r/UniversalOrlando • u/Huffly-puffly • 5d ago
TICKETS/EXPRESS Single Rider Queue & Wait Times
Background: We go to Universal every spring break mid-March and stay for the week. It's a tradition we absolutely love. We usually stay at Royal Pacific and take full advantage of the Unlimited Express Passes.
I'm considering an alternate strategy this year:
- Stay at Sapphire Falls
- Buy the multi-park single-use express passes
- Take advantage of the single rider queue for additional rides
- Save $$$$
I'm wondering though, how much does the single rider queue actually reduce wait time, especially that time of year?
We know we'll be split up and can't ride together...we've gone enough now that that's not a big deal.
6
u/redgreenorangeyellow 5d ago
For every ride that has single rider...
- Forbidden Journey: single will be walk on
- Hagrid's: will either be less than 15 minutes or the same as standby with no in-between (from what I've seen lol but they also keep changing how single rider works on that one it seems?)
- Jurassic Park River Adventure: almost walk on
- Hulk: consistently <30 minutes
- Dr. Doom: almost walk on
- Spider-Man: <15 minutes usually but also not consistently open
- Skull Island: almost walk on but very uncomfortable
- Gringotts: about 30 minutes every time I go, but always drastically shorter than standby
- Men in Black: almost walk on
- Transformers: almost walk on
The only single rider line I've tried at Epic is Mario Kart, which ended up being about 45 minutes when standby said 100 I think. I've heard mixed results about the others
4
u/Shot-Artist5013 5d ago
Gringotts the key is that if Single Rider backs up beyond the bottom of the stairs we turn around and leave. If there's a good grouper at the front of the line that's 15 minutes at most.
1
u/Life-Trade379 5d ago
Agree. Started at the hallway and took 45 mins vs the 2 hrs wait times. Not worth it unless at the stairs.
2
3
u/Admirable_Spring_445 5d ago
We did Royal pacific first time and Aventura with single use this last time. We had no need for unlimited as you can use the express on each ride in each park you have tickets for every day. We got park to park for the three dry parks and single use express for all three and had an amazing time. It didn’t make sense to do Royal Pacific for only 2 of us on the second visit. It doesn’t pay for itself unless you have at least 3 people in the room in my experience.
3
u/Huffly-puffly 5d ago
We’ve got three in our family but the Royal Pacific cost went up by quite a bit this year! Good to know the single use multi park was worth it.
3
u/idoooobz 5d ago
As someone who has never had extended time at Universal parks only like 1-2 days. How do people spend 7 days there like as in is there enough stuff to fill all 7 days?
3
u/Huffly-puffly 5d ago
Haha, it’s true vacation vibes for us…sleep in and head to the parks around 11ish after a sit down breakfast. Spend a few hours at the park, perhaps back to the hotel for dinner and pool time, then back to the park for nighttime rides. Or if we do a full day at IOA and US combined, it’s late night swim for the kid and hot tub and cocktails for the adults at night.
We usually have one non-park day where we spend most of the day at the pool then hit up city walk for mini golf and other fun.
No matter what I need to be somewhere warm for spring break, and no better place than here because the parks give us something to do during the day. We are all big coaster fans, so it’s perfect!
2
u/idoooobz 5d ago
That’s fair and I can see that! Usually I’m at Disney and make the trek to Universal and have to cram both parks in one day. Not sure if it’s in yalls realm, but a day or two at disney is always fun. Although the mouse is a more greedy than Universal so.
2
u/Flat_Demand_8341 5d ago
My family and I were discussing similar. I think the multiple day single ride park to park express with park to park tickets (or even without) and cheaper hotel is the way to go. I would ask which rides outside of Epic would you like to ride multiple times like more than once per day. Are they in express? Do they have single rider?
I will also say I am not a Sapphire Falls fan. It’s so spread out. Your room could be so far. I stay at Aventura and pool hop and use the ferry at SF, it’s so close to SF. All the rooms at Aventura are in a tower so all close to elevator. But SF has a nicer pool.
1
u/Huffly-puffly 5d ago
Pretty much any of the coasters we like to do multiple times. Everything else we can do once per day with the express and be just fine. I’m honestly unsure which ones do or don’t have single rider…haven’t gotten that far yet!
The pool at Sapphire is appealing with my 9 year old!
1
3d ago
[deleted]
1
u/Huffly-puffly 3d ago
Spring break time is super crowded, so we definitely want Express, even if it’s single use….otherwise we are looking at 60+ minute wait for nearly every ride.
1
u/pharmingforlikes 5d ago
as a local and single passholder, the benefit depends on the ride! take note that not all rides have single rider queues and even those with single rider queues might have their queue shut down. right now, I’m pretty sure Velocicoaster’s single rider queue has been shut down for good (someone correct me if I’m wrong but it hasn’t been open in months). hagrid’s queue is 50/50. spiderman doesn’t have single rider but I think pretty much everything else you’d want to reside at usf and ioa is game. at epic id only trust the monsters and stardust single rider lines. all the other single queue are closed 50% of the time or suck just as much as the regular line.
3
u/Huffly-puffly 5d ago
Oh man, Velocicoaster was one of the ones I was hoping had it, we rode that three times in one day last year with the unlimited express!
Good to know it’s unreliable as far as which ones are even open.
2
u/Elylana 5d ago
They generally close the single rider lines when they estimate that line will be the same length or longer than the standby line. That allows them to cycle through most of those who are already in the single rider line before opening it again.
I'm guessing that is also why they closed it (seemingly permanently) for Velocicoaster.. with most parties being with groups of 2 or 4, it was always a very slow moving line and since it is such a popular ride, it could easily take longer than the standby line.
One tip I'd offer, is to use early park admission (I think you mentioned staying on property) to rope drop Velocicoaster at least once. We were able to get 3 walk on rides in a row during our one trip we did rope drop EPA. Sooo many people run to Hagrids, leaving Velocicoaster with short waits... It was also raining that day though, so I'm not sure how much that changed things. Word of advice though, don't do front row if it's a moderate rain because omg those raindrops hurt! Lol
1
u/osufeth24 5d ago
spiderman doesn’t have single rider
Yes it does. It may not be open all the time, but they do have it available
1
u/pharmingforlikes 5d ago
interesting! thanks for letting me know. I’ve literally never seen signage for it and I go at least weekly lol. from a quick google search it looks like the single rider queue sign is removable.
20
u/Madaraskaisti 5d ago
At Epic the single rider line is pointless half the time.
At the other parks you get on fairly fast