Credit: Inside the MagicThe Walt Disney World Resort might be one of the most popular family vacation destinations on the planet, but there’s nothing like going Han Solo through the Magic Kingdom or Disney’s Hollywood Studios. However, not all Disney park guests feel that way.
A family vacation to Disney World might bring many happy and indulgent memories, but it can also cause massive headaches for those involved. Of course, that’s why Disney has the single-rider line to help things move along a little bit faster.
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One of the most beloved, small victories of a Disney trip is having a ride vehicle all to yourself, but an influx of families visiting the parks might put that luxury at risk, especially with the new changes in the Lightning Lane system. Moreover, this hasn’t gone unnoticed by the guests.
Single-Riders Shamed at Disney World
A recent post on r/WaltDisneyWorld featured the account of a single-rider’s encounter with a family on Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at EPCOT. Judging by the response, this is not an uncommon occurrence amongst guests.
u/HeidiHighKicks shares,
“I’m sure most people don’t need this reminder, but if you’re getting on a ride and a single rider is placed with your group, don’t make them feel like they’re inconveniencing you.”
“Husband and I alternated ILLs for guardians today because we have our one year old with us. As soon as I’m told to stand on a number the lady I’m going to be sitting with (her family in the row behind us) starts looking around. She then tells me that I should go over to some other number and go with them. I say no, they told me to come here so I’m standing here.”
“When our ride car pulls up and we go to get in she again looks at me and says “we just really want a family picture with just us”. At this point I’m kind of like lady, come on, and look at a cast member who tells her that I have to ride with them. The woman then tries to back track and apologize but I already felt kind of uncomfortable. I still had a good time but was just kind of flabbergasted this woman had the audacity to tell me she didn’t want me there and also to think they were going to leaves seats open on the most popular ride at Disney World so she could get a family photo…”
Anyone who has been to Disney World or Disneyland on multiple occasions knows how inconsiderate some guests can be. Unfortunately, the user above isn’t the only party who shares a similar experience.
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Further down in the comments, u/pillowcrates adds,
“My partner got to Disney a day before me so he had a whole park day and a half without me. Rode Smuggler’s Run in the single-rider line and the lady was upset he got put with their family and said “this is just for us” and like…WTF. Also, good luck, lady – the ride doesn’t go so well on that one if you don’t have a person in every position.”
And u/PeanootGoose shares a much ruder Guardians experience when they write,
“I had a similar experience on Guardians this summer! Husband isn’t a huge fan of the bigger coasters so I went alone, had to stand there whilst the dad of a family of 3 kept offering to give his daughter money so he didn’t have to sit with me, he was nice enough in the end and we made small talk, but man I wish people would be more considerate of single riders!”
Naturally, this is not the case for all riders, and most of the comments on the thread consist of stories about families “adopting” single-riders into their parties of three or four. however, it does beg the question of whether or not Disney will react.
Family Focus or Singling Out?
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If more families are embarking on a trip to the Disney parks, could that affect how Disney handles single-rider lanes? Already, a handful of attractions have replaced their single-rider option with a line for Lightning Lane users, but many popular attractions still have them in full swing.
Expedition Everest at Disney’s Animal Kingdom park, Millennium Falcon: Smuggler’s Run and (recently) Rise of the Resistance at Hollywood Studios, and EPCOT’s Test Track (currently closed), all offer the single-rider option out front. However, cast members will also direct the flow of line traffic to a single-rider area on multiple attractions, including Space Mountain and Toy Story Mania, to try to prevent a backup of crowds.
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If you are anything like this writer, you’ll know that not all theme parks have something like this in place. In fact, Disney might be a pioneer in the sense that the Disney parks might be the first to implement the option. Even Universal Studios only has a few sprinkled in.
Although we single-riders might get the occasional bombastic side-eye, there’s a certain feeling of victory that comes with getting to slip through the queue as a party of one. Hopefully, Disney will find other ways to ease the quality of life at the parks for parties of all sizes.
What’s your favorite single-rider attraction? Let Inside the Magic know in the comments down below!