Child Swap for rides - How does it work?

[virginiamama]

DH and I will be going to WDW in December and DS1 will be 5 years old, DS2 will be 1 1/2. What exactly do we do to swap the kids so that we can wait in line together but each adult ride individually while the other watches the kids? I don't remember seeing a CM at the entrance to every line, so how do they know we're doing child swap (other than the obvious little guys in line with us)? DH was concerned about how this worked since some rides don't load riders at the same place that they off load riders. Also - can we still use fast pass? Thanks!

P.S. - is it called "child swap" or "parent swap"?

 

[crusin'minnie]

We have always called it baby swap. It can be used in conjunction with the fastpass. I'm sure someone will correct me if I am wrong, but my recollection is;

Go up to the attendant at the entrance to the attraction and tell them you need to do a baby swap. They will give you a ticket.

If you DON'T have a fastpass- Dad takes the older child thru the regular long line. Then Mom takes the older child thru the fastpass line with the child swap ticket.

If you DO have a fastpass-Dad takes the older child thru the fastpass line and then mom takes the older child thru the fastpass line.

Either way the second parent does not have to wait in the long line.


Also we have always had an attendant there at the entrance to the attraction with the swap tickets.

For future reference- The swapping parent may take 2 people with her. I have three children so my older 2 both get to ride with both me and my husband. They think it is the greatest thing ever.

Have a great time!!!

 

[GoofyforDisney3]

I don't think you will find a CM at the entrance of the rides without a height restriction. At least I do not recall seeing any one doing the baby swap at those type of rides. Baby swap is mainly used for rides with height restrictions, like RNR or BTMR or SM, since most of the rides without height restrictions are fairly tame. We took DD at 18 months on any ride that did not have height restrictions and she loved everyone, including HM.

 

[vossjemi]

So, you actually have to take the kids in the line with you? Our swap will be with grandparents and thought they could take the kids to do something while we ride, and then when done, swap out and let the grandparents ride. I'd hate for my kids (5 and 3) to have to hang out in the line the whole time since they can't ride anyway. Are you saying everybody participating actually has to go through the line, and they let you stand aside with the kids until the rider/s make it through to come back and claim the kids?

Also, do I understand that when you go through the line with the child swap ticket, it is just a normal walk through the fastpass line....you don't automatically get to the front of the fastpass line?

 

[mickeyluv'r]

You can go up to the fastpass line and ask about the babyswap pass. Then you don't have to wait in any lines to get the babyswap pass. Not all rides offer this feature - only the ones with height restrictions (I think they all pretty much have fastpass too), but not all fastpass rides have babyswap - Pooh doesn't have it, for example. The person who waits with the kid(s) gets a fastpass kind of ticket to return with.

 

[mommytutu]

We didn't wait in line with our "swap kid". DH and ds would get a rider swap pass when they went through the line. I would take our 18 month old and walk around or do something else. For example, when dh and ds rode Test Track I took dd to play in the fountains. When they were done with the ride, if I wasn't back by the exit, then he would just call me on my cell. He would give me the pass and ds and I would go through the fastpass line. There was even one night when dh and ds were done with Mission Space we had to leave right then to make our PS, so we held on to the rider switch pass until the next night.

Also, Splash Mountain has a little play area at the exit, but this is the only ride that has such an area.

 

[mill4023]

If it's the same as Disneyland, it's different for each ride. We were concerned that it would be a hassle, but it wasn't. At each ride, just go up and ask a CM and they will let you know what you need to do for that particular ride. We had a DS9, DD6, DD3, and DD(4 months) last summer and the baby swap worked great.

 

[kimwim8]

The only ride we did the baby swap was Dinosaur. We had fastpasses, so we all went through the fastpass line & then when we got almost on the ride there was a CM who asked us who was going first & who was going second....the ones who were going second went through some door & we saw them when we got off the ride, then they went on. It went very smoothly. I didn't know that you didn't need a fastpass, though.