Magic Kingdom is one of, if not THE busiest Disney World park on most days.

It’s also home to the most attractions, even though it’s the smallest park. Rope dropping Magic Kingdom is a great way to get a head start on your day and experience some of the most popular attractions at lower waits, BUT there are some rides that we absolutely do NOT recommend running to during rope drop — know them now so you don’t make the same mistakes we have in the past!

If You Have Kids

If you’re traveling with kids, specifically younger kids, in your group, it will affect what you’re able to ride all together due to height requirements. In this case, we do NOT recommend rope dropping Space Mountain due to that aforementioned height requirement, AND the fact that this ride is a nearly pitch black roller coaster!

Lots of kids aren’t fans of roller coasters, or if they are, they want to be able to see where they’re going. On Space Mountain, that’s not the case — you literally have no idea where you’re going at any given time, until you’ve ridden the ride enough to kinda have gotten the feel of the track.

Instead, we personally recommend rope dropping Peter Pan’s Flight or Jungle Cruise, as both rides have no height requirement and get very long lines later in the day!

However, if a lot of your party really wants to ride Space Mountain with each other, but you can’t leave a child alone by themselves outside, this is where Rider Switch comes into play! Rider Switch allows for the people in the party riding to wait in line normally while one adult stays outside with the child/person who doesn’t want to ride. When the rest of the party gets through the line, one adult can swap places with the adult outside and ride the ride again with one person who’s already ridden (or they can go by themselves) without having to wait in the standard queue again. So let’s say you have a couple traveling with their 10-year-old and 5-year-old kids. While one parent waits in a special area with the 5-year-old, the other parent rides with the 10-year-old. Then, the parents can switch, so that the other parent can ride without waiting in line again.

If You’re Focusing on Thrill Rides

While there aren’t many true thrill rides in Magic Kingdom, there are a few! If you’re a big fan of these heart-pumping rides, then we don’t recommend rope dropping Peter Pan’s Flight, even if you would like to ride it during the day. Why? Well, because you should be prioritizing those thrill rides and only getting to Peter Pan’s Flight if you have time! That way, you’re not disappointed in how your day turns out.

While it’s true that the line for Peter Pan’s Flight will go up throughout the day, it’s rarely a walk-on at rope drop due to early entry crowds, so you may regret waiting 20 minutes in line for it while you COULD have just walked on a less popular ride. Instead, we recommend rope dropping Space Mountain or Big Thunder Mountain Railroad (heavy emphasis on this one, as it’s not open during early entry, so you genuinely could be one of the first people to ride it that day)!

However, some of the most thrilling rides are found over in EPCOT and Disney’s Hollywood Studios, so make sure you include those in your trip plans as well!

If You’re There For Early Entry

Early Entry is a special perk all Disney World hotel guests receive on each day of their trip. You can enter any Disney World park you’d like 30 minutes before the park officially opens! However, not all the lands in Magic Kingdom are open for early entry, which is why rope dropping Jungle Cruise is a terrible idea.

That’s right, Adventureland isn’t open during early entry, so rope dropping Jungle Cruise or Pirates of the Caribbean just won’t happen. Fantasyland and Tomorrowland are the only two lands that are open during this half hour, so we recommend rope dropping Space Mountain or Peter Pan’s Flight (yes, they’re decently far from each other, but you COULD hit both in the same half hour if you’re lucky)!

If you aren’t staying at a Disney World hotel though, not to worry — there’s still plenty you can experience rope dropping regular park open!

If You’re Unsure About Thrill Rides

If you’re not sure if you’re going to like thrill rides, we don’t recommend rope dropping and starting your day with Seven Dwarfs Mine Train. This is one of the most popular rides in the park, and it’s great to use early entry for NORMALLY, but if you’re nervous about thrill rides for whatever reason, the last thing you want is to start off your trip with it, have it NOT go well, and then the rest of your day is ruined.

This also goes for those who don’t like heights! While Seven Dwarfs Mine Train isn’t super high, someone who isn’t a fan of heights may feel some panic when riding. Instead, we recommend rope dropping Jungle Cruise or Peter Pan’s Flight, as both are closer to the ground and much less thrilling (we mean, the backside of water is pretty high intensity, but it’s easier to handle 😉).

Overall, Magic Kingdom is a great park for kids or adults who aren’t a fan of thrill rides, as there are no rides that go upside down, and only a handful that are considered TRUE thrill rides. There’s plenty for everyone to enjoy!

If You’re Wanting To Rope Drop Tiana’s Bayou Adventure or TRON Lightcycle / Run

If you’re looking to rope drop Tiana’s Bayou Adventure or TRON Lightcycle / Run — DON’T. Why? Well, because you can’t.

Tiana’s Bayou Adventure opens for guests on June 28th and will only be available via Genie+ or a Virtual Queue. TRON Lightcycle / Run on the other hand has been open for over a year, but can only be ridden by getting a spot in the Virtual Queue or with an Individual Lightning Lane.

This means that you’ll want to “rope drop” grabbing a Lightning Lane or Individual Lightning Lane for these attractions, yes, or be up right at 7AM or 1PM to grab a spot in the Virtual Queue, but physically getting in a standby rope drop line won’t be an option for quite some time. If that changes though, we’ll be the first to let you know, so stay tuned to DFB!

Check out our ranking of EVERY single Magic Kingdom ride here!

What’s your favorite ride to rope drop? Tell us in the comments!