Tokyo Disney rope drop: which ride first (13 min at 9:00)
At Disneyland, make Splash Mountain or Pooh's Hunny Hunt your first ride (13 minutes at 9:00, 77–79 by 9:30). DisneySea's lines keep growing until about 10:00, so you can fit in both Raging Spirits and Journey to the Center of the Earth.
Who this is for:Anyone arriving for opening who wants to know which ride to head for first
Photos: Wikimedia Commons（photographers & licences）
Where to head at opening, and where not to
Figures are average posted waits from October 2025 to September 2026.
Splash Mountain
Go first13 min at 9:00, 79 min by 9:30. Right next to Big Thunder Mountain.
Contents (9)
Where should you go first?
Where should you go first?The rides worth doing first are the ones that are still short at opening and grow several times longer within an hour. These are ranked by how much the average posted wait grows between 9:00 and 10:00 over the past year. Indiana Jones Adventure has been closed since August 18, 2025 and isn't included (it's due to reopen on November 30, 2026).
Sources:[1]Offpeak Parks data[3]Offpeak Parks data[4]Official info[5]Official info
7–41 min at 9:00, 78–151 min by 10:00
8–14 min at 9:00, 59–83 min by 9:30
Tower of Terror is closed until November 5, Indiana Jones until November 29
Already 1–2 hours by 9:00–9:15. Use Premier Access or go at night
Photos: Wikimedia Commons（photographers & licences）
At Disneyland, the first 30 minutes decide it
Realistically, only your first ride gets a short wait. Join Splash Mountain at 9:00 and it's 13 minutes; arrive at 9:30 and it's 79. For your second ride, go next door to Big Thunder Mountain, which averages 59 minutes at 9:30.
Sources:[1]Offpeak Parks data
Lines peak around 9:30–9:45, then ease off slowly. Beauty and the Beast is already at 130 minutes by 9:15.
Tap (or hover over) the chart to see the numbers at that time
📊 See the detailed numbers
| Attraction | 9:00 | 9:15 | 9:30 | 10:00 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Splash Mountain | 13 min | 50 min | 79 min | 84 min |
| Pooh's Hunny Hunt | 13 min | 36 min | 77 min | 77 min |
| Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek! | 14 min | 62 min | 83 min | 85 min |
| Big Thunder Mountain | 8 min | 26 min | 59 min | 67 min |
At DisneySea, two rides in the first hour
DisneySea's back areas are far from the entrance, so crowds take time to spread out. Lines keep growing until 10:00–10:30. Raging Spirits is 7 minutes at 9:00, still 25 at 9:30, then 78 at 10:00. Journey to the Center of the Earth is already 41 minutes at 9:00, but reaches 151 by 10:00, the biggest gain of all.
Sources:[1]Offpeak Parks data[5]Official info
Lines keep growing until 10:00–10:30. Soaring is already at 108 minutes at 9:00.
Tap (or hover over) the chart to see the numbers at that time
📊 See the detailed numbers
| Attraction | 9:00 | 9:30 | 10:00 | 10:30 |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Raging Spirits | 7 min | 25 min | 78 min | 93 min |
| Journey to the Center of the Earth | 41 min | 108 min | 151 min | 148 min |
| Rapunzel's Lantern Festival | 26 min | 62 min | 105 min | 108 min |
| Peter Pan's Never Land Adventure | 13 min | 46 min | 83 min | 85 min |
| Tower of Terror (closed until November 5) | 25 min | 78 min | 115 min | 120 min |
Which rides shouldn't you do first?
Some rides already have waits of over an hour when the park opens. Spend your first 30 minutes there and everything else grows by an hour or more in the meantime. The reason is Happy Entry for Disney hotel guests, who get in first; the official page says attractions "start operating in turn after general guests enter".
Sources:[1]Offpeak Parks data[4]Official info[6]Official info[8]Offpeak Parks data
| Attraction | 9:00 | 9:15 | 7pm hour (hourly average) | Premier Access |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Beauty and the Beast (Disneyland) | 61 min | 130 min | 61 min | ¥2,500 |
| Soaring: Fantastic Flight (DisneySea) | 108 min | 146 min | 95 min | ¥2,500 |
| Toy Story Mania! (DisneySea) | 80 min | 114 min | 82 min | ¥2,000 |
| Frozen Journey (DisneySea) | 90 min | 119 min | 82 min | ¥2,500 |
5How much longer if you arrive 30 minutes late? More on busy days
How much longer if you arrive 30 minutes late? More on busy days
How much longer if you arrive 30 minutes late? More on busy daysThe 9:00 wait barely changes between quiet and busy days (Splash Mountain: 11–15 minutes). The gap opens at 9:30. So the busier the day, the more a first-thing ride saves you. On a busy day, reaching Splash Mountain at 9:30 instead of 9:00 means 88 more minutes in line.
Sources:[1]Offpeak Parks data[2]Offpeak Parks data
| Attraction | Quiet day 9:00→9:30 | Normal day | Busy day |
|---|---|---|---|
| Splash Mountain | 12→57 min | 11→78 min | 15→103 min |
| Monsters, Inc. Ride & Go Seek! | 13→65 min | 14→82 min | 16→99 min |
| Big Thunder Mountain | 7→40 min | 7→57 min | 11→81 min |
| Raging Spirits | 6→15 min | 7→21 min | 8→41 min |
| Journey to the Center of the Earth | 34→85 min | 39→101 min | 53→141 min |
What time should you arrive?
What time should you arrive?Aim to be in the gate line by 8:45. Opening time has been 9:00 every day in our records since September 2023. In September 2026 visitor reports, DisneySea let people in at 8:45 every day except September 25. Disneyland did so on weekends, holidays and a few other days, and at 9:00 otherwise. For when to join the bag check line, see the bag check article.
Sources:[6]Official info[7]Visitor / press reports[9]Offpeak Parks data[10]Official info
For Disney hotel guests. In 15 minutes before general entry
In September 2026 reports, almost daily at DisneySea, and on weekends and holidays at Disneyland
9:00 every day in our records. Rides start after general entry
Splash Mountain at 79 minutes
Journey to the Center of the Earth at 151 minutes
What to do for a good start at opening
- Before the day
- Decide your first two rides (Disneyland: Splash Mountain or Pooh's Hunny Hunt; DisneySea: Raging Spirits or Journey to the Center of the Earth)
- Check the official closure list (Tower of Terror closed until November 5, Indiana Jones until November 29)
- Add your tickets to the app. If you want Frozen Journey at DisneySea, know where the Premier Access screen is
- On the morning
- Be in the gate line by 8:45 (the park opens at 9:00)
- Once inside, walk straight to your first ride. Photos and shops can wait
- At DisneySea, buy Frozen Journey Premier Access (¥2,500) the moment you're in if you want it
- After your first ride
- At Disneyland, the big rides are near their peak after 9:30. Make your second ride the one next door, or one with a short wait
- At DisneySea, lines keep growing until about 10:00, so move straight to a ride in the next area
- Save Beauty and the Beast, Soaring and Toy Story Mania! for the evening (join Soaring by 7pm)
Using your day's forecast, the route builder picks the best first ride and orders everything after it.
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Read next
This is guide 1 of 33 under “On the day”.See them all
Frequently asked questions
Q.How early should I get to the gate?
Be in the gate line by 8:45 and your first ride will be close to the 9:00 waits in this article.More in "What time should you arrive?"
Q.Is Indiana Jones Adventure a good first ride?
It's due to reopen on November 30, 2026, when it also joins Premier Access at ¥1,500. Before closing it averaged 7 minutes at 9:00 and 91 at 10:00, but that may change after reopening.More in "Where should you go first?"
Q.Are the rides that joined Premier Access in September still short at opening?
Yes. Over 29 days in September 2026, Pooh's Hunny Hunt averaged 21 minutes at 9:00 and Big Thunder Mountain 15, only slightly longer than before. They still hit their near-peak by 9:30.
Q.Should I do a character greeting or a ride first?
If the ride you want is on the "go first" list, do the ride first. Disneyland's lines are near their peak by 9:30, so a 30-minute delay costs you over an hour.
Tools:Live waitsBuild a routePacking list
Who writes this and where the numbers come from:About Offpeak ParksHow our crowd forecast works
Sources for this article (10 sources, checked September 30, 2026)
Checked on September 30, 2026. Prices and rules can change, so check the official site just before you go.
- [1]Offpeak Parks dataOffpeak Parks wait time records (October 2025 to September 2026, every 15 minutes)Average posted waits every 15 minutes from 9:00 to 11:00, and by hour. About 280 recorded days (no records for November 2025); 202–276 days per ride. About 90 days per crowd level
- [2]Offpeak Parks dataOffpeak Parks wait time records (September 1–29, 2026, every 15 minutes)29 days after the Priority Pass ended and Premier Access expanded, used to check the morning pattern still holds
- [3]Offpeak Parks dataOffpeak Parks wait time records (September 2024 to August 2025, every 15 minutes)Indiana Jones Adventure before its closure (last record August 17, 2025)
- [4]Official infoTokyo Disney Resort official: Disney Premier AccessEligible rides and prices; Indiana Jones from November 30, 2026 (checked in the September 6, 2026 archived copy)
- [5]Official infoTokyo DisneySea official: ClosuresTower of Terror September 28 to November 5, 2026; Indiana Jones August 18, 2025 to November 29, 2026 (checked in the September 5, 2026 archived copy)
- [6]Official infoTokyo Disney Resort official: Happy EntryEntry 15 minutes before general guests; attractions start after general entry (checked in the September 4, 2026 archived copy)
- [7]Visitor / press reportsCASTEL: Actual Tokyo Disney opening times (September 2026)Day-by-day general entry times for September 2026, compiled from in-park announcements and visitor posts (checked September 30, 2026)
- [8]Offpeak Parks dataOffpeak Parks Premier Access sales records (September 20–29, 2026, every 15 minutes)When Frozen Journey first sold out, over 10 days. Night standby cut-offs come from the wait time records (October 2025 to September 2026, days closing at 9pm)
- [9]Offpeak Parks dataOffpeak Parks park hours records (September 2023 to November 2026)Archived official calendars (September 2023 to July 2026) and later schedules: 9:00 opening every day. Happy Entry at 8:30 (August–September 2026)
- [10]Official infoTokyo Disney Resort official: Access restrictions during DisneySea entrance worksAttractions can't be used even if the park opens early; works run to fiscal 2028 (updated January 23, 2026, checked in the September 4, 2026 archived copy)