This is an entry for “rope drop” in our Disneyland 101 Glossary: Disneyland Resort definitions in under 101 words, from Mouse Brief. After the definition for rope drop, please keep reading for our best advice on how you can make the most of rope drop at Disneyland Resort.
Though not an official Disney term, you may hear other guests use “rope drop” to describe the daily moment when a Disney park is fully opened to guests. The parks usually admit guests BEFORE the official posted opening time but hold them in the entrance lands (Main Street U.S.A and Buena Vista Street) of the parks in a kind of waiting area. Guests are blocked from proceeding further into the parks by cast members and ropes. When the parks officially open, these ropes are “dropped” (or actually walked back), and guest may now access the whole park and its attractions.
Thank you for reading this entry. For more glossary posts, head over to Disneyland 101 Glossary. But, for more information and tips on rope drop at Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park, keep reading.
Rope Drop at Disneyland, Beyond Basics
Hopefully the glossary entry above has given you a general understanding of rope drop at Disneyland. To fully take advantage of rope drop, we think it is helpful for you to have some more details. So let’s start with…
Disney Parks Actually Open Before Opening
Huh? Well, as we mentioned in the “rope drop” definition above, Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park typically open before their posted opening times. Cast members allow guests through the turnstiles and into the entrance land for each park. Guests are able to wait in these areas until the rope drop at official park opening. No attractions are open during this pre-opening time, but you can enjoy the ambiance and perhaps a cup of tea knowing you have already cleared security and the turnstiles.
So you see, that’s why the answer to “What Time Does Disneyland Open?” is not as straightforward as it would seem. We take you through the logistics of this “opening before opening” in our post by that name: What Time Does Disneyland Open? There, we cover what time Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park actually open and why you might want to get to the parks early.
How to Get Out the Door and Into Disneyland Before Rope Drop
Once you understand that Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park open earlier than their posted time, you might be wondering how anyone can possibly get to the parks that early. Fortunately, there is some strong motivation to get to do so. The Disneyland Resort parks are at their best during their opening hours and most wait times are at their lowest.
That is why we make it a point to make it to rope drop at Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park. We have some strategies for making this easier on our family and we share them here in: How We Get to Disneyland In Time for Opening (aka Rope Drop).
Disneyland Resort Rope Drop FAQs
We suggest visiting those two articles for helpful rope drop tips for Disneyland, but for answers to some frequently asked questions, keep reading.
How does Early Entry affect rope drop?
As of January 5, 2026, the answer is: not at all. Early Entry is not currently offered at either Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park
Early Entry was a perk that allowed Disneyland Resort Hotel guests to enter Disneyland Park or Disney California Adventure Park thirty minutes before official park opening. These guests effectively had their own rope drop and were allowed to begin experiencing attractions half an hour before general guests. This perk is not being offered to any guests at this time, so Early Entry will not impact your rope drop.
If you would like to read about alternative options for guests missing Early Entry, we suggest this page: Early Entry, Disneyland 101 Glossary.
Is there an actual rope?
Yes. In our experience, there are ropes showing guests where they must stop and wait until official rope drop time. Remember, guests are allowed into some areas of the parks before official rope drop, so these ropes help delineate those areas. However, the ropes are not usually “dropped” but are actually walked-back by cast members. You can imagine what kind of a tripping hazard would occur from a rope dropped in front of a crowd of excited guests…
What time is rope drop at Disneyland?
Rope drop is right at official park opening time for the parks of Disneyland Resort. Check the Disneyland website or app for information about when each park is opening for any given day. Rope drop will be at that time. However, cast members will allow guests through the entry turnstiles before rope drop. You can read about that procedure here: What Time Does Disneyland Open?
Where should I go after rope drop?
Everyone has their own opinions on the best rope drop strategy, and what works best for you is—of course—going to depend on your travel party. We have our own favorite strategies for each park, and we share them here: What to Do First at Disney California Adventure Park and here: What to Do First at Disneyland Park. We even have an article about our favorite first ride at Disneyland here: The First Ride We Do at Disneyland and 5 Reasons Why
Is rope drop the same as park opening?
Sort of. Rope drop happens at official park opening time, but cast members allow guests through the gate prior to official opening. This means that the security checkpoints for Disneyland Resort as well as the entrance turnstiles and entrance lands for Disneyland Park and Disney California Adventure Park open earlier than rope drop. However, attractions do not open and guests are not allowed into the entirety of the parks until official opening time, which is also known as rope drop.
Again, you can read all about this in What Time Does Disneyland Open?
Thanks for reading this Disneyland 101 Glossary post about rope drop at Disneyland Resort.
Do not forget about our detailed guides: How We Get to Disneyland In Time for Opening (aka Rope Drop) and What Time Does Disneyland Open? And, for help planning your visit from open to close, please explore our free and complete Step-by-Step Disneyland Prep.