7 yo riding alone - any confusing queues/exits?

[Helene_C]

My son will be 7.5 when we visit, and since I'll be flying solo with him and his 2.5 yo sibling there will be many rides where I need to hang back with the too-short toddler while the 7 yo rides. I know he's allowed to ride alone at this age, but are there any rides with confusing queue/exit locations I should prep him for? (To make sure we find each other afterward.) He has plenty of WDW experience but this will be our first visit to DL. If he chickens out at the last minute, will he be sent to the exit or back to the entrance?
Also, I'm assuming a 7 yo on his own is allowed to use the single-rider line? I'll make sure he knows he has to wait for the CMs to tell him where to sit.

 

[figment_jii]

I don't really feel like any of the attraction exits are all that difficult to figure out. Just follow everyone else and he'll get out of the attraction. You can wait for him where the exit empties into the park (often in a gift shop or near a gift shop). I can only think of a few attractions with more than exit point:

• Buzz Lightyear: You can opt to bypass the gift shop and exit into Tomorrowland (at the entrance to the gift shop) (although, this attraction is fine for a 2.5 year old).
• Matterhorn: the two tracks exit either to the left or right of the mountain. So you'll need to know which side he gets on or pick a central meeting point between the two.

 

[SMD]

The Indy queue is pretty confusing for single riders. Will he be tall enough? I'd probably just skip that one.

 

[ktlm]

He can use the single rider line at age 7. RSR is easy. We were with DD when she was 7 in the single rider line as we were all riding, but we did single rider on that multiple times at that age. I agree that Indy can be confusing. The single rider line actually enters through the exit and you walk a long way through the tunnels. If he really wants to ride it, since it just goes up the exit anyway, I would ask if you could escort him most of the way and then turn around and come back down the exit. I would say the main thing is for you to be sure that you know where he is exiting. Also, I would try to get him fast passes for most of the bigger rides that he is going on alone (assuming he is going to do things like Space Mountain, Star Tours, Big Thunder etc), because that way he will spend a shorter time in line away from you.

 

[Helene_C]

The Indy queue is pretty confusing for single riders. Will he be tall enough? I'd probably just skip that one.

He's 49", so tall enough for everything except driving alone at Autopia, if I've got the right info. Thanks for the tip on Indy, though - especially since that ride isn't something he knows from WDW, maybe it's best he not try it alone. I'm looking into getting a babysitter/mother's helper for part of the time, so I can do some "big" rides with the older one.

Thanks too for the PP with the Matterhorn warning. That might be one to skip as well.

 

[SMD]

On Indy you go through the exit, then you find a CM and wait to be merged with the HA queue to watch the video. After the video you follow the regular queue until you pass a gate where there may or may not be a CM waiting. You enter onto the exit portion of the platform, ride in an elevator, possible alone, exit the elevator, pass over the track, take another elevator down, then enter a waiting area. It can often be longer or just as long as using an FP, but with many more steps that he would have to navigate alone.

For the Matterhorn, you would know which side he's sent to by waiting with him when he gets the SR pass. Then just wait by that exit.

A babysitter for even a few hours would definitely allow you to do several height restricted rides. If it's earlier in the trip, maybe he could then do some single rider for a second ride.

 

[Helene_C]

Am I reading correctly that Rider Switch at Disneyland lets the too-short kid go through the queue with the parents and big kids, and then the too-short kid waits by the exit with one parent? I'm used to WDW where you cannot enter the queue at all if you're too short, and baby swap happens via tickets given at the queue entrance. If the toddler and I can walk the 7 yo through the queue and then just wait off to the side, that would be a better option.

 

[ashley0139]

Am I reading correctly that Rider Switch at Disneyland lets the too-short kid go through the queue with the parents and big kids, and then the too-short kid waits by the exit with one parent? I'm used to WDW where you cannot enter the queue at all if you're too short, and baby swap happens via tickets given at the queue entrance. If the toddler and I can walk the 7 yo through the queue and then just wait off to the side, that would be a better option.

No, a too short child cannot enter the queue at all. Rider switch is the same at Disneyland as WDW.

 

[EmmersIsTheMommy]

I would likely not send a kiddo alone on Indy. MAYBE if you were allowed to walk him up..but it's a pretty big ride. Is he timid at all? My oldest was timid and without me he would have been a bit nervous. My second would have had zero problem. I guess that plays into it.

As far as confusing exits I really think Indy is the worst. Just drive home the point that he needs to pay attention to where all the other riders are going and if he's confused to ask a CM.

I would probably skip matterhorn personally.

 

[Niltiac]

If you're comfortable with the idea, one option for Indie is to wait until there's someone else entering the single rider line and ask if they'll walk with your son. The exit isn't confusing, he'll just follow the crowd. It's the entrance that's confusing when using single rider. Another option would be to get him a FP so he doesn't have to worry about single rider. In fact, since most of the FP attractions are "big kid" rides, and you have two paid tickets, you can probably pull more than enough FP so he doesn't have to do single rider for anything except Matterhorn (which is not a difficult line at all).

 

[goooof1]

Don't worry about the Matterhorn.....you will know which side he will ride on. CMs give out the tickets and they send riders to one side or the other right there. If he has to wait a bit, you can be standing right there with him and you'll see where he goes! Good idea to hire a babysitter for a while, then you can see how the queues on the big rides and ride with him so he sees what's what.

 

[Winnowill]

Yeah, I wouldn't even try Indy. Even though everyone comes out the same way (so YOU won't have a problem finding him), the inside of the SR line is SO confusing and it feels like you're walking FOREVER. I'm sure my almost-nine-year-old couldn't figure it out.

 

[bumbershoot]

Am I reading correctly that Rider Switch at Disneyland lets the too-short kid go through the queue with the parents and big kids, and then the too-short kid waits by the exit with one parent?

No. It's the same as how WDW does it. Under-height kids do not enter the line.

It's the entrance that's confusing when using single rider.

Agreed. And, of course, it's the exit. But exiting is easy.


RSR *can* be tricky IF they send him to fill in space at the HA area. But with RSR we just have everyone exit completely and "wait at or near Stanley but don't photobomb anyone accidentally or on purpose". And of course find Stanley before you enter the line. That CAN be a long SR line (though it'll be shorter than standby). I wanted my son to be able to wait, be patient, smile at people and perhaps be sociable, before going on RSR.


We actually practiced ahead of time. Well our first practice was at Universal Orlando, where it's not age but being at least 48" (and the height for the ride). We had express pass and we let him go a little crazy with rides we didn't want to ride repeatedly (Woody Woodpecker's coaster 15 times in a row, for instance). Then we went to DL and sent him on Gadget's go-Coaster alone. We sat away from it so we could see basically the whole line. Watched how he behaved, if he cut (accidentally or on purpose), if he was sociable and kind, if he looked scared vs brave, etc. He passed the test, so we moved on to RSR from there.

For you I would suggest letting him take the lead in line and getting everyone seated on rides you all can do before hitting SR lines. Let him show you where the entrance and exit is, how to get into line, tell them how many are riding, etc. That gives him practice in being in charge and lets you know he can pay attention to the line, the crowd, AND the CMs, and he might be more confident when going alone.

 

[Malcon10t]

Matterhorn is a fairly easy SR line. You can walk with him up to the line, and the CM will send him left or right. I prefer them to go right, simple because it is easier for me to watch. You can ask the CM if he can go right. Then you go down by the exit on the right and just wait. You wont be able to see him the whole time (others are taller) but you know where about he is, and can watch for him to load and be right there when he comes off.