Child Swap Question, please help asap!

[laurainsem]

I'm getting our fastpasses tonight and am so confused about child swap. How exactly does it work? Does everyone wait in line or does the other parent wait outside and they get a special ticket or something to skip the line? Also, should I get all our fastpasses for the same time when using the child swap?

Sorry, I know these are probably easy questions and I'm looking for the answers in all the wrong places but im just so confused and tired of trying to find the answers on the million and a half pages that give the basic answers. Not one site helps at all with these two basic questions, lol!

Thank Dis family!

 

[kayemgi]

When we did child swap at Everest (the only place we did it), all three of us (me, husband, baby) walked up to the first CM at the head of the queue and asked for a child swap. He gave me a voucher kind of thing, and I went through the line and gave the voucher to the CM at the end of the queue. He then gave me the child swap pass. I rode, then gave my husband the pass, and he was able to go through the FP line. My husband and baby did not have to go in the line with me -- that's the whole point, that only one person has to wait in the line! They played around the outside of the ride instead. If you have FPs, you don't need child swap, you just take turns going through the FP line.

 

[smiths02]

Here is an example of what we did at Epcot.
I made a Soarin' FP+ for myself and a Test Track FP+ for my DH and older DS (about an hour after my Soarin FP)
My whole family (including the 3 year olds) went up to the Soarin' FP+ line. I got a lanyard, got in FP+ line, exchanged my lanyard for a little piece of paper that acts as a FP for up to three people. While I rode, DH took all the kids on Livin' with the Land (standby line). I got out, then DH and older DS took that piece of paper and entered the FP+ line while I took the little ones on Livin' with the Land (standby line)

Then we went to Test Track. We all walked up to the line. DH and DS had FP+ and got into that line and got a ticket for a FP later. I took 3 year olds to the car showcase area and we played. It was time for lunch so we went to lunch. Later, DS and I rode Test Track with the little paper pass (those are usually good anytime until the end of the month).


For a ride like 7DMT...my 3 year olds are tall enough, but my older son didn't want to ride (You generally only get rider swap when someone CANT ride not when they don't want to), so I just made a FP+ for all of us at the same time. We got there at start of FP+ window and DH took younger DS while I waited with the other kids and I took DD with our FP+ while DH waited with the younger kids.

 

[smiths02]

When we did child swap at Everest (the only place we did it), all three of us (me, husband, baby) walked up to the first CM at the head of the queue and asked for a child swap. He gave me a voucher kind of thing, and I went through the line and gave the voucher to the CM at the end of the queue. He then gave me the child swap pass. I rode, then gave my husband the pass, and he was able to go through the FP line. My husband and baby did not have to go in the line with me -- that's the whole point, that only one person has to wait in the line! They played around the outside of the ride instead. If you have FPs, you don't need child swap, you just take turns going through the FP line.

If you have FP+, you might still need child swap because if you get there at the end of the FP+ window, you might not have enough time to take turns going through the FP+ line

Also, see my above example...it was a way for all of us to avoid Tiers.

 

[smiths02]

If your children are 3 (so they have a ticket) but too short to ride, you can also just make them FP+ for something and then someone else can use it

So on our second day in Epcot...older DS, and I had Soarin' FP+
I got FP+ for Test Track for the 3 year old twins who are not 40 inches (but we paid for their ticket and their FP+!) and DH

DS and I road Soarin' and got rider swap. Then DH and DS rode Soarin' with the rider swap pass.

Then, at Test Track, DH used his FP+ and my older DS used his little brothers magic band and FP+. We also got rider swap. So DH and DS rode, then DS and I rode.

 

[kayemgi]

If you have FP+, you might still need child swap because if you get there at the end of the FP+ window, you might not have enough time to take turns going through the FP+ line

Also, see my above example...it was a way for all of us to avoid Tiers.

That's a good point. Like I said, we only did child swap on Everest, as it was just me and my husband and my daughter is a handful, so we weren't too interested in riding too many rides solo, so I didn't even think of doing it the way you described. We did the Mine Train solo as well, but we just used FPs for it, not child swap. Maybe we'll try your way out on our next trip! It would be nice to get to do Toy Story AND RNR with FP.

 

[tjmw2727]

Hope I am not to late-
Rider Swap Pass (RSP) will be given to the first parent riding (standby or FP+) you all approach the cm at the beginning of the line and ask for the pass, the child not eligible to ride must be present to prove you qualify. The CM will give you a RSP, it is a paper pass that allows you to ride via the FP+ line, it is good for the day (sometimes longer) for that ride and for up to 3 guests. The parent riding second can then take the child to do something else while the first parent rides, we find a playground, ice cream stand or maybe a ride that the younger kid(s) like. Then the parent who didn't ride can return anytime that day (or longer) and ride with up to 2 others via the FP+ line while the other parent entertains the child(ren) who can't ride.

You can decide how to use your FP+ based on what you want to ride and maybe split a few FP+ choices on the height restricted rides between the adults and use a RSP for the other.