Welcome to Ask The Duchess – Vol. 106, a monthly Q&A post covering a variety of resort-related topics. Ask The Duchess answers questions submitted by readers. If you have a question you’d like answered, send me a message here.
- Is Rise of the Resistance worth the individual Lightning Lane, or should I just rope drop it? (submitted by Rosalind)
I am firmly team Lightning Lane on this one. I’ve tried to rope drop Rise of the Resistance probably 3 or 4 times, and each time by the time I hustled over there the wait was already 45 minutes. And by the time you’ve walked over there, the other early morning lines have already stacked up. The extra $$ is annoying, but worth it to me (see my answer to #4 below!).
2. How accurate are posted wait times? (submitted by Nora)
They’re decently accurate most of the time. It’s never perfect or precise, but I do find that pads times a little bit more than they underestimate, so you’re often happy with waiting 5-10 minutes less than you were anticipating.
3. Is the tram worth taking vs. walking to the parking structures? (submitted by Bridget)
Absolutely yes! Trams run steadily, so you never have to wait a super long time. They’re a needed break for tired feet, and I like to think of the tram as the first and last ride of the day.
4. Is it better to rope drop a specific land over another? (submitted by Morgan)
This depends heavily on your priorities. I personally like to hit up Fantasyland first and get some of the dark rides done. But if you have an absolute favorite coaster you’ll want to ride as many times as possible during your trip, it’s not a bad idea to go there first…with one exception: SO many people do this for Rise of the Resistance at the start of the day that the line gets super long almost immediately. In my opinion, you lose enough morning time walking to the back of the park for it that it’s not a worthwhile move.
5. Are there single rider lines for shows? (submitted by Leah)
No, anything general admission/open seating has one standard line you would join.