Thread to share experiences with AK rope drop for FOP during EMH

[glocon]

It sounds like we are gonna drive ourselves since we’ll have a car. No way I wanna wait for a bus that long. We’re staying at Pop and if CR and other deluxe have to wait a long time, Pop probably will too. That would stress me out since I like to be early to anywhere I go. It will be interesting to see what happens now that schools are starting to be out and the summer crowds will be there. We’ll be watching this thread closely.
Thanks everyone for your input- it’s going help the rest of us plan our days.

 

[mmouse50]

After re-reading this thread are the chaotic rushes for FOP at regular rope drop or the EMH for people staying on property? Since they opened AK for the Extra Magic Hours for hotel guests every day are the mad rushes for Extra Magic Hours or just at the regular rope drop

 

[mlnbabies]

We are staying at Pop and I will drive to AK on 6-20. I have a 9am FOP so my plan is to rope drop Navi and then head to EE and Dinosaur and then back to FOP. I know a lot of crossing the land but I want to take advantage of the short lines at the other rides during EMH. We are only planning a half day since we only have 2 park days in total. We have hoppers.

 

[GPC0321]

Hmmm. Rethinking the idea about waiting until close to park closing. It's 10:21pm and MDE says the wait right now for FOP is 135 minutes. Might have to stampede with the rest of the herd during EMH!

 

[Babe the Blue Ox]

Hmmm. Rethinking the idea about waiting until close to park closing. It's 10:21pm and MDE says the wait right now for FOP is 135 minutes. Might have to stampede with the rest of the herd during EMH!

You’ll be falling for the oldest trick on the book. The posted waits are intentionally exaggerated at night to discourage late riders. Those posted wait times are often 3-4 times the actual wait.

A 135 minute posted wait is likely only 30-40 minutes.

 

[mdmama76]

After re-reading this thread are the chaotic rushes for FOP at regular rope drop or the EMH for people staying on property? Since they opened AK for the Extra Magic Hours for hotel guests every day are the mad rushes for Extra Magic Hours or just at the regular rope drop

I'm wondering the same.

 

[m3b]

Very strange thing - when we went this March (2018) they walked us back to Pandora and didn’t let everyone run. Worked great. Has anyone else had that experience????

 

[KelNChrisKYDis]

We were just there on Saturday. We did rope drop EMH at 7am. We stayed at Pop Century, and we were on the bus at 6:04 am. We were at the park by 6:20ish and we were done with FOP by 7:03. By the time we were off the ride, the estimated wait time was 75 minutes.

My husband and son also got in line for FOP on Saturday night at 10:35 with a park closing of 11:00; they were not off the ride until 12:06. It was a much longer wait than I expected in the evening.

My daughter and I rode N'avi River Journey 7x's in a row, starting at 10:20, lol.

 

[RJstanis]

We were just there on Saturday. We did rope drop EMH at 7am. We stayed at Pop Century, and we were on the bus at 6:04 am. We were at the park by 6:20ish and we were done with FOP by 7:03. By the time we were off the ride, the estimated wait time was 75 minutes.

My husband and son also got in line for FOP on Saturday night at 10:35 with a park closing of 11:00; they were not off the ride until 12:06. It was a much longer wait than I expected in the evening.

My daughter and I rode N'avi River Journey 7x's in a row, starting at 10:20, lol.

Thank you for sharing! Our day has finally come tomorrow. We'll prob just RD Navi and skip FOP this go round, but I'll post my experience

 

[Jdismom]

Last night we got in line for FoP at 9:50 pm. Park closed at 10. The wait said 90 minutes and it was actually about 70. It was a lot longer wait than we thought it would be.

 

[garada3]

What else is open during extra magic hours in addition to Pandora?

Has the Safari been open?

 

[Scrappingjen]

Any word on if RD is still crazy run to Pandora or has it calmed down since its every day?

 

[summerw]

We went yesterday. Took an Uber and got to the park at 6:50 for 8am emh. We were first in our line. Bag check opened at 7. The let us into the park about 7:25. They had several people talk to us about not running. People weren’t running, I guess but everything but that. My husband managed to walk fast enough he was first behind the woman holding the FoP end of line sign.

They held us at the bridge until about 7:35. They then walked us to the ride about 10 cm’s across. It was a really fast pace and some guy pushed between me and the husband and our kid. When we paused at the base of the queue another man was before my husband and we let them go and I just told the pushy man that I was trying to get to my husband and he eventually let me pass. We were the second family to ride. We were finished by 7:57. We walked down to maybe ride again but we couldn’t get past the ropes they were using to move the queue from the end which stretched to Africa until hundreds of people had passed so we decided to ride the river ride which was walk on. We rode that and then decided to wait anyway for our last ride on FoP of the trip and waited about an hour from 8:40-9:30. Not the best use of our early park time but DS loves the ride do much we didn’t care.

 

[summerw]

And I’d posted this in another thread... got in line 5/24 around 9:30 for NRJ waited 40 minutes. Got in line for FoP at 10:48 for an 11:00 close and waited 45 minutes (posted time 95 minutes).

5/27 got in line for FoP at 9:30 for a 10:00 close. Posted 135 minutes. Waited 90.

 

[whirlthepearl]

We went yesterday. Took an Uber and got to the park at 6:50 for 8am emh. We were first in our line. Bag check opened at 7. The let us into the park about 7:25. They had several people talk to us about not running. People weren’t running, I guess but everything but that. My husband managed to walk fast enough he was first behind the woman holding the FoP end of line sign.

They held us at the bridge until about 7:35. They then walked us to the ride about 10 cm’s across. It was a really fast pace and some guy pushed between me and the husband and our kid. When we paused at the base of the queue another man was before my husband and we let them go and I just told the pushy man that I was trying to get to my husband and he eventually let me pass. We were the second family to ride. We were finished by 7:57. We walked down to maybe ride again but we couldn’t get past the ropes they were using to move the queue from the end which stretched to Africa until hundreds of people had passed so we decided to ride the river ride which was walk on. We rode that and then decided to wait anyway for our last ride on FoP of the trip and waited about an hour from 8:40-9:30. Not the best use of our early park time but DS loves the ride do much we didn’t care.

This is SO helpful, thank you!!

 

[whirlthepearl]

Since I started this thread, I thought I'd add our experience. Thanks to the above poster's report, we took a Lyft from Pop Century to AK around 6:40/6:45am. Arrived right at 7am. We might have been 10 people back in our security line. At first there weren't that many people behind us but then the buses started arriving and it filled pretty quickly, so I feel like the right move is taking a car before the buses arrive. Security started around 7:05/7:10 and then we waited at the tapstiles until 7:25 or so. I was surprised that they only held us on the bridge for another ten mins and then were on our way. We went in February too and I will say that CMs now do a great job managing the crowds. I feel like there were several check points for them to stop runners/pushers. We got held a bunch of times before actually getting on the ride. I liked having a stroller because we could also box out people who were trying to push past us, lol. We got a ride swap and then I walked right on to Navi with my younger son. We could have rode it several times before 8am but he only wanted to go on once. The rest of my group was in the first wave to ride--a seat was apparently broken in their ride so they had to do the pre-show twice, which is why everyone that was around us at opening came out before them. My parents were skeptical when I told them we had to leave so early but they were persuaded when they saw the crowds that formed after us. I will say the advantage of being in the very front is that there is less pushing etc. People were pretty friendly and everyone was accommodating of making sure families weren't separated or got back with their parties. They probably got out of the ride around 8:15-8:20 and then walked right onto Navi. Then we didn't know what to do so we wandered over to Dinoland and my sons rode the Triceratops spin 5 times. I feel like we wasted the rest of EMH but honestly didn't know what else to do!

 

[Rivergirl2005]

We are planning on heading over to FOP first but wanted to Navi after....are waits long at 8:15ish???