How long to get through AK gate at 9 without rope drop?

My TP currently has us doing Gorilla Falls and Maharaja Trek in mid-afternoon. I think it will be too hot, and the animals won’t be very active. The constraint is I promised DD22 that we would not do any rope drops. She is not a morning person.

But I am a morning person, and I love Gorilla Falls and Maharaja Trek. So I just had this idea that I could take a bus earlier than the rest of the party and do those trails before meeting up with everyone else in Pandora just after 10. (Then we could punt the trails in the afternoon and spend an hour cooling off in the nomad lounge. win-win for everyone. :>)

It looks like it would be doable if I could start the trails a little past 9… but I’m thinking of all those people who are at the gate and doing RD. How long does it take for them to be processed through? If I joined the end of that line at 9 AM, could I be at the start of Majaraja by 9:15ish?

They should be admitting people through the gate itself prior to rope drop, in order to speed the process along. Since you’re not headed to Pandora, your way will be pretty clear once you reach Discovery Island.

There will be some line at the gate, but, most of the RD Pandora traffic will be through it already if you arrive right at opening.

I think this a great plan! I love the trails, but would much prefer a late afternoon in Nomad Lounge. We did this in October, it was a great break from the heat as it was very hot mid October. The 4 of us shared some apps and had a few drinks. It was lovely!