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Single rider is a type of queue at theme park attractions for people riding by themselves, reducing the amount of time spent waiting in line for an attraction. When a single-rider line is in use, empty seats on the ride vehicles are filled using individuals from the line, thus ensuring that every vehicle is carrying the maximum number of occupants possible. A park using a single-rider line offers guests a chance to wait for a significantly shorter length of time in exchange for not necessarily being able to experience the attraction with others in their party or from a desired seat (e.g., the front row of a roller coaster).
In a memo dated July 31, 1958, Walt Disney directed the Disneyland Operations Committee to "Establish a special line for single riders, with the request that they double up." [1]
In practice, a single-rider line is available adjacent to the main entrance of the attraction. It is often staffed by a park employee who will remind guests of any important policies. The line may bypass pre-show elements of the attraction; again, this is a trade-off that allows a much shorter wait in line. Typically, the line ends at the loading platform, where another employee is stationed. This employee will sort out the arriving guests from the main line and direct them to the ride vehicles. When an empty seat becomes available, the employee will direct the person at the front of the single-rider line to take the empty seat.
The actual movement of the line is subject to many variables, including the loading speed of the attraction and, sometimes, the park's management style for dealing with such lines. Some parks will use single riders to fill odd-numbered seating configurations every time, while others will actively attempt to balance out the ride vehicle with guests in the main line, even inviting guests from further back in the main line to come forward and board. Generally, single rider lines are used for rides which have vehicles of four to eight people and are popular. Single rider lines can reduce wait times by 80% or more. [2] Some rides may seat three individuals across, and due to the number of couples that visit theme parks, the third individual is needed to fill the row. [3] Because single rider lines are normally used to fill up otherwise empty seats, they have no direct, negative impact on the main queue. This is different from paid priority queues, in which visitors are allowed to jump the main queue for an upcharge, taking away available rides.
In most cases, a guest using a single-rider line must meet the normal rider requirements for the attraction and must be able to ride in any empty seat presented. Therefore, a number of park guests are generally discouraged from using these lines, such as:
Single-rider lines may be discontinued at the discretion of the park at any time, usually when there is no perceivable benefit to using the line. This can occur during off-peak operating days when the regular wait is very short already. Similarly, it may be temporarily discontinued when the single-rider line length creates waits that are longer than those for the regular line.
Some parks provide provisions for visitors who are alone, regardless of whether a "single-rider line" is designated. [5]
Although not specifically a single-rider plan, some parks provide provisions for parents of children who are too small or young for an attraction. [6] [7] [8] [9] [10] One party waits with the non-riders, until a responsible adult returns, then the waiting party enters the front of the single-rider line or another line. [11] [12] [13] [14] [15]
A dark ride or ghost train is an indoor amusement ride on which passengers aboard guided vehicles travel through specially lit scenes that typically contain animation, sound, music and special effects. Appearing as early as the 19th century, such exhibits include tunnels of love, scary themes and interactive stories. Dark rides are intended to tell stories with thematic elements that immerse riders, which unfold throughout the course of the attraction.
The Haunted Mansion is a dark ride attraction located at Disneyland, Magic Kingdom, and Tokyo Disneyland. The haunted house attraction features a ride-through tour in Omnimover vehicles called "Doom Buggies", and a walk-through show is displayed to riders waiting in the queue line. Each location differs slightly in design, utilizing a range of technology from centuries-old theatrical effects to modern special effects, including spectral Audio-Animatronics. The Haunted Mansion inspired two similarly themed but distinct attractions, Phantom Manor and Mystic Manor, which exist at Disneyland Paris and Hong Kong Disneyland, respectively.
Pirates of the Caribbean is a dark ride at Disneyland, Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom, Tokyo Disneyland and Disneyland Park at Disneyland Paris.
Soarin', also known as Soarin' Over California, Soarin' Around the World, Soaring Over the Horizon and Soaring: Fantastic Flight, is a flight motion simulator attraction at Disney California Adventure, Epcot, Shanghai Disneyland, and Tokyo DisneySea. It employs a mechanical lift system, a projected presentation on an 80 ft (24 m) concave 180-degree dome screen, and artificial scents and wind to simulate a hang gliding flight over locations in six of the world's continents. Many consider it the first flying theater.
Disney Parks have utilized virtual queue systems since the introduction of the FastPass System in 1999. These systems allow theme park visitors to wait in a virtual queue for an attraction, reducing the time spent in line. Depending on the system, access to virtual queues may come with park admission or may be an additional charge. Currently available virtual queue systems are Disney Genie at Disneyland Resort and Walt Disney World, and Disney Premier Access at Disneyland Paris, Hong Kong Disneyland Resort, Tokyo Disney Resort, and Shanghai Disney Resort. Previous systems include FastPass, FastPass+, and MaxPass.
The Twilight Zone Tower of Terror, or simply Tower of Terror, is a series of similar accelerated drop tower dark rides located at Disney's Hollywood Studios, Tokyo DisneySea, Walt Disney Studios Park, and formerly located at Disney California Adventure. The attraction is inspired by Rod Serling's anthology television series, The Twilight Zone, and takes place in the fictional Hollywood Tower Hotel in Hollywood, California. The Tokyo version features an original storyline not related to The Twilight Zone and takes place in the fictional Hotel Hightower. All versions of the attraction place riders in a seemingly ordinary hotel elevator, and present a fictional backstory in which people have mysteriously disappeared from the elevator under the influence of a supernatural element many years previously.
Buzz Lightyear's Space Ranger Spin in Florida is an interactive shooting dark ride attraction located in the Tomorrowland area of the Disney theme parks. Designed by Walt Disney Imagineering, this attraction combines a carnival game and a third-generation Omnimover system. It is inspired by Disney/Pixar's Toy Story franchise, and contains several elements loosely based on the cartoon series Buzz Lightyear of Star Command.
Matterhorn Bobsleds is a attraction that consists of a pair of intertwined steel roller coasters running through a fabricated mountain. It is located at Disneyland in Anaheim, California and is modeled after the Matterhorn, a mountain in the Alps on the border between Switzerland and Italy. It is the first known tubular steel track roller coaster. Located on the border between Tomorrowland and Fantasyland, it employs forced perspective to seem larger.
Rocket Rods was a high-speed thrill attraction located in Tomorrowland at Disneyland, Anaheim, California. The ride was themed around a hypothetical “drag race” of the future, as well as a futuristic rapid transit system. The ride opened in May 1998, utilizing the existing PeopleMover track and infrastructure as part of the New Tomorrowland refurbishment project. Plagued from its inception with technical problems and mechanical repairs, Rocket Rods was shut down indefinitely for renovations in September 2000; ultimately, the ride would be fully shut down, as confirmed via an official press release in April 2001, after two years of sporadic operations. While Rocket Rods' queue was replaced with the Toy Story-themed dark ride Buzz Lightyear's Astro Blasters in 2005, the majority of the track infrastructure utilized by both the attraction and its predecessor still sit, visibly derelict, throughout Tomorrowland as of 2024.
Rock 'n' Roller Coaster Starring Aerosmith is an indoor launched roller coaster located at Disney's Hollywood Studios within Walt Disney World. Manufactured by Vekoma, the roller coaster opened to the public on July 29, 1999. It uses linear motor electromagnetic technology for acceleration, which propels riders from 0 to 57 mph (92 km/h) in 2.8 seconds. Riders experience up to 5 Gs and travel through three inversions, which include a rollover and a corkscrew. The attraction also features recorded music and appearances from American rock band Aerosmith.
Test Track is a high-speed slot car thrill ride manufactured by Dynamic Attractions located in World Discovery at Epcot, a theme park at the Walt Disney World Resort in Bay Lake, Florida. Designed by Walt Disney Imagineering in partnership with Chevrolet, the ride is a simulated excursion through the rigorous testing procedures that General Motors uses to evaluate its concept cars, culminating in a high-speed drive around the exterior of the attraction.
Pooh's Hunny Hunt is a unique trackless dark ride located at Tokyo Disneyland. It is based on the 1977 Disney animated film The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh.
The Many Adventures of Winnie the Pooh is a dark ride based upon the 1977 film of the same name, itself based on the Winnie-the-Pooh books by A. A. Milne. The attraction exists in slightly different forms at the Magic Kingdom in the Walt Disney World Resort, Disneyland, Hong Kong Disneyland, and Shanghai Disneyland Park.
Snow White's Enchanted Wish is a dark ride at the Disneyland, Tokyo Disneyland, and Disneyland Paris theme parks, and formerly at the Magic Kingdom. Located in Fantasyland, it is one of the few remaining attractions that was operational on Disneyland's opening day in 1955, although it has seen several different redesigns over its history. The ride's story is based on Disney's 1937 film, Snow White and the Seven Dwarfs, their first animated feature film.
Toy Story Midway Mania! is an interactive 4-D theme park attraction, located at three Disney theme parks: Disney's Hollywood Studios at the Walt Disney World Resort, Disney California Adventure at the Disneyland Resort and Tokyo DisneySea at Tokyo Disney Resort.
Space Mountain is an outer space-themed, indoor roller coaster in Tomorrowland located at Walt Disney World's Magic Kingdom theme park in Bay Lake, Florida, near Orlando. The dark ride, which opened on January 15, 1975, is the original version of the iconic attraction that has since been replicated at other Disney theme park locations worldwide, with the exception of Shanghai Disneyland Resort. Space Mountain is one of the first computer operated roller coasters and is also the oldest operating roller coaster in the state of Florida.
Space Mountain is an indoor, space-themed roller coaster in Tomorrowland at Disneyland in Anaheim, California. Opened on May 27, 1977, it was the second roller coaster built at Disneyland, and was the second of the five versions of Space Mountain built by The Walt Disney Company. Its exterior façade is one of Disneyland's three "mountain" structures that serve as park landmarks.
Frozen Ever After and Anna and Elsa's Frozen Journey are musical reversing Shoot the Chute dark rides at Epcot, Hong Kong Disneyland, Tokyo DisneySea, and Walt Disney Studios Park. The attractions feature scenes inspired by Disney's animated film Frozen as well as the 2015 animated short Frozen Fever. Its first installation in Epcot opened on June 21, 2016, using the ride vehicles and track layout of the former Maelstrom attraction. A version of the attraction opened at Hong Kong Disneyland on November 20, 2023, as part of The Walt Disney Company's centennial celebration, and Tokyo DisneySea on June 6, 2024, with one more scheduled to open at Disney Adventure World in the spring of 2025.
Tron Lightcycle Power Run and Tron Lightcycle / Run are semi-enclosed, launched roller coasters at Shanghai Disneyland and Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World. The first incarnation, Tron Lightcycle Power Run, opened at Shanghai Disneyland on June 16, 2016. A nearly identical installation, Tron Lightcycle / Run, opened at Magic Kingdom in Walt Disney World on April 4, 2023. Both are in the Tomorrowland themed areas at each park.
Star Wars: Rise of the Resistance is an attraction at Star Wars: Galaxy's Edge at Disney's Hollywood Studios and Disneyland. The attraction—a combined trackless dark ride, walk-through, motion simulator, and drop ride system—puts guests into the middle of a battle between the Resistance and the First Order. Featuring four interworking ride systems in conjunction with Audio-Animatronics, practical sets, projection mapping and screen-based media, Rise of the Resistance is one of the most complex and advanced attractions designed by Walt Disney Imagineering.