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Credit: DisneySingle riding used to be a quick and easy Disney World hack, but now it looks like they’re being taken off the table.
Lines and wait times at any Disney Park can be an absolute nightmare, especially when some of the more popular attractions stretch up to and over an hour long. Even without FastPass, Lightning Lane, or Genie+, the single-rider line has been a modest fix for many guests of Disneyland and Walt Disney World.
Enjoying a Disney ride alone is definitely something this writer can highly recommend, as it grants a totally different perspective and experience than traveling with a group. Additionally, at least in my experience, the single-rider option has typically resulted in more front-seat positioning, making for a more exciting ride.
Unfortunately, recent observations have shown that fewer and fewer rides and attractions have that option. At the time of writing, only four Disney World attractions still keep the single-rider lane open.
EPCOT’s Test Track, Rockin’ Roller Coaster and Smuggler’s Run at Hollywood Studios, and Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom are the only attractions left where the lane remains permanently open. Notice how absolutely none of the rides in the Magic Kingdom have the option available, now replaced by Lightning Lane.
Genie+ has long been the ire of many guests, and the addition of putting Lightning Lanes and early ride access behind a paywall has not done Disney any favors. Eliminating the single-rider lane might just be the last straw for many visitors.
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That’s not to say the rides mentioned aren’t worth the single-rider access; Test Track and Smuggler’s Run definitely have their fair share of fans. However, it feels like fans are once again getting short-changed by Disney.
If we’re being entirely realistic, only some people will be able to purchase Genie+ or Lightning Lanes, and even the virtual queues have been known to occasionally overflow. So why remove something that so many guests obviously benefit?
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The short answer is money. That being said, Disney’s primary audience is still families with children, meaning multiple party members are more likely to want to skip the lines and give into the pressures of Genie+ and the allure of the Lightning Lane.
The knowledge that these opportunities used to be free under the FastPass+ system only twists the knife deeper in the wound, and it further pushes a cash-grab narrative that has forced several fans to distance themselves from Disney.
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Yes, Disney is a multimillion-dollar corporation, but its reputation with its extraneous fanbase has played a massive part in its success since Walt’s day. Removing something like the single-rider option feels too close to some of Chapek’s changes, like dissolving the free FastPasses or the Magical Express, for most fans’ liking.
Do you think Disney just made another mistake in the name of money? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!