Seven Dwarfs Loading - Bizarre Things

[mom2rtk]

We're a family of 5, so on a handful of rides, and usually on rides that seat two per row/car/whatever, whichever of us is solo gets to stay solo. Pretty rare a CM would pair us up with someone. The lone exception for us is TT. I know it happens on EE, but DW doesn't ride it, so there are just 4 of us. Sometimes my kids will go on a ride themselves and they've said that on EE and a few other rides that a single rider is put next to them. I have no problem with it, and it's never been an issue.

I'd be surprised if they didn't fill that empty spot on 7DMT. When we rode they were splitting groups into odd and even numbers and they were pairing up the odd number groups.

 

[Klayfish]

I'd be surprised if they didn't fill that empty spot on 7DMT. When we rode they were splitting groups into odd and even numbers and they were pairing up the odd number groups.

Yeah, I think they do. DW tried 7DMT once and didn't like it, so she won't ride. I love the ride, so when I ride with the kids it's 4 of us. But often I won't ride, and I'll stay with DW so she isn't just hanging out alone and bored (or now DW and I get a nearby FP+ of our own, like Pooh). I think they will put someone in the empty seat then. I'm OK with it.

 

[HBaney84]

I just have to add my two sense, while I haven't been at Disney in a long time, I was at an amusement park with my family about 2 years back and sat by myself on a roller coaster. I was with a bunch of teenage girls (2 in front, 1 with me)... as soon as we left, THEY UNBUCKLED THEIR SEAT BELTS... mind you there was still the loose bar, and we didn't go upside down... but, I didn't enjoy the ride at all, I was afraid they were all going to fly right out of their seats...

 

[Jennasis]

DH and I ride single rider quite a bit to avoid long waits. We don't need to ride with each other if it's going to cut our wait time. Neither of us have ever had an incident with the person we've been paired with.

 

[MickeyMinnieMom]

The only time one of our party has ridden 7DMT with an empty seat next to them was during EMM. I understand the need to fill all seats -- makes perfect sense.

I must say that the 2nd woman who physically threatened OP's sister and FOLLOWED her for 10min looking for a good spot to hurt her: I would have stuck around for security and would have expected her to be ejected. Just me by myself, maybe I let it go. With my kids around?? Not a chance.

We came across more passive aggressive and nasty people this trip than past trips, sadly. We let it roll off our backs. But threat of bodily harm? Nope.

 

[AngiTN]

OP I am sorry that you and your sister have had been in those bad situations!

As a family of 3, one of us is almost always paired with a stranger. Thankfully none of us have ever had any kind of issue. Usually, DD will ride with me or DH, but since she turned 7 occasionally she'll want to ride in the row without us, I guess to show how brave she is. She's not afraid to ride with a stranger and I've never thought anything of it either. DH and I have been paired with kids and adults. Sometimes we chat, sometimes not. It doesn't bother me to ride with whoever. I'd rather the rides run at capacity and keep the line moving.

DGD was the exact same. First thing she wanted to do on our trip after she turned 7 was ride everything alone, letting DH and I pair together.
And the biggest milestone of all, when she got to go ride Barnstormer all alone, we didn't go at all (because you know, it's not made for grown ups period). That was her definition of "best day ever" right then and there. She must have ridden 10 times in a row.

 

[DisneyBoundYrly]

Now that said. I had a 12 yr old a 7 yr old and a 5 yr old and only 2 adults at one point. 12 yr old usually sat with 5 yr old and 7 yr old got mom or dad. the other parent went solo

Now THAT's the way to do it!

 

[Shellyb84]

DGD was the exact same. First thing she wanted to do on our trip after she turned 7 was ride everything alone, letting DH and I pair together.
And the biggest milestone of all, when she got to go ride Barnstormer all alone, we didn't go at all (because you know, it's not made for grown ups period). That was her definition of "best day ever" right then and there. She must have ridden 10 times in a row.

The only ride DD has gone on completely alone so far is the Tea Cups. DH is so thankful she can do that alone now (he was always the unlucky one, I get queasy just looking at that ride!).

 

[AngiTN]

The only ride DD has gone on completely alone so far is the Tea Cups. DH is so thankful she can do that alone now (he was always the unlucky one, I get queasy just looking at that ride!).

Too funny. That is the very first ride that DGD went on on her very first trip (3yo at the time). Before we went on that trip, if you asked her what she wanted to do at Disney, she told you, ride Tea Cups with Pop Pop. How she knew what Tea Cups were we aren't sure. We assume from TV commercials but she even knew the name. So now, they ride Tea Cups together, no matter what. It's their "thing"

 

[dprincessmom]

Sorry OP you and your family seem to keep getting the weird experiences. I agree with others - In the case of odd man out, why would the two adults sit together and leave the kid to the stranger seat.

 

[DisneyBoundYrly]

Kind of turned me off of doing single rider lines. I did them a lot up until that point

I wouldn't let that affect me - just a one-off hater, and weird to boot!

 

[Dakota731]

Being a family of five our oldest child sometimes had to ride with another person and we never had an issue. People were always super kind. I find the odds of three incidents happening with three different people in a row very astronomical.

 

[DreamIsaWish]

We send older kid (11) on as the single all the time and I've never heard of weird stuff like this. I figure if he can ride the huge rides at Six Flags alone, he can handle WDW. I know he'd rather ride with me (my husband doesn't ride very many rides so I'm the designated rider for both kids) but he also knows that younger sister (7) wouldn't do well alone. Yes, she could technically ride alone but on many rides it wouldn't go well. It even took some convincing to get her to ride 7DMT with big brother and me as the single right behind (it was time for her to spread those wings a bit).

Funny, though, she will ride single rider on some if it benefits her. At Six Flags the line for Justice League can be super long. She will agree to go single rider on that so we can ride several times instead of waiting in the long line. But, if it won't get her on the ride any faster then she won't go with someone other than Mom. She's not afraid; she's stubborn (or strategic, I suppose).

 

[DreamIsaWish]

Now the thing I don't like about seating on 7DMT is how they'll split us up among the cars. I love Memory Maker and I want us all in the same photo. So I will always politely request to be re-seated into the same car, and tell them it's for the photo. Sometimes we have to wait one more cycle, and that's OK. I know they can put us with a stranger and I'm not arguing that point. But if I'm going to pay for Memory Maker and wait a long time (or use a precious fastpass) to ride as a family, then I better be able to actually ride as a family. My son isn't a single rider. He's part of the family and belongs in our photo.

Or on Test Track I'll ask the single rider in our row to switch places so that we're on the right-hand side. You can't see my daughter at all in the photos if she's on the left. Again, I know we'll get a single rider and that's fine. But a simple swap makes me much happier and no one has ever declined the request. The single riders don't care which seat they're in.

 

[irazabul]

Mine Train puts strangers together all of the time. That's why the lines are numbered 1 and 2. Groups consisting of odd numbers of people go in the 1 line. Evens go in the 2 line. My husband often gets put with strangers - he is the odd one when there are just 3 of us.

He was seated with a child we didn't know on Mine Train last year. She cried the entire ride - which I know is short - but still. It's not good parenting to put your kid in that situation. If your kids outnumber the adults, pass on that ride.

Seriously? Pass on rides if your kids outnumber adults? You might as well not go, then. The suggestions here are consistent - one parent goes solo and everyone else sits together. In the event that the parent gets put together with a stranger kid - do not talk to them, touch them, or assist them (let the staff do it) - unless they talk to you or ask you. I tend to want to help or be friendly, but if I were the parent of the solo kid, I would want the stranger parent to be hands off.

 

[Moneypenny]

I can see how people would be surprised by a single rider on this ride. We are a party of three (me, DH and DD). The first two times we rode it DD chose to sit with one of us. The odd man out didn't have a single rider placed with them. The third time we rode, DD (maybe 9 or 10) wanted to ride alone. DH and I were seated in front of her and had pulled down our lap bars, and suddenly someone's tapping me on the shoulder. It was a very nice man who said, "Maam, they want me to sit with your daughter. I'm happy to wait for the next ride if you'd prefer." Since DH and I couldn't get out of our car at that point to switch places, I told him that I would appreciate if he waited and he went back into the holding pen, although it really wouldn't have bothered me if he'd ridden. I just felt surprised and pressured to make a decision that second. Now that we know we may get a single rider with us, we just make adjustments if we feel it's necessary when it becomes clear who will be riding with us.

 

[bumbershoot]

But isn't part of the point of having a young child with an adult, so that the adult can help that child in case of an emergency? Maybe Disney should be telling Moms and Dads that, when they shove their child off on some unsuspecting adult.

I agree with you, and for the first time ever disagree with Robo's take on the situation.

I don't think they should place strangers together at 7DMT or Splash. Those rides are too kid specific and the seats are too tight.

I don't think they do do that for splash.

But if it were up to me, I'd get rid of single-rider all together. The amount of line loss wouldn't be significant, and it does create awkward situations. We're a family of five, so it's usually wife with one twin, older daughter with the other and me solo. But I'm pretty big, so whoever gets stuck with me can have an unpleasant time. Plus, if it's a young girl, I feel creepy. So I wish they'd just get rid of it all together.

No! SR is good.

Idea. You sit with twin and your wife sits solo. That's what we do with ds since dh is a bigger guy.

Just sitting with a kid shouldn't make you feel creepy.

Odd: I have 2 kids, and sometimes travel solo, so always ride as a solo on 7DMT and tsmm. I have never been sat with someone on tsmm. 60 or so times since it opened, always by myself.

I've been sat with people on TS at Disneyland. Oh how I miss that SR line.

It's the best. Wide comfy seats, nonsquashing. Lap bars that keep you seated. Something to do while riding. Bright rooms. It's the best to sit with someone! And in my family of three with da and dh competing I was the one left out. It was great to be seated with someone.

I think that every seat should be filled. The OPs reports are far from the norm.

Agreed.

And the biggest milestone of all, when she got to go ride Barnstormer all alone, we didn't go at all (because you know, it's not made for grown ups period). That was her definition of "best day ever" right then and there. She must have ridden 10 times in a row.

Our first Orlando trip involved 4 days at universal. One early freezing morning (dec 2010) the kid wanted to take advantage of EP and go on Hippogriff. 14 times.

Last ride through I noticed the sign saying that if you're x inches (and meet the height req of the ride) you can ride solo.

The end of the day I sat on a bench and watched him go on the Nuthouse coaster 15 times in a row.

And thus began his obsession of riding alone.

And I have never once worried about "strangers" sitting next to him.

 

[JennaDeeDooDah]

I've never really minded getting placed with an adult. We are a family of 3 so someone is always going to be sitting with an adult on 7DMT, EE, or RnRC. Usually, one of us rides with our daughter and the other parent goes with the stranger. This past May at Disneyland, my daughter fell in love with California Screamin'. We went on it over and over and over in the morning when it wasn't as crowded. The ride was never full. So, at one point, my daughter decides she wants to be able to ride in a car without her mom or dad. No big deal. But, there was a single rider in the line, as well, and they decided to have him ride with my daughter. When we heard them tell him to come join us, we asked our daughter how she felt about riding with a stranger and if she would prefer to ride with one of us instead. She said she wanted to ride without her parents and be brave. So the guy joins her in line. My husband and I explain that she was our daughter, had been on the ride many times, and was wanting to ride without us and "be brave". However, we also told him that we understood if he would be uncomfortable in any way and that if that was the case, we had no problem having her ride with me and he could ride next to my husband. He said he had no problem riding with her if we didn't and after the ride, he said he had a great time with her and told us to have a great rest of our day. No big deal.

It is my opinion that as a parent, it is our responsibility to look out for our children. If I am going to be bothered by my daughter possibly riding next to a stranger, I need to make sure she is with someone she knows. It isn't Disney's responsibility to let her go by herself (especially when there are two adults with her who have decided to ride together rather than with her) and it isn't the stranger's job to skip the ride.

 

[FreeTime]

I can see how people would be surprised by a single rider on this ride. We are a party of three (me, DH and DD). The first two times we rode it DD chose to sit with one of us. The odd man out didn't have a single rider placed with them. The third time we rode, DD (maybe 9 or 10) wanted to ride alone. DH and I were seated in front of her and had pulled down our lap bars, and suddenly someone's tapping me on the shoulder. It was a very nice man who said, "Maam, they want me to sit with your daughter. I'm happy to wait for the next ride if you'd prefer." Since DH and I couldn't get out of our car at that point to switch places, I told him that I would appreciate if he waited and he went back into the holding pen, although it really wouldn't have bothered me if he'd ridden. I just felt surprised and pressured to make a decision that second. Now that we know we may get a single rider with us, we just make adjustments if we feel it's necessary when it becomes clear who will be riding with us.

Nice of him to ask, I wouldn't. Since it really didn't bother you, why didn't you let him ride? Because of having to make a pressured decision? It wasn't your decision. It was Disney's. Your daughter should have been the one to not ride if you were not comfortable with it as you decided to put her next to an OPEN and AVAILABLE seat.

 

[sweetmama17]

My husband and I were seated with about an 8 year old girl on primeval whirl in May. She was foreign and her family didn't want to ride the ride. She was sweet and had a good time on the ride. But I definitely had a feeling of responsibility to make sure she got back to her family after the ride.