Rope Drop Tactics

[Skold]

Yep, I'm putting this here way too early.

But my ticket is for the 30th (day 8) and I have only one shot at this. Josh EasyWDW (RIP) taught me about the importance rope-drop, and also the "second circle" of hitting those rides as crowds went down.

So, what are we thinking?

My initial idea:
1st: DK (due to limited capacity)
2nd: Ministry (due to popularity)
3rd: Frankenstein (due to I love this)

After that, get a drink at every land, do interactive stuff and rides as wait times (in the app) dictate. Bask in the glory of Celestial Park.

Maybe MarioKart and Curse of the WW during "lunch"?

Will wait as long as it takes for Yoshi, just get me a beer first.

Not sure what to make of the Celestials Park rides yet.

Anyh00, let's get some rope drop commando plans going!

 

[Disneyhead]

Right now, for me, it is a toss up of MoM or Frankenstein. I was leaning towards MoM but after the Frankenstein AA revel, that is ahead.

 

[Lightningbolt]

Yep, I'm putting this here way too early.

But my ticket is for the 30th (day 8) and I have only one shot at this. Josh EasyWDW (RIP) taught me about the importance rope-drop, and also the "second circle" of hitting those rides as crowds went down.

So, what are we thinking?

My initial idea:
1st: DK (due to limited capacity)
2nd: Ministry (due to popularity)
3rd: Frankenstein (due to I love this)

After that, get a drink at every land, do interactive stuff and rides as wait times (in the app) dictate. Bask in the glory of Celestial Park.

Maybe MarioKart and Curse of the WW during "lunch"?

Will wait as long as it takes for Yoshi, just get me a beer first.

Not sure what to make of the Celestials Park rides yet.

Anyh00, let's get some rope drop commando plans going!

Yeah gotta agree I thk DK is best either straight outta rope drop or end of the day. Really don't thk it’s gonna be very viable to do mid day unless u want a guaranteed 2 hr+ wait.

 

[belloq87]

Without knowing anything about crowd dynamics and demand yet, my current rope drop theory will probably be this (giving myself two days at the park):

Day 1
- Monsters Unchained

Day 2
- Donkey Kong

Monsters because it's the ride I'm most excited for and want to do first, and DK because everything we've heard indicates it will have atrocious capacity for the attention it's going to pull.

Now, as an off-property guest, I'm not anticipating rope-dropping will do a ton to benefit me (since early entry is now confirmed for opening day already). I expect it will be more of a "pick which two-hour wait you want to start with" situation than a "walk onto an E-ticket" situation, but I'll still do it because I'd rather have a two-hour wait instead of a three-hour wait. I hope it's not quite that bad, though!

 

[Mad Dog]

Early entry will probably only help on the first ride of the day, and perhaps not by much. Rest of the first day: I'll leave all the coasters for another day or two. Concentrate on Ministry, Monsters dark ride, Mario and the ambiance of the lands. And Dragon's show for later in the day. I'll take it slow and enjoy the immersion of the five lands. I'll be going often in future visits, so no hurry. Always nice to have something new to experience in a subsequent visit. Keeps the park fresh with first time attraction experience to look forward to......I'm a patient guy.
.

 

[LPCaptainDeath]

Keep in mind that early entry was only for the Wizarding World attractions for a while there.
I think it would be safe to assume Ministry of Magic MIGHT be the only land opening early at EPIC.

I know that Despicable Me at USF and Velocicoaster at IOA tend to open earlier as well for convenient or proximity ops based reasons, but i think it's important to keep in mind that this is why EPIC is specifically constructed with portals to each land: If they don't want people going in, they will rope those portals off and there will be no other way to get in until they allow you to. So i foresee Epic being VERY specific about how they do early entry and what is accessible at those times.

If they go the Hollywood route and offer paid early entry for Super Nintendo World separate from the above(or ANY portal for that matter), I figure it'll be something we definitely hear about before the park opens - but i'm doubtful it'll be something they do.

EDITED: It is HIGHLY unlikely they open every attraction for early entry - so this was meant to only say people should temper their expectations based on how Universal PREVIOUSLY operated.

 

[UniversalRBLX]

Keep in mind that early entry *ON PAPER* is only for the Wizarding World attractions in all currently existing parks.
Until they change the verbiage for that, we should only *ASSUME* Ministry of Magic will be the only land opening early.
I know that with IoA Velocicoaster tends to open early too, and its proximity to Hogsmeade gives it that benefit and ease of access for both guests and ops, but i think it's important to keep in mind that this is why EPIC is specifically constructed with portals to each land: If they don't want people going in, they will rope those portals off and there will be no other way to get in until they allow you to. So i foresee Epic being VERY specific about how they do early entry and what is accessible at those times.

If they go the Hollywood route and offer paid early entry for Super Nintendo World separate from the above, I figure it'll be something we definitely hear about before the park opens - but i'm doubtful it'll be something they do.

Not true, USF/IOA have other attractions officially included in EPA. They remove Spiderman from EPA once Velocicoaster was oped and running smoothly.

As for strategy, I'd probably prioritize either Monsters or Ministry first (with the other at park close once everything else is done.) I think Starfall Racers will be a rather easy attraction to hit up during the day, wouldn't waste it as your first option IMO (based on capacity estimates).

 

[LPCaptainDeath]

I started selling Universal in 2016, and -at that time- they were very specific about their verbiage and documentation saying Wizarding World was the only thing available for early entry at either park.

Based off the documents i still have records of, it looks like they changed the verbiage in 2023 at some point, so i stand corrected!

That being said, i don't think every portal/land will be open with early entry and if i were to put money on it, i'd say only ONE or MAYBE TWO will be offered; And i'd put that money on Ministry of Magic being first and Super Nintendo World being second. I do not personally assume Isle of Berk or Darkmoor OR Celestial Park will be operating within early entry standards. Just my personal experience/opinion.

 

[Jake S]

As for strategy, I'd probably prioritize either Monsters or Ministry first (with the other at park close once everything else is done.) I think Starfall Racers will be a rather easy attraction to hit up during the day, wouldn't waste it as your first option IMO (based on capacity estimates).

I'll be interested to see what Donkey Kong's queue looks like. It's tucked away far enough in the back of its land that you might be able to get through it quickly at opening, particularly if everyone stops at Mario Kart before they get back there.

 

[belloq87]

The major reason I personally wouldn't prioritize rope-dropping Ministry (regardless of early entry) is that it's going to have a queue I definitely won't mind waiting in.

If I have to spend an hour, or whatever, in switchbacks in the Ministry of Magic atrium, that sounds just fine to me, because that's going to be an incredible environment.

 

[LPCaptainDeath]

The major reason I personally wouldn't prioritize rope-dropping Ministry (regardless of early entry) is that it's going to have a queue I definitely won't mind waiting in.

If I have to spend an hour, or whatever, in switchbacks in the Ministry of Magic atrium, that sounds just fine to me, because that's going to be an incredible environment.

I rode Hagrid's the week it opened and waited 4.5 hours.
When i tell people that, they usually ask, "Was it worth it?" and i say, "Hell yeah," every time.

I share this sentiment with Dark Universe/Darkmoor.

I'm going to wait until it's night-time before i walk through that portal for the first time.
I want to see the fog, the characters, the architecture, etc. in the perfect lack of sunlight.
I'm going to treat it like its own HHN experience.

 

[HHN Maddux]

The current plan is to head straight for Monsters Unchained, then head for Ministry of Magic immediately after. Spend the whole day taking my time and enjoying the rest of the park, and attempt to ride Mine Cart Madness and Stardust Racers.

End the day by heading back to Dark Universe and enjoy the nighttime vibes of the land.

 

[Mad Dog]

The current plan is to head straight for Monsters Unchained, then head for Ministry of Magic immediately after. Spend the whole day taking my time and enjoying the rest of the park, and attempt to ride Mine Cart Madness and Stardust Racers.

End the day by heading back to Dark Universe and enjoy the nighttime vibes of the land.

Exactly, my feelings. The immersion is prime. Enjoy the ambiance....and no way I'll commando....I want new experiences to keep the park fresh on each subsequent visit. There won't be another new park, on this scale, in the States, for a long time. Like enjoying a fine wine...slowly.

 

[Andysol]

My guess is only one portal will be open for early entry. So rope drop would obviously be for that. Or if no early entry, intentionally avoiding that.

I also think people are sleeping on curse of the werewolf. That and DK might have the longest waits of the park. We’ll know shortly, but I wouldn’t bet against CotW being priority one in Darkmore with Frankenstein coming second for rope drop priority.

I can see it work similar to IOA early entry with Hagrids and Hogwarts.

 

[nikem3]

Pro tip: Stay at Grand Helios. Keep walking around looking clueless asking where the bathroom is. "Accidentally" walk into the park. Stand in front of Monsters Unchained and wait.

/s

 

[pjnugget]

I'd be curious how they plan on merging the queue for EPA when some guests will be coming from Helios while the rest of the guests will come from CP main entrance. Will it just be a free-for-all? lol

 

[HHN Maddux]

The current plan is to head straight for Monsters Unchained, then head for Ministry of Magic immediately after. Spend the whole day taking my time and enjoying the rest of the park, and attempt to ride Mine Cart Madness and Stardust Racers.

End the day by heading back to Dark Universe and enjoy the nighttime vibes of the land.

Going back to this, now debating on if I should book it for MoM first.

Monsters Unchained I feel will be better experienced at night with a more moody and fitting atmosphere queue-wise, which will enhance the ride experience itself even more.

 

[Clive]

For whenever I get down there, my plan is DK > Werewolf > Ministry of Magic. I'd go for Mario Kart fourth if I didn't have that here in Cali. After that, I suspect things will get easier.

 

[saint.piss]

My current plan for my first visit is:

Stardust Racers > MoM > Monsters Unchained > Hiccups Wing Gliders > Untrainable > Curse of the Werewolf > HP Paris show (forgot the name of it)

Then if I have time I'll visit SNW and get some food. I've already done all the SNW rides so I'm not in a hurry to ride them again when the lines will be really bad. Hopefully the soft openings won't be too busy so I can ride them again without waiting 3 hours

 

[ParkExplorer9513]

My Epic itinerary would probably go something like this:

DKC > whatever USH doesn't have at this SNW > Isle of Berk > Dark Universe > Stardust Racers > WWP