Single rider is glorious

[Heather07438]

People in groups who use it as a way of trying to get a shorter wait have opposite opinions

But really they’re just trying to use it to get a shorter wait just as you are. Why should they be discluded, more specifically why should it be people by themselves are the only ones included?

 

[shawthorne44]

We loved the single rider lines at Universal. The rides with really long lines were the ones that DD didn't want to ride (except Hagrid's). So our first trip DH and I took turns doing single-rider. Our second trip, DD could ride alone. So we gave her all our stuff and she circled around on one of her favorite rides, while DH and I did single rider on a thrill ride.

People that request to be kept together in the single rider line should not have the request met. I know everyone wants to be nice, but that just encourages people. The response should be "Split up or exit and get in the Standby Line."

 

[bashuck]

I don't know why Disney favors singles over those dating or married. Seems discriminatory.

 

[GeorgiaHoo]

Our family takes advantage of single rider all the time, especially on Everest. It's usually not that great for Rock n Roller Coaster. Highly recommended.

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

But really they’re just trying to use it to get a shorter wait just as you are. Why should they be discluded, more specifically why should it be people by themselves are the only ones included?

Because by trying to get a shorter wait, the single rider wait time is increased for everyone - or rather - "this is why we can't have nice things." Nobody can argue that a 75 minute wait in standby and a 75 minute wait in single rider is an efficient system, or a system being used as it was intended. Universal has a fix - pay more for better access. Next time we will do just that.

We have never used single rider anywhere until our trip to Universal last week. It was quickly our last time using it.

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

We loved the single rider lines at Universal. The rides with really long lines were the ones that DD didn't want to ride (except Hagrid's). So our first trip DH and I took turns doing single-rider. Our second trip, DD could ride alone. So we gave her all our stuff and she circled around on one of her favorite rides, while DH and I did single rider on a thrill ride.

People that request to be kept together in the single rider line should not have the request met. I know everyone wants to be nice, but that just encourages people. The response should be "Split up or exit and get in the Standby Line."

You would not have loved the wait times for single rider last week at Universal. 180 minutes in single rider for Rip Ride Rocket, for example.

 

[Grumpy by Birth]

If single rider lines were meant for solo travelers, why would Disney have signage warning groups that if they use the single rider line they will be split up? Clearly that indicates that Disney EXPECTS some groups visiting the park together to use the single line, so long as they are willing to split up for the actual ride.

It goes back to the question what harm is there to Disney whether it be the company (like the way BoG was losing potential money) or where WDW sees it negatively impacting park operations or guest experience? What is bad about groups utilizing Single Rider?

Without answering that it’s hard to argue abuse, loophole or exploitation.

In addition to the warning that groups will be split up (which clearly indicates that there's nothing wrong with groups waiting in the single rider line as long as they're willing to split up and be single riders), I would argue that there aren't enough "true" single riders (as I believe someone put it earlier), for the single rider line to operate at peak efficiency. There would be more seats going empty on vehicles (I'd venture a guess that it would be a LOT more).

So, in essence, not only does it not harm Disney if groups use the single rider line properly by splitting up and filling seats that would have gone empty, it would actually be causing more harm (albeit slight) if no groups were willing to split up and use the single rider line, because there wouldn't be enough "true" single riders to fill all those empty seats.

 

[TwoMisfits]

Because by trying to get a shorter wait, the single rider wait time is increased for everyone - or rather - "this is why we can't have nice things." Nobody can argue that a 75 minute wait in standby and a 75 minute wait in single rider is an efficient system, or a system being used as it was intended. Universal has a fix - pay more for better access. Next time we will do just that.

We have never used single rider anywhere until our trip to Universal last week. It was quickly our last time using it.

That is exactly as it was designed...normally, in my days of old example, folks were jumping ahead 1 ride's worth of time, not 10-20 ride times. So, it works exactly as intended if the waits are almost identical...if they aren't, and single rider has no one waiting, the rides don't meet capacity...you always wants waits in both lines...ideally, they would be close, or no one would find value in "express passes" and "fast passes"...and the parks really want you to value that...

 

[TwoMisfits]

You would not have loved the wait times for single rider last week at Universal. 180 minutes in single rider for Rip Ride Rocket, for example.

So, if you knew it was that long, why did you not use the standby que - or was that longer? It's easy to ask the ride CMs how long both waits are before entering lines (I did it for my kid before she rode Velocicoaster)...

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

So, if you knew it was that long, why did you not use the standby que - or was that longer? It's easy to ask the ride CMs how long both waits are before entering lines (I did it for my kid before she rode Velocicoaster)...

The queue for standby was the same. Yes, we know how to ask team members about wait times.

 

[disneymom0104]

I have used paid Expresspass and Maxpass at various times and while it does make a shorter wait *most* of the time (rides still go down) you still run into large groups of people potentially entering the queue before you that have also paid for the perk to do so. A 180 minute single rider line to me means that the park was very crowded that day and I suspect waits everywhere were long, or the bulk of people ended up at that location at the same time. But I will never agree that people choosing to stand in that line and wait and opt to ride single from their group were abusing any system in any way. Not a chance. I have often seen the single rider line as long or longer than stand by- Splash Mountain at Disneyland always stands out to me as a long one.

 

[Sargeant Tibbs]

That is exactly as it was designed...normally, in my days of old example, folks were jumping ahead 1 ride's worth of time, not 10-20 ride times. So, it works exactly as intended if the waits are almost identical...if they aren't, and single rider has no one waiting, the rides don't meet capacity...you always wants waits in both lines...ideally, they would be close, or no one would find value in "express passes" and "fast passes"...and the parks really want you to value that...

I don't think you can know that for sure, unless you work for Disney in a position that would be privy to this information. And if that's the case, that wait times are always close to the same in both lines, then we'd never be having this lengthy discussion. Because groups would never see a benefit to using a single rider line if the waits were always the same or near the same as standby.

 

[Heather07438]

Because by trying to get a shorter wait, the single rider wait time is increased for everyone - or rather - "this is why we can't have nice things." Nobody can argue that a 75 minute wait in standby and a 75 minute wait in single rider is an efficient system, or a system being used as it was intended. Universal has a fix - pay more for better access. Next time we will do just that.

We have never used single rider anywhere until our trip to Universal last week. It was quickly our last time using it.

I can see that point but I’m not sure both lines being equal times is a frequent occurrence.

My family mostly choses standby because experiencing the ride together is important to us. Sometimes DH would do single rider for Everest. Sometimes 5 mins wait, other times lots of groups and waited 20minutes. Still not bad at all when usually 45-75min standby. We never thought twice about those ahead of us being ‘legit’ or not. Willing to ride individually? Single Rider May work for you.

DH and I also did TT in SR line because standby was atrocious that day. We knew we wouldn’t be sat together and that was a compromise we made because it cut our wait in half.

Last single rider DH & I did was RNRC shortly after ropedrop and regrettably ended up 35minutes vs 75 in standby. Even then in our worse case it didn’t feel like the system was breaking. Personally we’ve decided to avoid RNRC SR in the future. I imagine would happen anytime these systems became unworthy of the compromise and self correct.

 

[SirDuff]

Because by trying to get a shorter wait, the single rider wait time is increased for everyone - or rather - "this is why we can't have nice things." Nobody can argue that a 75 minute wait in standby and a 75 minute wait in single rider is an efficient system, or a system being used as it was intended. Universal has a fix - pay more for better access. Next time we will do just that.

We have never used single rider anywhere until our trip to Universal last week. It was quickly our last time using it.

Why not? The system isn't designed to have one long line and one short line. It is designed to decrease the overall wait time by increasing the throughput. That goal and be accomplished with two lines of the same length.

If you were comparing the FP line (when it existed) with the standby line, I'd agree with you.

 

[Heather07438]

It is designed to decrease the overall wait time by increasing the throughput.

Totally agree.
It never was intended to be some type of easy access for only select individuals. Nobody has proven otherwise.

 

[maltdizzy]

How come the people who are arguing about the "integrity" of the SR line at WDW are the ones who also say they never used it?

It is designed to decrease the overall wait time by increasing the throughput.

Absolutely. By removing SR from the Standby line, they are moving more people through faster.

 

[shawthorne44]

You would not have loved the wait times for single rider last week at Universal. 180 minutes in single rider for Rip Ride Rocket, for example.

And the standby wait times were long too. The problem on your trip wasn't the single rider lines, it was the crowds. CL's in the 9-10. You can't go on a super-crowded day like that, and not expect to wait in long lines.

When I saw that the crowds were much higher than we expected for our late April to Early May trip, we switched to Premier for the EP's. Our passes don't expire until late August, and the crowds are why we won't go back. But in previous trips, single rider lines are what meant we didn't feel the need for express passes. On our first trip we were given some single use express passes that we didn't use until the last day because we didn't need them. We ended up using them on a couple of thrill rides so we could ride together.

 

[Heather07438]

Yes, it is rather nice debating about this than worrying about covid.

I still stand by it being an abuse of the system, if wait times for single rider and standby are the same. Something is broken if that is happening. It was certainly irritating in my husband's experience as an actual single rider. But that was at Universal. Being our first trip there, we didn't know the importance of Express Pass. Next time we will purchase it, and now I'm totally on board with Disney introducing a paid fastpass as well. I will purchase that too, and then families of 20 can enter the single rider line for all I care.

Spend that money. That’s ultimately the purpose of it all.

 

[SirDuff]

Absolutely. By removing SR from the Standby line, they are moving more people through faster.

It's not so much moving people out of the line but more that it makes it easier to fill empty seats meaning that more people can ride per hour.

 

[Newbie500]

I would like to know how many people actually go to the parks ALONE without meeting up with a group therefore making them true single riders.