Another child swap question...info anywhere?

[KateMW]

First off, is there a handy thread or page that explains in detail how rider swap works? We've always an an older relative with us who doesn't ride rides in our past trips, but it's just my husband, myself and our 4 year old son this trip.

Next, is ride swap only for when they're too short or can it be used if they won't ride? Like with Space Mountain...even if he is tall enough, there is zero way I'm letting him ride {PTSD from thinking my now 13 year old daughter feel out when she was his age, long story} but we both want to.

 

[Robo]

1. First off, is there a handy thread or page that explains in detail how rider swap works?
2. is ride swap only for when they're too short
3. or can it be used if they won't ride?

1. There are some on the web. HERE is one.
(The explanation on the Disney site is flawed.)
2. Technically, yes.
3. Sometimes. No way to know, as it can change with the CMs staffing the attraction.

 

[whiporee]

Just a bit of advice. Unless you want to start a 5+page thread of back and forths that eventually gets heated and closed, don't ask or mention using RS to get more FPs -- ie, one parent uses a FP and then gets one for the parent who stays behind, thus doubling the amount of FPs used on the ride. Yes you can do it, yes it's controversial, no Disney doesn't prohibit it and yes, some here find the practice objectionable.

Don't say you haven't been warned

 

[jasmine91]

I can add to the previous poster about double dipping your FP with a rider swap.

DH got a FP for SDMT for himself and DS5, they got rider swaps for me to ride with DS again later.

I got a FP to Pooh during that same time frame to ride with DD2.

We were told by a CM that we were double dipping and that was not allowed. Oopsies!

 

[michelepa]

Someone posted in another thread that thankfully Disney World is on to this scam and starting to address this issue. So hopefully soon if you want to use rider swap for the most popular rides both riders will need to have made a fast pass.

The poster experienced this at AK a couple weeks ago.

 

[CarolynFH]

I can add to the previous poster about double dipping your FP with a rider swap.

DH got a FP for SDMT for himself and DS5, they got rider swaps for me to ride with DS again later.

I got a FP to Pooh during that same time frame to ride with DD2.

We were told by a CM that we were double dipping and that was not allowed. Oopsies!

Someone posted in another thread that thankfully Disney World is on to this scam and starting to address this issue. So hopefully soon if you want to use rider swap for the most popular rides both riders will need to have made a fast pass.

The poster experienced this at AK a couple weeks ago.

So in other words, DD2 (along with mom) has to wait in the SB line for Pooh, in order for mom to have a FP for SDMT? Then what is the point of Rider Swap?

 

[MamaBelle4]

So in other words, DD2 (along with mom) has to wait in the SB line for Pooh, in order for mom to have a FP for SDMT? Then what is the point of Rider Swap?

The point is allowing both parents to be able to ride SDMT (in this example) in case the second rider falls outside the FP window, or after the first party has already waited through standby.

If you are a party of 3, and person A wants to ride SDMT and Pooh, person B wants to ride SDMT, and person C wants to ride Pooh, person A doesn't get an extra FP to do both. Disney, very kindly, doesn't make parties have to wait two times for the same ride if they have children too small to ride it. When people maximize RS, in my opinion, it is taking advantage of the system.

I do have 5 small children (oldest is 9), and we could take advantage of the RS loophole. But we don't. I don't think that's how it was intended to be used and I don't want to risk jeopardizing it in the future. Kind of like the second set of MB thing that got waaay out of control and was abruptly shut down.

 

[MickeyWaffles]

So in other words, DD2 (along with mom) has to wait in the SB line for Pooh, in order for mom to have a FP for SDMT? Then what is the point of Rider Swap?

An example would be in a situation where SDMT is not used in conjunction with FP. FP causes the confusion and controversy.

Example:
Mom would wait in SDMT standby for an hour while Dad stayed with “too short” child. Mom did the work of waiting, Dad gets to ride SDMT without waiting since he was with the child.

With FP, Mom could get a FP for SDMT, Dad could get a different FP with the smaller child and then also use the FP line to get on SDMT via rider swap. No one actually waited in the SDMT line and Dad got an extra FP.

For the record, I don’t care either way if both parents need the FP or not. I see both sides of the argument. We don’t bother with rider swap (DH and I just split with our kids - one of us will take the “tall enough” kid and the other takes the little one.) That works for us, not for all. DH and I don’t need to ride everything every time. But we know we will be back.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

First off, is there a handy thread or page that explains in detail how rider swap works? We've always an an older relative with us who doesn't ride rides in our past trips, but it's just my husband, myself and our 4 year old son this trip.

Next, is ride swap only for when they're too short or can it be used if they won't ride? Like with Space Mountain...even if he is tall enough, there is zero way I'm letting him ride {PTSD from thinking my now 13 year old daughter feel out when she was his age, long story} but we both want to.

To answer your actual question, some people have reported being able to use rider swap when a child doesn’t want to go on a ride but it’s not guaranteed. CM discretion.

 

[Ronferr80]

Someone posted in another thread that thankfully Disney World is on to this scam and starting to address this issue. So hopefully soon if you want to use rider swap for the most popular rides both riders will need to have made a fast pass.

The poster experienced this at AK a couple weeks ago.

Ill start this with I've been to Disney several times with my family with three young kids and have never used the rider swap because been lucky enough to bring my parents with us....... Truly just trying to understand what the scam is? So if I booked a fastpass with my daughter, who is too small for 7dmt, for lets say Winnie the pooh while my wife rides with my two boys on 7DMT but we do rider swap so I can later ride with my two boys then I'm scamming the system? So as long as I sit there and not take my 2 year old on any rides I'll be ok? Or rather as long as I don't use a fastpass to go on a ride with my daughter then its ok? Not understanding why its a scam if I'm entitled to 3 fastpasses per park per day?

If we were all able to ride then obviously we would all have a fastpass for the ride but with height restrictions I assumed this is why Disney created a system like rider swap.


I might be going down the rabbit hole with these questions and am not trying to start some huge debate but I'm not fully understanding why my above scenario would be a problem.

Thanks in advance for any responses to this!!!

P.S. 39 Days till Disney and we can't wait!!!

 

[smitch425]

To answer your actual question, some people have reported being able to use rider swap when a child doesn’t want to go on a ride but it’s not guaranteed. CM discretion.

It’s not at CM discretion, it’s official policy.

 

[MamaBelle4]

Not understanding why its a scam if I'm entitled to 3 fastpasses per park per day?

Sure you're entitled to 3 FP+ per day!
Now look at it like this. Your wife has FP+ for SDMT, Splash Mountain & Space Mountains. She utilizes RS in the FP line.

You have FP + for Pooh, Peter Pan & Buzz, and take your little one on that ride while your wife and older kids ride the mountains.

Then you use your RS to jump right on in the FP line. Did you really only get your "3 entitled FP" or did you REALLY get 6?

ETA: Disney doesn't stop it, so do what you want to do. I, personally, think it is skirting the intended use of RS and worry that eventually Disney will shut down RS altogether like they did with the second set of MB.

 

[PrincessWithABlaster]

It’s not at CM discretion, it’s official policy.

Sorry, which way is official policy? That you can have rider swap for a scared child or you can’t? CM discretion was a poor way to word it. What I meant was that it seems inconsistent whether or not you can get the swap.

 

[MaryLovesPoohBear]

In a perfect world, rider swap would be used when neither party had a fast pass.

Dad waits in the long line for headliner. Mom takes child on kiddie ride, with or without fastpass. Mom then uses rider swap to ride headliner, going through the fast pass line.

It shouldn't be used to double up on tier one or headliner rides.

 

[Nimbus]

Not understanding why its a scam if I'm entitled to 3 fastpasses per park per day?

It's not a "scam", just perhaps taking advantage of an overly accommodating system. A RS is Disney's way of compensating parents so that they don't have to wait twice in a long line for the same attraction. When one parent uses the FP line, however, there really is no "wait" to be compensated for.

And because both parents get to use the FP queue, both parents, in essence, receive a FP for the attraction, even though only one parent actually had one. In this way, they double the amount of FP's they each have for the day, as each FP can be used for both parents...probably not the intent of the system.

 

[GADisneyDad14]

Since OP’s question has been addressed, we’ve heard from various view points, and this topic never seems to end well, closing.