Single Rider explanation?

[COscrapper]

I did a search of the boards but could not find a thread that explains exactly what single rider is and how it works, just lots of threads mentioning it.

Can anyone explain it to me or tell me where I can find an existing thread on it?

Thanks a bunch.

 

[ElsieAstronaut]

It's pretty self explanatory. It's the line you get in when you're riding alone. The CM's pull people from that line to fill out ride vehicles. Not all rides have the option, but the ones that do it's a totally separate, designated/marked line.

 

[DexLabDeeDee]

Single rider is when there is a separate line for people who are by themselves or are offering to ride by themselves. The CMs pull from the Single Rider line in order to fill up a car/train/etc. Most of the time (not always) the single rider line goes faster than the Standby line. The single rider line is a separate queue and marked at the entrance of the ride.

The attractions with single rider:

Expedition Everest (AK)
Rock n' Rollercoaster (HS)
Test Track (EP)

 

[DopeyDame]

A few of the rides have a separate line just for single riders. When they need one extra person to fill a car, they'll grab a person from the single rider line. There will be a big sign at the entrance - one for standy, one for fast pass, and one for single riders.
There's nothing that says a group can't get in the single rider line as long as everyone is willing to ride alone. It can be a great time saver if you want to ride something and don't care about the group picture being with strangers or anything.

 

[wilkeliza]

Also anyone entering single rider needs to be over 7 years old. You can enter the line as a group but you are not guaranteed to ride together and not even in the same car. There is also no guarantee that single rider will be shorter than the standby line but it is usually shorter and I believe most rides do post the estimated wait time for single rider. It is hard to tell the wait time though because they only pull from single rider when they can't fill with the standby queue.

 

[COscrapper]

So...does that mean if my family is not in the single rider line, we automatically get to ride together? I guess I was confused because most amusement parks I've been to do that all the time, without having a "single rider line". If a car isn't full, they just call out something like "we have one seat here" or whatever, and then if anyone wants it, they just step up. Aternatively, if I want to ride with my family of four but a car pulls up with only say, 2 seats, I would just let the group behind us go first. I've never seen a seperate line for it before.

So for rides that do not have a single rider line, the CM's just run the ride with empty seats here and there? Seems like they would want to fill the cars (or boats, etc.) as much as possible, no? I just figured they'd be filling every seat every time.

 

[wilkeliza]

So...does that mean if my family is not in the single rider line, we automatically get to ride together? I guess I was confused because most amusement parks I've been to do that all the time, without having a "single rider line". If a car isn't full, they just call out something like "we have one seat here" or whatever, and then if anyone wants it, they just step up. Aternatively, if I want to ride with my family of four but a car pulls up with only say, 2 seats, I would just let the group behind us go first. I've never seen a seperate line for it before.

So for rides that do not have a single rider line, the CM's just run the ride with empty seats here and there? Seems like they would want to fill the cars (or boats, etc.) as much as possible, no? I just figured they'd be filling every seat every time.

When there is no single rider they will ask for what they need but it isn't normal that those rides often have open seats. They also only go back a little bit so that there isn't a long wait for the car to launch.

 

[TinkLoverSam]

So...does that mean if my family is not in the single rider line, we automatically get to ride together? I guess I was confused because most amusement parks I've been to do that all the time, without having a "single rider line". If a car isn't full, they just call out something like "we have one seat here" or whatever, and then if anyone wants it, they just step up. Aternatively, if I want to ride with my family of four but a car pulls up with only say, 2 seats, I would just let the group behind us go first. I've never seen a seperate line for it before.

So for rides that do not have a single rider line, the CM's just run the ride with empty seats here and there? Seems like they would want to fill the cars (or boats, etc.) as much as possible, no? I just figured they'd be filling every seat every time.

Disney uses employees to load the ride very effectively. They get party sizes from each group and fill rides from the regular line. There are very few empty seats on most Disney rides unlike regular amusement parks where riders fill in where they want and many seats go empty.

 

[georgina]

Yes, they will ask for a single rider on rides that don't have the line, but you have still waited longer in the regular line to get near the front. I have been pulled as a single on Space Mtn, Tower of Terror, Dinosaur, and probably others I can't think of right now.

Many Disney rides are just fine for one person though - I ride alone on Dumbo, Pooh, Peter Pan, Teacups, Splash Mtn, Haunted Mansion, BTMRR, Buzz, Toy Story, even Small World.

 

[Alice777]

Instead of letting someone go ahead of you, when you get to the CM, just let them know you would like to be in the same car with your group. Unless you have a large group, you won't be separated if you ask. For instance, when we were there in April, there was 4 of us, we didn't say anything so 2 of us got in one car and other 2 got in separate car.

When we rode R&R at rope drop, we were in the same car. When we got out, my 3 kids wanted to ride again so they went on single rider line. Since we already got our group pic the first time, it was no big deal if we didn't get pics. One of my son got separated but 2 of them got to ride together so it all depends on availability of seats for single riders.

 

[wilkeliza]

Instead of letting someone go ahead of you, when you get to the CM, just let them know you would like to be in the same car with your group. Unless you have a large group, you won't be separated if you ask. For instance, when we were there in April, there was 4 of us, we didn't say anything so 2 of us got in one car and other 2 got in separate car.

When we rode R&R at rope drop, we were in the same car. When we got out, my 3 kids wanted to ride again so they went on single rider line. Since we already got our group pic the first time, it was no big deal if we didn't get pics. One of my son got separated but 2 of them got to ride together so it all depends on availability of seats for single riders.

Did you say you had 2? If they ask how many are in your group and you say 4 they shouldn't split you up. Worst case a few of you are in one section of the car and the next group is in the section right behind it but still in the same ride launch.

 

[CAS239]

If you want to ride together at all, then don't do single rider. There's a possibility you could be riding next to each other. But an even bigger possibility that you won't be and might not even be in the same car/train.

 

[denecarter]

And groups of three can either ride all together (Haunted Mansion with adult & 2 small kids or two adults and a small kid) or split into 2 and 1 (Haunted Mansion with 3 adults or 3 tall teens).

 

[Alice777]

I don't remember which ride it happened but 2 of us at end of one car and 2 of the front of the another car. Maybe CM misunderstood us?

 

[BrianL]

So...does that mean if my family is not in the single rider line, we automatically get to ride together? I guess I was confused because most amusement parks I've been to do that all the time, without having a "single rider line". If a car isn't full, they just call out something like "we have one seat here" or whatever, and then if anyone wants it, they just step up. Aternatively, if I want to ride with my family of four but a car pulls up with only say, 2 seats, I would just let the group behind us go first. I've never seen a seperate line for it before.

So for rides that do not have a single rider line, the CM's just run the ride with empty seats here and there? Seems like they would want to fill the cars (or boats, etc.) as much as possible, no? I just figured they'd be filling every seat every time.

You'll find Disney uses procedures that are quite different form the average amusement park. You will notice a ton more employees for one, and they will tell you which seats to go to by having you stand on numbers on the ground for loading. It's all very efficient. A lot of Disney rides will load one car at a time without stopping, but they will point you to the car you are to use.

Single rider is only at Expedition Everest, Test Track, and Rock 'n' Roller Coaster, though Kali River Rapids is getting a test for it. They use it to fill the leftover seats from odd numbered parties and it usually is quicker than the regular line. You will not ride with your party though.

 

[DexLabDeeDee]

Yes, as everyone has said, you get up to the loading area, the CM asks how many in your party, and then tells you which numbers to stand on. If there are any spaces to fill, they'll pull from the single rider if there is one or they may ask a little down the line if there is a smaller party to fill in the spaces. Otherwise, they'll just let it go. The CMs are super efficient.

At our local amusement park, when you get to the loading area of a rollercoaster, the attendant just lets a certain amount of people through and then you go and pick out spaces for the cars and try and count to see if you are going to end up on the same ride. This is not the case with Disney at all. It's very structured. They only queue up one or two trains at a time.

You might want to go to YouTube and go through videos of Disney coasters, like Big Thunder Mountain. The videographer may have grabbed the queue so you can see how it works.

 

[TiggerBouncy]

One thing about single rider - in Test Track (I think that's the only one), you do not get to design your car like you do if you go as a party. Likewise, you are stuck to comparing against a stock car that is automatically assigned to you. So you loose out on that experience.

As others have said, Disney is very good at filling cars. They have a pre-processing area where they sort the people out into the right size to fill every car - however there are often a few open spots for fast moving rides.

 

[wilkeliza]

One thing about single rider - in Test Track (I think that's the only one), you do not get to design your car like you do if you go as a party. Likewise, you are stuck to comparing against a stock car that is automatically assigned to you. So you loose out on that experience.

As others have said, Disney is very good at filling cars. They have a pre-processing area where they sort the people out into the right size to fill every car - however there are often a few open spots for fast moving rides.

If you really want to design your own car for single rider go through the gift shop and to the exit games. There is an area to design a car in that area. Design a car and it gets assigned to your MB or admissions ticket. Then you can use your designed car in single rider.

 

[Accident]

So...does that mean if my family is not in the single rider line, we automatically get to ride together? I guess I was confused because most amusement parks I've been to do that all the time, without having a "single rider line". If a car isn't full, they just call out something like "we have one seat here" or whatever, and then if anyone wants it, they just step up. Aternatively, if I want to ride with my family of four but a car pulls up with only say, 2 seats, I would just let the group behind us go first. I've never seen a seperate line for it before

They do that also and when there is still empty seats, they put in people from the single rider line. Also some single riders wait in standby so if someone comes up and says they are alone, often (like everest that has a single rider line) they will be someone from single rider with them.

as mentioned, if your willing to ride without the others in your party you may get a shorter line (most of the time you WILL get a shorter line) to ride it you just may not get to sit with someone your with if your in that line.

 

[BrianL]

One thing about single rider - in Test Track (I think that's the only one), you do not get to design your car like you do if you go as a party. Likewise, you are stuck to comparing against a stock car that is automatically assigned to you. So you loose out on that experience.

As others have said, Disney is very good at filling cars. They have a pre-processing area where they sort the people out into the right size to fill every car - however there are often a few open spots for fast moving rides.

You do get to pick a car, but it's from a handful of pre-made choices. I always single rider so I design my car at the exit after my first ride.