Anyone done baby swap at RSR yet?

[ldymcbth]

ANd PS - yes, our swap passes were colored pieces of cardstock paper about 3x3", specific to each ride. They were good that day only and asked that if you decided not to use it, that you return it to the CM.

 

[TeddiBarra]

I totally agree with you. I am used to the WDW way of doing it, too, and was shocked this weekend when it was different at DLR. Really, it's kind of pointless (to me). The FP wait time was like 45-60 min most of the day - no way am I going to wait in that essentially twice (DH waiting once, me waiting another). We lucked out and happened upon a chance where the FP line was only like 20 min, so I was able to ride it. But I was prepared to skip it, for sure, b/c of the way in which they handle baby swap. Just not worth it!

Back in the day, 20 years ago, DL did do it this way. I've even recently experienced some very odd variations- but it depends on the ride. Star Tours, Indy, and likely Racers is going to be the same: you will be going back via Fast Pass for the 2nd group. And the passes at DL all say the person plus ONE more, not three. On some of the other swapping rides- Big Thunder and Space Mt and even ToT, I've had it where we didn't have to re-enter.

 

[chicagoshannon]

We've always had to go through the fast pass line at WDW.

 

[BeccaG]

At WDW I believe its good for 3 people. In Disneyland it is only good for 2. The passes look different than what you posted.

I thought I had mentioned that I have mostly seen the colored square ones. In fact I asked another parent who was holding one to look at the one for Mater's . It did in fact say only two (2) people and was on colored card stock. I would assume since Mater's does not have fast pass, there you would enter through the exit line.

If two is the new norm so be it, but I am certain on several attractions in the past five years I have verbally been told 3 plus the swapper, most recently when I swapped on the Matterhorn last year before the redo, but I don't recall what the number on the card was and it could have very well said two!

 

[Lorilais_mommie]

Well there may not be fastpasses available. And I only recall going through the exit when there is not a fastpass line, but that could be a bad memory on my part.

We did it on splash and space MT in WDW....

The way on the Disney WDW planning DVD I believe is stated you go through the exit ( I could be mistaken)

Also at DL a while back (7years) if you needed to go through handicap line and there is a small child they used to allow half the group to wait in the handicap area while the other half rode and then child would swap and the 2nd group rode..
I don't know if it's still like this.. But is makes better since the whole group waits the ex. 35 min and then swap..

The other way one parent waits 35 min then the other parent wait 35 min
Total= 70 min!!
It might be worth making a phone call before we leave just to check..

 

[ValpoCory]

We did it on splash and space MT in WDW....

The way on the Disney WDW planning DVD I believe is stated you go through the exit ( I could be mistaken)

Also at DL a while back (7years) if you needed to go through handicap line and there is a small child they used to allow half the group to wait in the handicap area while the other half rode and then child would swap and the 2nd group rode..
I don't know if it's still like this.. But is makes better since the whole group waits the ex. 35 min and then swap..

The other way one parent waits 35 min then the other parent wait 35 min
Total= 70 min!!
It might be worth making a phone call before we leave just to check..

FWIW, in Jaunary 2011, my wife and I did Rider Swap for Thunder Mountain at WDW, and it was done the same way RSR does it now. After getting a Rider Swap Fast Pass from a CM, I waited out front with my son while my wife and daughter rode the ride. Then when they came out, my daughter and I entered through the fast pass line, using our Rider Swap Fast Pass for access.

 

[joelnkelly]

i will make this easy, we were just there this past week at DL and used the baby swap several times. they give you a baby swap pass for two guests only,the initial group waits in line (either fast pass or stand by), once off the ride the guests with the baby swap pass goes into the fast pass line with 1 other guests (2 total) to the ride. Regardless of how long the fast line is you have to wait with the other fast pass guests. if there is no fast pass for the ride you enter through the exit line and a CM will direct you and the other guest onto the ride.

We did this several times last week with the baby swap passes.

 

[ValpoCory]

i will make this easy, we were just there this past week at DL and used the baby swap several times. they give you a baby swap pass for two guests only,the initial group waits in line (either fast pass or stand by), once off the ride the guests with the baby swap pass goes into the fast pass line with 1 other guests (2 total) to the ride. Regardless of how long the fast line is you have to wait with the other fast pass guests. if there is no fast pass for the ride you enter through the exit line and a CM will direct you and the other guest onto the ride.

We did this several times last week with the baby swap passes.

So it's definitely worth doing on the Matterhorn, since entering through the exit line will have an extremely short wait.

 

[Lorilais_mommie]

So it's definitely worth doing on the Matterhorn, since entering through the exit line will have an extremely short wait.

so this what i get is going to happen ...

ok so grab those FP for the rides that have them..
then ride everything else w/o a fass pass
get swap pass and when the non-fass pass rides are REALLY REALLY long, thats when you use the rider swap!


still really flawed, but i understand disney can't prefect everything...

it just makes so much more since on how the use to do it..
one group waits in line and the other 2 people go up the exit 1st group is done..

 

[LittleBlackRaincloud]

Our family will need to do the swap at all 3 rides in Carsland, so I'm thinking that when we hit RSR in the morning, we should do them back to back, and then go to the other 2 rides because once the first group waits and rides, the other group will use the exit. Is this logical thinking?

If we get to RSR a little after 7:00 and go right on with the first group, we should get the second group in line by 8am. Agreed?

We'll also have a GAC for a quiet area to wait for our oldest with Autism, but he's doing well, and I'm only getting it for just in case. Is the queue exciting enough that he won't notice everyone standing on top of him? Thanks for any insight!

 

[pikaboo27]

Ok, I'm back from Carsland, and the quick answer is that yes, you can use Single rider since it is faster that the FP line, but the baby swap program in DCA sucks compared to WDW. Which is just what we told George Kaligridis, Mary Niven, and Meg Crofton when we ran into them outside Carthay. heh. For us, here's what happened:

We grabbed fast passes in the morning, but RSR kept breaking down. So we returned around 5:30pm and the wait in the fast pass line was 1.5 hours, but the single rider line was 55 minutes. We asked a cast member if we could do baby swap with the single rider line and they handed us a card and told us to go ahead and get in line. The CM cleary indicated that we could all get in line. So (thinking it was like all the WDW baby swap things I had read) we all got in the single rider line (DH, me, and my 4 month old DS). Then when we got to the front of the line, we told the cast member we were going baby swap. One of the cast members told us DS couldn't be in line since he's not tall enough. But another cast member jumped in and had me get in line and showed my husband where to wait and then after I rode, I was sent back around to the entrance and DH rode while I waited at the exit with DH. So, basically we did it the way that makes the most sense (since the way it is planned as explained by other posters above is completely stupid) and it was awesome, but we clearly won't be able to do that again. Which sucks.

 

[amyg1975]

Can you get more than one Rider Swap ticket (for different rides), or can you only have one at a time?

 

[dayzemair]

I think the rider switch is still useful even if you have to stand in line twice because then you are not dragging your under height children through all these ques that they then don't get to ride - they can be somewhere having fun while waiting for their parents to ride and if you don't have a fast pass already for the ride it makes a lot of sense. With most rides the fast pass line is not very long at all so its not too consequential it is only a problem right now for RSR because the fast pass line is so long. It seems to me like there is just no getting around the wait for that ride, either its worth it to you or it isn't, there are plenty of other attractions

 

[dsneygirl]

I totally agree with you. I am used to the WDW way of doing it, too, and was shocked this weekend when it was different at DLR. Really, it's kind of pointless (to me). The FP wait time was like 45-60 min most of the day - no way am I going to wait in that essentially twice (DH waiting once, me waiting another). We lucked out and happened upon a chance where the FP line was only like 20 min, so I was able to ride it. But I was prepared to skip it, for sure, b/c of the way in which they handle baby swap. Just not worth it!

This is exactly what happened to us on Monday June 18th. It was a fiasco. My DH went to guest services spoke to a CM about the absurdity of making the same family wait twice at 45min-1 hour. (twice)

When we were back at DCA on Wed the 20th the policy/procedure had changed. We had FP early, DH and DS went through the line (about 30min) came back with a baby swap card (blue cardboard) and then I went through the single rider line (which was not operating) and waited less than 5min.

I am guessing a lot of other fuming parents must have complained or perhaps they were just not prepared for the insane line ups at RSR.

 

[dsneygirl]

Can you get more than one Rider Swap ticket (for different rides), or can you only have one at a time?

I'm sure you can, it's not electronic it's just a piece of paper.