Child Swap Help

[FairyGodmother00]

I haven't found much info here regarding child swap. We are a family with 3 adults and one 4 year old. We've experienced child swap with Universal but apparently it's much different with Disney. We are traveling the last week of January and may not need Genie plus at all, IDK. Can someone explain how this will all work?

I have never done disney with a toddler and it's been many, many, many years since I've been to DW. Lots of changes have happened that I am trying to get caught up on.

 

[Dulcee]

Since you only have the 1 kiddo who can't ride its relatively straightforward.

• When you arrive at an attraction that your child can't ride approach the lightning lane entrance and let a cast member know you need to utilize rider swap.
• They will want to know which adult is waiting with the child (and they'll need to be able to put eyes on the child).
• They'll scan the magicband or ticket of the adult who isn't riding, they will also offer that someone can ride with the waiting adult. If someone wants to they'll also scan their band.
• The two adults who are not waiting with the child will get in the regular line.
• When they get off the ride the waiting adult (and the re-rider) will be able to enter through the lightning lane entrance to ride.

In our experience child swap passes do not have a time stamp but you can only hold 1 at a given time. Comes in handy to know that in case of emergency diaper changes, snack breaks etc.

 

[FairyGodmother00]

Since you only have the 1 kiddo who can't ride its relatively straightforward.

• When you arrive at an attraction that your child can't ride approach the lightning lane entrance and let a cast member know you need to utilize rider swap.
• They will want to know which adult is waiting with the child (and they'll need to be able to put eyes on the child).
• They'll scan the magicband or ticket of the adult who isn't riding, they will also offer that someone can ride with the waiting adult. If someone wants to they'll also scan their band.
• The two adults who are not waiting with the child will get in the regular line.
• When they get off the ride the waiting adult (and the re-rider) will be able to enter through the lightning lane entrance to ride.

In our experience child swap passes do not have a time stamp but you can only hold 1 at a given time. Comes in handy to know that in case of emergency diaper changes, snack breaks etc.

So, one of the riders from say group 1 can re-ride with the adult that waited?

Also, do the first two riders have to go through the stand by lane the first time, even of they are using Genie plus?

 

[Dulcee]

So, one of the riders from say group 1 can re-ride with the adult that waited?

Also, do the first two riders have to go through the stand by lane the first time, even of they are using Genie plus?

Yes, if 1 adult waits with a nonriding child, a second adult from the first group of riders can ride the attraction a second time.

If you have a Genie+ and make a lightning lane reservation for the attraction the first group would also take the lightning lane entrance, not regular standby. Occasionally you'll run into a cast member who tells you if you have the lightning lane reservations you don't need childswap. While theoretically this is true it means the waiting adult would need to ride solo and you are at the mercy of the clock and the time of your reservation for the second rider.

 

[FairyGodmother00]

Yes, if 1 adult waits with a nonriding child, a second adult from the first group of riders can ride the attraction a second time.

If you have a Genie+ and make a lightning lane reservation for the attraction the first group would also take the lightning lane entrance, not regular standby. Occasionally you'll run into a cast member who tells you if you have the lightning lane reservations you don't need childswap. While theoretically this is true it means the waiting adult would need to ride solo and you are at the mercy of the clock and the time of your reservation for the second rider.

Thank you so much!!!

 

[msmayor]

If I'm understanding this process correctly. the adults with the non-riding child...after they 'scan in', are free to wander about until it's time to enter the LL (after the regular adults in the line have ridden)?

I'm wondering if my husband and I would be able to wander about nearby with our granddaughter and, our adult kids (parents of the grand) text us as they get to the front of the line so we know when to get back to LL for our turn to ride. Will that work?

 

[FairyGodmother00]

If I'm understanding this process correctly. the adults with the non-riding child...after they 'scan in', are free to wander about until it's time to enter the LL (after the regular adults in the line have ridden)?

I'm wondering if my husband and I would be able to wander about nearby with our granddaughter and, our adult kids (parents of the grand) text us as they get to the front of the line so we know when to get back to LL for our turn to ride. Will that work?

That makes sense to me

 

[Dulcee]

If I'm understanding this process correctly. the adults with the non-riding child...after they 'scan in', are free to wander about until it's time to enter the LL (after the regular adults in the line have ridden)?

I'm wondering if my husband and I would be able to wander about nearby with our granddaughter and, our adult kids (parents of the grand) text us as they get to the front of the line so we know when to get back to LL for our turn to ride. Will that work?

Correct. We have a little one who is too small to ride so usually my husband will take him on a little kid ride while I ride whatever has the height restriction with our bigger kids. When we get off he'll hop on the big kid ride with one of our older kids while I take the little one on something else.

 

[auntyjenn]

In this scenario, when can you book your next lightning lane? As soon as the first group and child swap passes have been issued or after the second group uses their child swaps? Thanks!

 

[FreeTime]

Will both adults in her example be able to wait with the nonrider? I am assuming it works in this case since there are two other adult riders so one of the re-rides is giving up their re-ride.

 

[lanejudy]

Will both adults in her example be able to wait with the nonrider? I am assuming it works in this case since there are two other adult riders so one of the re-rides is giving up their re-ride.

Correct - if 2 wait with the small child nobody gets a re-ride.

 

[sponica]

In this scenario, when can you book your next lightning lane? As soon as the first group and child swap passes have been issued or after the second group uses their child swaps? Thanks!

It's been a while since I matched LL with rider swap, but if my husband rode with kid A (both have lightning lanes, and Kid A gets a rider swap added), I would then redeem my lightning lane and Kid A's child swap after they returned and then book new lightning lanes after I tapped in to the ride.

Group A can book their next lightning lane after they tap in, but if you do that, Group B might not get the same LL time.

 

[Disturbia]

FYI: If riding standby, some rides might require the entire party wait in the outdoor (roped extended) queue and they only issue the rider swap once you near the entrance and official queue starting at the ride sign. SDMT and FOP come to mind. We had to wait with our non rider in the stroller in the outdoor extended queue for 25 mins for SDMT and then the wait was 40 mins from the ride sign. FOP moved fast and was only 5 mins outdoors. Tim Tracker had a video using RS and they had his family wait in the outdoor extended queue for RnRC. This also happened at DL for Space Mtn (they made us go back to the end of the standby line and then issued RS). CMs can change this policy anytime so hopefully this policy is no longer in place (we purchased LL after that).

SDD was antsy about us waiting an hour and had to override-scanner turned blue. We ran to MMRR after party 1 rode SDD (MMRR was down all morning) as that was only 1 of 2 rides our toddler could ride. The LL was 45 mins!

 

[erinlynn2020]

Thanks for this thread

I will have my adult daughter, her 1 year old & 8 & 11 year olds- so my daughter can ride with her girls while I stay with the baby & then when she gets back, i ride with the 8 & 11 year olds?

 

[lanejudy]

Thanks for this thread

I will have my adult daughter, her 1 year old & 8 & 11 year olds- so my daughter can ride with her girls while I stay with the baby & then when she gets back, i ride with the 8 & 11 year olds?

As “party 2” (the waiting adult) you may only take 1 of the other kids back again. Maybe rotate who gets the 2nd ride.

 

[blue oranda]

Thanks for this thread

I will have my adult daughter, her 1 year old & 8 & 11 year olds- so my daughter can ride with her girls while I stay with the baby & then when she gets back, i ride with the 8 & 11 year olds?

My mom waited with my 2 year old while me and husband rode soaring with our 4 year old. I was suppose to re-ride with my mom and my husband waits with the two kids.

Well my 4 year old is all excited that he wants to ride with grandma! So only problem is my mom is not comfortable being responsible for the 4 year old alone on the ride, so she wanted me to re-ride too.

We go to the soaring booth and explain our dilemma to the cast member. He firmly says only one re-rider. It was not very busy at the time and in fact no other families were around us. My mom was trying to appeal to him to change his mind, which I saw wasn’t happening. Luckily the standby line was walk on at 15mins, so the 3 of us just did the standby queue.

My mom said she would have not rode soaring if it was going to upset the 4 year old that he couldn’t ride with her.

It worked out for us, but I don’t know in situations where little kids are involved I feel they should allow 2 re-riders. It was a low point for me on the trip because I felt the magic was gone. My kids are tall though so next visit we won’t have to deal with rider swap anymore.

I hope you have a more positive experience, last year the older one didn’t realize what was happening with the re-riding so we didn’t have an issue then.

 

[erinlynn2020]

My mom waited with my 2 year old while me and husband rode soaring with our 4 year old. I was suppose to re-ride with my mom and my husband waits with the two kids.

Well my 4 year old is all excited that he wants to ride with grandma! So only problem is my mom is not comfortable being responsible for the 4 year old alone on the ride, so she wanted me to re-ride too.

We go to the soaring booth and explain our dilemma to the cast member. He firmly says only one re-rider. It was not very busy at the time and in fact no other families were around us. My mom was trying to appeal to him to change his mind, which I saw wasn’t happening. Luckily the standby line was walk on at 15mins, so the 3 of us just did the standby queue.

My mom said she would have not rode soaring if it was going to upset the 4 year old that he couldn’t ride with her.

It worked out for us, but I don’t know in situations where little kids are involved I feel they should allow 2 re-riders. It was a low point for me on the trip because I felt the magic was gone. My kids are tall though so next visit we won’t have to deal with rider swap anymore.

I hope you have a more positive experience, last year the older one didn’t realize what was happening with the re-riding so we didn’t have an issue then.

sorry that happened - will have to see how it goes, instead of waiting in the queue I may just wait elsewhere with the the one year old while my daughter has the older two

 

[Simba's Mom]

Correct. We have a little one who is too small to ride so usually my husband will take him on a little kid ride while I ride whatever has the height restriction with our bigger kids. When we get off he'll hop on the big kid ride with one of our older kids while I take the little one on something else.

I'll have to tell DS about this. He has 3 daughters, 2 of which are taller than DDIL, and then a 2 yo. The only possible problem I see is the older daughters arguing over who gets to re-ride, and who has to stay with the 2 yo. Or maybe Mom could re-ride with Dad and both daughters stay with the little one. Is that allowed? Or does it have to be a parent? The older girls are 12 and 14.

 

[lanejudy]

will have to see how it goes, instead of waiting in the queue I may just wait elsewhere with the the one year old

If the attraction has a height restriction, you have to wait elsewhere because the little one won’t be allowed into the queue.

 

[lanejudy]

Or maybe Mom could re-ride with Dad and both daughters stay with the little one. Is that allowed? Or does it have to be a parent? The older girls are 12 and 14.

Disney considers the 14-yr-old is old enough to wait with the little one, though I’m not sure anyone would question the 12-yr-old either if just waiting. Definitely if waiting together they should be fine to sit with little sister and have a snack; or with the 14-yr-old they could even ride the carousel or something.