Expedition Everest Is Closing Its Single-Rider Line
Expedition Everest may be getting a moving Yeti, but it’s losing its single-rider line. Disney shared the news with Scott Gustin.
September 20 will be the final day for the queue. Beginning September 21, solo riders will have to join the regular standby line.
Expedition Everest’s single-rider line used to be one of the best at Walt Disney World. It was particularly useful for my family. My wife refuses to ride, so rather than make her wait while my son and I stood in the standby queue, we’d split up. We were typically reunited within ten minutes.
That efficiency disappeared earlier this year when Animal Kingdom’s operations team began experimenting with how it grouped guests in the standby queue. By pairing odd-numbered parties, Cast Members could fill rows without relying on single riders.
As a result, the single-rider line stopped moving. Instead of breezing through the queue, solo riders waited. And waited. It began to feel like the incredibly frustrating single-rider line at Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster.
According to Gustin, Disney’s new loading process lowered average standby wait times. That’s good news for most guests. Solo riders will now help celebrate by waiting in that longer line. At least Expedition Everest has a fantastic queue.
