Disneyland is currently undergoing a massive construction project to open new lands and attractions, including a new entrance experience for guests called the Eastern Gateway.
As part of the resort expansion, Disneyland just implemented a major update that could impact how you plan your entire morning, including your rope drop strategy. Keep reading for all of the details, including how to adjust your plans to get the most out of your early morning hours at the park. Mickey Visit brings you the latest Disney news and planning resources, including a first-of-its-kind WWE event at Disney World and Disneyland’s Festival of Holidays 2026 menus.
How Disneyland’s New Drop-Off Location Impacts Morning Strategy
Due to construction on the Eastern Gateway, the new entrance experience for guests featuring a seven-level parking structure, Disneyland has moved the drop-off location for all Good Neighbor Hotel and third-party shuttle buses from the Esplanade right off Harbor Blvd to the new Downtown Disney shuttle area by Lululemon.
This change is one of the first of more still to come as the construction project continues into 2029 and beyond, with new offerings like the expansion of Avengers Campus, a Coco boat ride, a new Avatar Land, and an overhaul of Tomorrowland. Depending on where you are staying, this could be a positive or negative change for your morning plans and rope drop strategy.
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Each morning, Disneyland cast members physically hold ropes at the entrance to each land to prevent guests from entering before the park is officially open. A “rope drop strategy” involves arriving at the park early before it opens so you can get through security, enter through the ticket turnstiles, and be one of the guests closest to the rope for the land you’d like to visit first. We call this “rope-dropping.”
Many guests choose to walk straight to high-demand attractions that can rack up long standby lines later in the day, like Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance and Radiator Springs Racers. By rope-dropping these attractions, guests can be among the first of the day to ride, before a standby line can accumulate. However, with recent changes to the shuttle drop-off location, you might want to adjust your rope drop strategy.
Here are all the details you should consider when planning your morning at Disneyland, broken down by the impact on the on-site Disneyland Resort Hotels and the off-site Good Neighbor Hotels in the surrounding Anaheim area.
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Those Staying at the Disneyland Hotel, Disney’s Grand Californian, or Pixar Place
If you are staying at the Disneyland Hotel and would like to rope drop an attraction at Disneyland or California Adventure, the closest security checkpoint is located at the entrance to Downtown Disney. With the majority of guests either walking or being dropped off at the main entrance to Disneyland (where the old drop-off spot was located), this security checkpoint has historically been quicker to get through in the mornings.
However, with the shuttles now dropping guests off at the entrance to Downtown Disney, this security checkpoint is likely to see much higher wait times. So you might want to start earlier in the morning to account for this.
If you are staying at Disney’s Grand Californian, no adjustments to your morning plans are needed. For Disneyland, the Grand Californian has a dedicated security checkpoint that lets guests into Downtown Disney between Sephora and Disney Wonderful World of Sweets. And for California Adventure, guests have their own exclusive entrance into the park with significantly reduced security wait times.
If you are staying at Pixar Place and would like to rope drop at either park, your closest and fastest security checkpoint is the dedicated entrance in the Grand Californian, which Pixar Place guests are welcome to use with their Disneyland Resort room key. Again, no major adjustments are needed to your strategy.
Those Staying at a Good Neighbor Hotel or Taking a Third-Party Shuttle
The majority of Disneyland Good Neighbor Hotels are located to the east, south, or southeast of the park. The shuttle route for many of these hotels used to be pretty short, with many requiring a straight shot up Harbor Blvd to get to the Esplanade drop-off area at the main entrance.
With the new drop-off location, shuttles will need to go all the way around the park property to reach the Downtown Disney drop-off spot. Given that this new location is nearly 2 miles further than the current one, shuttles will likely have a longer commute compared to the old route.
Additionally, the old Esplanade where these buses used to drop off was a short, 3-minute walk to the park entrance. However, guests will now need to walk all the way through Downtown Disney from the security checkpoint to the park entrance, which can take closer to 10 minutes depending on the crowds.
If you plan to take one of these shuttles, we recommend building in a little more buffer time to your mornings to account for the longer route and longer walk. If you are willing to forego the shuttle and pay a little extra for a rideshare, you might be able to save yourself both time and crowd congestion. See “Those Taking Rideshare or Getting Dropped Off” below to learn more.
Those Staying at a Hotel Within Walking Distance
If you’re staying at one of the hotels within walking distance to the main entrance, you’re in luck! The guests who used to be dropped off by Good Neighbor Hotel and third-party shuttles will no longer be using the main entrance security checkpoint. We predict that wait times will be shorter and a lot less congested with this new change, giving you more flexibility in your morning plans.
If you’re staying at a hotel within walking distance to the Downtown Disney security checkpoint, you’ll want to plan on arriving earlier than normal to account for longer security lines. If you’re willing to spend a little extra money to save a little time, see “Those Taking Rideshare or Getting Dropped Off” below.
Those Taking Rideshare or Getting Dropped Off
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Disney confirmed to Mickey Visit that the S Harbor Blvd lot (different from the old bus Esplanade pictured above) for guests who are taking rideshare or being dropped off by a normal vehicle will remain open for now. However, there is a chance that more guests will start using rideshare for this reason, and the lot is already quite small. So it would be best to plan on arriving earlier than usual to account for a busier lot.
If you are staying at a Good Neighbor Hotel or if you normally use a third-party shuttle, you might want to consider paying extra to take a rideshare vehicle. With a lighter security checkpoint line, there is a chance it would end up saving you time.
Ultimately, adjusting your rope drop strategy to account for the new Downtown Disney shuttle drop-off location ensures you won’t waste precious park time at the start of your Disneyland day.
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