Single rider lines are one of the top “hacks” for getting shorter waits at Walt Disney World, but there are some things to know about this option before you bank on it. In this post, we’ll cover everything you need to know about single rider lines, from what rides have them, to what sorts of waits to expect, to how your ride experience might be a little different on some rides. Read on to learn all about single rider lines at Walt Disney World!
Single Rider at Disney World Basics
We’ll start with an introduction to single rider lines at Disney World.
What is a single rider line?
A single rider line is a line for a ride that allows guests who wish to ride alone—that is, as a party of one—to use a separate, typically faster line for the ride. These guests are then used to fill empty seats on the ride (so a ride with four seats will get a group of three and then a single rider).
What rides at Disney World have single rider lines?
There are four rides at Disney World with permanent single rider lines: Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (Hollywood Studios), Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run (Hollywood Studios), Test Track (Epcot), and Expedition Everest (Animal Kingdom).
A fifth, Soarin’ (Epcot) has occasionally used a single rider line, but it has not been a consistent feature.
I can’t find a published list of single rider lines from Disney. Older park maps had single rider icon that is next to the rides with single rider, but I haven’t seen this on newer maps (2021 onward):
Are single rider lines always open?
They’re open most of the time. Typically they’ll be closed to start and end the day but open during the middle of the day. They’ll also usually close a bit before park closing time.
How Long are single rider waits?
Waits for single rider lines vary greatly. Even when they are posted, the posted wait times can be 25% to 50% off. When waits aren’t posted, my rule of thumb is that single rider will be about 1/3 the wait of the regular line.
That said, we’ve walked onto rides via single rider when standby was over an hour, and we’ve had single rider waits of 25 minutes when standby was 30 minutes.
How can I find a single rider line?
With the exception of Expedition Everest, which is off to the side a bit, the single rider lines are all immediately visible next to the main ride entrances. They’re all conspicuously labeled, and we’ll show you where they are at the bottom of this post.
Pros and Cons of Single Rider Lines
The only “pro” of the single rider lines at Disney World is that you’ll get on the ride faster. If the wait times were identical, you’d prefer the regular standby line.
As for cons:
groups will be broken up
you won’t get to experience the full ride queue
you will almost always be an engineer on Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
you maybe can’t design your own car on Test Track (more below)
We cover each single rider queue individually at the end of this post.
Groups in the Single Rider Line
If you wait in the single rider line with a group, your group will get separated at the front of the line. Every member of your group must be able to ride the ride on their own. Mom cannot ride with Timmy because Timmy is scared, that’s what the regular standby line is for.
Relatedly, you need to be prepared to be separated at the end. Single riders are the last people chosen to get on the ride, which means you’ll sometimes need to hurry into a seat. When you get to front, make sure to pay attention to the Cast Member.
There are some people who think that groups should never use the single rider line, even if they’ve accepted that they’ll be split up (which they must…because it’s the single rider line…). Personally, I don’t understand their gripe, and either way there’s no rule against groups splitting up in the single rider line.
Single rider lines are not offered to solo travelers as a special perk to make them feel better about visiting alone (I can joke about that because I’ll spend hundreds of hours alone in theme parks this year). The lines are put in place by Disney to improve the efficiency of the queue.
Disallowing use of the single rider queue by groups willing to be split up would basically leave the ride operating with empty seats anytime there aren’t enough solo guests, which is just a waste. If your group is willing to be split up to expedite your experience and improve Disney’s efficiency, more power to you.
Single Rider vs. Lightning Lanes
Single rider and Lightning Lanes are both available at Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster, Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, Test Track, and Expedition Everest. Generally, Lightning Lanes will have a shorter wait than single rider, and if we had a Lightning Lane we’d almost never opt to use single rider instead.
Of note, since you can only use Genie+ for each ride once, there could be circumstances where you opt to use a short single rider line, planning to use a Lightning Lane for a second ride on that ride at a later time.
That said, it can make sense to de-prioritize Lightning Lanes at these rides because of their single rider lines. As long as your party is willing to be split up, you can bump these rides a little bit down your list when booking on Genie+.
We don’t talk much about single rider in our content because we don’t think it’s necessary if you have both a good Lightning Lane strategy and a good rope drop strategy. That said, it is a good “safety valve” for these rides. If you need to know more about Lightning Lanes and rope drop at these parks:
Single Rider and Rider Swap
Single rider lines can be great for guests using rider swap. Here’s a quick reminder of how rider swap works…
Rider swap (aka rider switch, child switch, or child swap) allows adults with children who don’t meet height requirements to ride an attraction without waiting in the full line twice.
If you have two adults—Alan and Barry—you go to the Cast Member at the ride and get Barry a return time. Alan gets to wait in line now, while Barry watches the non-riders.
Then Barry comes back at his return time and gets to use the Lightning Lane while Alan watches the non-riders.
How does single rider help? Well, since Alan was riding alone anyways, he can go ahead and use the Single Rider line. We cover Disney World height requirements and rider swap more completely here.
Single Rider Lines at Disney World
We’ll close by talking a bit in detail about the single rider lines at Disney World.
Millennium Falcon Smugglers Run (Hollywood Studios)
The single rider line for Smugglers Run misses almost the entire queue. You won’t get to walk past the Millennium Falcon or Hondo’s repair bay. You also won’t get to see the scene with animatronic Hondo (below). You might get to spend a few minutes in the main room of the Falcon, with the Dejarik Board photo spot, but time in that room is always dependent on how quickly guests are being loaded into the vehicles.
You’ll enter the single rider queue to the left of the ride entrance. After walking down a hallway you’ll come to two stairwells. Choose the stairwell with the shorter line (almost always the one on the left / U-turn from the way you’re walking).
The wait from the bottom step is roughly 20 minutes. No approximate wait time is posted. I’ve had great success using this single rider line, being the only person in it several times when the standby wait was an hour or more.
Single riders are almost always given the position of Engineer, meaning they’ll be in the back row and tasked with hitting different buttons that light up.
Engineer is widely regarded as the worst position on the ride, though personally I find that if I hit my buttons quickly I have the most relaxing job. And keep in mind that there’s a chance you wind up as an engineer even if you’re not in the single rider line.
Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster (Hollywood Studios)
The queue and ride experience for single riders on Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster is largely similar to that of other guests. There is space for a posted wait time, but I’ve not usually seen it turned on. The entrance is just to the right of the standby and Lightning Lane entrances.
I want to note I’ve had consistently bad experiences in the Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster single rider line, with waits often running closer to 1/2 to 2/3 the standby wait. That’s better than the full standby wait, but it’s no picnic.
Expedition Everest (Animal Kingdom)
The Expedition Everest single rider queue bypasses the rest of the queue. It’s physically very separate from the rest of the queue, starting all the way to the right next to the Serka Zong Bazaar (the ride’s gift shop).
You’ll miss the Yeti Museum and some other cool elements. A physical sign sometimes has the wait time, but it isn’t as accurate as standard wait times.
Test Track (Epcot)
You’ll miss most of the queue, which focuses on automative technology.
I’m not 100% sure about the status of the car design feature. There are design stations in the queue, but they are sometimes off and even when on, they have only pre-designed cars.
That said, an alternative is to use the design terminals located in the shop at the exit to the ride before getting in the single rider queue. They’re in the left in the below photo:
(Note: There are two sets of terminals inside the shop. Closer to the front is “Stat Station”. That is NOT where you can design a vehicle. Go further back, and there’s a “Design Studio” on the left.)
There is sometimes a posted approximate wait time outside.
Soarin’ (Epcot)
As mentioned earlier, Soarin’ uses a single rider line on occasion. When it is operating, you’ll see a Cast Member holding a sign that says “Single Rider” near the entrance to the ride. The last I saw this confirmed to be operating was in December 2023, so it might just be a “peak season” thing.
Other FAQ About Single Rider
Does Rise of the Resistance have single rider?
No. Rise of the Resistance does not have single rider, and we don’t expect it to ever have single rider.
Does Space Mountain have single rider?
No. Space Mountain at Magic Kingdom does not have single rider, and we don’t expect it to ever have single rider.
Does Guardians of the Galaxy have single rider?
No. Guardians of the Galaxy: Cosmic Rewind at Disney World does not have single rider. We don’t expect it will have single rider, but right now it is using a virtual queue (no standby).
Does Slinky Dog Dash have single rider?
No. Slinky Dog Dash at Hollywood Studios does not have single rider, and we don’t expect it to ever have single rider.
Do you have any questions about single rider lines at Disney World?
All Your Other Disney World Planning Questions Answered
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Just starting out? Check out our Walt Disney World planning guide! If you're still picking dates, we've got everything you need to know about Disney World crowd calendars. For picking your hotel, check out our Walt Disney World hotels guide.
When it comes time to book we’ll help you find discount Disney World tickets. Decide whether you need a dining plan in our Complete Guide to Disney World Dining Plans! And don't forget to book those Disney World Advance Dining Reservations!
Don't forget to master your Disney World Genie+ and Lightning Lane strategy a few months in advance. We'll keep you out of long lines so you can maximize the magical time in the parks! We've got park-specific guides as well: Magic Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Epcot Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, Animal Kingdom Genie+ and Lightning Lanes, and Hollywood Studios Genie+ and Lightning Lanes.
Know what to ride with our guides to: Magic Kingdom rides, Hollywood Studios rides, Epcot rides, and Animal Kingdom rides! Plus learn about the water parks with our guide to Blizzard Beach and our guide to Typhoon Lagoon! And for some some fun prep, check out our Ranking of Every Ride at Walt Disney World.
Finally, before you head out, be sure to check out our to-the-point packing list, 10 essentials you forget to pack for every Disney trip. And if you're interested in saving, there's no better list than our 53 Ways to Save on your Disney trip from start to finish.