Too Young for Single Riders Line?

[inkkognito]

Maybe this will create a new DIS controversy in the vein of "how old is too old for strollers?" and "should you force a crying kid onto a ride?", but I just have to toss it out there.

DH and I do lots of single rider lines. We see each other at home 24/7, so we can stand to be separated for a few minutes at WDW in exchange for getting on more quickly. Lately we've noticed a trend of lots more families using the singles lines...good touring strategy, except for one thing: some of those kids are very young and don't look at all comfortable being separated from the rest of the family.

Case in point on TSM today: Mom, Dad, and Junior are in singles. Mom gets to ride first, and when the next single rider is called for, Dad sends Junior. He was quite young and you could see he was not at all comfortable with the idea of riding alone. He couldn't even figure out the number where the CM sent him, and he tried to return to Dad twice. I know Mom's gonna get off before him and will presumably be waiting to intercept him, but I still felt bad for him.

I know that kids all mature at different rates and some little ones are fine with it, but I wish parents wouldn't push kids who are clearly uncomfortable with being separated. I've seen this more times than I care to recall, most commonly on Test Track (probably because it's the one I single-ride most often). I know that ride time is precious, but it just doesn't seem worth it when you're distressing your child.

 

[srwarden1928]

I think I read somewhere that you have to be 7 to ride ANY Disney ride alone.

Robo?

 

[inkkognito]

That would be nice, but how would they enforce it? With people sneaking in their kids to avoid paying for a ticket and dressing them in beehive wigs to make the height requirement, I can't really see how they can make a single-rider family prove the kid's age.

 

[mareed]

That would be nice, but how would they enforce it? With people sneaking in their kids to avoid paying for a ticket and dressing them in beehive wigs to make the height requirement, I can't really see how they can make a single-rider family prove the kid's age.

The CM's could ask the child how old they are. Unless they've been coached ahead of time, most children would be honest and give their age. I doubt many people would know about this ahead of time and try to "coach" the child to say they're older (i.e. at least 7). We used single rider line for the first time at Toy Story Mania and my 2 boys are 9 & 12. We plan to do it at Rock n Roller Coaster in the future, and we'd put the kids in between us so there would essentially be a parent with them at each end.

 

[LisaInNc]

My DD is 7 1/2 and she is very outgoing and comfortable in Disney. I coached her about the single rider line and she said she was fine with it. We tried the Single Rider line at TSM and we got to the point where they were going to assign cars and my DD decided she didn't want to ride. I asked them how to get out and they just put us in a car. I felt terrible but I was not going to push her into something she was not comfortable with.

I can't see them enforcing any age rule.

 

[imthatgirl]

i have 3 kids 8,4 and 2. i wouldnt even dream of doing it with my younger boys. but i would with my 8yo DD. but not if i were alone. only if it were the scenerio you said, where one parent went and one stayed behind(but i should alos mention we've been many times and my daughter would feel comfortable becasue she would already know what to expect from the ride, a child who has never riden a ride shouldnt do it).
although, to be honest i like to ride things with my children, isnt that really the fun of it, seeing their reactions?

 

[ireland_nicole]

I have to say, I know WDW's requirement, but I wouldn't dream of sending my 8 y/o by herself like that. Maybe I'm just overprotective, who knows?

 

[mareed]

My DD is 7 1/2 and she is very outgoing and comfortable in Disney. I coached her about the single rider line and she said she was fine with it. We tried the Single Rider line at TSM and we got to the point where they were going to assign cars and my DD decided she didn't want to ride. I asked them how to get out and they just put us in a car. I felt terrible but I was not going to push her into something she was not comfortable with.

I can't see them enforcing any age rule.

I've seen the Disney CM's enforce the rule of minimum age of 7 to ride without someone older (parent, sibling, etc.). Some parents sent their young children on Triceratops Spin on their own and the CM asked how old they were and sent them back through the line to their parents and told them they weren't old enough to ride on their own.

My earlier comment about "coaching" meant coaching the child to lie and say they were 7 if they were younger so that the family could go through the single rider line. It sounds like what you did was explain how things would work since you were in the single rider line and that it was most likely that you would be split up. Your DD was old enough so you weren't coaching her to say she was older than she is.

 

[jlatina32]

I agree with Ireland_Nicole. I have two children ages 7 and 10. I would not feel comfortable at all sending either one of them on a single rider line. That is not being overprotective. Thats just being a mom who cares about the well being of their child!!

 

[dobtia]

In June we saw several families going through the single rider line at TSM. This added a lot of people to that line. I know it smart touring if you can pull it off. At the same time we saw two different times when a young child was confussed, or scared. Not the end of the world. It did slow down things a bit. We did see one "pushy" mama too.

Our son will be six next year. I don't think we could send him through the single line before age 12. I am probably being a bit of an over protective person. I think I would rather run on the side of caution.

 

[SmallWorld71]

There is a HUGE difference between forcing a child on a ride by themselves and letting a child ride the ride by themselves.
To answer the OP's question-I don't think a child of any age should be FORCED on a ride.
As far as using the single rider line, DS9 and I will be using it for RNR on this upcoming trip. DS12 and DH are not coming and I can not ride that ride. So, I will go through the line with him while my mother is with DD5 and then go out the chicken exit. The big difference between this and the situation posted by the OP, is that he has been on the ride before and knows what to expect. It is his favorite ride at DHS.

 

[inkkognito]

Smallworld, you summed it up very well. I've seen lots of families use the singles line with no problems or trauma for the kids. In this case, the poor little boy didn't even seem to understand the CM's instructions about what number to stand on and then returned to his father twice. He didn't seem at all comfortable with riding alone. I don't think it's age so much as the individual child, and this poor kid did not seem happy about it at all. I think some parents forget that a Disney vacation is about creating fun and happy memories, even if it means waiting longer...not packing in as much as you can, even if it stresses out or upsets your kid.

 

[BamaFan121s]

I had always heard there was a minimum age requirement as already mentioned. DD is 7--a very well behaved, self sufficient 7 at that. But I can honestly say there is NO WAY I would put her on a ride by herself, even if I was in the next car. To me, it's not worth it just for the sake of a shorter wait time. Likewise, I would not feel comfortable with someone else's child that age riding with me on a single rider attraction--I would feel 'responsible' for the child during the ride and sorry, but being responsible for someone else's kid is just not something I'm willing to do.

 

[Going Broke]

Our 7 & 8 yr. old dd's did this the last time. My husband went first, then my daughters, then my mother. My kids loved not having to wait and opted to do it again. I wouldn't have put them in the single rider line if they were giving any protest. And, they will not be put in the single rider line by themselves.

 

[KimK2006]

We do this with our kids all of the time. We make sure an adult goes first, then the kids, then another adult. We probably started when my youngest was 7. He had no problems with it. I guess we didn't know about it, or there weren't as many rides with this option when my oldest was 7. I don't think she would have done it at 7, though. She has always been very shy and would have been uncomfortable doing this. We would have NEVER forced her, or done this if she seemed uncomfortable. But, it is great that my son will. And, we feel safe if an adult is in front and back of them.

 

[mrbghd]

SO my question to those that let younger kids use the single rider line is this. How do you know that the person you are putting them in the ride with is not a sicko. I get that some of you go first , then the kid, then the other parent, but for the time of the ride they are with a complete stranger or strangers. In a ride like TSM that lasts a couple of minutes many horrible things could be done to your child before you or security could get there. Maybe it is all of the sad things I have seen as a police officer but there are some BAD people out there. Pedophiles hang out in places where kids are...parks, pools, DISNEY WORLD. Just look at the news over the last few years and see. My advice would be to only send your child on a ride with a stranger if you are sure that they could defend themselves from an attacker and be able to get away. I am sorry to be such a downer but I see people on vacation that forget not everybody out there is a good person.

 

[GaSleepingBeautyFan]

My DS12 would be fine but DD8 would be too scared to ride in the single rider line.

I guess it all depends on the maturity of your child as long as the meet the age requirements of Disney. Although I don't know how they'd enforce it.

 

[KimK2006]

SO my question to those that let younger kids use the single rider line is this. How do you know that the person you are putting them in the ride with is not a sicko. I get that some of you go first , then the kid, then the other parent, but for the time of the ride they are with a complete stranger or strangers. In a ride like TSM that lasts a couple of minutes many horrible things could be done to your child before you or security could get there. Maybe it is all of the sad things I have seen as a police officer but there are some BAD people out there. Pedophiles hang out in places where kids are...parks, pools, DISNEY WORLD. Just look at the news over the last few years and see. My advice would be to only send your child on a ride with a stranger if you are sure that they could defend themselves from an attacker and be able to get away. I am sorry to be such a downer but I see people on vacation that forget not everybody out there is a good person.

I can't imagine anyone could do anything to a child on RNR. You can't even move once the restraints are down. And there are 9 (?) total people each car on Test Track. On TSM, the cars are constantly turning around, so you can see and hear anything "unusual". I don't see this as an issue.

 

[lilyv]

I cannot see doing this with a child younger than around 12. Even though the parents think it's OK with the young child, the other riders may not. The young child is the parent's responsibility, not the other single riders.

 

[KimK2006]

It's not like the regular riders have to take care of the single rider kids. They are just sitting in the seat next to them. I have been seated by kids in the single rider line while I have been in the regular line. To me there is not difference in them putting a 7 year old or a 60 year old next to me.