single rider vs. fast pass

[ktlm]

How old does a child have to be to do the single rider line?

.

7. We tell DD to go to and stand in the photo area when she gets off the ride and not to move until she sees us, if she gets there first.

 

[HydroGuy]

I believe a child has to be 7 to ride alone or use SR. But remember a child will be put in a ride vehicle with strangers. I would not let my 7 year old do that. Maybe at 10 or 12.

The DLR rules https://disneyland.disney.go.com/park-rules/ say a seven year old must be with someone 14 or older.

 

[Blondie Mom]

I believe a child has to be 7 to ride alone or use SR. But remember a child will be put in a ride vehicle with strangers. I would not let my 7 year old do that. Maybe at 10 or 12.

I agree. Just curious what the guideline was.

 

[RKKUNK]

Off the original topic, but our son was 10 or 11 when we started using SRLs. We set up designated places to meet after each ride.

 

[Plaid Princess]

I prefer Single Rider, but I'm not a big fan of Fastpass. 9 times out of 10, I'll just wait for an attraction, rather than have the hassle of getting the ticket and coming back later.

 

[Luv Bunnies]

We were in the FP line for Soarin yesterday and they were not accepting single riders. The CM told a group that the standby line was so long that they were filling the seats from that line. She told the group to check back later to see if the single rider line was open. So you can't always count on single rider being an option for that ride.

 

[buttaflygirl03]

Oh man don't think I'll ever attempt SRL for Soarin' again. I once went and waited like almost 20 mins before they even pulled one SR from the line and there were like 4 people ahead of me so I left. You're definitely better off in the standby line. Only plus was you do get to wait indoors oppose to outside if its a hot day.

 

[bumbershoot]

The DLR rules https://disneyland.disney.go.com/park-rules/ say a seven year old must be with someone 14 or older.

Hydro, your initial thought was correct. It says "To board an attraction, children under age 7 must be accompanied by a person age 14 years or older.

7 is the magic age for SR or just plain old riding alone.

We didn't start DS that young at Disney, but at 6.5 years old, on our last of 14 rides on Flight of the Hippogriff at Universal Orlando I noticed that they have a *height* requirement for riding alone. DS met it for that ride, and 14 times on H'griff was too many for me! So for his 15 times on Woody Woodpecker coaster on that same day he went gloriously alone. Even through the line. It was awesome.

That was the start, and at Disney the first thing he went on totally alone was the Gadget coaster. we could see the whole line from the outside, so we casually watched him from afar, saw how he behaved. He did well, had fun, so it has expanded since then. When RSR opened we did SR for it from the beginning. (so he would have been 8, wow) Especially on RSR, riding with strangers in The Most On-Camera Place On Earth (apart from Europe LOL) is not something that concerns us. We took his maturity into account more than anything; could he follow CM demands in case of a serious ride stop? Would he be at the top of CA Screamin', crying his eyes out alone, when he wouldn't be doing that if we were with him? Could he be patient and calm during a Roger Rabbit breakdown, while waiting for the CMs to come release him (we were JUST about to exit the ride to the offloading area when we had such a breakdown on that ride, and we were the second to LAST to be released from the ride...it was maddening), or would he freak out? That's the thought process we continue to go through. He still doesn't have free reign, but we used SR on Matterhorn on our recent trip and that worked well (especially since we ended up on bobsled "trains" that left one after the other).


But anyway, kids UNDER 7 have to be with someone 14+ to ride, but AT 7 they get to be alone for the attraction if they are mature and brave enough and if their parents are brave enough as well.

 

[ktlm]

The DLR rules https://disneyland.disney.go.com/park-rules/ say a seven year old must be with someone 14 or older.

No, it says children UNDER age 7 must be with someone 14 or older. As far as whether to let a 7 year old do it, it depends on the child. DD is very independent and outgoing and loves being a single rider. We let DD do single rider for RSR starting at 8. We typically put one of us in front of her and one behind her, in hopes that one of us will be off the ride waiting for her, but at RSR depending on where they put you when they pull you, the child can still wind up being done first. She knows not to move from the photo area. If anyone tried to get her to walk off with them, she would scream her head off for the nearest CM.

 

[Blondie Mom]

Hydro, your initial thought was correct. It says "To board an attraction, children under age 7 must be accompanied by a person age 14 years or older.

7 is the magic age for SR or just plain old riding alone.

We didn't start DS that young at Disney, but at 6.5 years old, on our last of 14 rides on Flight of the Hippogriff at Universal Orlando I noticed that they have a *height* requirement for riding alone. DS met it for that ride, and 14 times on H'griff was too many for me! So for his 15 times on Woody Woodpecker coaster on that same day he went gloriously alone. Even through the line. It was awesome.

That was the start, and at Disney the first thing he went on totally alone was the Gadget coaster. we could see the whole line from the outside, so we casually watched him from afar, saw how he behaved. He did well, had fun, so it has expanded since then. When RSR opened we did SR for it from the beginning. (so he would have been 8, wow) Especially on RSR, riding with strangers in The Most On-Camera Place On Earth (apart from Europe LOL) is not something that concerns us. We took his maturity into account more than anything; could he follow CM demands in case of a serious ride stop? Would he be at the top of CA Screamin', crying his eyes out alone, when he wouldn't be doing that if we were with him? Could he be patient and calm during a Roger Rabbit breakdown, while waiting for the CMs to come release him (we were JUST about to exit the ride to the offloading area when we had such a breakdown on that ride, and we were the second to LAST to be released from the ride...it was maddening), or would he freak out? That's the thought process we continue to go through. He still doesn't have free reign, but we used SR on Matterhorn on our recent trip and that worked well (especially since we ended up on bobsled "trains" that left one after the other).


But anyway, kids UNDER 7 have to be with someone 14+ to ride, but AT 7 they get to be alone for the attraction if they are mature and brave enough and if their parents are brave enough as well.

Very insightful about the maturity to handle a serious ride stop. I would never have thought of that aspect of being ready for SR line.

 

[Sith]

SR with Soarin' can take SO long. Don't do it.

We've done it and only had to wait around 15-20 minutes, which isn't so bad. I could easily see it taking longer, though, as their SR system didn't seem as efficient as on other rides.

 

[nana50]

SR with Soarin' can take SO long. Don't do it.

Even the guy who was directing single rider at soarin' told us not to do it. It works great for grizzly river run and matterhorn. We never waited much more than 5 minutes and you can go over and over. We did fast passes also, no reason not to use both.

 

[grifta67]

Agreed that a combo of FP and SR is the best way to go. My gal and I were just at DL/DCA last Sun-Tues and I don't think we waited much more than 25 minutes for anything from smart usage of both FP and SR. We don't think it's worth the extra wait to both be in the same ride vehicle, so we use SR every chance we can. To compliment that, we'll grab a FP for something that doesn't have SR, like Space Mountain or Tower of Terror, as first priority, and ride SR or things that only have standby while we wait for the FP window to hit.