I am trying to get a hold on the Disney lingo. Could somebody explain the difference between Rope Drop and the MK Welcome Show? Which one happens first? Where does each one take place?
Thanks in advance!!! I love how helpful the liners are to us Disney planning newbies!
Rope drop is a generic term for when any park is opened. When they literally ‘drop the rope’ to allow people in.
At Magic Kingdom before the rope drop there is a Welcome show at the entrance that features several characters that come out and sing, and at the end of it there is a countdown to the actual rope drop.
Youtube has tons of videos of the welcome show if you’d like to see it.
Can you go through security before the rope drop? It has been almost 10 years since we’ve been and we weren’t motivated to get up that early back then.
The bag check? Yes the area that you sort of mill around in after the bag check and the tapstiles where you scan your magic band is the area where the welcome show is at. Once the rope drops you’ll be free to enter the park at that point.
Follow up questions:
How long prior to rope drop does the Welcome show happen?
And, does the Welcome show happen everyday?
We actually made it for RD on our last trip but there was no sign of the show. 
5 minutes before – only at MK. Often the park opens before scheduled time by 10 minutes or more FYI.