Why We No Longer Recommend Expedition Everest’s Single Rider Line

Animal Kingdom may be phasing out one of its best perks: the single rider line for Expedition Everest. The move has been brewing beneath the surface for months, as park operations have gradually stripped away much of what made the service valuable to guests willing to split up.

I’ve raved for years about Expedition Everest’s single rider queue. Cast Members kept it moving by adding a solo guest whenever an odd-numbered party reached the loading area. It wasn’t unusual for multiple single riders to board the same train.

That changed a few months ago when Cast Members began sorting odd- and even-numbered parties from the main line before they reached the loading area. By combining two odd-numbered parties into even groups, Disney reduced the number of empty seats available to single riders.

That resulted in significantly longer waits. Single riders now had to wait for an odd-numbered group to make it through the entire queue and reach the sorting Cast Member without being paired with another party. Instead of filling seats on nearly every train, the single rider line could remain stationary while several trains passed through the station.

Over the weekend, a reader alerted us that the attraction’s single rider sign had been removed. Today, Blog Mickey reported that the queue is now open for only a few minutes each hour.

Update (July 27, 3:10 p.m.): Shortly after this article was published, Blog Mickey reported that the single-rider entrance sign had been reinstalled. The sign was apparently removed for repairs.

It’s impossible to know how much the new sorting process has reduced waits in the standby line. But based on the removal of the sign, Disney seems pleased with the results to prioritize it over keeping the single rider queue actually useful.

Single rider queues generally work best on attractions with vehicles that have an odd number of seats per row. Test Track and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure, which each seat three guests per row, are perfect examples.

Expedition Everest managed to offer an excellent single rider experience despite its two-seat rows. Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster has the same seating configuration but has never managed its single rider queue nearly as well. Frankly, I’m surprised that one is still offered.

Unfortunately, we no longer recommend using Expedition Everest’s single-rider queue unless only a handful of people are waiting. Even then, your search for the yeti may take longer than expected.