Rider swap with no baby?

[smiths02]

What Is Rider Switch and How Does It Work?
If Guests in your party can’t or don’t want to board an attraction, you don’t have to miss out!

If a child does not meet the height requirement or a Guest does not wish to board a particular attraction, no problem! With Rider Switch, one adult can wait with the non-rider (or riders) while the rest of the party enjoys the attraction. When the other adult returns, they can supervise the non-riding Guests, and the waiting adult can board the attraction without having to wait in the regular line again!

This is from Disney website! If a CM does not honor insist and get someone else. They made need more training.

There is no way I'd be spending my time insisting and waiting for a manager over Rider Swap on vacation.
Like ArielSRL said, sometimes they allow it for guests who don't wish to boards, and sometimes they don't, whatever the policy says.

 

[Robo]

There is no way I'd be spending my time insisting and waiting for a manager over Rider Swap on vacation.
Like ArielSRL said, sometimes they allow it for guests who don't wish to boards, and sometimes they don't, whatever the policy says.

The website quote is not "policy."
It is a listing in a poorly-edited website, filled with inaccuracies.

 

[Robo]

Let's look at it this way.

If all you had to do is claim, "Our little Zoetrope is just too scared to ride," and then the CMs would issue you a pass valid for 3 riders to come back anytime...

 

[smiths02]

The website quote is not "policy."
It is a listing in a poorly-edited website, filled with inaccuracies.

You are right, sir.
That's why I'd never be in the face of some 19 year old CM pointing to the website on my phone and insisting on a manger.

I *might* say "Oh, I thought if your kid didn't want to ride, then it would be okay" and leave it at that

 

[geraghty]

I forget you all have not been on vacation with my wife. We would be doing a rider swap and like robo just said, my wife would be telling that CM my other child is unable to ride. The CM would be the one getting a manager, LOL.

 

[ChloesDaddy]

I haven't had this situation, but I thought it was possible to let a child (maybe with a minimum age, 7?) wait near the loading area if they were tall enough to ride but didn't want to.

 

[robinb]

I haven't had this situation, but I thought it was possible to let a child (maybe with a minimum age, 7?) wait near the loading area if they were tall enough to ride but didn't want to.

That is actually a good idea as the 8-year old would have been old enough to enter the line and ride it alone. OP, would your oldest be willing to wait at the exit for you?

 

[smiths02]

I haven't had this situation, but I thought it was possible to let a child (maybe with a minimum age, 7?) wait near the loading area if they were tall enough to ride but didn't want to.

I had our 8 year old wait for us while we did Dumbo. (He was having a little attitude that I told him to ride his own elephant and DH and I each sit with a toddler, I just didn't want to be squished that day) So I just had him wait while we rode.

 

[KateP85]

It's very inconsistent, and no amount of quoting the website or demanding managers is going to change that. You might be able to get a rider swap with a child that is too tall, you might be told no. There are many people on here who have been told no swap for a kid that is too tall, and an equal number who have been told it's fine. The website is spectacularly inaccurate on many things, and this seems to be a big one.

OP, I would say you can always ask, but just have a plan B in cast the CM at the attraction says no.

 

[DisneyOma]

I forget you all have not been on vacation with my wife. We would be doing a rider swap and like robo just said, my wife would be telling that CM my other child is unable to ride. The CM would be the one getting a manager, LOL.

But you would still be waiting, as other people went past you, for the manager to have the time to come to the attraction. Is that worth half an hour?

If one tall enough person doesn't want to ride, then do FP+ and split up. Two go in at the beginning time, then the other two go when they get back, or right before the FP+ expires. Rides do not take that long, although the FP+ line could be long.

Have the old enough/tall enough child wait at the exit, or walk through the queue and do the chicken exit, where the other family members would be off the ride and waiting.

 

[geraghty]

To each their own, I have never personally had an issue with Rider swipe. Used it for kids and adults who weren't able to ride. If I did have a problem, I would get in line and by the time we got off, my wife would be standing there with a rider swap. Obviously I'm assuming wait time would be more than 15 minutes.

 

[chloelovesdisney]

Some CMs will say yes, some will say no.

 

[asbyrneva]

What Is Rider Switch and How Does It Work?
If Guests in your party can’t or don’t want to board an attraction, you don’t have to miss out!

If a child does not meet the height requirement or a Guest does not wish to board a particular attraction, no problem! With Rider Switch, one adult can wait with the non-rider (or riders) while the rest of the party enjoys the attraction. When the other adult returns, they can supervise the non-riding Guests, and the waiting adult can board the attraction without having to wait in the regular line again!

This is from Disney website! If a CM does not honor insist and get someone else. They made need more training.

The website quote is not "policy."
It is a listing in a poorly-edited website, filled with inaccuracies.

Not only is the website not official policy. This benefit it is viewed by guests differently as well. If you read this the rider switch allows the "waiting adult". Not the entire party. The idea is to allow the adult to basically ride alone not ride with everybody that already rode with the 1st adult. I have seen guests (and read about it on boards like this one) where the waiting adult took the whole party that rode the first time and they asked for all of them ride again.

So it may be handled more consistently by CMs then we believe - just guests requests may not be consistent. In the original posters scenario the waiting adult would wait with the oldest that doesn't want to ride and the other adult would ride with the 2 willing children. The swap would allow waiting parent to ride SOLO while the other parent would wait with all the children. It does not entitle the waiting adult to take the 2 willing children for a second ride bypassing the line. Some CMs certainly can and have allowed the family to return but that doesn't mean that's how it is supposed to be implemented.

 

[ChloesDaddy]

Not only is the website not official policy. This benefit it is viewed by guests differently as well. If you read this the rider switch allows the "waiting adult". Not the entire party. The idea is to allow the adult to basically ride alone not ride with everybody that already rode with the 1st adult. I have seen guests (and read about it on boards like this one) where the waiting adult took the whole party that rode the first time and they asked for all of them ride again.

So it may be handled more consistently by CMs then we believe - just guests requests may not be consistent. In the original posters scenario the waiting adult would wait with the oldest that doesn't want to ride and the other adult would ride with the 2 willing children. The swap would allow waiting parent to ride SOLO while the other parent would wait with all the children. It does not entitle the waiting adult to take the 2 willing children for a second ride bypassing the line. Some CMs certainly can and have allowed the family to return but that doesn't mean that's how it is supposed to be implemented.

I have never experienced rider switch the way you describe, and I've never heard of it happening that way with anyone else. The pass itself says it is good for up to three riders, and the CMs are not screening them for someone who just rode. You may have had an isolated experience that differs.

 

[Tara1988]

It depends on the cast member. I got a rider swap because I was pregnant and my sister couldn't ride the 7dmt with my son and nephew at the same time. You would probably have the best chance if you said he "can't" ride instead of "doesn't want to."

 

[ArielSRL]

I have never experienced rider switch the way you describe, and I've never heard of it happening that way with anyone else. The pass itself says it is good for up to three riders, and the CMs are not screening them for someone who just rode. You may have had an isolated experience that differs.

Like you, I have heard that three return riders allowed is quite consistent.

 

[DavidNYC]

Here is the definitive answer that no one can disagree with: maybe . . .

As others have said - you're not "entitled" to one but that doesn't mean a cast member wouldn't give you one.

One other option since he's 8 (not sure how independent he is) - you can always "chicken out" when time to load the ride. I wonder if for some of the rides he won't want to ride he could go through the line with you and if he doesn't want to ride if a cast member would be able to send him to where you'll unload so you can meet him when you get off. 8 years old might be a little borderline for that and might depend on the ride configuration. (Or can anyone chime in as to whether cast members at the "chicken out" exit might have swap passes that they'd could give out to parents who have to accompany a scared child out of the ride. Anyone ever see that?)

 

[DavidNYC]

You could also plan your FP+ staggered a bit
10:30-11:30 Dad and 6 year old Mine Train
11-12 Mom and 4 year old Mine Train

Dad and 6 year old get in FP+ line at 10:45 or 11, ride and then mom and 4 year old ride

Another great idea! And you probably don't even need to stagger the times if you don't want to bother. If you all go up to the first turnstyle together and scan - most cast members will allow you to wait by there until the first two come off and then let you head to the second one. As long as you scan at the first turnstyle in time, you'll be fine at the second one. We'd done that a few times when one child chickened out - cast member even suggested it - just told us to scan now and we'll be fine when we enter in 10-15 minutes.

 

[linzjane88]

When we tried on SDMT with my dd3, who technically is tall enough but in no way wanted to ride, we were going to have to take her through the line and swap at the end instead of just getting a pass. It was kind of frustrating because she was barely tall enough and wouldn't be able to go do other stuff while dad and sister rode.

 

[ilovefh]

I wonder if this will change as more rides are changing the way they issue rider swap passes. Instead of giving them at the entrance some rides are giving the riding party a lanyard that at loading they exchange for the rider swap pass.

I know there was an issue with giving out rider swap passes and people using them immediately instead of waiting in line first. I would think that this would be more prevalent among those looking for passes for someone who doesn't "want" to ride.