Flight of Passage before rope drop--still a long wait! - PassPorter - A Community of Walt Disney World, Disneyland, Disney Cruise Line, and General Travel Forums
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Flight of Passage before rope drop--still a long wait!
So, we stayed on property Wednesday night to get to FOP before rope drop. This is how it went Thursday morning, April 19, 2018.
I'd hoped to get to Animal Kingdom by 8:15 a.m. but, what with one thing and another, we didn't get to bag check until 8:30--still 30 minutes before rope drop. Bear in mind that nearly all spring breaks are over and this is a weekday. [There's a Disney Marathon this weekend, and we saw groups of young people from bands and choirs, so I expect special events increased the crowds more than usual.]
Everyone was allowed through the turnstiles and well into the park, no doubt to keep the entry area clear. We walked until we reached the end of the line, shortly before 9 I think. We were still routed way into the boonies, with the back end passing the line going in the opposite direction near the end. Note: Folks in line actually witnessed people in the back of the line shifting into the middle as they passed, so keep an eye out for this and make noise if you see it!
The line does pass an open concession stand with cold drinks. I passed, as I wanted to keep my bladder empty for the queue.
The line started moving again at 9:10 a.m. and continued to move pretty steadily until we well were into the regular queue. As we passed into the standby entrance, the wait time was listed at 180 minutes. This would be somewhere between 9:30 and 10, on a day when the park opened at 9.
We finally got on the ride at around 10:30. Yes--we arrived 30 minutes before rope drop and STILL were in line for two hours, at an off-peak time of year on a weekday. By the time we got all the way through the gift shop, it was 10:55, so we totally missed the 11:00 showing of Festival of the Lion King, for which we had a FastPass+.
This was the fourth time I've been on this totally awesome ride, and my friend's first time. It was still entirely worth the wait, but you need to be prepared for how long it will take you. I would advise you to arrive at least 45 minutes, preferably 60 minutes, before rope drop if you want a shorter wait than we had.
Also: My mom, who has no history of motion sickness, as well as some friends, have been quite nauseous from motion sickness, beginning about 30 minutes after the ride was over. My friend has a history of mild motion sickness, so she took a Dramamine about the time we entered the line and had no trouble whatsoever with motion sickness.
So if you have any suspicion that someone in your party may have motion sickness problems, please bear this in mind and take whatever precautions seem wise.
Again, despite the enormous wait (and I will generally never get into a line more than 30 minutes long), Flight of Passage is well worth the effort.
Another note: A prominent sign at the normal standby entry points out that there's no bathroom inside, and that NO ONE will be allowed to join their party in the queue, so make sure everyone visits the potty before getting in line.
I hope this is helpful in your planning for the awesome FOP ride.
Definitely helpful and mirrored our experience in January on a quiet day, albeit it was Extra Magic Hours, but it was a 120 minute wait within seconds of the park opening.
I feel relieved in a way that neither of us did well on this, as at least we don't have to worry about long waits or Fastpasses again for it. I'm glad we did it once, but that's definitely enough for us.
Abby for some reason wants to try this ride. I so hope I can get a FP for it, especially since I have no intention of riding it. Lenny might try but I'm not sure he'll be able to straddle the ride vehicle for the length of time you need to.
Mirrors what I saw when we were there but it was Thanksgiving week so no surprise. We had an pre-park opening ADR for Tusker and I could not believe the line that had already formed a good 30+ min before park opening. You're not the only one to mention the delayed motion sickness. I want to ride FOP at least once but that's a big turnoff. Going in Sept and I know DD is determined to ride so we may do a very early AK morning, hit it and bolt. I'll make sure to pack Dramamine and patience
You need to keep in mind that this week is school vacation for northern new England! I actually don't think that 2 hours for FOP is bad considering it has been up over 3-4. Glad you had a great time though
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I have a FP for my son (me too but I am not riding) for our upcoming trip. I was planning to walk with him and Hopefully escape out before he gets on the ride. Also I was rearranging my tentative schedule and could NOT move my FP to another day for FOP.
I will not wait for a ride more than 30 minutes either! Thanks Ginger for the information! I have motion-sickness but I have not gone on anything that will cause it- FOP will I am sure. I really want my son to enjoy this new experience. (He did both sides of Mission Space and had no issues).
Exciting for my son!
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We had a FP last time and have one this time, but my husband does not ride. He get motion sickness on Star Tours, and I KNOW If he's not getting on for the Star Wars experience, he's definitely not getting on for FOP. Hearing from you guys that it caused motion sickness makes me glad he hasn't risked it.
Last week was a popular spring vacation week for much of New England. NH has this week off but has a pretty small population. I think grad nights are starting soon if they haven't already.
PassPorter's Free-Book to Walt Disney World It’s hard to believe anything is free at Walt Disney World; but there are actually a number of things you can get or do for little to no cost. This e-book documents over 200 free or cheap tips to do before you go and after you arrive. You could save a considerable amount of money following these tips. Perhaps more importantly; you can discover overlooked attractions and little-known details most people whiz by on their way to spend money. Click here to see free sample pages from the e-book! Get this popular e-book free of extra charges when you join the PassPorter's Club for as little as $4.95. A club pass includes access to all our other e-books; e-worksheets; super-size photos; and more! This e-book is also available for separate purchase in the PassPorter Online Store for just $5.95.
I know it's a tough decision, but I get motion sick just reading in a car, and I had absolutely no problem with FOP the couple of times I rode it. I guess it's all up to the individual, and to some not worth the chance, but I'm sure glad I did! (no medications either)
This was the fourth time I've been on this totally awesome ride, and my friend's first time. It was still entirely worth the wait, but you need to be prepared for how long it will take you. I would advise you to arrive at least 45 minutes, preferably 60 minutes, before rope drop if you want a shorter wait...
We are going last week in May...AK will be on Memorial Day (ugh, but prepared.) Does bus transportation run earlier enough to be at the parks this early? (I tried for a FP for this ride, but can't get one.)
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We are going last week in May...AK will be on Memorial Day (ugh, but prepared.) Does bus transportation run earlier enough to be at the parks this early? (I tried for a FP for this ride, but can't get one.)
Yes the buses run early, you can ask at the desk what the earliest time is. But since each park has a table service restaurant that serves breakfast, you can usually catch a super early bus. We only use Disney transportation when we're at WDW. We have been during Easter week when the MK (and this year) AK have opened 7am for the early Extra Magic Hour. We get to the resort bus stop around 6am and have gotten to the park in no time at all. This last trip we rode FOP first thing Stand By. According to my texts LOL: at bus stop at 6am, at AK turnstiles at 6:22am. We had FP+ for FOP but since we were so close to the turnstiles we decided to walk with the crowd to FOP. By 7:17am we were done and on line for Navii River. By that time, the Stand By time for FOP was reading 180 mins.
So give yourself plenty of time to be on that first bus of the day!
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