During a recent WDW trip, I decided to ride Rock n’ Roller Coaster in Disney’s Hollywood Studios even though I did not have a FastPass. Not surprisingly for a weekend afternoon, the wait time was almost 2 hours. Undaunted, I jumped in the Single Rider line and was in my limo within about 15 minutes. I noticed that the gentleman I was paired with (in Row 2!) was a party of 1. He told me it was his first time on the ride, he’d been waiting a really long time and he hoped it was good. I assured him that it was outstanding, but did not ask why he spent so much time waiting in standby. I figured if he had known about Single Rider, he would have taken advantage of it.

This made me wonder how many other WDW guests don’t utilize the Single Rider lines at R&RC, Test Track (in Epcot), or Expedition Everest (in Animal Kingdom) and all the possible reasons for it. Even when my whole family visits together, we don’t bother with FastPasses to those rides because we count on using the Single Rider line. We are not sentimental: if we can enjoy an attraction multiple times individually in the same amount of time it would take to ride once together, we will choose option “A” every time. (In the spirit of full disclosure, there are signs warning that the Single Rider line may be as long as Standby, but we have never found that to be the case.) The only annoyance is the number of guests who–just when it’s time to be assigned to

a ride vehicle—mysteriously forget they’re in SR and ask if they can ride together with their friends/family who are also in the SR line. My favorite Cast Member response to this perennial bone-headed question was an eye-roll followed by, “Yeah … No. That’s not what S-I-N-G-L-E R-I-D-E-R means.” Probably not in the Disney Guest Relations Training Manual, but richly deserved nonetheless.

I can certainly understand wanting to ride together with friends or family the first time you or anyone else in your party is on the attraction for the very first time. That’s a special experience that needs to be enjoyed and remembered together. Other than that or riding with small children, I can’t understand why anyone would spend the extra time waiting in line just so everyone can ride at the same time. Most often–especially at Test Track–we all end up in the same 2-3 cars even when we ride single, so everyone arrives in the SIMporium end-of-ride gift shop at almost the same time. An added bonus of the SR line at R&RC is that you’re saved from the crush of guests in the main studio area where you meet Aerosmith. Instead, there’s a special raised area from which you and other Single Riders watch the video before you go through your own door to enter the alley.

Besides Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom, these are currently the only attractions at WDW that offer a Single Rider option. If I had my way, I would add them to multiple others—especially Soarin’, Space Mountain, Seven Dwarfs Mine Train, and

Slinky Dog Dash. What’s your take on Single Rider lines–do you ever use them even when you’re visiting the parks with others, or is riding together a must-do? And what other attractions in “The World” would you like to see offering this option? Leave your thoughts in the Comment section below!

#SingleRider #RocknRollerCoaster #TestTrack #ExpeditionEverest