Disney News, Discussion & an Element of Fun - 2024 Edition

[adamreisinger]

I still don't understand why they built a single rider lane for Ratatouille, but never opened it. It exists in DLP's version

They essentially did the same thing with Flight of Passage. There's a dedicated single-rider from the entrance, but they only split single riders at the very end of the queue, before the preshow rooms.

 

[LoveToDisney]

Now that they are testing the single rider line at RoTR, maybe Ratatouille will be next? We can hope.

 

[Smugpugmug]

I think the chance for Remy to use the single rider queue ended when they removed the seat dividers in the ride vehicles. Those vehicles are not like Pirates or Runaway Railway where they have bench seating wide enough to squeeze in multiple parties.

 

[Maleficent_Hades]

Disney Confirms Jungle Cruise Reopening Timeline After August Refurbishment

Walt Disney World has today provided a brief update on the upcoming refurbishment of the Jungle Cruise at Magic Kingdom.

Disney confirms that the refurbishment will begin on August 26, 2024, and will reopen "before the winter holidays begin." Disney's holiday season begins on November 8 this year.

The Jungle Cruise has also been removed from the list of attractions available during Mickey's Not-So-Scary Halloween Party.

While we don't expect any show changes during the closure, several permits were recently filed, including one with contractor Underwater Enginerring Services, Inc.

Although the Jungle Cruise's show scenes have recently been updated, the ride has not been closed for refurbishment since 2017.

This makes me sad that I'll miss it when I go in September. One of my favorites, but I'll be there again in May so I'm not too upset about it.

 

[adamreisinger]

I think the chance for Remy to use the single rider queue ended when they removed the seat dividers in the ride vehicles. Those vehicles are not like Pirates or Runaway Railway where they have bench seating wide enough to squeeze in multiple parties.

Yeah, single-rider lines are for rides with distinct seats that can be filled without disturbing your neighbor. That's why Everest has one but Big Thunder does not (I couldn't imagine having to squish a stranger on that ride).

 

[Leigh L]

If I had to guess it's because if too many had it that would lead to too many people using Single Rider for their whole group just to get a shorter line. I don't mean a whole group enters and then knows they stand a high chance of being split up, I mean that the whole group would enter and bellyache that they were being split up. By Disney limiting the number of attractions they can reduce how many attractions this would happen to and reduce how many CMs would have to encounter this.

And I say this with my husband using Single Rider a lot (mostly at Universal) but without me going on that ride, I'd love for him to have more options but there is that other side too.

It's crazy if people are giving CMs a hard time about being split up . At Universal the TMs are very clear you will be split up (DD and I use single-rider there all the time for many attractions).

Soarin' had a single rider line when we were there in December which we'd never seen before, so maybe Disney is experimenting with different attractions? (It was a long wait! Not sure we'd do that again lol.)

 

[Gusey]

I think the chance for Remy to use the single rider queue ended when they removed the seat dividers in the ride vehicles. Those vehicles are not like Pirates or Runaway Railway where they have bench seating wide enough to squeeze in multiple parties.

Hadn't realised that they removed the seat dividers at Epcot. At DLP, the ride vehicles still have the dividers so its a 2 rows of 3

 

[BrianL]

It's crazy if people are giving CMs a hard time about being split up . At Universal the TMs are very clear you will be split up (DD and I use single-rider there all the time for many attractions).

Soarin' had a single rider line when we were there in December which we'd never seen before, so maybe Disney is experimenting with different attractions? (It was a long wait! Not sure we'd do that again lol.)

I have seen it where people want to argue/act confused/play dumb about it, but it's not that common. Most people play byt he rules.

Soarin' in California Adventure has always had a SR line, though I honestly don't think it works too well and you're better off int he regular line. Test Track/Radiator Springs Racers have an SR that works amazingly well, but some other rides not so much.

 

[AquaDame]

Yeah, single-rider lines are for rides with distinct seats that can be filled without disturbing your neighbor. That's why Everest has one but Big Thunder does not (I couldn't imagine having to squish a stranger on that ride).

They absolutely fill in with singles on Big Thunder at Disneyland... drives me a little batty. It doesnt happen all the time, but very frequently when we have an odd number in our party someone is told to load with that person. If its a girl I usually ride with them, if its a guy my husband will. Its... as awkward as you imagine it is. I'm going solo next month and already wondering if I will get lucky and have a seat to myself or not.

 

[Smugpugmug]

Hadn't realised that they removed the seat dividers at Epcot. At DLP, the ride vehicles still have the dividers so its a 2 rows of 3

They were removed sometime in 2022. If I were to guess, it was to better accommodate US Disney guests, who are typically larger than the average European that visits DLP.

 

[adamreisinger]

They absolutely fill in with singles on Big Thunder at Disneyland... drives me a little batty. It doesnt happen all the time, but very frequently when we have an odd number in our party someone is told to load with that person. If its a girl I usually ride with them, if its a guy my husband will. Its... as awkward as you imagine it is. I'm going solo next month and already wondering if I will get lucky and have a seat to myself or not.

Yeah, I can't imagine dealing with that. I don't think I've ever experienced single riders being paired with someone on Big Thunder at WDW and I ride solo often enough that it would've happened by now.

 

[OKW Lover]

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance Testing Single Rider Line

On today’s visit to Disney’s Hollywood Studios, we discovered that Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is testing a single rider line.

Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is officially testing a new single rider line. The entrance for single riders is near the exit of the attraction. Guests looking for this line will spot a Cast Member holding a blue and white sign with the Rise of the Resistance logo on it. The sign reads “Rise of the Resistance Single Rider End of Line.”

By using the single rider option, we were able to enter the line and arrive outside of our jail cell in just five minutes. While it was great to get through the line so fast, there was one major downside. We missed a lot of the attraction’s storyline. By using the single rider line, we skipped Rey’s pre-show and never boarded the Intersystem Transport Ship (I-TS). Instead, the line took us directly to the Star Destroyer hangar.

After the Star Destroyer hangar, we were directed to the left lane. This lane is now being used for single riders only. Previously, groups were told to use both sides of the queue as they approached the loading area for the attraction.

Disney has not announced whether they intend to make the single rider line permanent for Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance. A Cast Member told us that this was part of an alternative plan for the Disability Access Service (DAS) that has become harder for guests to obtain after changes in May.

I just did this today. Before even getting into the single rider line they made sure you knew that groups would be broken up. In fact, there was a group of three people who entered the queue right in front of me and yes they were broken up when it came time to load.

The posted standby line wait was 80 minutes when I was there. I estimate that my wait time was about 20 minutes before getting to the load point. Having done this attraction several times, I didn't really miss the parts that were bypassed. But I would say that it is indeed a good part of the storytelling and those that aren't familiar with it would be missing the scene setting.

Once off the attraction there was a CM asking people if they had used the single rider line. I chatted with her and she had the expected questions including if I missed the beginning part of the story. I was honest and told her that I was fine with that but thought that most people should stick with it. I also said that I hoped the single rider line became permanent.

 

[Mackenzie Click-Mickelson]

It's crazy if people are giving CMs a hard time about being split up . At Universal the TMs are very clear you will be split up (DD and I use single-rider there all the time for many attractions).

Soarin' had a single rider line when we were there in December which we'd never seen before, so maybe Disney is experimenting with different attractions? (It was a long wait! Not sure we'd do that again lol.)

Yeah it's unfortunate that people do. I think it's more likely to happen over at Disney because of their get ahead of the line product and how it works and maybe more so since it became paid. There's more instances on any given ride where someone could put up a fight over it, maybe not dramatically or with high frequency but yeah. It's good for Disney to try it out on various rides though not only because of how it would work but also how frequently it may be used.

 

[OppR2nist]

It's crazy if people are giving CMs a hard time about being split up . At Universal the TMs are very clear you will be split up (DD and I use single-rider there all the time for many attractions).

Soarin' had a single rider line when we were there in December which we'd never seen before, so maybe Disney is experimenting with different attractions? (It was a long wait! Not sure we'd do that again lol.)

Speaking from personal experience, I have seen families with small children get in the single rider at least twice on my last trip. First at Hogwarts, the mom complained to the Team Member, but they still split them up. The other time, on Smuggler's Run, the family didn't speak English, and they were kept together. I personally can't imagine getting into those lines thinking you can complain your way into keeping the group together. You're basically setting up a lost family situation, and I feel especially bad if the family is foreign, and now there'll be a child separated from their family, and doesn't understand anything that's going on.

 

[DianaMB333]

This was a great show! Bastille Day at DLP

 

[adamreisinger]

Speaking from personal experience, I have seen families with small children get in the single rider at least twice on my last trip. First at Hogwarts, the mom complained to the Team Member, but they still split them up. The other time, on Smuggler's Run, the family didn't speak English, and they were kept together. I personally can't imagine getting into those lines thinking you can complain your way into keeping the group together. You're basically setting up a lost family situation, and I feel especially bad if the family is foreign, and now there'll be a child separated from their family, and doesn't understand anything that's going on.

Disney is typically lax on single-rider rules, but realistically anyone who wouldn’t be allowed to ride on their own based on their age (so 6 and under) shouldn’t be allowed in the single-rider line.

 

[OKW Lover]

This was a great show! Bastille Day at DLP

Was there cake?

 

[IanDLBZF from MCMagic]

Disneyland Cast are expected to protest on Wednesday...

https://twitter.com/x/status/1812989357525029102

DO NOT CROSS A PICKET LINE.

 

[LKing]

Is it just a coincidence that Wednesday is the 69th anniversary of Disneyland's opening?

 

[OKW Lover]

DO NOT CROSS A PICKET LINE.

Good advice. There are always routes around the lines for those that must go through.