Which RSR line is shorter - fastpass or single rider?

JustLikeMe

Earning My Ears
Joined
Apr 21, 2011
Messages
45
Hi all,

Three weeks tonight I'll be flying into LAX to spend five days solo at the DLR, and I can't wait! I've read many posts on RSR strategies, but one thing I've been unable to find out is how the fastpass and single rider line wait times compare once you are actually in line - I don't want to wait 30+ minutes to get a fastpass in the morning, only to find out that the fp line is similar in length to the single rider line!

Similarly, how long has the single rider line been at the very end of opening hours? The first four days I'm there (Mon - Thurs) DCA is open 10 til 8, so would getting in the single rider line at say 7.55 be a good strategy for a shorter wait time? I'm very much set on riding it at night, and I know that there is no practical way to try and get a fp for a particular time of day with things as crazy as they are currently, so I'm trying to figure out the best time post sunset to hop in the single rider line.

Finally, are they being strict regarding fastpass return times as they have recently started to be at WDW? Or would I be able to get in line with an afternoon return time in the early evening?

Thanks in advance for any advice or opinion!
 
Hi all,

Three weeks tonight I'll be flying into LAX to spend five days solo at the DLR, and I can't wait! I've read many posts on RSR strategies, but one thing I've been unable to find out is how the fastpass and single rider line wait times compare once you are actually in line - I don't want to wait 30+ minutes to get a fastpass in the morning, only to find out that the fp line is similar in length to the single rider line!

Similarly, how long has the single rider line been at the very end of opening hours? The first four days I'm there (Mon - Thurs) DCA is open 10 til 8, so would getting in the single rider line at say 7.55 be a good strategy for a shorter wait time? I'm very much set on riding it at night, and I know that there is no practical way to try and get a fp for a particular time of day with things as crazy as they are currently, so I'm trying to figure out the best time post sunset to hop in the single rider line.

Finally, are they being strict regarding fastpass return times as they have recently started to be at WDW? Or would I be able to get in line with an afternoon return time in the early evening?

Thanks in advance for any advice or opinion!

Fastpass return is faster. When I was there 3 weeks ago, single rider was 30 minutes most of the day. Fastpass maybe 10 minutes. The only exception was early opening, we did single rider with no wait twice in a row. I don't think the single rider is going to be shorter right before closing.

They do take fastpasses past their time.
 
Oh hey, I assumed the fastpass line would be quite a bit longer than ten minutes! Thanks for the info, very much appreciated.

The first day I'm there (Monday) there is EMH and I'm not staying on property - would it be sensible to forget RSR fastpass for Monday and get there early on Tuesday instead? Or as I'd ideally like the fastpass for later in the day, should I just get there at 9.30 on Monday and get in the longer FP queue?

Thanks again!
 
Hi all,

Three weeks tonight I'll be flying into LAX to spend five days solo at the DLR, and I can't wait! I've read many posts on RSR strategies, but one thing I've been unable to find out is how the fastpass and single rider line wait times compare once you are actually in line - I don't want to wait 30+ minutes to get a fastpass in the morning, only to find out that the fp line is similar in length to the single rider line!

Similarly, how long has the single rider line been at the very end of opening hours? The first four days I'm there (Mon - Thurs) DCA is open 10 til 8, so would getting in the single rider line at say 7.55 be a good strategy for a shorter wait time? I'm very much set on riding it at night, and I know that there is no practical way to try and get a fp for a particular time of day with things as crazy as they are currently, so I'm trying to figure out the best time post sunset to hop in the single rider line.

Finally, are they being strict regarding fastpass return times as they have recently started to be at WDW? Or would I be able to get in line with an afternoon return time in the early evening?

Thanks in advance for any advice or opinion!


If it's just you I wouldn't even bother trying to get a FP, just utilize the SR line.

No promises on wait times from me since I've waited both longer and shorter times than the one size fits all estimates some folks seem to be throwing around, and that's for both FP and SR lines. But I will say that if you factor in the time you'll likely have to wait to get a FP, more often than not I think you'll invest more total time in the FP line than you will in the SR line.

My only caveat would be that we have been there when they've stopped letting people into the SR line. That's generally a temporary thing and they open it again when it gets more manageable, but I'm concerned about that putting a kink in your get there at the last minute plan. No personal experience trying to get in line right at closing time though.
 

See my post #14 in this thread which I just posted a minute ago:

http://www.disboards.com/showthread.php?p=46440530

I did RSR FP yesterday and SR last night and Friday night. When I was there the FP return line was definitely way faster than the SR line. Which were both way faster than the regular standby line. However, the FP distribution line in the morning requires precious morning time to obtain and the SR line does not.

So for example, on Friday night I waited 60 minutes in SR and then late Saturday night it was about 35 minutes. Compare that to FP yesterday which took me 35 minutes waiting to get and then 10-15 to actually use. Which is best? In my case the time savings is not that much.

The biggest advantages of FP is

1) Your whole group can ride together (if it is 6 people or less) as opposed to SR where you of course are likely to get split up

2) If the ride breaks down while you are in line you can leave with your FPs and come back and use them later with not much extra time required. If the ride breaks down at night there is a good chance the CMs will let you use your FPs the next day if you are still around.

I think FPs are still the way to go at this point unless you are traveling solo or maybe a two person group - say two friends.
 
I think you were quite lucky with a 10 - 15 wait in the FP return line HydroGuy. We've definitely waited longer than that, especially when we've entered the line at night, which is what the OP wants to do. It's so hard to answer all the which is best questions because you always have to add a YMMV disclaimer.
 
Thanks again for the replies - I had no idea that they were occasionally having to close the SR line due to capacity issues so this is all very useful to know. I'm currently thinking that I'll queue for a fastpass at least once, as I hadn't previously thought to consider the impact of the ride going down - having a FP seems like a nice safety net in case that does happen. I do have five full days so I'm sure I'll manage to ride RSR at least a few times, but as I'm unlikely to return to DLR for the foreseeable future (I live in England - WDW is a cheaper and closer option!) I thought I'd do the research and try to get the most rides in possible.

How lax are they regarding FP return times? Will they really let me enter the line at 7.30pm even if my return time is for say 12.30-1.30pm? Or is the policy more along the lines of a little outside the window?

Sorry for the number of questions - its been over a decade since I visited DLR and it's becoming very clear to me that this ain't WDW!
 
I think you were quite lucky with a 10 - 15 wait in the FP return line HydroGuy. We've definitely waited longer than that, especially when we've entered the line at night, which is what the OP wants to do. It's so hard to answer all the which is best questions because you always have to add a YMMV disclaimer.
Thanks for the additional clarifications! I hope I conveyed the YMMV vary point of view with my "when I was there" statement!
 
How lax are they regarding FP return times? Will they really let me enter the line at 7.30pm even if my return time is for say 12.30-1.30pm? Or is the policy more along the lines of a little outside the window?

They don't enforce the end of the FP return window AT ALL. You'd be perfectly fine riding at 10:00 p.m. using a FP that has a return time of 10:00 a.m.
 
They don't enforce the end of the FP return window AT ALL. You'd be perfectly fine riding at 10:00 p.m. using a FP that has a return time of 10:00 a.m.

That's great news, thanks. I'll definitely grab a FP on at least a couple of the days that I'm there given this information. I just wish WDW hadn't changed their policy on this recently!
 
See, in my family, we're not willing to give up a moment by waiting in that initial FP line. We would rather head straight to the SR line, where we have had most excellent experiences, and could go two or three times in a row, instead of standing at those machines. I don't even LOOK at the FP return line, as it's not something we're going to do.

There is pretty much always at least one space in any given car or at least any given group of cars, so in our experiences the single rider line moves FAST. Of course, we keep talking to the standby people in our cars about the SR line and how their group could easily do that line instead of standby, so I think we need to be quiet and keep the SR line to ourselves in the future. :)

If I were solo I would feel even more strongly about the SR line. Doesn't seem possible, but it's true!
 
You need to figure in the time you will spend standing in the Fastpass line to GET a fastpass. They have been typically gone within an hour of opening so you have to stand in line to stand in line. ;) And that's BEFORE you stand in the line to get on the ride. :rotfl2:
 


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