Child Swap?

[beattyfamily]

just when i think i have wrapped my mind around this child swap thing, i read a post like this and end up with a million more questions.

here is one of them.....

do i get a FP for a ride BEFORE i approach the CM at said ride and inform them that we want to CHILD SWAP? or does the parent who rides 1st (while the other stands by with baby) get a special fastpass/child swap pass from the CM? OR is it only the 2nd parent (the one waiting with baby first) who gets the special fastpass/child swap pass and the 1st parent (who is riding first) has to take care of their own fastpass via the machine or just choose to ride the stand-by line.


I though i had read on a previous child swap thread that i was to check in at guest services at the front of each park and get a all day child swap pass that we were to use at the FP entrances for each ride. Does this sound right? or am i thinking of the pass that lets you use your stroller as a wheelchair?!?!?!?

i am lost on this one.

- lori

You have to decide for each ride if the parent WITHOUT the special parent/child swap wants to do standby or get fastpasses. That's a separate issue. Some rides we do get fastpass for and some we don't.

Once you've gotten your fastpass or decided to do standby, then go to the CM at the entrance to the ride and tell them you have a child and would like to parent/child swap. They will tell you how that particular rides handles parent/child swap, and it's usually that they will give you a special Fastpass ticket that is for the parent that sits with the children that do not ride. It's good for up to 3 people and can be used anytime that day. This ticket you are given is a totally separate issue from whether the first parent does standby or regular fastpass for his time in line for the ride.

What we usually do for let's say ToT is my DH runs and gets fastpasses for the 4 of us (even though younger DD will not ride it). Then I go with younger DD in her stroller and ask how parent swap works. He then gives me the special parent swap fastpass. Then DH and older DD go in the fastpass line with the fastpass tickets (2) and then he comes back and I go with the older DD with the other 2 fastpasses and then we use the parent swap fastpass last. If we have time right then, then one of us will go on with older DD yet again or we save it for later in the day since it doesn't have a time limit.

Other times we just do standby and use the parent swap for the second parent. It depends on how long the standby line is.

I hope this isn't more confusing!

 

[tjmw2727]

I think that the swaps are only available on rides with height restrictions.

Our experience was the following...

-approach the queue and request a child swap ticket from the CM.
-CM asks to see the child that is not going on (to verify height i guess)
-CM hands the swap ticket to the person who will be waiting.
-Everyone else goes on the ride.
-When the swap is done, up to 3 people get to go on the ride through the fast pass queue.

The child swap ticket does not have to be used right away either. You can save to use later in the day or later in the week if you want. When we went some swap passes had an expiration date (ususally for Saturday) and some did not have an expiration date. We still have a BTMRR pass that should be good for when we plan out next trip.

Very well stated! This was our experience with a small exception in Dec 04 and Feb 05. The only difference we had was that the swap pass was only good for that day.

The reason up to three people can ride on the swap ticket is so that the second adult dosen't have to ride alone, it becomes a perk for a child as they can ride with mom and then with dad. With a larger party some will ride first and then two others can join the second parent.

It can be confusing so the best thing to do is ask the CM at the rides with a height restriction how they would like to handle a baby swap.

For the OP, your 11yo is old enough to wait alone (accd to Disney) and tall enough to ride so he would not be eligible for babyswap. In that case the best thing to do is use FP, one parent rides while the other does something with the 11yo and then visa versa.

TJ

 

[TheDisneyBunch]

I am sitting here lmao! This should be soo simple... but nope I am lost..lol

Ok, so I have my 2 year old in a stroller.. we want to get on a ride.. How do you take a stroller into the lines? Are there no steps or anything like that? OR how would you get the stroller to the exit side of the ride when you got up to the ride? OR do you wait all the way outside the entrance with the stroller while the one parent goes in to ride and then when they come back out you go up and have to wait in line?? or is there a serperate line for this? i never realized you had to have a pass.. I was thinking you wait in line and then somehow get the kid over to the other side where you exit and that other parent waits with them til you are done, then they ride. LOL You can tell I have never done anything like this. Please forgive my stupidity!

 

[disneydreamer98]

If your DH goes through the standby lane then he needs to ask the CM for a "rider switch" pass for you while you sit outside the exit somewhere with your child. Your DH can also use a FP if available and ask for a "rider switch" pass before he enters the FP line. Once he has riden he will return to you, stay with your child and you will take the "rider switch" pass to the FP line and continue onto the ride. Let me know if you still don't understand and I will try to come up with a clearer explanation.

 

[TheDisneyBunch]

OHHHH! I get it now! Thank you for the expaining!

 

[tjmw2727]

If your DH goes through the standby lane then he needs to ask the CM for a "rider switch" pass for you while you sit outside the exit somewhere with your child. Your DH can also use a FP if available and ask for a "rider switch" pass before he enters the FP line. Once he has riden he will return to you, stay with your child and you will take the "rider switch" pass to the FP line and continue onto the ride. Let me know if you still don't understand and I will try to come up with a clearer explanation.

Yes, but in Dec and Feb I had to go to the beginning of the line with DD and DH - in order to get the swap pass. Evidently to make sure there is a non-rider who dosen't meet the height requirement. Then I could take dd to do a ride, get an ice cream, diaper change etc and meet dh later. At some point during the day I would return with my older dd and do the attraction via the fast pass lane with the rider switch pass.

No need to wait the line with the child and or stroller but just show the cm the child and off on your way. This is when nextel came in very handy!!

TJ

 

[JenJen]

WDW is much nicer then Disneyland. At Disneyland it is only the parent that did not get to ride and one other person and they are very strict about it.
JenJen

 

[disneydreamer98]

OHHHH! I get it now! Thank you for the expaining!

No problem! Glad I could help...it really is a great thing to take advantage of! Have fun!