Credit: gardener41, FlickrOnce again, Walt Disney World Resort has updated the rope drop procedure at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. This is just the latest change in what appears to be a multi-month experiment to improve the guest experience for anyone who arrives at the fourth Central Florida Disney park before it opens. Here’s what to know before your next visit to the Most Magical Place on Earth.
First Rope Drop Update
Back in July, Walt Disney World Resort made a big change for non-Disney Resort hotel guests rope dropping Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. (Rope dropping means arriving before a theme park opens to be one of the first guests allowed in, meaning you can ideally bypass long wait times for your first few rides or get perfect family photos in a non-crowded park.)
Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park typically opens at 8:00 a.m. However, Disney Resort hotel guests get 30 minutes of Early Entry to all four Central Florida Disney parks, so they’re allowed to enter at 7:30 a.m. most days. Offsite or local guests were typically forced to wait in the Oasis, a collection of nature trails positioned right after the main entrance to the park.
In July, Walt Disney World Resort moved the holding area for non-Disney Resort hotel guests to Discovery Island. This allowed guests to wait at the bridge to their preferred land (Asia, Africa, etc.), take photos in front of the Tree of Life before the park opened, or simply explore rather than stand in a bottleneck in the Oasis.
As of September 27, Walt Disney World Resort has once again changed the rope drop procedures at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park.
Another Change at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park
This weekend, Walt Disney World Resort once again updated the rope drop protocol at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park. WDWNT visited the fourth Central Florida Disney park on Sunday, and shared this photo as well as their experience with the new park entry procedure:
Walt Disney World Resort has almost eliminated the holding area system, allowing all guests into most lands around the park before it opens. Disney cast members stand at attraction entrances and scan MagicBands or park tickets to ensure that anyone entering the line is a Disney Resort hotel guest eligible for Early Entry. Offsite or local guests can wait outside attraction entrances or explore the park until it opens.
The one exception to this new policy is Pandora – The World of Avatar. Only guests eligible for Early Entry can enter Pandora before Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park opens, and Disney cast members verify eligibility by scanning a MagicBand or theme park ticket. All other guests must wait at the bridge on Discovery Island to enter the Avatar (2009)-themed land when the park officially opens.
Have you noticed any other rope drop changes at Magic Kingdom Park, EPCOT, Disney’s Hollywood Studios, or Disney’s Animal Kingdom Theme Park? Inside the Magic would love to hear about your experience in the comments!
