Best rope-drop spot + Rain and park crowds + maps

WonkaKid

DIS Veteran
Joined
Apr 2, 2009
Despite yesterday’s threat of coming rain and Armageddon, there were more people at the park than I expected. Crowds were definitely light. Just not as light as I would have thought, given the foreboding forecast. In the days prior to reservation requirements, rain was the one thing I found that could influence park crowds. Massive events such as The Oscars, the Super Bowl, The Grammys, etc. seemed to have little or no effect. Rain, though, always was predictive of crowds.

I met a number of people at the park yesterday who were visiting from out of town. In such cases, of course, reservation cancellation isn’t a practical option. It’s a case of use it or lose it, since many of such guests don’t often visit SoCal.

Usually I see people I know at the park. In the pre-pandemic days there was an informal group of about a dozen of us that would rope-drop on Sundays. Now there’s only one couple that I can depend on to be there. I did see one person I know. Oddly enough, he and his wife usually come on Saturdays, so I was even more surprised to see them.

I’ve been asked a few times about which spot – left of the hub, center, or right of it – at rope drop is the quickest/shortest walk to Fantasyland. Yesterday in the late morning I counted the steps from each of them to where the castle entryway narrows. In all cases it was about eighty. That was a bit of a surprise because the center does seem closer. Leave it to Disney to force a perspective that doesn’t appear fair but of course really is.

As can be seen in the pics below, at around 10:30 yesterday, Rise only had a twenty-minute wait time. So that’s some indication of crowd levels.

Not much more to add. I left shortly after 1:00… moments after I felt the first drops of rain while sitting at the head of Main Street near the hub.

I have park maps, as always,.
If anyone would like a set, send me a DM with your mailing address.

Once again, I didn’t take a lot of pics yesterday so I can get them all into one post. Enjoy!

I hope you all have a great (and dry) week!



IMG_8132.jpegIMG_8133.jpegIMG_8134.jpegIMG_8138.pngIMG_8143.jpegIMG_8147.jpegIMG_8148.jpegIMG_8150.jpegIMG_8149.jpeg
*Guarantee void on rainy or cloudy days.

IMG_8142.jpeg
 
I like the fine print on the weather guarantee!! Glad you called it a day early and didn’t get soaked!! I will show my HM fan out here in Texas the merch photos!!
 
I like the fine print on the weather guarantee!! Glad you called it a day early and didn’t get soaked!! I will show my HM fan out here in Texas the merch photos!!
Thank you! Honestly, though: the rain here in LA is little more than a drizzle. Certainly there’s no flooding that I’ve seen. Perhaps it’s worse elsewhere. I got a state of emergency notification this morning… and still don’t know why.
 
As one who is traveling next weekend with the forecast of additional rain it does make my family worry about crowd levels and enjoyment of the parks. There are a few families flying in and my family will be driving from AZ. It is not like we can just move our trip to another weekend so we are just planning accordingly. In the best case, the weather changes and we won't have any rain impact, on the other hand, we could see ourselves not getting on the outdoor rides. I am assuming that the rain will not be constant for most of the day, but then again, forecasts seem to be never a guarantee.
 


Perhaps it’s worse elsewhere. I got a state of emergency notification this morning… and still don’t know why.
It was worse elsewhere. Since people are driving all over LA and Orange County, the warning went out over a large area. UC Irvine, for example, received a couple inches of rain, while UCLA received over 12 inches in 24 hours.

Another flash flood warning was just sent out in Orange County (Tuesday at 8 am). I'm in LA County and didn't receive it.

You know it is bad if Disney closes the parks early. Sunday they closed at 10 pm and Monday they closed at 8 pm.
 
Loved the sky pic, so beautiful! It is a wet time down there, hope you stay dry! It is actually a lovely dry morning here in WA!
 

GET A DISNEY VACATION QUOTE

Dreams Unlimited Travel is committed to providing you with the very best vacation planning experience possible. Our Vacation Planners are experts and will share their honest advice to help you have a magical vacation.

Let us help you with your next Disney Vacation!











facebook twitter
Top