CM at HM wouldn't let us do a baby swap.

[bicker]

Precisely. Also, one aspect of the baby swap that makes it ripe for abuse is that three get to ride the second time, not just two. With a family of four plus one, it basically means that two of the members of the family get to ride everything twice, without waiting for the second ride. I think they will eventually have to change it so that it is only two that ride the second time.

 

[beattyfamily]

Some Guests abuse it by not being honest about even having a child. I worked at buzz lightyear and so many Guests would come up saying that their child was in a stroller 'somewhere' and couldn't ride and could they please have a child swap pass. It's not like I could have said bring your child all the way over here and then I will give you one cause then I am calling them a liar. But it would many times end up that there was no child in a stroller at all and the Guest would go around on the ride again with the pass. Sad isn't it?

I know, it's a shame, isn't it? But I think there's a possible solution, that some rides are doing, at least in my experience. At Splash Mountain and ToT, I was asked for my child to be measured, so if she was tall enough to ride, but didn't want to, we didn't get the special swap Fastpass. They told us that since she was tall enough, she had to go in the line with us and we'd swap at the ride itself. So if all the rides did this, then they cut down dramatically the abuse and the CM isn't calling the guest a liar; the CM just wants to measure the child.

I forgot that HM's Fastpass was gone. Thanks.

 

[tjmw2727]

Some Guests abuse it by not being honest about even having a child. I worked at buzz lightyear and so many Guests would come up saying that their child was in a stroller 'somewhere' and couldn't ride and could they please have a child swap pass. It's not like I could have said bring your child all the way over here and then I will give you one cause then I am calling them a liar. But it would many times end up that there was no child in a stroller at all and the Guest would go around on the ride again with the pass. Sad isn't it?

Actually we have had the CM ask to see the "baby" every time we used the swap. I didn't mind at all even the one time at RnRC when dh and my youngest dd had already left for an ice cream. I just went and got them, we all went back to the ride, got the babywap and on we went. Only took once before we realized, no baby, no swap! I was not put out or upset at all that the CM wouldn't give out the babyswap without a baby. I hope more CM's do enforce this so it dosen't become a problem and get discoutinued.

FWIW I didn't see the OP as 'abusing the system" either. Its just a case where every ride is different and can even vary from day to day. I always advise people to check with the CM before entering any line if they want to use babyswap to see if they are offering it and how the SM wants to handle it.

My experience has been that only the rides with a height restriction will offer a true babyswap (rider-switch) and only when you have a child who dosen't meet the requirement. It varies of course but that seems to be a good rule of thumb for me. If we have a child tall enough that chooses not to ride than using FP separately works better for us.

TJ

 

[tjmw2727]

I know, it's a shame, isn't it? But I think there's a possible solution, that some rides are doing, at least in my experience. At Splash Mountain and ToT, I was asked for my child to be measured, so if she was tall enough to ride, but didn't want to, we didn't get the special swap Fastpass. They told us that since she was tall enough, she had to go in the line with us and we'd swap at the ride itself. So if all the rides did this, then they cut down dramatically the abuse and the CM isn't calling the guest a liar; the CM just wants to measure the child.

I forgot that HM's Fastpass was gone. Thanks.

Yes that was my experience as well. If the child is tall enough to ride they usually have to wait the line and the parents can swap at the boarding/exit area.

The issue that was addressed with the rider swap pass was the fact that they don't want a child who isn't tall enough to ride in the queue at all. Hence the rider swap pass rather than the switch at the exit. This way the parents can ride with a limited wait (or at least not a double wait) and there is no chance for a borderline child to slip by and board the ride instead of switching.

TJ

 

[CheshireVal]

I can see having a child swap for rides that have height restrictions, but allowing it for every ride that a child just doesn't want to ride is really taking it a bit too far.

I kind of feel like when you have a child you have to sacrifice a certain amount of things for yourself. If you choose to go to Disney with a youngun who might not want to ride everything you do, in my mind you're just kinda flat out of luck.

I am already trying to squeeze in a few more trips to Disney before I try having children, because I know that my experience at WDW as a mom will be entirely different!

 

[MommyPoppins]

Some Guests abuse it by not being honest about even having a child. I worked at buzz lightyear and so many Guests would come up saying that their child was in a stroller 'somewhere' and couldn't ride and could they please have a child swap pass. It's not like I could have said bring your child all the way over here and then I will give you one cause then I am calling them a liar. But it would many times end up that there was no child in a stroller at all and the Guest would go around on the ride again with the pass. Sad isn't it?

When we went last year DH took the babies and was waiting at the SM playground while I went to BTMR to get a child swap, and the CM made me go get DH. Oh well, next time we'll just make sure the other is always there.

 

[MommyPoppins]

Not one person suggested that a child swap be available for every attraction. But HM is a scary ride for some children and seeing as how it is mentioned as being a child swap attraction on the WDW website, the CM SHOULD have given them a swap ticket. No one abused anything.

 

[mapmakerj]

I kind of feel like when you have a child you have to sacrifice a certain amount of things for yourself. If you choose to go to Disney with a youngun who might not want to ride everything you do, in my mind you're just kinda flat out of luck.

Welcome to the world of being a parent! When you are a parent you will always sacrifice things for your child, not just at Disney. That is just a fact of life. When you do Disney with a child you find ways to balance what you and your child want to do and can do and then you just do it. We took our DS for his 5th BD and DH went on the coasters while I waited with DS. Was I disappointed? Nope, just to be with my DS and see his face light up every time he saw something new more than made up for the sacrifices I made.

 

[orljustin]

Many years ago, when I worked at the GMR, we would not allow swaps. With 5 sets of 2 vehicle groups going around, when we were busy, it was too much trouble to try and remember who was with what party coming up in what car, to save seats and everything. At Star Tours, it was no problem, because the groups are sort of self-contained there.

 

[lclark0621]

Really? Baby Swap? Is this the newest abuse?

Come on people...It is not like this is "lying about child's age for cheaper ticket", or resort pool hopping...

If a child is afriad to ride HM, I see NO problem with letting people do the baby swap.

And I have NO problem with a family being able to take all the older kids on the ride twise (once with Mom & once with Dad).

Baby Swap is nothing to get your panties in a twist about.

 

[beattyfamily]

Really? Baby Swap? Is this the newest abuse?

Come on people...It is not like this is "lying about child's age for cheaper ticket", or resort pool hopping...

If a child is afriad to ride HM, I see NO problem with letting people do the baby swap.

And I have NO problem with a family being able to take all the older kids on the ride twise (once with Mom & once with Dad).

Baby Swap is nothing to get your panties in a twist about.

No, it's not the same as lying about your child's age to get them in free and no one said it was but baby swap can be abused and it sometimes is.

Not at HM but at RnR and other popular rides like it.

We're talking about two separate issues here in this thread:

HM not having baby swap (and that is why OP couldn't do it)

AND

Some are talking about the abuse that exists with baby swap as Tink22 explained. If a person goes up to the CM at RnR without the child visible and asks for a parent swap fastpass but doesn't really have a child, you don't think that's an abuse? Do you think it's ok? Abuse of any system affects someone in the end, and can affect the system as well.

No one has their panties in a twist that I can see.

 

[justhat]

I think HM should give out baby swap passes cause it can be pretty scary for little ones, but yeah, it is about height, not the child's desire to ride.

We have baby swapped a lot but every single time we've had to show the baby. We know that now so we just go up to the line as a family, get the pass, then 1 of us leaves with the baby while the other stays in line. But in the beginning we didn't realize this and I'd head off to the baby care center and would get a phone call to come back to get a pass first cause they wouldn't give it to my husband. We learned pretty fast though cause it happened at every ride.

The other thing that they have never let us do either is just 1 parent and baby get the pass, both of us had to be present. A couple of times my husband would be on a ride (say Splash) and I'd walk over to BTMRR to get a baby swap for that (we don't need them for Splash cause I don't ride it) and the CM would ask me where the other adult was. I told him on Splash and he said he had to be present in order to get the pass. Not sure why cause it's not like I can ride myself with the pass and leave the baby somewhere so clearly there's another adult, but I guess that's just their policy.

 

[lclark0621]

If a person goes up to the CM at RnR without the child visible and asks for a parent swap fastpass but doesn't really have a child, you don't think that's an abuse? Do you think it's ok? Abuse of any system affects someone in the end, and can affect the system as well.

No, I dont think it is ok to "abuse" the baby swap. But what I do think, is some people are quick to jump in with the "abuse of the system" card, a little to much.

I know about the baby swap, having been there many times. Most people I know in real life, have no idea this service is even offered. Disney does not advertise it as well as say, fast pass. So believe it or not, a lot of people dont know about it.

I just find it hard to believe that the baby swap is "being abused". Sure some may lie about it. But I dont think the vast majority are.

And the OP stated they wanted to baby swap with a child on HM. They did not try to cheat the system. They did not lie. And people pipe up with the are glad Disney is not letting people abuse the system. How is what the OP asked an abuse of the system?

As another poster said, HM IS listed as a baby swap ride. HM can be very scary & intense for younger children. Letting people baby swap here, is not an abuse. It is just common sense.

And an easy way for Disney to cut out the abuse, if there is any of it, is just require parents to show the child to the CM. End of the "abuse".

 

[tjmw2727]

Not one person suggested that a child swap be available for every attraction. But HM is a scary ride for some children and seeing as how it is mentioned as being a child swap attraction on the WDW website, the CM SHOULD have given them a swap ticket. No one abused anything.

I agree that the swap should be an option at HM, but since there is no Fast Pass it isn't an option to return via the FP line with the babyswap ticket.

I also agree that the OP wasn't trying to abuse the system and in my experience I think it would be very difficult to do. Its hard enough to use the swap when you qualify!!
TJ

 

[CheshireVal]

As another poster said, HM IS listed as a baby swap ride. HM can be very scary & intense for younger children. Letting people baby swap here, is not an abuse. It is just common sense.

The problem with this, though, is where and when does it end? For rides with height restrictions, there is a clear stopping point for baby swap, and that is when the child is tall enough to ride.

With rides that are just "too scary," a child may never outgrow that! For example, should parents of 11 and 12 year olds be able to baby swap for ToT if their child is too afraid to ride it?

 

[lclark0621]

The problem with this, though, is where and when does it end? For rides with height restrictions, there is a clear stopping point for baby swap, and that is when the child is tall enough to ride.

With rides that are just "too scary," a child may never outgrow that! For example, should parents of 11 and 12 year olds be able to baby swap for ToT if their child is too afraid to ride it?

Why not? Who cares? Seriously, if a child is afriad of a ride, what is wrong with allowing the parents to swap?

I think the vast majority of kids do outgrow the fear of rides. So the actual amount of people using it for scared kids, would be kind of small.

So is it really affecting your, or anyone's enjoyment of the park, or ride, because a Mother & Father swap with an 11 year old child that is afraid of a ride?

 

[beattyfamily]

No, I dont think it is ok to "abuse" the baby swap. But what I do think, is some people are quick to jump in with the "abuse of the system" card, a little to much.

I know about the baby swap, having been there many times. Most people I know in real life, have no idea this service is even offered. Disney does not advertise it as well as say, fast pass. So believe it or not, a lot of people dont know about it.

I just find it hard to believe that the baby swap is "being abused". Sure some may lie about it. But I dont think the vast majority are.

And the OP stated they wanted to baby swap with a child on HM. They did not try to cheat the system. They did not lie. And people pipe up with the are glad Disney is not letting people abuse the system. How is what the OP asked an abuse of the system?

As another poster said, HM IS listed as a baby swap ride. HM can be very scary & intense for younger children. Letting people baby swap here, is not an abuse. It is just common sense.

And an easy way for Disney to cut out the abuse, if there is any of it, is just require parents to show the child to the CM. End of the "abuse".

I actually agree with you. I didn't get why anyone in THIS thread would pipe in about abuse. The OP post has NOTHING to do with abuse but somehow this thread got side tracked.

I'll bet they don't have baby swap at HM due to logistics. There is also no Fastpass at this ride so they can't hand out the special parent swap Fastpass.

 

[tjmw2727]

I can see having a child swap for rides that have height restrictions, but allowing it for every ride that a child just doesn't want to ride is really taking it a bit too far.

I kind of feel like when you have a child you have to sacrifice a certain amount of things for yourself. If you choose to go to Disney with a youngun who might not want to ride everything you do, in my mind you're just kinda flat out of luck.
I am already trying to squeeze in a few more trips to Disney before I try having children, because I know that my experience at WDW as a mom will be entirely different!

I totally agree and many times when I travel as the solo adult with my dd's swapping isn't an option and I don't mind at all.

For me its not about expectation but it just another one of the nice bonuses that Disney offers. When dh does join us I really appreciate that Disney offers a way for us to experience the few rides that the entire family can't ride without a "double wait". Its also nice that the second parent has the option of not riding alone. I think its especially great for the famliy who visits once in a lifetime. Mom or Dad don't have the option of just riding next time.

I love babyswap and although our days of having to use it are almost over (youngest is just about 48 I hope that it continues so that other families can use it.

The thing that seems to generate the most complaint/confustion about baby swap is the inconsistancy. You do it this way here, that way there and it can even change on the same attraction depending on the CM. IMHO that is what the OP was referring to.

Whever I try and explain babyswap to someone my first advice is to check with the CM before entering the the line to see if its available and how they want to do it.

TJ

 

[lclark0621]

Actually HM is probably one of the easier rides to do something like baby swap on.

When I was in a wheel chair on one of my trips, a while back, DH & I were sent through the exit, where we got into our buggie. So parent A could go wait on line & get on the ride, while parent B waited at the exit with the child. When parent A got to the exit, the switch.

So the parents dont get to wait online together. But this also makes it easy for the swap.

 

[jgmklmhem]

As another poster said, HM IS listed as a baby swap ride. HM can be very scary & intense for younger children. Letting people baby swap here, is not an abuse. It is just common sense.

I am starting to think they just haven't updated this since the fast pass disappeared from the ride. I mean are there any rides you can think of that allow baby swap regularly that don't have fast pass? I know at DL Matterhorn they do baby swap but no fast pass but the unloading/loading are side by side so it is easy to accomadate. With HM now configured without a fast pass would the person with the baby swap pass just walk through all the people in line stating they have a pass that allows for this? I can see where others would take exception to this whereas when fast pass was there there was a clear path to the ride.