WDW News Today reported on September 19, 2026 that the dedicated single rider queue at Skull Island: Reign of Kong is indefinitely closed. Team Members at the Universal Islands of Adventure attraction told the outlet the separate line is gone, even though the Universal Orlando app still listed single rider as available that day.
Solo guests who built a shorter-wait plan around that queue should not look for it. WDW News Today was instead handed a printed Single Attraction Pass and sent through the ride’s Express entrance. That is a live access change for anyone using the Skull Island: Reign of Kong ride guide to decide how to spend a park day. Universal Orlando has not published an announcement, so treat the pass as a reported operating procedure, not a new guaranteed product.
- What changed: The Skull Island single rider queue is indefinitely closed, WDW News Today reported September 19, 2026.
- Replacement: Some solo guests received a printed Single Attraction Pass and entered through Express.
- Pass rules: One guest, one use, one location, with a QR code on a receipt-style ticket.
- Official status: Universal has not posted a public explanation; the app still showed single rider that day.
- Ride status: Skull Island reopened Friday, September 18, without the large Kong animatronic.
Single Rider Queue Is Indefinitely Closed
Skull Island previously split a dedicated single rider path off the main standby queue so Team Members could fill empty seats. WDW News Today said that branch is no longer in use. Team Members described the closure as indefinite, not a timed refurbishment window with a posted return date.
That matters because single rider is one of the few free ways to cut a wait at Islands of Adventure without buying Universal Express. Guests who ride alone, or who are willing to split from a group, often used it at Kong when standby posted 45 to 80 minutes. If the dedicated line stays closed, that tactic is gone until Universal restores it or updates the app.
Disney Fanatic published a matching September 19 account: Team Members said the single rider line was closed and issued a complimentary printed pass instead. Two park-news desks on the same day, both citing staff at the attraction, is the current evidence. It is still not a Universal press release.
Single Attraction Pass Routes Guests Through Express
Instead of walking the old single rider path, WDW News Today was given a paper Single Attraction Pass. The ticket looks like a receipt, carries a QR code, and states that it is valid for one guest, one use, and one location. The reporter then presented it at the Skull Island Express entrance and boarded without paying for Express.
WDW News Today said the same ticket format can technically be used at most attractions in Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure, with three named exceptions: Pteranodon Flyers, Hagrid’s Magical Creatures Motorbike Adventure, and Jurassic World VelociCoaster. That reading comes from the ticket text the outlet described, not from a Universal policy page about this Kong procedure. Guests should assume the pass they are handed is for the location printed on it unless a Team Member says otherwise.
WDW News Today also noted the pass resembles a paid one-ride Express product Universal sold for a limited time last year. A complimentary printed ticket is not that product. It does not convert a solo visitor into an Express customer for the rest of the day.
Paying Express Guests Share the Same Corridor
Universal Express is a paid line-skip product, and Express Unlimited is included for guests staying at select Universal Orlando hotels with valid park admission. Skull Island already accepts Express. The reported procedure now sends some non-paying solo guests into that same shorter-wait corridor.
That does not prove Express waits will grow. Disney Fanatic made the same distinction: routing a solo guest through Express is not evidence that paying guests will lose time. Kong vehicles have empty seats that single rider used to fill. Using Express as the fill path may be an operations workaround after the dedicated queue closed, not a new public benefit Universal intends to market.
Families who bought Express, or who booked a hotel that includes it, should still use Express as purchased. Solo guests should not skip the standby line unless a Team Member offers the printed pass. Do not argue for a free Express scan from a phone pass or hotel key you did not buy. The reported workaround is a paper ticket issued at the attraction.
Universal App Still Lists Single Rider Availability
WDW News Today said the Universal Orlando app still showed a single rider option for Skull Island on September 19. Team Members told the reporters the app had not yet been updated to match the queue change. Until that listing disappears, the app can send guests to a line that is not there.
Check the physical queue, not only the app, before you walk to Kong for a solo fill. If a Team Member is handing out Single Attraction Passes, ask whether the pass is being issued that hour and which entrance to use. If no pass is offered, expect standby. Posted Islands of Adventure wait times remain the better planning surface for the rest of the park.
Universal’s public Skull Island page still presents the attraction as operating at Islands of Adventure and has not, as of this report, posted a guest notice about single rider. Absence of a notice is not a denial. It is why this story stays in reported territory: park staff described the change on site, and the company has not put it in writing.
Solo Guest Planning After the Queue Change
The ride itself is open again. Skull Island returned on Friday, September 18, after a closure that began August 26, as Deep Arrival covered in the Reign of Kong reopening report. The large Kong animatronic is still out after damage during routine maintenance, which Universal confirmed to park media. The queue change is a separate access decision on top of that reopening.
If you are visiting alone, budget standby time for Kong unless a Team Member offers the printed pass. If you are visiting with a group that refuses to split, single rider was never your tool; Express or early arrival still are. If your plan depended on stacking Kong single rider with other single rider attractions, rebuild the morning around Hagrid’s, VelociCoaster, and other lines that still advertise single rider in the app, then confirm those queues on the ground.
Do not count on a free Express pass as a substitute for buying Express on a peak Saturday. Neither WDW News Today, Disney Fanatic, nor Universal has said every solo guest will receive a pass, how often Team Members will print them, or whether the workaround survives the next schedule change.
| If you… | What to do |
|---|---|
| Are riding Skull Island alone on or after September 19 | Skip the old single rider branch. Use Express only if a Team Member hands you a Single Attraction Pass. |
| Already purchased Universal Express or have hotel Express Unlimited | Use Express as bought. The reported solo-guest pass uses the same corridor; it does not change your product. |
| Are visiting as a group that will not split | Ignore single rider. Plan standby or paid Express, and treat Kong as a standard Express attraction. |
| See single rider still listed in the Universal app | Treat the listing as stale until Universal removes it. Confirm the physical queue before you walk across the park. |
September 19 is the reported queue change. Plan Skull Island as standby unless a Team Member issues a Single Attraction Pass at the attraction.
The Universal app listing is a stale signal. Confirm the physical queue before you walk across the park for a solo fill that may no longer exist.
A Universal guest notice is the next confirmation. Until the company posts one, treat the printed pass as an on-site workaround, not a product you can buy or claim at the gate.
Does Skull Island still have a single rider line?
WDW News Today reported September 19, 2026 that Team Members said the dedicated Skull Island single rider queue is indefinitely closed. Universal has not posted a matching guest notice.
Do solo guests get a free Express pass at Skull Island?
Some did on September 19. WDW News Today received a printed Single Attraction Pass good for one guest, one use, and one location, then entered through Express. That is not a published Universal entitlement.
Can I use the Single Attraction Pass on other Universal rides?
WDW News Today said the ticket format can be used at most Universal Studios Florida and Islands of Adventure rides except Pteranodon Flyers, Hagrid’s, and VelociCoaster. Ask the issuing Team Member which location is valid.
Has Universal Orlando confirmed the Skull Island queue change?
No. As of this report Universal has not published an announcement. The current record is on-site Team Member confirmation reported by WDW News Today and Disney Fanatic.
Will this make Universal Express waits longer at Kong?
There is no published evidence that Express waits will grow. Disney Fanatic noted that sending a solo guest through Express does not prove paying guests lose time.
Is Skull Island: Reign of Kong open on September 20, 2026?
Yes. The attraction reopened Friday, September 18, without the large Kong animatronic. Confirm hours and temporary closures in the Universal Orlando app the morning you go.
