Just read some reports in Chat about how agressive RD is HS? How bad is it? We have FPP for SDD and will head straight to AS2 and TSM. We will have a stroller. 9 am opening. CL3. I hate large crowds. I’m scared now.
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I agree that the reports on chat are quite concerning but I have never experienced that. Lots of people walking with purpose and a little bit of accidental jostling just because of lots of people in close proximity but nothing aggressive.
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Thanks for the reassurance.
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I mentioned it to my friend who was there last summer and she said they rope dropped TSL and there was no craziness at all. She was really shocked at what I was telling her from chat. She has really bad anxiety and can’t deal with crowds.
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I didn’t notice it any more than any other Rope Drop (maybe Epcot because people are headed three different directions and the park is more open). Especially on a CL3 - if you’re going to AS2 and TSM first, you should be fine.
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Relieved to hear.
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Agree that it was managed well. I did it in January and the CMs did a good job, I thought. I think it will help that you are not headed for SDD since you have a FPP for it. Since you are aiming for TSM and AS2 you should hang more to the left once actually past the Woody welcoming figure at the entrance to TSL and avoid the much larger numbers jockeying for SDD.
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Thanks!
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It is not thar crazy. People can be a little aggressive but if you are doing TSM you dont need to worry if some people get ahead of you. Most are going to SDD.
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If you don’t mind, I’d like to ask a follow up question to your post!
Where do they hold/stop the Rope Drop Crowds? And, what time do they usually let you in HS? Does that change if TSL has EMM?
When I was there in January, there were two RD lines/locations. The main one was at the top of Hollywood Blvd just at the hub, where CMs were holding the line. A second (the one I went to) was around to the left by Echo Lake and Dockside Diner. There were CMs there holding the line. This crowd was somewhat smaller. At some point, our CMs moved our line up into the hub, where it met up/joined the RD crowd being moved up by the CMs that had held on Hollywood Blvd (I hoping this is making sense – look at a map to visualize it). Once the two RD groups were merged together - peacefully and slowly 
in the hub, the CMs walked the merged RD lines across Animation Courtyard through the arch past Little Mermaid, then up Pixar Place to TSL.
My guess is there was also a RD line that went up Sunset Blvd to ToT and RNRC, but I didn’t see how it worked.
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Got it! I looked at a map while reading what you said. Thank you Any idea what time this happens usually? I’m wondering if EMM would change the RD timing . I’m eating breakfast at Hollywood & Vine at 8 am (park opening 9 am). My hope is to stop eating and jump in the Rope Drop line. Do you think 8:45 is too late to be done and leave the restaurant? I’m assuming I’ll see the crowd start to build outside, but am hoping not to be at the very back of the crowd. I’ll be headed to TSM (SDD fast passes later in the day).
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I’m afraid I don’t know the times. I actually hadn’t planned to RD – just got there right as the tapstiles allowed the crowds in on a regular 9am opening time day (So I had arrived about 8am) so I don’t have info on the EMM effects. I hope others like @missoverexcited @MouseGirl42 @PrincipalTinker @OBNurseNH might
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Based on what I’ve seen elsewhere on the web, if you’re just looking to do TSM you should probably be ok heading out there at 8:45. Most of the crowds will head to SDD, so TSM shouldn’t build up for a little while. I really don’t know how realistic it would be to finish your meal by 8:45. It may be easy to do or it may not work - maybe someone else can chime in on that.
You can always check the predicted wait times for TSM on your date on the TP site to get a sense of how quickly crowds are expected to build.
I like reading through these guys’ blogs on RD.
Disney’s Hollywood Studios Toy Story Land Start with Even Worse Rope Drop Procedure
According to this blog post, EMM probably isn’t a huge deal for RD:
You can read about my experience with AP Play Time here along with some thoughts on what it means for the Early Morning Magic event that starts here next week. I’ve received a couple of questions about how much I think Early Morning Magic will affect the rope drop experience on event dates, which will be most Mondays and Wednesdays moving forward. Like the Magic Kingdom event, which I review here, the answer is (probably) not at all. If anything, these Annual Passholder Play Time events are attended by more people and they have had very little effect on wait times as most of them have gotten their fill and moved on from Toy Story Land by the time regular open approaches. Assuming Early Morning Magic is limited to around 300 people, it’s true that a Park with a limited number of attractions like Hollywood Studios won’t absorb people as well as a Park like Magic Kingdom with far more viable places to go. But by the time 9am rolls around, you’d have to think that at least half of the Early Morning Magic attendees are either at breakfast or are on their way to breakfast at ABC Commissary and at least a third will be moving on to other attractions. That leaves maybe 75 Early Morning Magic people lingering in Toy Story Land, if that.
Oh, I just found that this post confirms that:
If you’re visiting on an Early Morning Magic day, but not paying extra to participate in the event, then the event crowds won’t really affect your day, even if you head to Toy Story Land first thing. Early Morning Magic is limited to about 400 people and 80% of them will be on their way elsewhere by the time the regular rope drop crowd arrives around 8:55am. The one exception is the Woody/Jessie Meet and Greet, which will see much longer waits first thing due to the number of Early Morning Magic participants already in line. If you’re planning on meeting Woody/Jessie with a short wait in the morning, then you’ll want to choose a day when the Studios is not hosting Early Morning Magic or you’ll be waiting 45+ minutes beginning right at 9am.
Per their general RD advice:
The Studios typically lets guests into the park 30-45 minutes prior to open and guests signing up kids for Jedi Training will be able to immediately do so upon entering. Everyone else will be held on Hollywood Boulevard just past Trolley Car Café Starbucks until open. For Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster or Tower of Terror, keep to the far right. For Toy Story Land, stay center and prepare to head straight and then to the right around Grauman’s Chinese Theater. There is much less of a hurry to Star Tours or any of the shows.
An alternate rope drop procedure is also sometimes used when guests are held outside the park until 10-20 minutes before official open. After guests enter, they are allowed to head to the attraction of their choice without being held on Hollywood Boulevard.
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No problem. Good info.
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Funny how the accounts here are vastly different from Chat.
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It is but most of them are people I trust and I’ve seen those reports on chat over and over again. I think it probably depends partly on where you are in the crowd, partly on your expectations. Maybe partly on your attitude too. You do see different reports from the same thing all the time - 1 liner says it’s great at MK today, light crowds, having a fab time and another reports it’s really crowded, not getting to ride anything because of long waits, they’re really miserable.
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I did RD at the beginning of March and it was scary. I got body checked by a man twice my size who then yelled at me. I was by myself and have found myself in some rather crowded and uncomfortable places(the souqs of Morocco, back alleys of Beijing), but never felt this unsafe.
People were aggressive and pushing. I was one row back from the front of the crowd at the start of RD, but ended up several rows back by the time we rounded into TSL because people were so awful.
That being said, almost everyone headed to SDD. I was off within 10 minutes and walked right on to A2S. The line for SDD had formed and that was where everyone was. If you stuck to the back and just peeled off to A2S, you shouldn’t have any problem.
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So it’s really the dash to the Dash that’s the problem? I was thinking since the other rides are all in the same land that it would still be bad.
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