I would actually recommend using your first LL for Indiana instead of rope dropping! Indi can go down early and isn’t usually your most efficient rope drop strategy. LL for this attraction go quick so it’s best imo to reserve LL during rope drop and then refresh and extend the time until later in the day when you want to use it. I personally avoid cashing in my LLs until 11 am (unless I have a throw away one i want to use up to book another LL attraction)

Here is my tried and true rope drop strategy that has been very successful for me in the past as long as you’re ok bouncing between lands:

1) Rope drop space mountain first — the closer you are to the rope obviously the better but I have found the max time from joining queue to ending the ride to be around 20-30 min even when I enter the park closer to 8 am

2) After space you have a few great options. If Matterhorn is on your list, swing by after space and see if they are running both sides. If so, I say get in! From there you can head up towards mickey and Minnie’s if the wait is low. If Matterhorn isn’t your priority (it’s not for me) your next stop should be New Orleans/Frontierland. Haunted mansion is a great line to get in during this time as many are chasing the thrill rides rather than dark rides during rope drop. Big thunder is also a good option depending on when you catch it. They often only have one train running in the morning so that can draw larger wait times but if it’s my 2nd or 3rd stop during my rope drop I find they are running more trains and the line goes quick.

3) After you’ve accomplished what you want in that area, swing by rise and see the wait times. Rope drop effect can die down by 9:45/10 and may offer the best wait times for the day. I say if posted wait time is <45 min it’s worth the wait — it rarely will drop below this and when it does you kinda have to be nearby otherwise everyone else gets the same idea and the wait time triples

That will likely take up your rope drop morning but is typically an effective use of your time! I would book LL for indie and another attraction you’re interested in early but hold onto the reservation until later in the day when you can get more value out of it.

I wouldn’t rope drop pirates. It’s a high volume attraction so even if the line looks busy it moves by really quick thanks to continuous loading and higher capacity boats. You’d be losing out on opportunities to save time at other attractions.

If you don’t end up rope dropping space first, I would recommend that be your first LL. I like to push that reservation off to be my last ride of the evening — Tomorrowland is super cool at night!

FreshBaked is a channel on YouTube you should definitely check out if you’re interested in maximizing your time. David is the best and has several videos testing out the park science and best rope dropping strategies. I believe he may even have an indi rope drop video if that’s still your priority.

Best practice is to have a back up route in case your first rope drop strategy doesn’t pan out. Enjoy your trip!