Kid Swap at Haunted Mansion?

[lovetoscrap]

Has anyone done Kid Swap at Haunted Mansion??? We tried last year when we were there and when we got to the front of the line (couldn't find anyone to ask before then) the CM was shoving people into the entrance room and I told her we needed to swap and she just kept pushing us and said there wasn't a way to swap, and that we couldn't even leave at that point. DD 7 was TERRIFIED to go in and DH had to FIGHT his way out with her and just wait for us outside. I got pushed inside with DD 3 and we had to ride--it was the longest ride of my life. DD was terrified and crying the whole time. I held her in my lap with her head in my shoulder and tried to cover her ears. I was crying and felt like the world's worst mother ever.

DH and I would like to be able to ride and Kid Swap for our trip next week. Is it possible to Kid Swap for this?

 

[kilee]

This ride isn't one of the child swap rides. It is usually reserved for rides that have height restrictions.

 

[SueM in MN]

If he wants to go in the line and the stretching room, but not go on the ride, there is a "last chance exit" inside that room. I would suggest going when it's not busy and ask the first CM you see if there is a way to change your mind and not go on. That will be comforting for your DS to hear. When the stretching room part is over, let the rest of the people go out of the room. Once you leave the stretching room, the only way to get out is to go thru the ride. There will be a CM still in the stretching room pointing people toward the entrance to the next part. Ask that CM where the "chicken exit" is.
But your best bet might be just to get fastpasses, send part of your party in to use them while the rest wait with him. When the first group gets out, send the second group in.
We used to do that with oldest DD since she has never liked that ride. Once she was old enough to wait outside without us, we just met up with her after the ride at a pre-arranged spot.

 

[Tink@40]

What is a "kid swap" and how does it work? Also, what does DD stand for?

 

[clkelley]

Honestly, I think the stretching room is more terrifying than the attraction itself. Getting pitch black, then something hanging from the ceiling, then a scream!! Geezzz!

The attraction itself is funny and tame. So taking a young one through the stretching room is not a good idea.

Carol

 

[NotUrsula]

DS is afraid of the stretching room, but he's fine with the ride. Ask a CM outside if you can enter the ride through the exit, sometimes they will allow this, and it lets you get on at the doom-buggies. I don't see why you couldn't child-swap it there, too, though I've never seen anyone do it.

As far as I know, you can swap any ride; I don't think that there has to be a height requirement. The big rides have very well-practiced setups for doing so, but based on past experience, I'm sure that CM's can figure out a way to do it on pretty much any ride. Ask the first CM you see at the attraction; don't wait until you get inside to ask.

 

[lovetoscrap]

DD means "Dear (or Darling) Daughter
It is an "internet shortcut" that you will see often on boards like this. You will also see DS (Dear Son), DW (Dear Wife), DH (...Husband), DMIL (...Mother in Law) and others. It has also been suggested that the first "D" could also stand for other words depending on how you are feeling about the person as you write! Sometimes you will also see a number after the letters to give the age of the person, especially if they are under 18.

Kid Swap is also known as Baby Swap--I use the word Kid because my DD's (ages 4 and 9) would throw a fit if I said we were going to Baby Swap! At Disney you can stand in line as a family for a ride that say, the parents want to ride, but the kids don't. Then when it is time to board the ride one parent stays with the kids in a special waiting area while the other adult rides. When the ride returns, the parents switch. This keeps you from having to stand in line twice. This also works well if you have older kids and parents that want to ride and younger ones that don't. One parent rides with the older kids, (while the other one stays with the younger ones) and when the ride returns they will usually allow the other parent to then board the ride with the kids. The kids then get 2 rides in a row and each parent gets to ride once. Pretty good deal!

I hope I explained this adequetly!

 

[bdcp]

When my 18 and 21 year old sons were 3 and 6, they both rode Haunted Mansion and loved it. I've seen all ages in there and dont' remember hearing or seeing any child upset by it. I saw all ages. It's actually a pretty funny attraction. Alien Encounter was very scary for one 4 year old that rode it with us a few years ago. He left screaming at the top of his lungs. Way too young for that one, but Haunted Mansion is very tame.