Travel Reference
In-Depth Information
Buena Vista Street. If you proceed farther into a park, you will encounter a rope barri-
er manned by Disney cast members who will keep you from entering the remainder of
the park. You will remain here until the rope drop, when the rope barrier is removed
and the park and all (or most) of its attractions are opened at the official opening time.
2. HIGH SEASON AND HOLIDAYS
Sometimes,whenlargecrowdsareexpected,youwill
be admitted through the turnstiles 30 minutes before the official opening time. This
time, however, the entire park will be up and running, and you will not encounter any
rope barriers.
3. VARIATIONS
Sometimes Disney will run a variation of the two opening procedures
described above.Inthissituation, youwillbepermitted throughtheturnstiles andwill
find that one or several specific attractions are open early for your enjoyment.
A Word about the Rope Drop
In days past, Disney cast members would dive for cover when the rope was dropped
as thousands of adrenaline-charged guests stampeded to the most popular attractions.
This practice occasioned the legendary Space Mountain Morning Mini-Marathon and
the Splash Mountain Rapid Rampage at Disneyland Park.
Well, this scenario no longer exists—at least not in the crazed versions of years
past. Recently, Disney has beefed up the number of cast members supervising the
rope drop in order to suppress the mayhem. A pleasantly parental prerecorded “Please
walk; don't run” announcement also seems to have a somewhat subduing effect on
the straining crowds. In some cases, the rope is not even dropped. Instead, it's walked
back. In other words, Disney cast members lead you with the rope at a fast walk to-
ward the attraction you're straining to reach, forcing you (and everyone else) to main-
tain their pace. Not until they come within close proximity ofthe attraction dothe cast
members step aside.
So, here's the scoop. If cast members persist in walking the rope back, the only
way you can gain an advantage over the rest of the crowd is to arrive early enough to
be one of those close to the rope. Be alert, though; sometimes the Disney folks will
step out of the way after about 50 yards or so. If this happens, you can fire up the af-
terburners and speed the remaining distance to your destination.
FASTPASS
FASTPASS IS A SYSTEM
for moderating the waiting time for popular attractions. Here's
how it works.
Your handout park map, as well as signs at respective attractions, will tell you
which attractions are included. Attractions that use Fastpass will have a regular line
