Disney’s Animal Kingdom has overhauled its rope drop procedure. Guest holding areas have moved out of the Oasis and onto Discovery Island. We visited this morning to walk the new setup from the tappoints all the way to park opening. The change affects Early Entry redemption, non-resort guest holding, and how guests reach Pandora, Africa, Asia, and the former DinoLand USA.
What Animal Kingdom’s New Rope Drop Looks Like
IN THIS ARTICLE:
- How the new Discovery Island checkpoint system works for Early Entry and non-resort guests
- Where each of the three checkpoints is located and where they lead
- What stays closed on Discovery Island until park opening
Security opened shortly after 7am. Guests were held at the entrance tappoint plaza until 7:15am, when everyone was let into the park together. That’s a change on its own, but the bigger shift comes just past the tappoints.
Holding Areas Move From the Oasis to Discovery Island
Non-resort guests used to wait out Early Entry in the Oasis, the lush entry path between the tappoints and Discovery Island. That’s no longer the case. Both Early Entry redemption and the non-resort guest holding areas have both moved onto Discovery Island itself. The Oasis is now simply a walkway guests pass through on the way in.
Guests can now roam Discovery Island itself while they wait, rather than being held back in the narrower Oasis path. Nothing on Discovery Island is open until park opening. The one exception is PhotoPass photo opportunities at the Tree of Life. Shops on Discovery Island, including Discovery Trading Company and Island Mercantile, stay closed until the park officially opens.
It’s a much better experience than the old Oasis holding area. Guests have real room to move instead of standing elbow to elbow. It’s not the claustrophobic wait it used to be. Overall, it’s a smart, albeit overdue, change.
Three Checkpoints For Early Entry
From Discovery Island, guests heading toward a specific land now pass through one of three checkpoints. Each one splits Early Entry resort guests from everyone else. Resort guests get their credentials checked by Cast Members before being waved through toward their attractions. Non-resort guests hold nearby until the park opens to everyone.
The busiest checkpoint sits in front of Island Mercantile, across from the Flamingo exhibit. It leads toward Pandora – The World of Avatar and Africa. A taped-off area holds non-resort guests here while resort guests continue past.
A second checkpoint sits in front of Zootopia: Better Zoogether, near the Tree of Life. It leads to the bridge toward Asia and Expedition Everest. Early Entry guests head to the left of the large tree in front of Zootopia to reach Cast Members. Everyone else heads right, toward a holding area. Zootopia itself sits just outside this checkpoint. A Cast Member still checks Early Entry credentials directly at the attraction’s entrance.
The third checkpoint sits at the bridge leading to the former DinoLand USA, the future home of Tropical Americas. It was the least busy of the three during our visit, staffed by a single Cast Member checking credentials. A secondary resort guest hold point briefly stood just past the checkpoint. Cast Members moved it further into the park shortly after we snapped the photo below. Non-resort guests here had a looser set of rules, largely lingering in the area rather than waiting in a defined pen. For now, this checkpoint mostly works as an alternate walking route to Expedition Everest. Tropical Americas isn’t expected to open until sometime in 2027. When it does, this will be a VERY popular rope drop option.
Today, the park opened to Early Entry resort guests at 7:30am and to all guests at 8am. Eligible attractions open at least 30 minutes before official park opening. An earlier start is possible on a given day, though not guaranteed. Once guests pass a checkpoint, Cast Members direct them from there.
Park hours and Early Entry start times can change day to day. Guests should check the My Disney Experience app for the most current schedule before heading out.
This appears to be a permanent shift in how Animal Kingdom handles rope drop, not a test. Cast Members are likely to keep adjusting the setup as they get more experience running it.
KEEP READING:
- Resort Guest Early Entry and Extended Evening Hours are confirmed to continue through 2027
- Disney’s Hollywood Studios rolled out a similar rope drop overhaul in 2024, moving Early Entry checks to in-park checkpoints instead of the main gate
- Our 2022 look at Animal Kingdom’s old Oasis-based Early Entry holding area shows just how different this morning’s setup was
As always, keep checking back with us here at BlogMickey.com as we continue to bring you the latest news, photos, and info from around the Disney Parks!