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How Single Rider Works at Universal Orlando and Disney World

August 19, 2018
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Episode 34: How Single Rider Works

The single rider line is a great way to bypass a long standby wait time. Unlike Universal Express Pass or Disney’s FastPass+, you don’t need a special ticket to ride single. Today’s episode details what you can expect when you ride single, how to use the single rider line, and why sometimes it’s best just to use the regular standby queue instead.

These are the show notes for Go Informed Podcast episode 34. Click below to listen to the episode for lots more detail about this topic.

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Save Time in Line When You Ride Single

The single rider line almost always moves way faster than the regular line. There are usually a lot fewer guests in this line, and some rides have room for lots of single riders.

In our experience, the wait time in a singles line is usually around 15 minutes or less, even when the standby wait is really long. (But read below to make sure you avoid some common singles line pitfalls).

When a ride is being loaded, there can often be an extra empty seat. This is where the single rider line comes in. Single riders are guests who are willing to ride on their own and fill in these empty spaces.

Because of their configuration, some attractions have lots of empty spaces. Test Track at Epcot, for instance, seats guests three-across, in two rows per car. When a group of four rides, the other two seats are often filled by single riders.

How to Find The Single Rider Line

Not all rides have a single rider entrance. Check your park map to see which rides take single riders.

How to Use the Single Rider Line

You can go in the singles line with all your friends and hang out together all the way up to the loading area.

When it’s time to load, do not attempt to convince the ride attendant to seat you together. Riding single means you are willing to be split up, and 99% of the time you will ride with strangers.

Kids can ride single too. As long as they’re tall enough to ride that attraction, they can use the singles line. But make sure your child is OK with riding with strangers before you get in this line. It’s pretty heartbreaking to see a kid get to the front of the line and realize they have to ride alone. This puts everyone in an awful position since the singles line really is just for guests willing to ride with strangers.

Drawbacks to Riding Single

The most obvious drawback to riding single is that you won’t be sharing the experience with your friends or family in the same way as if you were all sitting together. So you won’t get that ride photo with all of you together screaming like crazy.

On most rides, the single rider queue is much less elaborate and shorter than the regular or the Express Pass (Universal) or FastPass (Disney) queue. So you’ll often miss a lot of the detail that other guests see as they make their way to the front of the line. Sometimes these queues are worth waiting in – the interior of Gringotts Bank for instance is something every Harry Potter fan will want to see. Because of this, you may want to ride an attraction once using the regular line before riding single.

Make a Plan for Where to Meet Your Party After the Ride

If you and your friends or family are riding single, make sure you plan a meeting spot for when you get off. Especially if you have younger kids riding single, let them know where you’ll meet after the ride.

Watch Out For These Single Rider Line Trouble Spots

Not all rides load single riders at the same rate. Some are really fast, but some single rider lines move slowly and can actually take about as long as riding standby. In Orlando our least-favorite singles line is at the Aerosmith Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios. I recommend you avoid riding single on this particular attraction.

Some tour groups will use the single rider line for their large groups. If you see a big group heading for a ride entrance, get in front of them. There is a good chance they’re going for the single rider line and they will back up that line while all of them load single.

Rides With Single Rider Entrances at Disney World

Test Track at Epcot

Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom

Aerosmith Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster at Disney’s Hollywood Studios (see my note under “trouble spots” above)

Rides With Single Rider Entrances at Universal Orlando

Universal Studios Florida Single Rider Attractions

Harry Potter and the Escape From Gringotts

Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit

Men In Black

Revenge of the Mummy

Transformers

Universal Islands of Adventure Single Rider Attractions

Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man

Dr. Doom’s Fearfall

Incredible Hulk Roller Coaster

Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey

Riding Single at Disneyland Resort

Disneyland and Disney’s California Adventure also have lots of rides with singles entrances. Disneyland’s single rider lines sometimes work differently than at the Orlando parks. If you’re planning a trip to Disneyland, be sure to check out this post from TouringPlans.

Single rider also works at Disneyland Paris! Learn more about how to tour the Paris parks in just ONE day here.