rope drop, and a reservation opens at a place you want to eat. So you have to make decisions. So you just have to be flexible and just go with the flow.
Robyn:
Helpful Tips and Reviews Podcast
We have this free planning course at Park Magic called Park Magic University, and like the first lesson is: don't feel like you have to jam-pack everything into your day. I've gone to the parks hundreds of times, literally hundreds of times, and I'm still like, 'Oh, you know, actually, I've never done that before.' 'Oh, I've never done this before.' There's no way to do it all. I kind of feel like one of the reasons why people get so frustrated with Disney is they have this really strict itinerary. And sometimes things change; different things might be closed for refurbishment. So, setting your expectations on the lower side and then being open to doing more, I think, is better than having every minute planned out because it just will not go the way you plan.
Leo:
Yes, sure.
Robyn:
So this has been another episode of the park Magic podcast. Thank you so much for coming on the show today.
Leo:
Thank you so much for having me.
Robyn:
Leo, if they wanted to follow you on Tik Tok or Insta, what's the best way for them to do that?
Leo:
You could follow me @_alwaysthriving_ on Tiktok and Instagram.
Robyn:
They're great videos; I would highly recommend you check them out. That's it for today. We hope that this episode has been helpful. Come visit us at ParkMagic.com. Make sure you hit that subscribe button; it really helps us to get the word out, and same for reviews. Have a wonderful day.
Thanks for listening to this episode of the Park Magic podcast. For more tips and planning tools designed to help simplify your Disneyland adventure, visit ParkMagic.com. If you enjoyed today's episode and want to hear more tips, be sure to subscribe to the Park Magic podcast. And don't forget to leave us a review; your feedback helps us spread the magic even further. Leaving a review could also help you; each month, we will be selecting one reviewer to win a one-hour planning session with Robyn. Winners will be announced at the end of the first episode of every month. Thanks for tuning in, and remember that we are here to help you have a less stressful and more magical trip to Disneyland.
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