A few general DAS use questions - what if they don't ride?

[Lauren in NC]

Well said. The policy is really clear - the DAS shouldn't be used if the DAS holder isn't riding. The right thing to do is to get out of line and go do something else, especially if it happens frequently. I personally don't think it's right to create an uncomfortable situation by asking the CM to break Disney policy. And then to ask for a rider swap for the person who got out of line so that they can ride without the DAS holder too? Wow.

I wasn't clear in my post. It was not requested, it was offered by the CM - that's why I mentioned pixie dust. In all of our Disney trips, I can think of two times when we got to a loading platform and something triggered a meltdown badly enough that we felt that both parents were needed to handle him. This is obviously upsetting to my younger kid, as she wasn't old enough to ride by herself, and in both cases, the CM kindly offered FPs for younger kid and my husband if they wanted to ride again later. In one of those cases, the CM also offered an additional FP for myself and younger kid if I wanted to ride as well. I honestly can't remember if we had used FP or DAS in those cases, but the CM would have had no way of knowing by then - this was back in the day of paper rider swaps!

For rider swap, I meant asking before entering the ride for rides I know he'll have issues with (obviously not using DAS for those, lol). While I've been told before at City Hall that, despite the child's height, you can still get rider swap in that case, some ride entrance CMs have disagreed, so I wouldn't count on it. It's easier to plan to get multiple FPs for your party or just have the one adult ride single rider or standby.

 

[lanejudy]

While I've been told before at City Hall that, despite the child's height, you can still get rider swap in that case, some ride entrance CMs have disagreed

There are 2 different ways to "Rider Swap" -- the first involves getting a return time for the waiting parent and up to 2 others. This is the process most guests think about as Rider Swap, but it is generally only used if the child is too young to enter the queue. For a non-riding guest who is tall enough to enter the queue but (for whatever reason) chooses not to ride, Rider Swap can be done at/near boarding. I suspect that is why City Hall has said Rider Swap is available despite the child's height. However, in a situation where the non-rider is tall enough for the queue but simply cannot handle the queue...it doesn't work so well. Sorry you've run into this. The best option is to use FP+ and have the kids swap bands so your riding child can go twice (using the non-riding sibling's FP).

Enjoy your vacation!