FP/ Rider swap confusion

[Boy Mom x3]

Traveling with two big kiddos and our baby this October and I'm a little confused. I've read several different "rules" and no one seems to be very consistent about how things work. You all seem to know what's going on, so I figured I'd ask here!
I've never used FP+ OR Rider Swap... how do I do them at the same time?
IF:
Dad and 2 big kids have FP for say... Mine Train and I go with the baby and get a Rider Swap ticket (it's still a ticket right?). Then I can go back anytime and take the two big kids with me? I just show the ticket and wait through the FP line? Do I have to have a FP too?
If that were the case, couldn't I make a FP to something else, say Splash Mt. Go with the whole family and get a Rider Swap for Dad for later. Then I ride SM with my FP (alone) and he comes back later with the Rider Swap ticket with the two big kids and rides it?
So basically we would really get 2 rides out of 1 FP each right?
Am I totally confused and off base or am I understanding this right? Seriously, I read about 5 sites and they all said different things!
Thank you all for being so awesome!

 

[dmband]

You have it.
Dad and kids get fp for ride 1
You and kid get fp for ride 2
Kids go on both rides twice while dad and you split watching baby

 

[Boy Mom x3]

Me AND kid need fp for ride 2? the baby? Can I just get a FP alone for Ride 2? He gets a Rider Swap and waits with all three kids while I ride and then he gets to go with big kids on the ride?
Would he then go in FP line with Rider Swap?

 

[dmband]

Me AND kid need fp for ride 2? the baby? Can I just get a FP alone for Ride 2? He gets a Rider Swap and waits with all three kids while I ride and then he gets to go with big kids on the ride?
Would he then go in FP line with Rider Swap?

Yes you can do that too if you wanted to ride alone
I would suggest though not going up to the line and asking for rider switch pass with the older children because some cm can be weird about the rules and might question it.
Where as if you, dad, baby go up like you are a family of three they will not question it at all

 

[finedice]

Yes - everyone rides once. Get in line together. Waiting party goes to exit when the first person rides, and back to front of line after swap. Cast members will help - it's easy.

 

[staceyeileen]

Sounds like you understand it perfectly. Most parents just get the FP for the kids so that they can ride twice, but you don't have to. How old are the kids though? If they're under 7 then they could end up with extra FPs they won't be able to use because they need to ride with an adult (and yours would be all used up).

 

[staceyeileen]

Yes - everyone rides once. Get in line together. Waiting party goes to exit when the first person rides, and back to front of line after swap. Cast members will help - it's easy.

This isn't really how it works. The whole party does not go through the line.

 

[dmband]

Yes - everyone rides once. Get in line together. Waiting party goes to exit when the first person rides, and back to front of line after swap. Cast members will help - it's easy.

I have never had it happen like that although I read it does. Everytime I have used rider swap you simply goto the entrance and they give you the pass, no one waits in line except those riding immediately. The others are free to do whatever they want in the park.
The pass is generally good for a day or two as well so you do not need to ride back to back

Sounds like you understand it perfectly. Most parents just get the FP for the kids so that they can ride twice, but you don't have to. How old are the kids though? If they're under 7 then they could end up with extra FPs they won't be able to use because they need to ride with an adult (and yours would be all used up).

the way around that is simply trade mb and do rider swap again

 

[finedice]

At ToT. they actually take you down a service elevator to the exit to wait, and then you signal when the first rider(s) gets off, and ride back u to the loading area. I suppose you could hold onto it until later if you wanted, and walk back up to the exit elevator...?

 

[staceyeileen]

the way around that is simply trade mb and do rider swap again

I'm not sure what you mean. MDE won't let a kid under 7 book a FP+ on their own.

 

[cakebaker]

At ToT. they actually take you down a service elevator to the exit to wait, and then you signal when the first rider(s) gets off, and ride back u to the loading area. I suppose you could hold onto it until later if you wanted, and walk back up to the exit elevator...?

I've never had that happen on TOT. We went to the entrance, got the rider switch pass. The people with fp+'s rode first while whoever waited with the baby did whatever they wanted. When the first riders were done, the waiting person + 2 of those who had already ridden, entered the FP+ line with the rider switch pass.

 

[dmband]

I'm not sure what you mean. MDE won't let a kid under 7 book a FP+ on their own.

Just going by what a friend told me they did. I'll try and get more details

 

[Ryansdad0727]

On every child swaps we have done one of us will wait by the FP line CM and the other adult will wait in the FP line. When the other adult gets to the front of the FP entrance line we just ask for a child swap. The CM may give the CS to either adult. The ones I have had recently are good until the end of the month. I have only had 1 issue over 7 trips with getting a CS. MK is very lenient while the other parks are more strict. Also depends on how busy the park is as to how strict they are.

 

[finedice]

I've never had that happen on TOT. We went to the entrance, got the rider switch pass. The people with fp+'s rode first while whoever waited with the baby did whatever they wanted. When the first riders were done, the waiting person + 2 of those who had already ridden, entered the FP+ line with the rider switch pass.

I suppose they might have changed the process since our last trip when we actually did it. I am recalling 2007, when our daughter was 4. when we went back in 2009, she rode with us and loved it! there were some rides that used the FP version, but most were just a swap at the loading area - no need for 2 waits. it was much more efficient - sorry to hear about the change - was also nice to have company while waiting in line...

Rides that had different onload/offload areas (like RnRC) didn't do it that way of course.

 

[ilovefh]

At ToT. they actually take you down a service elevator to the exit to wait, and then you signal when the first rider(s) gets off, and ride back u to the loading area. I suppose you could hold onto it until later if you wanted, and walk back up to the exit elevator...?

That is only if the person not riding is actually tall enough to ride. Disney does not let anyone not tall enough to ride into the line. I wish they had a system like Universal. There everyone, even those not tall enough, wait in line then when you get to the front those not riding go to a designated baby swap room and wait. Most rooms have movies! Although I will admit that this year it was a huge tease! DS is a big transformer fan but is still and inch too short to ride. Waiting in line and then watching us ride was a big tease!

 

[cakebaker]

We actually dislike the way Universal does it. My grandson wants to ride all these things and to make him stand in the line, then not get to ride seems mean to me. He's only 3 and has no fear, yet not old enough to quite understand why he can't. This way, he can go do other things and stay entertained while people ride.

 

[finedice]

That is only if the person not riding is actually tall enough to ride. Disney does not let anyone not tall enough to ride into the line. I wish they had a system like Universal. There everyone, even those not tall enough, wait in line then when you get to the front those not riding go to a designated baby swap room and wait. Most rooms have movies! Although I will admit that this year it was a huge tease! DS is a big transformer fan but is still and inch too short to ride. Waiting in line and then watching us ride was a big tease!

That explains it. She has always been tall enough (tall kid). She rode EE on that first trip when she was 4, along with just about every other headliner (If I recall she was just touching the 44" line at 4yo).

 

[cakebaker]

That explains it. She has always been tall enough (tall kid). She rode EE on that first trip when she was 4, along with just about every other headliner (If I recall she was just touching the 44" line at 4yo).

Mystery solved!

 

[ruthies12]

We actually dislike the way Universal does it. My grandson wants to ride all these things and to make him stand in the line, then not get to ride seems mean to me. He's only 3 and has no fear, yet not old enough to quite understand why he can't. This way, he can go do other things and stay entertained while people ride.

Yeah we are going to Universal for the first time on our next trip and I'm worried about this. Both my dh and I want to experience the attractions with our older dd who will be turning 7 on the trip, especially the harry potter stuff. So we will do childswap with our younger but I'm concerned that she is going to have to wait in these lines and then get mad about not going on the ride, she will be 2 just 3 months shy of her turning 3. So it's a bad age to be trying to explain anything to her. I'm going to pre-load movies and games to our phones for her and bring lots of suckers I suppose. It will be much easier at Disney where we can go elsewhere and find a spot for her to run around or take her on a different attraction like small world.

 

[staceyeileen]

I wish they had a system like Universal. There everyone, even those not tall enough, wait in line then when you get to the front those not riding go to a designated baby swap room and wait.

The last thing I want to do is wait in line with a baby.