Expedition Everest's Latest Queue Change Affects Single Rider Wait Times

28 days ago in "Expedition Everest"

New Pre-Boarding Video Screens at Expedition Everest
Posted: Monday May 18, 2026 9:45am ET by WDWMAGIC Staff

Disney's Animal Kingdom is continuing to refine the boarding process at Expedition Everest, with another change now in place aimed at increasing ride throughput.

Standby guests in the red room — the final holding area before the loading platform — are now being sorted into odd and even numbered groups. Even-numbered groups are directed to the left, odd-numbered groups to the right. The pre-sorting means cast members can fill the train more efficiently once guests reach the platform.

The change follows the recent addition of pre-boarding video screens in the same area, which demonstrate how to operate the coaster restraint and stow items before boarding.

The single rider line at Expedition Everest is still operating, but if you're planning to use it, expect slower progress than before.

Because odd-numbered groups are now pre-sorted in the red room, cast members already have a ready supply of individual guests to fill gaps in ride vehicles. That reduces how often the single rider queue gets called forward, so wait times through that line are noticeably longer than they used to be.

Discuss on the Forums

Get Walt Disney World News Delivered to Your Inbox

View all comments →

Purduevian25 days ago

Does anyone know why the RNR single rider line basically never moved compared to EE? Is it because CMs could see more of the standard line and ask for odd parties?

Basil of Baker Street25 days ago

Yep. My party of 3 were probably on the same train more often than not while doing SR.

gorillaball25 days ago

3 = 8.8%.

Touchdown25 days ago

3 equals 12% of the train, a very meaningful and impactful number roughly every 10th train is going out with no one from the regular line, 1 train every other cycle when it’s running five trains. Drop that number and you can allocate (assuming LL is 1/2 capacity) 24% more LL a day to EE.

gorillaball25 days ago

I’d say it’s close to 3 per train from single rider. If I were a betting man just going off memory, I’d put my money on 2.7 avg per train. As I said I have done it with my family extensively and very often 3 of us are on the same train, almost always at least 2.

dmc49325 days ago

This probably also incentivizes LL sales for Animal Kingdom, Single Rider was always the "inside scoop" tip online, which meant one more ride that you didn't think you'd need LL for. With that fading away, LL looks more appealing

Touchdown26 days ago

The standby line isn’t usually bad for this ride anyways, 20ish min. There was times when the SRL was beyond its switchbacks and I just regular queued and got on in less time then the person at the back of the SRL. I will miss doing 3-4 laps in less than 30 min but that always seemed like cheating.

dmc49326 days ago

They were slingin people from single rider like nobody’s business. Based on memories over last few years, at least 4-5 per train if not more

osian26 days ago

Indeed. In my case it won't result in that though. And I'm not sure the incentive would in fact be there for "repeat loopers" as LL only allows entry once. But it's a disincentive to ride at all, i.e. it leaves more space in the standby line. Repeat riders wouldn't repeat ride if there's no SRQ.

Br0ckford26 days ago

You beat me to it.

HauntedPirate26 days ago

They just want people to buy the LLubricant instead of doing single rider. 😉

HauntedPirate26 days ago

That makes sense, thanks! This eliminates some variability, I get it now.

lazyboy97o26 days ago

They only run full if there are enough single riders present. This removes that. Something like Velocicoaster would have benefitted more from this method if it was designed with it in mind. Think of how much physical space the single rider queue takes up, including its own dedicated locker rooms.

TrainsOfDisney26 days ago

There is a special dungeon in Cinderella castle for you now!!!!

Park Hours & Calendar

Updated frequently

Find operating hours, early entry times, and park hopping info across all four Walt Disney World parks.

Lightning Lane Prices

Updated daily

See current Lightning Lane prices for Genie+ and Individual Lightning Lane attractions at all parks.

Dining at Walt Disney World

Dining Guide

Explore restaurants, menus, and reviews for quick service and table service dining across Walt Disney World.

Latest Disney News

Updated multiple times per day

Catch up on the latest park updates, construction news, entertainment, and official announcements.