It’s something we tell you all the time … rope dropping is usually worth it!

When you can beat at least SOME of the crowds to the parks for the day, it allows you to take advantage of shorter wait times and knock out some of those popular attractions!

But there are OTHER popular places to go in Disney World that seem to fill up right when the doors open! Today, we’re taking a look at some unique lounges at Disney World that are so popular, you’ll want to consider “rope dropping” them to get a seat!

OK, first off, if you don’t know what rope dropping is, it’s basically getting somewhere BEFORE it opens. At Disney Parks, it’s called rope drop because of, well, real ropes! The term comes from an actual rope that Cast Members used to control the flow of guests entering the park and goes back to the earlier days of Disneyland.

Guests would be allowed into the park and allowed on Main Street, U.S.A. but Cast Members with a rope would block off entry into each land. When the park officially opened, a spiel would come on the loudspeaker announcing the park was open for the day, and the Cast Members would “drop the rope” and slowly allow guests to walk (no running!) into the rest of the park.

So, which lounges at Disney World are SO popular you might want to “rope drop” them?

Space 220 Lounge

This restaurant in outer space (but really, in EPCOT) is definitely one of the hardest reservations to get in all of Disney World. But there’s a trick to eating here you may not know about — getting a seat in the bar instead of a table in the dining area! In the Space 220 Lounge, you can order the full prix fixe meal served in the restaurant, OR you can order a la carte items — something you can’t do on the restaurant side!

You CAN get an advance dining reservation for Space 220 Lounge, but if you don’t get one, there is another way! Space 220 Lounge typically opens at 11:30AM, and we recommend heading over there about 30 minutes before opening! You will see a stand-by line area, and you can tell the Cast Member there that you would like bar seating. You may have to wait a bit, but our last time doing this, we got in right when the restaurant opened!

The Space 220 Lounge menu includes cocktails like the Planetary Punch, with Bacardi Silver, Malibu, Blue Curacao, Guava, and Coconut …

… and “Flight Bites” such as the Astro Deviled Eggs, made with Free-Range Eggs, Maple Glazed Bacon, Scallion, Pickled Shallots, and Micro Greens.

We’re all about Disney FOOD here at DFB. We even wrote the book on it! Check out our DFB Guide to Walt Disney World Dining in an ebook format you can easily download to your tablet or smartphone. Use code WDW2023 to save 25% on the cover price!

Check out our recent review of Space 220 Lounge

Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto

Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto is considered one of — if not THE — busiest bars in Disney World. And it doesn’t take reservaions.

If you’re not familiar with Trader Sam’s, this bar is themed as an extension of the Jungle Cruise attraction in Magic Kingdom. Basically, the idea is that Trader Sam, the famous head-salesman-turned-gift-shop-owner, needed a place to store all of the artifacts that he collected from his travels all over the globe and he decided to stow them away in this “happy hideaway” in Disney’s Polynesian Village Resort. And, that’s why you’ll have to find the little hole in the wall down the hallway from Capt. Cook’s to get in!

Trader Sam’s is pretty small, so with the limited seating, how do you get in? This Disney World lounge operates with a virtual queue. Basically, you get your name on a list, and you’ll get a text when your seat is ready. The BEST way to ensure you’re going to get to visit Trader Sam’s is to — you guessed it — “rope drop” it. Trader Sam’s generally opens at 3PM, and a Cast Member usually starts taking names for the virtual queue 30 minutes before that. We recommend getting there even earlier to get in line if you can! Yes, you will likely have to wait in a physical line to get placed on the virtual waiting list. It’s a topsy-turvy world!

But when you get that glorious text, you’ll be glad you showed up early! We recommend trying the tropical drinks here, like the shareable Uh-Oa, with Plantation Original Dark Rum, Bacardi Superior Rum, Orange, Passion Fruit, Guava, Pineapple, and Grapefruit Juices, Falernum, Cinnamon, and fresh Lime Juice that wakes up the Tiki God in the bar and is brought to you on FIRE …

… and you can even grab some grub like the Thai Chicken Flatbread with Bacon and Peanut Sauce!

With all of the Cast Member antics and fun to be had, we’re guessing you’ll be glad you rope-dropped this Disney World lounge!

Read our review of Trader Sam’s Grog Grotto

Those are the two Disney World lounges you’ll want to arrive at before they open to get a seat! Getting there early will often reward you with a great seat, great drinks, and great food, so don’t let the fact that you know a lounge is busy scare you!

Did you know that you can also join the walk-up waitlist for some restaurants at Disney World, even if you didn’t get a reservation? We’ve got more details on the way to get on “the list” here!

Keep following DFB for the latest Disney dining news!

Do you have tricks to get into a busy dining location at Disney World? Share them in the comments!