Single rider is an excellent way to save time at Disneyland. A handful of attractions offer single rider lines, but they can be a bit confusing to navigate if you’ve never used it before! Let’s go over where to find single rider lines at Disneyland!
What is single rider?
Single rider means you’re filling up a seat on a ride vehicle that is unable to be filled by the standby or Genie+ queue. For example, Space Mountain has two cars that each sit 6. Let’s say a party of 5 comes in. The Cast Member will pull a single guest from the single rider line to fill the empty seat.
The benefit to you is that you can get on several of the E-ticket attractions with a shorter wait! Another time to use single rider is if you are traveling with a child or children who are not tall enough or are afraid of these attractions. My husband and I frequently take turns going on rides through the single rider line while the other one feeds or changes our son, or during stroller naps. It works out great!
The downside to it is if your entire party decides to use single rider, there is a 99% chance you’ll be split up. You also don’t get to make seating requests (ie., no requesting to sit in the front of the ride vehicle!). Let’s get into it!
Space Mountain
Space Mountain is in the back corner of Tomorrowland. For its single rider line, simply head to the exit of the attraction, between the Star Trader and the Tomorrowland Theater. You’ll head down a long covered hallway. Note that sometimes this is unavailable – it was consistently available pre-COVID, did not return when the parks reopened, but has been testing off and on.
On the left, you’ll see a merchandise stand, followed by the attraction picture area. Keep heading down and you’ll see a sign for single riders. Follow that ramp on the left all the way down, and you’ll eventually reach the attraction loading area.
Space Mountain’s ride vehicle layout is two connected cars with 6 people each. I have most commonly sat in row 3 and 6. The longest wait I’ve encountered at this particular single rider line was about 10 minutes!
Matterhorn Bobsleds
Matterhorn Bobsleds, located between Fantasyland and Tomorrowland, has two dedicated single rider lines, since the attraction boasts two different tracks. Let a Cast Member at the front of the attraction know that you want to go single rider, and they will direct you to the queue.
The bobsleds consist of two connected cars that seat 3 each. I have most commonly sat in the very last row. The wait times here for single rider are pretty inconsistent; it really depends on crowds and the parties in the standby or FastPass line. The longest I’ve waited is about 20 minutes!
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run
Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run, located in the back right corner of Star Wars: Galaxy’s Edge, is the newest attraction at Disneyland Resort and offers single rider! It does not offer FastPass or MaxPass, so many guests opt for single rider to save time.
The entrance to the single rider queue is located just to the left of standby. The single rider queue splits into two, but they both lead to the same place. By opting for single rider, you will miss the pre-show that you’d see in standby, so if the whole Star Wars experience is a priority for you, consider standby for this one!
The Millennium Falcon seats 6 total: 2 pilots, 2 gunners, and 2 engineers. There is a merge point where the standby and single rider queues merge. Here, a Cast Member will hand 6 placards to a group of 6 guests. Each placard has an assignment on it: 1 for each role. Usually the single riders get the engineer role, but sometimes the Cast Member mixes up the cards and you’re given luck of the draw! You can also trade with other members of your group of 6 for a different role, but I haven’t had any luck with this.
The single rider queue has taken me roughly 25 minutes to get through on a medium-crowd day. It can be one of the longer single rider waits, but it’s always been faster than standby.
Splash Mountain/Tiana’s Bayou Adventure
Time to head on over to the Laughin’ Place! The single rider queue is located at the ride’s exit. Ask a Cast Member at the entrance to the standby queue where single rider is, and they’ll direct you. When this ride reopens as Tiana’s Bayou Adventure, it is unclear whether or not single rider will be available.
The logs seat 6, although on the rare occasion, they’ll seat 2 in the very back (usually one of whom is a small child), which would bring the total to 7. Be prepared to sit in the back of the log as a single rider! The single rider wait time varies, largely dependent on the weather. There are days that I’ve walked right on to the ride, and other days where I’ve waited close to 30 minutes. The hotter the day, the longer the wait.
Indiana Jones Adventure
The single rider queue entrance is located through the exit of Indiana Jones Adventure. Single rider isn’t always offered here, so check in with the Cast Members at the entrance, then head to the left side of the Jeep and follow that pathway until you find the next Cast Member, who will direct you from there.
The jeeps seat a total of 12, and the single rider queue tends to move relatively quickly. The longest I’ve waited has been about 20 minutes, but sometimes I just walk right on.
Note that this has not come back since the parks reopened from their COVID closure.
Honorable Mention: Star Tours – The Adventures Continue
For a short while, Disneyland Resort was testing single rider at Star Tours – The Adventures Continue. And, it still appears on Disney’s website as a single rider offering.
Unfortunately, I did not make it out there during the test run, so I can’t comment on how quickly the queue moves or where to go! However, I will say that the Starspeeder holds a few dozen people at once, so I would imagine the queue moves relatively quickly.
Thoughts on Single Rider?
Do you use single rider, or do you avoid it? Let me know in the comments below!
