Single Rider Line, Abuse or Hidden Mickey Trick?

[MrToadsWildRide]

I was in the single rider line for Rock N' Roller Coaster when I noticed a parent in line with their child. They were in the single rider line together. I've seen this before and never really thought it was a good idea to take your young child on a ride only to have them not sit with you.

But then I watched as the Cast Member assigning seats let the parent and child sit together, as a couple. AS in right next to each other, as if they had waited in the normal standby line. They were not separated. They were not assigned to single seats, filling in the gaps of odd number groups.

We got right back on the ride for a second time, using our FastPass+UberDuberExpress option. For the second time, I watched a Cast Member do the same thing. They let a parent and child in the single rider line rider together. Which allowed them to get on the ride in less than half the time of the current standby time that was posted. (yes I use my Apple watch to time wait times)

Clever wait time work around?

Or not?

(sorry, there's no hidden Mickey here, just couldn't think of an interesting title, so I guess I just abused the Hidden Mickey discussion guidlines. sorry again)

 

[ravenclawtrekkie]

If the children were younger than the cutoff to ride alone, they shouldn't have been permitted into the single rider line at all. If they were older children, the parties should have been separated as per the procedures of the single rider line.

I'd call it CMs not doing what they're supposed to.

 

[RedAngie]

Some CMs, perhaps many, don't want to confront guests. So they let guests do whatever they want.

At Test Track, I have seen CMs tell people in no uncertain terms that they can't ride together. Separate or leave the line. One couple left.

 

[Ava]

The parent & child could very well have expected to be separated at loading, and the CM sat them together without them asking. My daughter is 7 and if she'd ridden the ride before and was comfortable not sitting next to me, I'd use the single rider line.

 

[WDisneyWLove]

We(my 9 y/o nephew and I) were in the single rider line one time last October fully expecting to be separated. When we got to the front the CM unexpectedly sat us together. We were pleasantly surprised. But let me say, we have waited in the single rider line many times and this is the only time that it has ever happened.

 

[mom2rtk]

I was in the single rider line for Rock N' Roller Coaster when I noticed a parent in line with their child. They were in the single rider line together. I've seen this before and never really thought it was a good idea to take your young child on a ride only to have them not sit with you.

But then I watched as the Cast Member assigning seats let the parent and child sit together, as a couple. AS in right next to each other, as if they had waited in the normal standby line. They were not separated. They were not assigned to single seats, filling in the gaps of odd number groups.

We got right back on the ride for a second time, using our FastPass+UberDuberExpress option. For the second time, I watched a Cast Member do the same thing. They let a parent and child in the single rider line rider together. Which allowed them to get on the ride in less than half the time of the current standby time that was posted. (yes I use my Apple watch to time wait times)

Clever wait time work around?

Or not?

(sorry, there's no hidden Mickey here, just couldn't think of an interesting title, so I guess I just abused the Hidden Mickey discussion guidlines. sorry again)

What is a "FastPass+UberDuberExpress option?

 

[AtlantaDisneyDreamer]

I saw an argument at TT between a CM and a parent and child (who was too young to ride alone) in the single rider line. The parent was irate and insisted that he should be able to ride with his child if the child was too young to ride alone.

It wasted time for everyone waiting in line because he could not do his job of assigning rows to riders.

The policing of this policy really needs to be done at the entrance to the single rider line- not at the ride platform. Disney needs a CM assigned to the entrance of the single rider line who makes sure that children younger than 7 do not enter the line. I think the CMs at the platform should not have to deal with the issue. Maybe some of them see it coming and just ignore the issue because they don't have time to deal with it.

In the OP's case, it could be that, due to large guest party sizes at the platform, they needed two people to fill a last empty row. Or it could be that he just didn't want to waste time asking the child's age and getting into an argument and wasting the time of the other guests.

 

[sturner324]

There will always be people who try to cheat the system. I think it's fine for people to get in line together with full intentions of riding single. I don't personally like to do it much, but I can semi accept it. I can't respect people who do this and try to stay together anyway. I'm not saying this particular case was that... but I've seen it. The worst case was in DCA radiator springs. I witnessed the absolute worst behavior from a couple guests toward a cast member trying to inforce the rule, but ultimately being defeated after being verbally abused. Those of us in line were very annoyed at the "cheaters" but more upset for the poor cast member trying to walk that line of following the rules and making everyone happy. After that, I sort of lost respect for groups entering the single rider line whether they tried to force a ride together or not. My husband doesn't like several rides, so I am a true single rider at times, but this often makes me not even want to deal with it.

 

[BookGirl305]

q

 

[Ratpack]

Our family uses the single rider line all the time, but we expect to be separated. Even when my youngest was just at the point to ride alone, we would use it. She would go first and then wait at the unloading area for me to arrive and then we would go again. However, there were times when the CM's put us in a car together.

 

[Nole95]

I do not think there is any problem if my family wants to use the single rider line as long as we fully expect to be separated.

This is especially true at places like EPCOT where rides are tiered. We can use a FP+ for Soarin, and then use the single rider line to get onto TT quicker. Disney has those single ride lines there for a reason, which is for people or groups who do not mind riding alone. If Disney did not want groups then they could simply re-write the policy to say no groups in the single rider line.

 

[DekrRini]

The flip side of that though, is that I use the single rider line on every ride, even those that don't actually have one. What I mean by that is that I wait in the regular standby line until the CMs at the boarding area can see me, and then I hold up 1 finger. Nearly every time, they will pull me forward and fill in a seat on one of the next 2 trains. It usually shaves the last 15 minutes off the wait and it happens before anyone realizes what I did to get mad about it. Better than the train going out with an empty seat!
(I am a solo visitor)

This happens all the time when I ride ToT. I just wait until the CMs call out for a single rider and then bypass the other riders. No one cares because they'd heard the CM ask for a single rider. I don't ride roller coasters so that's the only time I've had it happen.

 

[Bree]

My DD and I use the single rider line for test track all the time. Sometimes we are seated next to each other, sometimes we are in the same car and sometimes we are separated.

 

[cgattis]

The flip side of that though, is that I use the single rider line on every ride, even those that don't actually have one. What I mean by that is that I wait in the regular standby line until the CMs at the boarding area can see me, and then I hold up 1 finger. Nearly every time, they will pull me forward and fill in a seat on one of the next 2 trains. It usually shaves the last 15 minutes off the wait and it happens before anyone realizes what I did to get mad about it. Better than the train going out with an empty seat!
(I am a solo visitor)

Nobody should get mad at you for that. If Disney intends to fill all the seats on a ride, singles are how they accomplish that. And the other side is, if a family really doesn't want an "extra" added in, usually Disney accommodates (except in very busy times and on very popular rides). But you as a single probably very rarely get that option to ride alone even if you want to. Hopefully you don't get much grief about it.

 

[ElsieAstronaut]

As long as it wasn't the parent getting to the front and saying i'm only riding with child, and the CM giving in, then I don't see a problem.

The CM's are supposed to fill the cars, and if there were two empty seats and no parties of two in the regular line, the next two people in the single rider would be chosen, regardless of if they knew each other or not.

 

[Ava]

The policing of this policy really needs to be done at the entrance to the single rider line- not at the ride platform. Disney needs a CM assigned to the entrance of the single rider line who makes sure that children younger than 7 do not enter the line. I think the CMs at the platform should not have to deal with the issue. Maybe some of them see it coming and just ignore the issue because they don't have time to deal with it.

This would be a great solution, but unfortunately I don't see Disney doing it because it would require hiring additional staff. But you are probably right that a lot of CMs see an adult and a child together in the single rider line and just seat them together because they've had experiences with argumentative guests before and don't want to risk that happening. In the end it probably makes the wait shorter for everyone to not have the line held up by a guest arguing with the CM. It's unfortunate both for the CMs and for all the guests who use the single rider line as its intended to be used though.

 

[twinkie567]

We have been using single rider for Test Track ever since my kids turned 7. Sometimes we are seated together but usually not. And my daughter is asked her age and we are "reminded" that we are entering single rider line EVERY time. Sometimes 2 or 3 times before we get to the front.

 

[PSULion]

DH and I have used the single rider line twice - once at EE, and once at RnR. We fully expected to be separated, but didn't care if we saved time (my mom was waiting with our little guys). Both times we were seated together. So right or wrong, I'm not sure it's something that only happens with a parent/child combo.

In my mind, the CMs are just trying to get each ride out as fast as possible, and sometimes that means grabbing 2 together from the single rider line.

 

[woodynjessiesmomma]

ODS and I rode RnRC on his 7th birthday SR line, got separated and he did great. In line there was a smaller boy with his parents. As we got to the first CM they asked how old ODS was and let us go, the smaller boy was 5 and they asked one parent to take the child out. The parents seemed confused but didn't fight.
I've been seated next to ODS on TT going through SR line, not expecting to sit by him, but it just happening. Any time we do SR we expect to be separated. I've read many reports of other witnessing people expecting to ride together on SR, but I've never seen that myself.

 

[Delirium]

I'll confess, I don't understand the draw of the single rider line if you are in the park with someone else, either child or adult. My whole purpose of a Disney vacation is to create and experience special memories with those I care about. Am I really doing that if I ride in a different vehicle than my 10 year old daughter on Rock 'N' Roller Coaster? Is it the same experience if I can't hear her scream in that strange middle ground between fear and delight? Or, instead of it being me and my 12 year old son in the same car at Test Track, he gets to ride with the Johnson family of 5 from North Dakota instead? Same thoughts if it were just me and my wife. Those should be memories of us together.

Is getting to ride the attraction 20 minutes sooner actually so important that you would risk giving up those memories? I don't get it.