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Credit: DisneyIf you are a hardcore Disneyland fan, an Annual Passholder, a thrill ride junkie, and a frequent visitor, you’ve probably taken advantage of Disneyland Single Rider. Single Rider is an amenity at Disneyland that allows Guests to ride their favorite attractions with little to no wait — as long as they are willing to ride without anyone else in their party.
With all of the changes coming to Disneyland Resort when Disneyland and Disney California Adventure theme parks reopen sometime in 2021, we have been wondering what we can expect when it comes to certain Guest Services. And, when we think of amenities that we sincerely enjoy but fear won’t be available, Single Rider comes to mind.
Will Single Rider be available when Disneyland reopens? We don’t think so. Here’s everything we know and everything we predict for this popular Guest Service at the Happiest Place on Earth, Walt Disney’s original Magic Kingdom.
Note: Disney has not made any formal announcements to share specifically that Single Rider won’t be available when Disneyland reopens, though the service was suspended when other Disney Parks reopened amid the ongoing pandemic. This is simply our prediction. We will update our website with more information as soon as Disneyland releases it.
What Is Single Rider at Disneyland?
In case you aren’t familiar, here is the official description of Single Rider at Disneyland, according to the Disneyland Resort official website:
Squeeze more magic into your stay by reducing wait times at popular park attractions.
Single Rider is a service that allows groups to split up and embark on select attractions individually! A Cast Member can direct you to the designated queue, where your party will be separated to fill remaining seats that aren’t occupied by Guests utilizing Disney FASTPASS or stand-by lines.
Know Before You Go
- Immediate boarding or choice of seat is not guaranteed.
- Single Riders must meet all boarding requirements.
- Special seating requests may not be accommodated.
- Participating attractions and wait times may vary.
- This service is subject to availability.
The Single Rider service is typically offered on the following attractions:
- Matterhorn Bobsleds
- Splash Mountain
- Indiana Jones Adventure
- Space Mountain
- Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
- Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
- Goofy’s Sky School
- Grizzly River Run
- Incredicoaster
- Radiator Springs Racers
- Soarin’ Around the World
However, currently, the Disneyland Resort official website states, “Note: This Guest Service is temporarily unavailable.” Disney has also shared that “certain attractions, experiences, services and amenities will be modified, have limited availability or remain closed” when Disneyland and Disney California Adventure reopen. Given the enhanced health and safety measures, we can’t help but assume that Single Rider will be one of those unavailable amenities for some time.
Why Isn’t Single Rider Likely to Return Right Away?
So, why don’t we think Single Rider will be available when Disneyland reopens? Let us explain.
Although Single Rider is an excellent Guest Service at Disneyland Resort, it’s primary purpose isn’t to benefit Guests. Yes, this is a great amenity for those who want to experience thrill rides, visit the parks by themselves, or want to get a lot of attractions done in a short period of time. But, moreover, Single Rider is a benefit for Disneyland operations and Cast Members instead of Guests.
The purpose of Single Rider is to fill up every seat in an attraction vehicle as often as possible. Guests benefit from this because they get the luxury of waiting in a much shorter, faster line than the standby queue. Disney, on the other hand, benefits more. Single Rider allows Disney to continue running an attraction with every seat filled. The attraction runs efficiently, more people are able to experience it at any given time, etc. Overall, the option of Single Rider is a win-win scenario.
Here’s the thing: Single Rider isn’t very pandemic-friendly. It is an amenity that encourages mixing between parties. With Single Riders filling every empty seat in an attraction, there is no separation of Guests. It means that every time a Singer Rider takes up an empty seat on Space Mountain, they will be sitting right next to a stranger, a Guest from another party.
The CDC has shared that a person with COVID-19 who is in close contact with another person for longer than 15 minutes can spread the virus. So recently, when Walt Disney World stopped separating different parties on attractions, the parks were technically still following CDC guidelines.
However, that doesn’t mean that California officials are not concerned about various groups mixing when standing in lines at theme parks — and, therefore, when seated on attractions. If one of the main concerns for reopening theme parks in California is the level of mixing between Guests, then it is all but guaranteed that Disneyland Resort will not be allowed to operate Single Rider lines and won’t offer the amenity for quite some time.
Hope for the Future
There is hope for the future, and it’s at Avengers Campus, the new Marvel land coming to Disney California Adventure. According to the list of all Single Rider attractions on the Disneyland Resort website, WEB SLINGERS: A Spider-Man Adventure will offer Single Rider.
So, even though we don’t necessarily predict that Single Rider will be available right away when Disneyland and DCA reopen, we do have confirmation that this is an attraction that Disneyland Resort wants to continue offering it. Knowing that it will be offered at the new Spider-Man ride in Avengers Campus makes us pretty hopeful for the future.
What do you think? Do you think Disneyland Single Rider is a must-have amenity at the theme park, or would you be okay without it for a while? Let us know in the comments.