Can our teen be in "group 2" for rider swap?

[opus_00]

As I sort through all of new the rider swap information, I have not yet seen this scenario addressed. Our family of 2 adults, 2 teens, and a 5 year-old will be going to WDW in August. For a height-restricted ride, does only one person stay behind with the too-small rider, or can one adult and one teen stay behind, thus being the "group 2" that rides second?

Assuming that only "group 1" needs FP+ (which seems to be the case sometimes or not, depending on whom you ask), I am thinking that my teen daughter and I could ride a height-restricted ride while my husband and teen son obtain rider swap. Husband and teen son would take 5 yo son to ride something else (perhaps with a different FP+), then come back and ride the original ride while my daughter and I watch the 5 yo.

Would that work?

 

[Betty Rohrer]

As I sort through all of new the rider swap information, I have not yet seen this scenario addressed. Our family of 2 adults, 2 teens, and a 5 year-old will be going to WDW in August. For a height-restricted ride, does only one person stay behind with the too-small rider, or can one adult and one teen stay behind, thus being the "group 2" that rides second?

Assuming that only "group 1" needs FP+ (which seems to be the case sometimes or not, depending on whom you ask), I am thinking that my teen daughter and I could ride a height-restricted ride while my husband and teen son obtain rider swap. Husband and teen son would take 5 yo son to ride something else (perhaps with a different FP+), then come back and ride the original ride while my daughter and I watch the 5 yo.

Would that work?

that will work if 5 year old is too short but does not always work if 5 year old is tall enough but does not want to ride. the 5 year old and other have to come to first CM for that CM to see too small child then they can go and do something else. that did cause us some problems when child thought she was going to be able to ride cause she had to go to beginning of line

 

[opus_00]

that will work if 5 year old is too short but does not always work if 5 year old is tall enough but does not want to ride. the 5 year old and other have to come to first CM for that CM to see too small child then they can go and do something else. that did cause us some problems when child thought she was going to be able to ride cause she had to go to beginning of line

That is a good point, and one I hadn't thought of. I just looked up the height requirements, and it looks like the only rides he won't be tall enough for are RnRC and Primeval Whirl. He measures just over 44" barefoot, so he should be tall enough for everything else (even though he will definitely be too scared to ride many of them). I guess we won't plan on using rider switch, then. We'll just consider it a bonus if we can. I worry about not making the FP cutoff time if we take turns riding without rider switch, so we may ask about it where necessary.

 

[Betty Rohrer]

That is a good point, and one I hadn't thought of. I just looked up the height requirements, and it looks like the only rides he won't be tall enough for are RnRC and Primeval Whirl. He measures just over 44" barefoot, so he should be tall enough for everything else (even though he will definitely be too scared to ride many of them). I guess we won't plan on using rider switch, then. We'll just consider it a bonus if we can. I worry about not making the FP cutoff time if we take turns riding without rider switch, so we may ask about it where necessary.

had a grandson who at 4 just made height for Tower of Terror which was his favorite ride of the trip. he rode it every time he could but he hated Haunted Mansion as "it was too boring". his second favorite ride of the trip was Dinosaur. I did not expect him to like either one so you never know about what rides they will like

 

[opus_00]

had a grandson who at 4 just made height for Tower of Terror which was his favorite ride of the trip. he rode it every time he could but he hated Haunted Mansion as "it was too boring". his second favorite ride of the trip was Dinosaur. I did not expect him to like either one so you never know about what rides they will like

When my teen daughter was that age, she was afraid of the Winnie the Pooh Ride, so if my little one takes after her, I don't have high hopes of getting him anywhere near thrill rides!

 

[Betty Rohrer]

When my teen daughter was that age, she was afraid of the Winnie the Pooh Ride, so if my little one takes after her, I don't have high hopes of getting him anywhere near thrill rides!

as we said when I worked in daycare expect the best of him and he will live up to that. I would expect him to want to keep up with the older ones more your teen at that age as he has ones that like to ride to show him how to do it. while your daughter didn't have that. he may surprise you. should say older brothers of that grandson hated all the thrill rides he loved

 

[LongLiveRafiki]

While they may not grant you a rider swap pass for rides he is tall enough for, they might allow a swap at the loading area for the ride. The way it used to work is everyone would enter the queue, and when you get to the boarding area, tell a CM that he is scared to ride and you'd like to do a swap. Someone stays there with the kid while everyone else rides, then when they get off the ride, you switch. It all happens at the boarding area since everyone is tall enough to enter the line. An actual rider swap pass is needed when someone is physically unable to enter the line due to height. The upside is everyone gets to ride quicker as the person who waits with the kid can ride immediately after without having to go through the FP line. The downsides are the kid has to go through the queue/ can't ride something else during that time, and if you're using FP, he would need one too to enter the line, so you couldn't get a different FP for him and someone else.

I haven't seen any reports on whether that is working the same way with the recent changes, but don't see why it wouldn't. I would still ask at the entrance to the line to make sure that it can work that way for each ride. There may be some that have a different procedure depending on space at the loading area, etc.

Also, if you do just separate into two groups to ride (as in, second group stays out of the line and waits for first group to exit before getting in line) and you think you might not make the FP end time, just tell a CM you're waiting for the first group to get back. I doubt they'd give you a problem getting on if you're a few mins late.