Single Rider Line, Abuse or Hidden Mickey Trick?

[GC&S]

We were in single rider line at TT last year (DH, DD (12) and myself) and she and I got seated together. It just happened that way. DD was mad because she wanted to ride by herself

 

[Ava]

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 would guess that most guests don't know about the policy that children under 7 must be seated with someone 14 or older on every ride. I had never heard it until I read about it on this board. I don't think those age restrictions are really advertised unless you go looking for the information, so most people probably don't know until they are in a line and a CM asks their child's age & explains the policy.

 

[zianha]

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.

THIS. My DS and I have gone in the single rider line since he was old enough to ride alone and we knew/expected to be separated. We've also experienced times of the normal protocol of being completely separated, times of ending up side-by-side, and times that we were in the same ride vehicle. I've never asked to be seated together and just chalked it up to luck when we ended up riding together.

 

[mocame]

Question to those that have used the single rider line before. We only have used it once and it was last week. My son (13) was the only person going to ride RNR so he got in the single rider line. There were a bunch of kids tour groups while we were at Disney and one of those groups got in the single rider line. The WHOLE group. It took him a long time to get to ride because the line was sooo long. Does that happen a lot?

 

[jimim]

What the heck is fast pass plus uber duber express. . . .

 

[tjmw2727]

In my experience the CM's at the entrance are usually very proactive in spotting younger kids/making sure they are 7 and that both the parent and child understand they will be separated. If the CM at loading sees a younger child and can figure out how to seat them with a family member without creating a problem then I would just consider that pixie dust and be happy for them.

Every once in a while you do see a parent/child who try and bully the CM into sitting together but this usually doesn't work -especially on TT!

We ride single often as we are a party of 3 and one of us usually ends up single anyway its especially fast on EE, ok on TT and we find it can take a long time on RnRc.

 

[tjmw2727]

Question to those that have used the single rider line before. We only have used it once and it was last week. My son (13) was the only person going to ride RNR so he got in the single rider line. There were a bunch of kids tour groups while we were at Disney and one of those groups got in the single rider line. The WHOLE group. It took him a long time to get to ride because the line was sooo long. Does that happen a lot?

There is no reason why a group couldn't use the single rider as they will be riding single - just bad timing on your son's part. FWIW its happened to us in the standby line a few times and we just chose to return later.

 

[Bree]

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.

We live 3 hours from WDW so it's no longer a big deal to us anymore to be in seats next to each other. WDW fills in all available seats on rides to keep the lines moving faster.

 

[zianha]

Question to those that have used the single rider line before. We only have used it once and it was last week. My son (13) was the only person going to ride RNR so he got in the single rider line. There were a bunch of kids tour groups while we were at Disney and one of those groups got in the single rider line. The WHOLE group. It took him a long time to get to ride because the line was sooo long. Does that happen a lot?

Everyone experiences different things but I've never seen that happen in all of my trips to WDW. Seems like it would be more logical for a tour group to go through standby cuz they'd get more of the kids on the ride at one time each go, but apparently someone thought the single rider line was a better idea. Or, they didn't pay attention/didn't understand that they got in the SRL.

 

[tjmw2727]

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.

Single rider is definitely not for everyone, we use it after we have done the attraction once together especially on the coasters. We ride as a family and then my dd's usually want to ride again later in the day so they jump in the single rider line.

 

[tjmw2727]

I would guess that most guests don't know about the policy that children under 7 must be seated with someone 14 or older on every ride. I had never heard it until I read about it on this board. I don't think those age restrictions are really advertised unless you go looking for the information, so most people probably don't know until they are in a line and a CM asks their child's age & explains the policy.

I noticed this information posted more prominently on our trip last month as well as listed on the guide maps so I think WDW is working to make this more well known. My nephew was asked his age more often than in past trips when boarding and always when using the single rider line.

 

[RedAngie]

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.

Absolutely it's more important. Memories of rides I've ridden dozens of times before? Bleh, who need such memories? I don't get those who need to be together for every single experience every single time.

For the first time on those rides that offer single rider, yes, I'd most likely ride with the rest of my party. After that, I couldn't care less if I'm seated next to DH, DDs, or strangers. I'm focusing on myself enjoying the ride.

 

[gap2368]

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.

some people leave at disney so they do not care if they are not with someone for the 5 minutes it takes to ride it. or they have gone on it 50 times or they go alone

 

[bookgirl]

I was in DLR last month and entered SR for the Racers. There were two girls ahead of me obviously together. The CM put the first girl in (not sure if this is exact) line 3, front seat of a car, the second girl in line 5 first seat of the car behind, and then me in line 4 second row of the car that the first girl was in.

They didn't complain but they did give each other sad faces so I offered to trade so they could be in the same car. (we switched while the CM was looking the other way, they were very appreciative and happy)

I think the CM wanted to make sure that the girls were separated, there were multiple signs saying you WILL be separated but, come on really? That was a dumb since there were two single seats in the same car.

That was also the ride that I watched a family get sent all the way back to the stand by line because they went in the FP line without FP's. They just stood there after the CM told them they'd have to do standby and started to argue (they didn't know, weren't told, would have to wait all over again (FP was maybe a five minute wait), but he said no and turned away from them. The family was in shock and just kept looking at each other. One middle age couple and one senior age couple so I guess they thought that they would allow it. And a family was annoyed that their handicapped person and one companion pushing thier chair was sent to the adapted car and they had to go to the regular line (granted they walked up the FP lane and were allowed to join the line there but they wanted the entire group (about probably 2 or 3 cars worth) to go in the handicapped area.

The Racer's CMs are strict.

 

[joanchris]

The single rider line at at RnRc could also take longer than the stand by line, it dis for us last night. It took so long I don't think I'll ever utilize that one again, just EE, where you can see the line and how fast it's moving. My daughter and I use single rider fully expecting to be split up, and are (she's a teen).

 

[KLK622]

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.

When I used the single rider line for RSR at DCA the family I was seated with was ANGRY that the cast member put me in the car with them...they tried to ignore me and wouldn't move over so I could get into my seat (they had left a middle seat empty). Maybe RSR brings out the worst in people??

 

[GeneralTso]

We do single rider a lot (no children involved) and the majority of the time, get loaded together. It's a not so secret strategy.
This happens all the time at Cars, Space Mountain and Indy (Disneyland). Some CMs even ask if we're together then wave us in together.
I don't think it would work as well for a family with children. At WDW, we got loaded together on Everest.
Luck of the draw, but I swear, the CMs are just kinda nice about it.

 

[Duckiedee]

My daughter is 11. We'll be going on RnR as a couple for sure the first time. But if she wants to ride a second time, it's single rider all the way.

 

[bookgirl]

The single rider line at at RnRc could also take longer than the stand by line, it dis for us last night. It took so long I don't think I'll ever utilize that one again, just EE, where you can see the line and how fast it's moving. My daughter and I use single rider fully expecting to be split up, and are (she's a teen).

RnR is very rarely the better SR line, maybe because of the 2X2 cars, but EE is the same and it moves very fast.

 

[scrapquitler]

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)

Maybe the next several parties in the line were larger groups (4, 6, 8, whatever) and it was easier and more efficient to seat those two people in the next two empty seats rather than call for a party of two who might have to pass 10 or more people in line to get to the front and be seated.