Single-Rider Lines—A Great Time-Saving Option at Universal Orlando
Available to all Universal Orlando guests without extra charge is the single-rider (or “singles”) line. Several attractions at USF and IOA have this special line for guests traveling alone, or at least willing to be temporarily separated from their companions.
Single riders wait in a separate queue and are slipped into vacant seats left by large groups without (theoretically) impacting the other lines. Disney also offers single-rider queues, but at fewer attractions across all four WDW parks than Universal has in their two, making it a great alternative for those unable or unwilling to cough up the dough for Universal Express Passes.
The singles line is often just as fast as the Express line. However, because the speed of the singles line is highly dependent on the flow of odd-numbered parties through the other queues, the wait time can be extremely unpredictable. At some times we’ve walked onto Forbidden Journey via the singles line when the standby wait time was more than an hour; at others we’ve stood longer in Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit’s singles line than the posted standby wait.
Single-rider lines open at the discretion of the ride attendants and may temporarily close if crowds are very light (because they aren’t needed) or very heavy (when the singles queue becomes filled to capacity, which happens frequently at Gringotts). In the latter case, try hanging around the entrance for 15 or 20 minutes, which is usually how long it takes for the singles line to shrink enough to be reopened.
Also note that some queues (particularly those of Forbidden Journey and Escape from Gringotts and Skull Island: Reign of Kong) are attractions in themselves and deserve to be experienced during your first ride. Even so, we strongly recommend using the singles line whenever possible—it will decrease your overall wait and leave more time for repeat rides or just bumming around the parks.
Single-rider lines are almost always available at the following attractions: Harry Potter and the Escape from Gringotts, Hollywood Rip Ride Rockit, Men in Black Alien Attack, Revenge of the Mummy, and Transformers: The Ride 3-D at Universal Studios Florida; and The Amazing Adventures of Spider-Man, Doctor Doom’s Fearfall, and Harry Potter and the Forbidden Journey at Islands of Adventure.
In addition, IOA intermittently offers single-rider access at Dudley Do-Right’s Ripsaw Falls, Skull Island: Reign of Kong, The Incredible Hulk Coaster, and Jurassic Park River Adventure, but don’t count on them being open every day.
If you are preparing to visit Universal Orlando, you will want to check out the The Unofficial Guide to Universal Orlando by Seth Kubersky.
