Disney is adding Single Rider Lines to three of what are quite literally the most popular attractions in the world, giving guests an option for reducing their wait times without paying extra for paid FastPass, staying on-site, or arriving 90+ minutes and power-walking a mile at rope drop. Here’s the latest.
Let’s start with the basics: what exactly is a Single Rider line? It’s a line for solo guests or those willing to ride separate from their parties. Cast Members aren’t going to check your marital status prior to using the line. Disney isn’t the IRS, even if the two organizations are both experts at making your money disappear. You also not prohibited from entering the Single Rider line if you’re part of a group. You just will not be part of that group when boarding the attraction.
Officially, Single Rider lines are a “service that guides Guests experiencing an attraction on their own to an empty seat in a vehicle.” Guests can access an attraction from designated routes with a minimal wait. Single Rider service may not be available depending on the operation conditions. Basically, Single Riders are best thought of as “seat fillers” who will join other parties to prevent attractions from being dispatched with empty spots.
At Tokyo Disneyland, the most popular ride in the park is finally using its Single Rider line: Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast!
This mega E-Ticket opened ~5 years ago with Single Rider line signage in place, but that was either never used due to physical distancing or abandoned as Tokyo Disney Resort adopted paid Premier Access and wanted to push guests towards the paid route. Either way, I’ve never seen the Single Rider line in use there and it wasn’t listed on the website until today.
Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast has far and away the highest average wait time at Tokyo Disneyland. On our most recent trip, it was seldom below triple-digits. It often hit 100 minutes shortly after official park opening and routinely had its line cut with over an hour left until park closing. It is one of two attractions for which we purchase Premier Access, because that’s the only viable option for us to experience it with a toddler. Even that routinely sells out fairly early in the morning.
Over at Tokyo DisneySea, the two mega E-Tickets in Fantasy Springs are likewise adding Single Rider: Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey and Peter Pan’s Neverland Adventure.
Without a doubt, these are the top two attractions in Fantasy Springs. Both are nearly flawless experiences that are among the best Walt Disney Imagineering has ever created. Most guests will probably prefer the Frozen ride, but they’re both 10/10 attractions in my book. On Sarah & Tom Bricker’s Top 15 Disney Attractions in the World, Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey ranks highly and Peter Pan’s Neverland Adventure barely misses making the cut. (It would be on a top 20 list.)
Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey is right up there with Soaring: Fantastic Flight as the longest line in Tokyo DisneySea. We spent a lot of time at Tokyo DisneySea last year around Christmas-time, and Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey regularly had a wait time above 200 minutes. Its line was typically cut over 90 minutes before park closing during those visits, which is also not uncommon.
No matter how you slice it, doing Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey is difficult. On busier days, you need to arrive 90+ minutes before park opening for a realistic crack at rope dropping it.
Arrive any later and that’s off the table, but you might still be able to purchase Premier Access. Or maybe not–on several days, we entered the park shortly after official opening time and it was already sold out. Staying at a select Disney hotel for Happy 15 (early entry) or using the Fantasy Springs Hotel entrance is the most realistic shot for most guests.
We actually did rope drop Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey on one 10/10 crowd level December day…and with a stroller! After making the nearly mile-long power walk in roughly 10 minutes (that’s really good time, for those who have never made the trek), Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey was basically a walk-on.
We could’ve looped it with a second wait of under 45 minutes (also very good), but we had already purchased Premier Access for a second ride that would conflict with that. Rookie mistake, but after being shut out of the ride multiple times on previous days, we were overeager with buying the DPA.
The complicating factor with rope dropping Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey is that long walk. Even if you arrive early and are near the front of the pack at the turnstiles and security, you have to also be a fast power-walker once inside the park as you can lose your position during that mile-long walk. TDR guests move fast, and take strategy seriously.
Honestly, we loved rope dropping Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey. It was stressful before getting into Tokyo DisneySea, but once we emerged through that tunnel and saw Mount Prometheus, it was pure magic. Not even kidding. It was one of the highlights of our trip, and an exhilarating experience that made us feel alive. Then again, we are a little crazy and live for conquering crowds and this type of thing. But our daughter likewise loved the rope drop race, and almost as much as she loves Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey (which is a lot). If you’ve got the stamina, we’d highly recommend it!
Single Rider is valuable at Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure, albeit less so from an objective perspective than Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey. Although this ride is the other clear headliner, it has healthy hourly capacity and it’s less popular with guests because it’s a motion-base simulator.
The end result is that Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure routinely has a wait time that’s more comparable to Fairy Tinker Bell’s Busy Buggies than even Rapunzel’s Lantern Festival (let alone Frozen). In fact, there were times in December when it was the shortest line of the 4 rides in Fantasy Springs.
It was often the last to cut its line, and there were a couple of times when it was a walk-on at the end of the night–even as the Tangled and Frozen rides either had 100+ minute waits or had already cut their lines. Still, Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure regularly has a long line during the midday hours, and Single Rider will help with that.
Single Rider will also help people like me, whose party otherwise cannot experience Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure. This is the only Single Rider line of the trio we’ll be able to use given that we have a toddler (who cannot ride alone), and by “we” I really mean “me” since the motion and visuals of this attraction don’t really agree with Sarah’s stomach.
All told, here’s the current list of attractions with Single Rider lines at Tokyo Disney Resort:
Tokyo Disneyland
- Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast
Tokyo DisneySea
- Indiana Jones Adventure: Temple of the Crystal Skull
- Raging Spirits
- Anna and Elsa’s Frozen Journey
- Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure
Here’s hoping that this is just the start, and Single Rider is restored to both Big Thunder Mountain Railroad and Splash Mountain. The latter ended around the time that Premier Access was introduced, and the former was only offered briefly in 2019-2020, if I recall correctly (and I’m going off memory, so that could be wrong).
Single Rider lines at Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey, Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure, and Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast should be an absolute game-changer. Our expectation is that these offer an advantage similar to Indiana Jones Adventure, given the somewhat similar seating arrangements among the attractions.
It also helps that Single Rider lines are (historically) not particularly popular at Tokyo Disney Resort. That’s bound to change at least a little in the absence of free FastPass and with 180+ minute waits that are common, as the cost-benefit calculus will change.
Nevertheless, our expectation is Single Rider waits of 30 minutes or less for all three, which will amount to a massive time savings. We also wouldn’t be surprised if these Single Rider lines occasionally offer walk-on waits, as is the case with the current Single Rider lines at TDR.
Strategy has gotten really challenging at Tokyo Disney Resort, and especially Tokyo DisneySea, so this is massive news. It’s also a win for everyone, even families like us who mostly will not be able to take advantage of these Single Rider lines. That’s because Single Rider lines, as noted above, help fill empty seats. Improving the fill rate reduces wait times–everyone wins!
Planning a trip to Tokyo Disney Resort? For comprehensive advice, the best place to start is our Tokyo Disneyland & DisneySea Trip Planning Guide! For more specifics, our TDR Hotel Rankings & Reviews page covers accommodations. Our Restaurant Reviews detail where to dine & snack. To save money on tickets or determine which type to buy, read our Tips for Saving Money post. Our What to Pack for Disney post takes a unique look at clever items to take. Venturing elsewhere in Japan? Consult our Ultimate Guide to Kyoto, Japan and City Guide to Tokyo, Japan.
Your Thoughts
Have you used Single Rider lines at Tokyo Disney Resort? Looking forward to taking advantage of the shorter waits at Anna & Elsa’s Frozen Journey, Peter Pan’s Never Land Adventure, or Enchanted Tale of Beauty and the Beast?Experienced heavy or worse crowds at Tokyo DisneySea since the opening of Fantasy Springs? Do you agree or disagree with our take? Any questions? Hearing your feedback–even when you disagree with us–is both interesting to us and helpful to other readers, so please share your thoughts below in the comments!