Mornings are the best times at Disneyland to see popular attractions because lines are much shorter and the California sun isn’t quite so hot. Before planning an efficient morning strategy for Disneyland there are a few key features of the Disneyland Resort that you must become familiar with.
As always, we at Mickey Visit recommend planning your day in advance to avoid feeling overwhelmed (especially for Disneyland first timers!) at the parks. We'll dive into our morning and Disneyland rope drop tips to ensure you have the best day possible.
The beginning of your day at Disneyland is the most important as it sets the tone and is the easiest time to enjoy the most amount of attractions in any one period. Let's dive into what you need to know, what Disneyland rope drop is, and the critical strategies to execute in the morning.
This article has been checked for accuracy for 2025 and updated with all currently available information including the addition of Tiana's Bayou Adventure which recently opened.
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Disneyland App To Jumpstart Your Morning
Disneyland has an app that you can download for either Android or iPhone that will give you the most accurate wait times for rides. This app is a must have for anyone visiting Disneyland. You can link your park tickets to it, make dining reservations, use the mobile food ordering feature, link your PhotoPass tickets, and utilize the important Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass system!
Pro tip: Download and link your tickets to this app PRIOR to your trip and become familiar with it. This way when you show up to the gates you are already a pro at using the app. Take a look at the layout of each park on the app so you have a rough idea of where you are going once you enter!
What is Disneyland Rope Drop? Don't Miss This!
Thirty minutes before park opening, cast members will begin letting guests into the parks. This helps control the flow of crowds and it can be a huge advantage for morning park visitors! There will be Disneyland ropes (guarded by cast members) that block off access points of the lands until the official park opening time. Being one of the first groups positioned at those ropes at Disneyland can be a huge advantage for your morning strategy for Disneyland!
Rope drop at Disneyland is the act of being literally at the rope when Cast Members are ready to let park guests into the various lands at the theme park. Disneyland rope drop allows you to literally be in the first groups of people to head to the popular Disneyland attractions. Below you can see guests lining up for Fantasyland and Tomorrowland at the ropes.
Early Entry! Guests staying at Disneyland Resort hotels will be allowed to access select attractions 30 minutes prior to park opening giving those guests an advantage for some popular attractions. Read more about early entry and our advice on what you should prioritize during that 30 minutes if you have it in our Disneyland Early Entry guide!
If you don't have early entry, don't worry! Hotel guests don't get access to all the attractions during this 30 minutes and it won't negatively impact the parks too much. You will see the largest impact at the most popular attractions so that is something to keep in mind- you won't be able to walk right on those attractions any longer as a non-Disney hotel guest. There will always be a line already when the park officially opens… but it won't be too long, so don't worry!
Also, be sure to confirm park hours in our guides to Disneyland Park hours and Disney California Adventure park hours. We also have helpful predictions and questions there to help you.
When to Arrive to Do Disneyland Rope Drop
To be ready at Disneyland at Rope Drop, plan to arrive at least one hour prior to the park opening. You want to be lined up at the front gate roughly 45 minutes before opening which means giving yourself at least 15 minutes to get through security and walk over (this is with the assumption that you are staying at a hotel near Disneyland rather than driving into the parks – if you are driving to the Mickey and Friends Parking Structure you will want to allow even more time).
Pro tip: Grab breakfast to go and eat while you're waiting to be let in through the turnstiles. This will help keep adults happy and kids occupied during that early morning wait time. We always recommend either eating here or at your Disneyland hotel.
Disneyland Morning Strategies 2025
Both Disneyland FastPass and MaxPass have been RETIRED and replaced by the Lightning Lane Multi Pass service (this was recently renamed and used to be called Genie Plus) which allows guests to make reservations for attractions from the Disneyland app for a fee of $32 per person per day. Below we have a number of Disneyland Park morning strategies with and without the Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass service. You can still have a great day without the new Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass service.
The main rule of thumb at Disneyland remains the same: arrive early! Be prepared to get the resort an hour before official park opening so you can line up for rope drop. You can knock out some of the highest wait attractions by arriving early each day of your visit.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance has a standby queue and offers the option to purchase an individual “a la carte” ride on the attraction. Many guests rush to Rise of the Resistance as their first attraction of the day. We don't recommend this regardless of if you are paying for the attraction or not. Read on for all the details!
If you are planning at day starting at Disney California Adventure, read our Disney California Adventure Morning Strategy here.
Read our full 1-day Disneyland itinerary for more tips for visiting Disneyland Park.
The below strategies have been tested as great options.
I get anxious the night before Disneyland too! Even with all of this planning advice and the tips from across Mickey Visit, the parks are always changing and operations can vary. Get as prepared as you can by reading the below and then adapt as you can. Even after working on all of these strategies, I still get anxious at night before a morning at Disneyland. Since you are reading this I can already tell you that you're more prepared than 99% of other guests in line with you tomorrow morning. You've got this. You are going to deliver a great Disneyland day for you and your group! Go get them.
Option 1: Do the opposite!
Space Mountain, Peter Pan, and Rise of the Resistance are the three attractions that most people rush to first thing at rope drop. If you're not at the front of this pack of people you will end up in a long wait and end up missing out on shorter waits at other areas of the park. Even if you are at Disneyland right at opening, I recommend saving Rise of the Resistance because it is a longer experience that will eat up most if not all of that first precious hour of the day in the park.
Instead of heading to either Fantasyland or Tomorrowland head towards Adventureland/New Orleans Square/Bayou Country instead! This would be the order I would hit the main attractions in these areas in:
- Indiana Jones Adventure
- Tiana's Bayou Adventure
- Jungle Cruise
- Pirates of the Caribbean
- The Haunted Mansion
At this point, most of the rides will be at their usual wait times throughout the day and you can truly just meander around the parks without worrying about a specific plan.
This advice to do the opposite of the crowds also aligns with our tip to save Rise of the Resistance for later in the day unless you are at Disneyland right at the beginning of the day.
Option 2: Here we go!
Start your day in Fantasyland which is an ideal plan for those with little kiddos! Many of these rides are in areas without shade which can get uncomfortable in the afternoon sun with small children. Tackle the rides in this order:
- Peter Pan
- Peter Pan has always been a popular ride and you can expect to wait in a pretty long winding queue around the castle if you save this for the afternoon.
- The only other option for securing a low wait for Peter Pan is to wait until just before closing. Even in this case, the attraction often holds a 30-45 minute queue all the way through.
- Snow White's Enchanted Wish
- Alice in Wonderland
- Dumbo
- Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
- Pinocchio's Daring Journey
- Mad Tea Party
- King Arthur Carrousel
- it's a Small World
At this point, most of the rides will be at their usual wait times throughout the day and you can truly just meander around the parks without worrying about a specific plan.
Option 3: Enter the world of tomorrow!
Line up facing Tomorrowland at rope drop and be ready to skip your way into the world of tomorrow! Start in Tomorrowland and knock out their two popular rides in this area first. This ride plan prioritizes the thrill rides the park offers!
- Space Mountain
- Star Tours: The Adventures Continues
- Matterhorn
- Big Thunder Mountain Railroad
At this point most of the rides will be at their usual wait times throughout the day and you can truly just meander around the parks without worrying about a specific plan.
Option 4: May the force be with you!
Star Wars fans that would like to explore Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge without waiting in lines to enter shops and the marketplace should reserve one morning to head here first to do your shopping before the lines get long.
This is also a great time to get pictures around the land before it fills up with people later in the day.
Disneyland Morning Strategy Lightning Lane Multi Pass
Guests will pay $32 per day per person to add Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass to their tickets will will allow them to access Lightning Lanes (previously called FastPass lines) for popular attractions at both parks. Essentially, this is a ‘skip the line' paid pass.
The service does not include two marque attractions that are now “a la carte” and are paid separately. Also, guests can only go on each attraction that is included with Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass once per day using the skip the line function. If there are any attractions that are a thrill for your family that you want to experience multiple times in a day, you'll want to prioritize these attractions in the morning. For instance, we rode Space Mountain in the standby queue in the morning and saved our Lightning Lane Multi Pass for a ride during the busy afternoon.
We have a thorough guide to Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass based on a couple of days testing out the service that is a MUST READ as you get ready for your Disneyland trip. Read the Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass tips included in that guide and then dive into the below strategies of how to best utilize the new service.
The Best Morning Strategy for Disneyland with Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass : Older Kids/Adults
- Grab Space Mountain Disney Lightning Lane when you enter the park
- Ride Peter Pan. (This ride is one of the most popular attractions in Fantasyland. The downside of that is the ride is slow loading and the lines for this ride move slowly as a result. If you are present at Rope Drop, line up facing Sleeping Beauty’s castle. The entrance to Peter Pan will be on the right once you walk through the castle. Walk as quickly (no running, Disney rules!) as you can to snag a place in line. If you are not present at Rope Drop, save this ride for the evening rather than spend precious morning hours waiting in this line. You can see our Disneyland evening strategy here if you plan on staying until park closing)
- Ride Star Tours- The Adventures Continue
- Ride Space Mountain with Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass
- Grab Indiana Jones Adventure Lightning Lane
- Ride Matterhorn Bobsleds in standby or save for the afternoon with Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass if queue is already posted to be more than 20 minutes
- Grab a snack from the many food carts on the way to Adventureland when you pass through the park hub
- Ride Haunted Mansion
- Ride Indiana Jones Adventure with Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass
- Grab Big Thunder Mountain Railroad Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass
- Ride Pirates of the Caribbean
- Ride Jungle Cruise
- Grab a snack from the Tropical Imports Stand right across from the Jungle Cruise
- Walk around towards Big Thunder Mountain to the right side of the Tropical Imports Stand building to access the restrooms on the way
- Ride Big Thunder Mountain Railroad with Lightning Lane Multi Pass
- If you are Park Hopping, check for Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass return times for Lightning Lanes in Disney California Adventure
- Grab Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass
- Break for lunch (here are some of our favorite spots)
- Head for Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge after lunch to enjoy Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run
Be sure to utilize multiple experience passes if an attraction breaks down that you have a Lightning Lane Multi Pass reservation for! Read what that means in our Lightning Lane Multi Pass Disneyland guide.
This morning strategy for Disneyland will take you through some of the most popular rides for older kids and adults before lunchtime. The bonus of this morning strategy for Disneyland is it tries to take into account minimal walking back and forth across the park to conserve energy for the entire day.
Pro tip: Assign one person to keep track of everyone's Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass and park tickets so they can keep their eyes out on the app. Be sure to set a timer for 2 hrs each time you get a Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass reservation so that you are always ready to get your next one.
The Best Morning Strategy for Disneyland with Lightning Lane Multi Pass: Younger Kids and the Young at Heart
Starting your day in Fantasyland if perfect for families that are focusing on their young children or young children at heart. By starting with Peter Pan and then working through all of the other attractions in that area you will have ridden about 10 classic Disneyland attractions within the first two hours.
- Grab Big Thunder Mountain Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass. Keep an eye on the return times. You want the beginning of the return time window to be sometime around 30-45 minutes after the parks opens (just like FastPass you have an hour to return to the attraction from the beginning of your Lightning Lane window).
- Ride Peter Pan. (This ride is one of the most popular attractions in Fantasyland. The downside of that is the ride is slow loading and the lines for this ride move slowly as a result. Parents of small children aren't able to as quickly park strollers and hop in line as folks without can. If this ride is a MUST for the little ones then might as well cross it off the list early. If not, come back in the evening and move to the next ride.)
- Ride Alice in Wonderland
- Ride Dumbo the Flying Elephant
- Ride Snow White's Scary Adventure
- Ride Mr. Toad's Wild Ride
- Ride it's a small world
- Ride Casey Jr. Circus Train
- Ride Pinocchio's Daring Adventure
- Ride Storybook Land Canal Boats
- Ride Sleeping Beauty's Carousel
- Ride the Mad Tea Party
- Walk the back way towards Frontierland from Fantasyland and ride Big Thunder Mountain with your Lightning Lane Multi Pass
- Access the restrooms on your left as you walk from Fantasyland to Frontierland if you need themHead for Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge after lunch to enjoy Millennium Falcon: Smuggler's Run
This morning strategy for Disneyland will hit all the higher wait time youngster attractions before lunch which is especially great for little ones in the California sun. Spend the afternoons doing the attractions with lower wait times and utilize your Disney Lightning Lane Multi Pass combined with Disney Rider Switch so that the adults can enjoy some of the bigger attractions! The bonus of this morning strategy for Disneyland is it tries to take into account minimal walking back and forth across the park to conserve energy for the entire day.
How to Ride Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance at Disneyland
As explained above, Rise of the Resistance is now one of two attractions that can be purchased “a la carte” for a separate one time fee per person that is usually around $20-25 per person to skip the line. When we tested this, the posted wait time was 110 minutes (the posted times are somewhat inflated) and we only waited 2 minutes to enter the first show scene.
I can't say whether that time savings is “worth it” for you, but it sure is a nice feature for families on once in a lifetime trips where another $100 doesn't matter. For the rest of us who want to wait in line, I recommend saving this attraction for later in the day or evening because even if you can navigate to the attraction quickly, the entire experience takes the better part of 30 mins to an hour. You don't want to use your precious morning park time for this.
So far we have seen wait times for the attraction explode in the morning to waits of 180 mins and then settle into a posted wait of 1 hr – 90 mins (like other wait times in Disneyland, these waits are inflated and are actually been closer to 45 mins to an hour). I would recommend monitoring the queue length in the Disneyland App and then lining up for the attraction during the parade or mid-afternoon. Remember that Rise of the Resistance closes earlier than the rest of the park. The attraction usually closes at 10 pm.
Rope drop is always the same time as the park opens which is usually 8AM.
Rope drop at Disneyland refers to the actual rope that blocks guests from entering the areas with rides and when the park officially opens, the cast members drop the rope.
Rope drop is always at park opening which is usually 8AM.
To rope drop at Disneyland enter the theme park at least thirty minutes before park opening and line up at the ropes.
More Disneyland Planning Tips
There is always a lot of information to consider before planning a Disneyland vacation. Make sure to spend time planning your days in the theme parks and become familiar with everything Disneyland has to offer. Don’t forget to subscribe to our FREE Deals Newsletter to stay on top of the current planning tips, strategies, and deals.
You can discover more about planning your trip to Disneyland from these links:
- Disneyland Character Dining
- JW Marriott Near Disneyland Hotel Review
- How to Plan Your Disneyland Trip
- Disneyland in the Summer
- Disneyland in May
- 40+ Places to Find Cheap Food in Disneyland
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Hi there. I was just wondering if you would change anything on here since MaxPass came out? We are going to be in Cali next month and will only have ONE DAY in DL, so I want to make the most of it! Thanks!
I would say if you only have one day, I would also recommend adding some time over at California Adventure Park in the afternoon. And make sure to grab a MaxPass for Radiator Springs Racers early enough in the day. As long as you’re there by Rope Drop you should be able to accomplish this list before heading over to California Adventure.
Hi I have read heaps and heaps of how the MAXpass works but Im still a little confused sorry.
If I book a ride for the afternoon, how is the wait time calculated for when you can book the next ride? Is it one ride every 30 mins or do you need to use the pass before booking again. I dont want to book an afternoon ride and then I cant book anything else!
Once you book your first MaxPass the app will show you when is the next time you can book. This can vary anywhere from 30 minutes to two hours, it depends on how busy the parks are. You don’t have to use your first pass before booking another one. I usually set an alarm on my phone for when I can book my next one so I don’t forget!
Hi there!
I was told to grab the Individual Lightning Lane for Rise of the Resistance first thing when we scan into the park so they do not run out. Is this what you did? What if we get a return time for the morning and end up using 30 minutes to an hour of our morning time?
Thank you!
Hi Megan,
The Lightning Lane passes have not been selling out at the parks. There is no rush to purchase the Lightning Lane pass for Rise of the Resistance. When we last purchased, we bought at 11:45 am and immediately used the passes 15 minutes later. I would recommend not purchasing in the morning to avoid eating into your morning time as detailed in the strategy above.
Gavin
Will you be updating The Best Morning Strategy for Disneyland with Disney Genie Plus: Younger Kids and the Young at Heart section. After toon town closing or does it not effect it too much ?
Yes! Strategy is updated to reflect that Toontown is closed.
Hi! These are all great tips thank you! I’m curious and bit confused we are going already next week( july 5th) will toon town be closed then? If so how would change the fantasy land morning routine schedule? We do have my three littles 2-6 but also travel with my young adult sisters, parents and grandmas so trying to accommodate all is a tricky one any additional tips?
I understand the difficulty of that planning! Please view the morning strategy now to see that the Toontown mention has been removed and our recommendations have been shifted.
When traveling with large groups you’ll definitely want to select some attractions that the entire group can do together before splitting up to then come back together for meals!
What time do the shuttle bus start and what time does the toy story parking lot open?
Officially the parking lots open one hour before the first theme park opening, but they do sometimes open earlier. We recommend planning to arrive about 1 hr and 15 minutes to 1 hr and 30 minutes before park opening.
I had a question about getting the $20 LL pass for Rise of the Resistance. Can you purchase that at any point and it does not effect your LL reservations? Or are you blocked out for 2 hours again or till you ride it. Also can you go to the ride whenever or do you have a window to come back in ? We are following your Younger Kids and the Young at Heart section
With your Younger Kids and the Young at Heart section, I have an older kid(7 Year old) where should we either split or start reserving the following rides such as, Matterhorn, Jungle Cruise, Indiana Jones, Pirates, as well as Rise of the Resistance, or will we have missed the Lighting Lanes times for those by then . We are going this week in July, plan is to be there 7am to closing.
The Individual Lightning Lane reservation does not count against the ‘wait two hours’ rule for other Genie reservations so you’ll be good to go! You will pick the return time of your choice when you purchase it.
You could always rope drop Indiana Jonesn (go here first!) and then ride Jungle Cruise followed by Pirates using standby (all three are located right near each other!) and use Genie to book Matterhorn after you’re done with Pirates. But you might as well ride Haunted Mansion while you’re on that side of the park. 😉
For many, the happiest place on rapidly deteriorating earth is still Disneyland. What some don’t know is that rope drop is an extreme Disney sport that could possibly be classified in the same general family as UFC Fighting, which conveniently has a center located near the park’s main gates in Anaheim, California. For novices who may be thinking of pursuing rope drop in the upcoming holiday season or looking ahead to the easy going days of summer 2023, it’s important to know the steps involved.
1. Do your research ahead of time. Ignore headlines like “Furious Guest Calls Adults Running at Disneyland Rope Drop Despicable Human Beings.” You know that’s not true. It’s the 2020s. Despicable human beings totally aren’t a thing.
2. Wake up so early that you are reminded of the days when you actually left the house to work. You think this is a vacation, but then you realize that it’s a tradition, a sport, and your only chance to ride three rides in a row before the lines are longer than the catalog of Trump’s worst cruelties, collusions, corruptions, and crimes.
3. Don’t think about politics. It’s the happiest place on earth! There’s nothing you can’t say. Pretend you don’t see the dad wearing a t-shirt that says “I voted red. You voted blue. Don’t blame this shit on me.” Look at all the families wearing the same birthday celebration t-shirts or the group with the “Wish upon a Death Star” shirts. That’s where you focus.
4. Definitely get on the shuttle at the Toy Story parking lot. You can clear security there instead of with the masses that didn’t get to experience the on- shuttle solidarity and empathy, as well as people explaining the Disney app to each other. It’s all about being in the moment and enjoying the precious time with your family. It’s definitely not about coordinating lightning lane ride reservations (these have limiting rules. Rope drop is still essential), ordering food ahead of time, monitoring shop discounts, linking ride photos, and checking ride wait times. One person on the shuttle asks if there is a separate Slack channel for conversations about the Disney app.
5. Walk quickly from the shuttle to wait in line again at the main entrance to the park. A few people might run here. Critical mistake. You have to conserve energy for the real race once you actually get into the park and line up at the rope in front of your chosen land.
6. As you are waiting in line, listen to the festive music. Contemplate the kinds of flowers it took to make Mickey’s face at the main entrance. Don’t start mentally adding up the money you spent on this trip. Student loan payments are still on pause! It’s all good. Smooth sailing.
7. Line up in front of Adventureland. You’ve strategized and planned for this and know the routes that will quickly take you to the rides that get the longest lines. Listen to the employee who will play Anna from Frozen later in the day. “You all are my front line. My defenders. I need you all to hold the line and when the rope drops, walk quickly, don’t run to your next destination.” She says you can all link arms in solidarity, but nobody is actually doing that. You feel important for the first time in a long while.
8. A voice in the sky begins to talk. You can’t really hear what it’s saying, but you can vaguely make out a welcome to the park and a brief history of what’s brought thousands of people to line up against a rope near the Enchanted Tiki Room at 7:45 AM on a Saturday morning.
9. The rope falls to the ground and you walk really fast like the first people to a ride might be granted complete debt forgiveness, no paperwork or daily scam calls required.
10. You walk straight into the Haunted Mansion and as you settle into the doom buggy, the ride attendant tells you the truth, “The only scary thing here is all the prices you pay to get into the park.”
Question: Has anyone experience with the Genie and followed to opposite (start in Adventure/New Orleans)?
Have you done the parks in first week of November between the two offical overlays of Halloween and Holidays formerly end & commence respectively? Where that is so, how did this influence strategies considering expected lower crowds?
Do you have a Genie Plan for those with Early Entry?