Child-swap and Fast pass compatibility

[TinkerbEllnor]

Is this a loophole?

Possible scenario:
Simultaneously, Mom gets 1 FP for Splash Mtn and Dad gets 1 FP for BTMRR. Mom, Dad and child return to queue entrance to Splash and request child swap pass for Dad while Mom rides via FP line. Switch off then Dad rides also via FP line due to child swap pass. Repeat at BTMRR. Does this not essentially get you two FP at a time, while the next childless couple is confined to 1 FP at a time?

It feels like it would be cheating, and has the potential for abuse if you throw in the "bring back 3 people after you swap" allowance. What if Grandma also gets her 1 FP at Space Mtn and Grandpa gets his 1 FP at Stitch at the same time as Mom and Dad? One rides solo via 1 FP then three come back on child swap through FP line. 4-for-1! And if truly working the system, use Junior's ticket to acquire FP for a 5th.

Of course, folks in the second situation would get their instant karma in the form of schleping back and forth across the park to get to said rides, and sucking all the magic out of the day by coordinating this scenario. Also, this would not work if the whole family including Junior has to enter the queue and swap at the ride itself- I don't know which ones require that vs waiting to swap outside the queue.

**Bottom line...are child swap passes only offered if the 1st rider is using the standby line? If both parents need fast passes to use the fast pass line for the 1st rider, they would not need a child swap pass to begin with, as the second rider would already have a pass.

For the record, we do not intend on using this loophole if it exists. I truly am just curious. This trip is all about our kids experience and spending time together in our little family, so if they can't ride, we don't plan to ride. We will save the big ones for another trip. (with the exception of EE or Soarin- I hope to squeeze one in during a stroller nap- they are new since I was at WDW last)

Thanks for your expertise!

 

[MaeDaisy]

That wouldn't work. Your Fast Pass is checked twice: first at the main entrance to the ride, then at the "top" when you're about to board and they actually take the FP. The CM who takes the pass is the same one who will give you your Child Swap pass, but both parties have to be present. So in order to get the Child Swap pass, mom and dad would both need a Fast Pass to get to the top of the ride. The CM there would take both of your FPs and give you the Child Swap pass.

Disney didn't fall offa no turnip truck, they thinksa these things!

 

[chrissylou2]

Yes when we used FP with the child swap last Aug me and DH both had to have a FP.

 

[MaeDaisy]

"If both parents need fast passes to use the fast pass line for the 1st rider, they would not need a child swap pass to begin with, as the second rider would already have a pass."

I guess the benefit of the Child Swap is that you can all stand in line together, rather than mom having to go completely by herself while dad and baby wait outside the ride, then dad going completely by himself while mom & baby wait. If you don't mind that scenario, you're right, you could just each use your FP separately and skip the Child Swap. If you had any other kids who DID ride though, they would need a new FP in order to ride again with the other parent. And if mom & dad got their FPs at the same time and big sister needed a new one to ride again, that new one would have a different return time than the other parent's. So, the swap is a pretty good feature, even WITH Fast Pass.

 

[TinkerbEllnor]

Thanks!

The waiting in line together scenario and then swapping at the ride itself is preferable to us, and would make us more likely to use the child swap option. Then, we would only be separated for a few minutes each time, rather than a large chunk of time riding the park bench waiting and then trying to find each other again should you try to wander a shop or another attraction. Riding a ride by yourself is less fun than together, but standing in a long line alone too would be a deal breaker.

We have only used child swap one time in the past (ToT) and the CM told us out front to leave the kid and 2nd parent outside and meet up after and switch. The ride was a walk on (day before Hurricane Frances) so that may have had something to do with it. Even with no line, it still took 15-20 minutes apiece with the pre-show and all. 40 minutes is a long time for 1 parent to keep 2 toddlers from getting bored while waiting.

I appreciate the replies. Anyone know if the swap for EE or Soarin takes place at the ride itself (wait in line together) or if you have to swap outside?

Thanks

 

[skuttle]

We did EE child swap earlier this month and DS wasn't allowed in the line at all. We had to swap before even getting in line.

 

[attagirlx2]

On a lot of rides, the parent waiting with the child does NOT get into line with the parent riding. The parent riding just goes through the FastPass line. I know this to be true on Soarin', Big Thunder Mountain, Space Mountain, Expedition Everest, Dinosaur, Primeval Whirl, Tower of Terror, and Rock'n'Roller Coaster just to name a few.

 

[MikeAidanEoinMom]

We did EE child swap earlier this month and DS wasn't allowed in the line at all. We had to swap before even getting in line.

Most rides were like this in November when we went.

 

[shafke]

When we have done CS in the past, the child who waited never got in line with the rest of the group.

What the OP is planning if just fine and we used that method a number of times. Also, if the child is old enough to have their own admission ticket for the park then you can get a third FP. In theory you could then have a FP for all 3 mountains in the MK.

 

[mwehttam]

What shafke says is accurate. When we were there in July '07, we never waited on line together. We always received the child swap pass at the attractions entrance. You just all need to be present to get that pass. After that, the parent with the child can go find a cool place to wait.

-Matthew

 

[One Year Pin]

Is this a loophole?

Possible scenario:
Simultaneously, Mom gets 1 FP for Splash Mtn and Dad gets 1 FP for BTMRR. Mom, Dad and child return to queue entrance to Splash and request child swap pass for Dad while Mom rides via FP line. Switch off then Dad rides also via FP line due to child swap pass. Repeat at BTMRR. Does this not essentially get you two FP at a time, while the next childless couple is confined to 1 FP at a time?

It feels like it would be cheating, and has the potential for abuse if you throw in the "bring back 3 people after you swap" allowance. What if Grandma also gets her 1 FP at Space Mtn and Grandpa gets his 1 FP at Stitch at the same time as Mom and Dad? One rides solo via 1 FP then three come back on child swap through FP line. 4-for-1! And if truly working the system, use Junior's ticket to acquire FP for a 5th.

Of course, folks in the second situation would get their instant karma in the form of schleping back and forth across the park to get to said rides, and sucking all the magic out of the day by coordinating this scenario. Also, this would not work if the whole family including Junior has to enter the queue and swap at the ride itself- I don't know which ones require that vs waiting to swap outside the queue.

**Bottom line...are child swap passes only offered if the 1st rider is using the standby line? If both parents need fast passes to use the fast pass line for the 1st rider, they would not need a child swap pass to begin with, as the second rider would already have a pass.

For the record, we do not intend on using this loophole if it exists. I truly am just curious. This trip is all about our kids experience and spending time together in our little family, so if they can't ride, we don't plan to ride. We will save the big ones for another trip. (with the exception of EE or Soarin- I hope to squeeze one in during a stroller nap- they are new since I was at WDW last)

Thanks for your expertise!

You've got WAAAAAAYYYY too much time on your hands.

 

[Buzz Litebeer]

Is this a loophole?

If there are only two adults and one child, both adults should get FastPasses and ride separately with one adult waiting outside with the child.

The whole point of the Rider Swap pass is to allow the parent who waited to experience the attraction with up to two other members of the party. Since the party only consists of three guests (one of whom cannot ride), a Rider Swap ticket would be unnessesary. Claiming otherwise will likely get you a Rider Swap ticket, but is unethical.

 

[Lori S.]

I'm trying to plan our trip. My older two kids are thriller lovers and love to ride them over and over. I'm thinking that the child swap is going to really help us. We have a 2 year old. What will we do, where will we wait, and then, how long, after exiting and going and swapping the younger child to the other parent, will it be before we enter the ride again. Do we then go into the Fast Pass line, or is there another place we enter. I know some rides you enter and exit at totally different places. These are the one's I'm wondering about. Thanks!!!

 

[justhat]

We have never once had a CM tell us to get 2 FPs or anything like that. That wouldn't make any sense. If that were the case, what difference would it make if my party consisted of 2 or 5 adults? I mean, someone always has to watch the baby, right? So let's say I have a party of 5 riders and one non-riding baby. Shouldn't the 5 riders all get FPs and ride in shifts? How would that be any different than if it were just my husband and I? I travelled with extended family when my daughter was 3 months old and sometimes we'd all get FPs and break up like that, other times half the group would get FPs and the other half would use the baby swap ticket.

What the OP stated is exactly how it works. We very rarely get to FPs for a ride if we can get a child swap. The reason being that we can almost never ride the same ride twice in a row with my kids. My son simply won't just wait for 2 of us to ride in sequence. So one of us rides, the other gets the child swap, and we come back later when he's napping, eating a snack, or whatever. If we had FPs the window would be long gone on the one who didn't ride first.

Now that my daughter is 40 inches, we usually get 2 FPs if it's something she likes. Then she rides with me first, and later in the day, when my husband uses his baby swap, she can go again with him.

And the only ride they have ever let my child wait in line with us is Star Tours. That one they do the swap immediately after the first person exits. So we all waited together, I rode, then my husband and daughter were waiting at the exit. He was seated before the next group was allowed in.

 

[extramagichours]

I am a father who needs the rider switch passes. I don't think it's unethical to try and work the system to your advantage. My wife and I don't get to close the parks every night with a little one. We don't always get to take advantage of the walk-on opportunities late at night. We have to interrupt touring plans for diaper changes or sometimes just naps. Rider switch is our opportunity to make up for lost time. I say get as many rider switch passes as you can. So when your 13-year old gets to FASTPASS Everest twice in a row, it makes up for the fact that he had to sit through Pocahontas and Her Forest Friends to make the toddler happy.

And for what it's worth, during Spring Break of '07 we simply went to the FASTPASS return line (usually just one of us), showed our stroller, and were given a rider switch pass. We sometimes got rider switch passes even if we weren't planning on riding that ride at the moment. We didn't need a current FASTPASS to get one either.

That's just my opinion. I don't think it's appropriate to steal FASTPASSES or even to use expired ones. However, if I can come up with a way to get my family one on more ride (without breaking rules) even just a little bit faster, I am probably going to do it.

 

[schwenksvillemouse]

Subscribing as this is an interesting topic. It has turned on a few lightbulbs for my summer touring plan.

 

[tzolkin]

i just posted this same thing on the family board yesterday...

someone there said that if you are "caught" doing this they will take your child swap/fast pass tickets and not allow you to ride. also that you could possibly be thrown out of the park. i thought this sounded a little harsh. i could understand if you were consistently trying to cheat the system, but i honestly didnt know how exactly this was supposed to work and if you could use fastpass with a child swap or not. if there are indeed consequences for doing this, is this "rule" posted anywhere? i would think to enforce this people would have to know they were breaking a rule and not just making an honest mistake because they dont understand exactly how FP/CS works.

 

[LilGMom]

Anyone know if the swap for EE or Soarin takes place at the ride itself (wait in line together) or if you have to swap outside?

When we have used the Parent Swap for EE or Soarin we have waited at the beginning/end of the ride near the FP machines. DH & I had to both have FPs if we were wanting to use a FP and a Parent Swap. So DH couldn't have a FP for one ride, me have a FP for another ride and use the Parent Swap as a FP for one parent.

Sorry, but I think your OP train of thought would not work.

 

[Laugh O. Grams]

Is this a loophole?

Possible scenario:
Simultaneously, Mom gets 1 FP for Splash Mtn and Dad gets 1 FP for BTMRR. Mom, Dad and child return to queue entrance to Splash and request child swap pass for Dad while Mom rides via FP line. Switch off then Dad rides also via FP line due to child swap pass. Repeat at BTMRR. Does this not essentially get you two FP at a time, while the next childless couple is confined to 1 FP at a time?

It feels like it would be cheating, and has the potential for abuse if you throw in the "bring back 3 people after you swap" allowance. What if Grandma also gets her 1 FP at Space Mtn and Grandpa gets his 1 FP at Stitch at the same time as Mom and Dad? One rides solo via 1 FP then three come back on child swap through FP line. 4-for-1! And if truly working the system, use Junior's ticket to acquire FP for a 5th.

Of course, folks in the second situation would get their instant karma in the form of schleping back and forth across the park to get to said rides, and sucking all the magic out of the day by coordinating this scenario. Also, this would not work if the whole family including Junior has to enter the queue and swap at the ride itself- I don't know which ones require that vs waiting to swap outside the queue.

**Bottom line...are child swap passes only offered if the 1st rider is using the standby line? If both parents need fast passes to use the fast pass line for the 1st rider, they would not need a child swap pass to begin with, as the second rider would already have a pass.

For the record, we do not intend on using this loophole if it exists. I truly am just curious. This trip is all about our kids experience and spending time together in our little family, so if they can't ride, we don't plan to ride. We will save the big ones for another trip. (with the exception of EE or Soarin- I hope to squeeze one in during a stroller nap- they are new since I was at WDW last)

Thanks for your expertise!

Your loophole works. I've never attempted it but I do know for a fact that whenever my wife and I get FPs, then do CS, the CMs never take the second FP. You get the CS pass at the front of the line, not at the end, where they take your FPs. We could do it all day if we wanted to. Once you walk away with the CS pass and hand it to your SO, they don't know who's coming back and who's not, only that a restricted number of guests can ride together using the CS pass. Remember, you can always try it and if they say no, they say no, what's the harm? And don't believe some of the more hysterical among us, as far as anyone knows, there's no rule against it, so noone's getting thrown out of the park. Like tzolkin said, it definitely sounds a little harsh...a little too harsh to be true IMO.

 

[labdogs42]

Hmmmm...I thought one person had to go in the standby line to use CS. At least that's what I have been told by CM's before. Usually we just get two FP's and don't bother with the CS pass. I would love to know if the OP's scenario actually works. I haven't tried it before.

Oh yeah, while the one parent is riding the ride, there are always lots of thing for the other parent and child to do. e.g the laughing PLace playground, Tom Sawyer's island, Mission Space play area (in the exit area of the ride), playing in the Epcot fountains, etc. Don't just be a benchwarmer while you wait -- there is a lot you can do while you wait! Then just have the rider call you on their cell when they get off the ride and you can meet up again.