FoP EMH RD Rider swap with an infant

[Herding_Cats]

Yes. ALLLLLLLL the abbreviations! I know there was some talk for the rider swap policy changing, or not changing it seems, depending on who was working a particular ride. SO. DH and I are bringing our youngest with us for our anniversary trip and are planning on rope-dropping FoP on an EMH morning and I'm wondering how the logistics of this change with an infant and having to use rider swap. Will it still be a paper ticket good for "whenever" in the FP line or are they going to assign us a return time....this is important as we are planning on knocking out FoP, NRJ, KS, and maybe the walking paths and then hopping over to Epcot. Do we both need to get in the queue or just one of us and the other waits by the lectern at the "normal" entrance of the ride? The fact that they usually open this ride even earlier than the advertised hours is what has me asking all these questions.

 

[MomOTwins]

You forgot to abbreviate Rider Swap to RS

Since you are rope dropping, it's all one big mass of people funneling in quickly and being directed by CMs, so I'm not sure I understand how you'd be able to have someone to wait at the

standby ​

entrance, since as a practical matter you'll both be arriving at the entrance at the same time. When you do get to the standby entrance, there will be cast members standing to the side with tablets who can process your rider swap. There are no paper tickets any more, and it is no longer "use whenever" -- the second rider's magic band or ticket media will be scanned and the rider swap will show up essentially as an additional fastpass with a 1-hour return window, starting at park opening time.

 

[Beamerball]

We just used riders swap all week including with FOP. There are CMs with tablets at the entrance and they will ask who is riding second. They then scanned MB or card for the 2nd rider. If we used the standby line then the Rider swap was good starting at the time of however long the wait was for the ride. If using FP then it was good right away

 

[MomOTwins]

We just used riders swap all week including with FOP. There are CMs with tablets at the entrance and they will ask who is riding second. They then scanned MB or card for the 2nd rider. If we used the standby line then the Rider swap was good starting at the time of however long the wait was for the ride. If using FP then it was good right away

My understanding is that while normally rider swap return time starts after the standby wait time, but because OP us going at the start of EMH, they won’t be able to start the rider swap window until after park opening, because nobody is allowed through the FP line during EMH.

 

[Herding_Cats]

And that’s my question/issue. With the wait time of FoP ballooning so drastically at normal park open on an EMH day, we could be stuck waiting 3+ hours after the 9am open? That makes us “stuck” in the park a lot longer than we may want to be. Theoretically DH could ride at 8am, and my return time might not be until 12 if there’s a posted 3hr wait at general public opening.

 

[MomOTwins]

And that’s my question/issue. With the wait time of FoP ballooning so drastically at normal park open on an EMH day, we could be stuck waiting 3+ hours after the 9am open? That makes us “stuck” in the park a lot longer than we may want to be. Theoretically DH could ride at 8am, and my return time might not be until 12 if there’s a posted 3hr wait at general public opening.

Ahh, I think I am a bit confused because I thought in your post you were going to rope drop at the start of EMH, in which case I expect the posted wait time would only be 60 -90 mins or so at first (i.e, return window would begin around or shortly after park opening). But if you aren’t going until park opening, I would expect a 2-3 wait time on arrival. I guess the question then is, can you switch days to go on a day without EMH?

 

[DisneyOma]

And that’s my question/issue. With the wait time of FoP ballooning so drastically at normal park open on an EMH day, we could be stuck waiting 3+ hours after the 9am open? That makes us “stuck” in the park a lot longer than we may want to be. Theoretically DH could ride at 8am, and my return time might not be until 12 if there’s a posted 3hr wait at general public opening.

huh? Doesn't RS get you on the attraction after the first rider comes back? Have they changed the policy recently? Even at EMH, they should let you through the FP queue with a RS pass - if there are issues, ask to speak to a manager.

 

[Herding_Cats]

Ahh, I think I am a bit confused because I thought in your post you were going to rope drop at the start of EMH, in which case I expect the posted wait time would only be 60 -90 mins or so at first (i.e, return window would begin around or shortly after park opening). But if you aren’t going until park opening, I would expect a 2-3 wait time on arrival. I guess the question then is, can you switch days to go on a day without EMH?

Yeah I think I was confusing myself yesterday. For some reason I was thinking the return timer wouldn't start until the NORMAL park open...aka when the FP lane opens. Sooooo yeah. I started at a screen for too long. The "plan" is to get there on the first bus of the morning, go straight to FoP, DH rides while I hang out with baby, RS, I ride. If it's like it was the last couple of times we went, I fully expect DH to be off the ride before EMH hours are actually "open." This will be our 3rd trip in 3.5 years, so I know how crazy it is, the big mass of people, where the split is for FoP vs NRJ, etc. BUT they have started changing how they do rider swap since the last time we went. Well. Really everyone was tall enough on our last trip so we didn't have to RS that one, but I digress. I very much like to know what to expect and how things are going to work ahead of time, because things go sooooo much more smoothly and with an infant in tow this time planning will be mandatory.

huh? Doesn't RS get you on the attraction after the first rider comes back? Have they changed the policy recently? Even at EMH, they should let you through the FP queue with a RS pass - if there are issues, ask to speak to a manager.

I'm trying to avoid having to speak to a manager as to not use up our "extra" hour. How RS works is kind of in flux from what I've read and it's not necessarily the paper ticket for whenever that it used to be, and it's something on your magicband/ticket now.