The Expedition Everest Single Rider Line Is Gone, and It’s Not Coming Back
Solo travelers hoping to skip the standby line at Expedition Everest are out of luck this week, as Walt Disney World Resort officially eliminates the ride’s Single Rider queue for good.
A Longtime Perk Disappears
Walt Disney World Resort confirmed last Friday that the Single Rider line for Expedition Everest – Legend of the Forbidden Mountain would permanently close, capping months of speculation and behind-the-scenes testing. Sunday, September 20, marked the final opportunity for guests to use the alternate queue. By Monday, September 21, Central Florida Disney Park visitors were experiencing the attraction’s new boarding process for the first time.
The Strategy Behind the Removal
For years, the Single Rider line offered a valuable shortcut for solo guests or groups willing to split up, allowing them to fill leftover train seats and frequently cut significant time off their wait. That value diminished, however, as Disney rolled out a new approach to the standby queue over recent months — sorting waiting guests into odd and even groups to make it easier for cast members to fully load each train without pulling from a separate line. The result: faster boarding and shorter waits for everyone in line.
As this new system proved successful during testing, rumors began circulating among Disney Parks fans that the Single Rider line’s removal was imminent. Those predictions turned out to be correct.
X (formerly known as Twitter) user @laughingplace shared photos Monday showing the attraction entrance now completely without its longtime Single Rider queue, posting:
Single Rider line is gone from Expedition Everest. #waltdisneyworld
Single Rider line is gone from Expedition Everest. #waltdisneyworld pic.twitter.com/QZ5LpGQbl4
— LaughingPlace.com (@laughingplace) September 21, 2026
Guests still hoping to use a Single Rider line elsewhere at Walt Disney World Resort have other options, including Millennium Falcon: Smugglers Run and Rock ‘n’ Roller Coaster Starring The Muppets at Disney’s Hollywood Studios, as well as Test Track and Remy’s Ratatouille Adventure at EPCOT.
What’s Next for Expedition Everest
Expedition Everest has more changes on the horizon beyond this queue update. At D23 Expo 2026, Walt Disney Imagineering confirmed plans to finally repair the ride’s dormant Yeti animatronic. Once known for swiping at passing trains, the figure has sat motionless in “B-Mode” since 2007, after Disney determined its repetitive movements were causing structural damage inside the Forbidden Mountain.
No timeline has been announced for when Expedition Everest might be closed to complete that repair work. However, many fans believe Imagineers could wait until Pueblo Esperanza, the upcoming Tropical Americas land replacing the former DinoLand U.S.A., officially opens.
Do you agree with Walt Disney World Resort’s decision to remove the Single Rider line from Expedition Everest? Share your thoughts with Disney Dining in the comments!
