FP+ w/ young children

[Imagineer22]

Our family of 4 will be traveling to Disney over July 4th this year. My wife and I have been multiple times but this is our first trip with our two girls (2 and 4) and first trip with FP+. It is my understanding that our 2 year old won't 'need' a FP because she will be admitted with the adults FP.

But how does booking say Space Mountain work? My 4 year old is too short to ride but my wife and I still plan on riding. We would use child swap but how many FP do we need to book?

Basically, how can we book a Space Mountain fast pass but not for our daughter, but then book my daughters fast pass say for Peter Pan and still ride with her? Or, can we book Space Mountain for all three of us and one of the adults use our daughters fast pass? Or is the 4yo FP wasted?

FP+ seems great if everyone in the party does the same thing, but the logistics of non-riders and young children who can't go off on their own isn't adding up to me....

 

[Pinkos]

I wouldn't use fp for space mountain. If u r doing child swap, use single line path. You shouldn't have to wait long if u use that line.

 

[staceyeileen]

Our family of 4 will be traveling to Disney over July 4th this year. My wife and I have been multiple times but this is our first trip with our two girls (2 and 4) and first trip with FP+. It is my understanding that our 2 year old won't 'need' a FP because she will be admitted with the adults FP.

But how does booking say Space Mountain work? My 4 year old is too short to ride but my wife and I still plan on riding. We would use child swap but how many FP do we need to book?

Basically, how can we book a Space Mountain fast pass but not for our daughter, but then book my daughters fast pass say for Peter Pan and still ride with her? Or, can we book Space Mountain for all three of us and one of the adults use our daughters fast pass? Or is the 4yo FP wasted?

FP+ seems great if everyone in the party does the same thing, but the logistics of non-riders and young children who can't go off on their own isn't adding up to me....

First, your 2yo does not get any fastpasses in her own right, she can only accompany a parent on their FP rides. Using rider swap at Space Mountain, you should book only 1 FP for either you or your wife. That person rides with the FP and obtains a rider swap ticket for the other parent to ride afterward (through the FP line), switching off on who watches the kids.

Whichever one of you did not get an FP at Space, use that person's FP at something like Peter Pan as well as your 4yos FP. Bring the 2yo along on the ride. Yes, one of the parents doesn't get to ride PP using this approach.

Once you understand how the rider swap system works, you'll see that's its a pretty big advantage for families like yours.

 

[staceyeileen]

I wouldn't use fp for space mountain. If u r doing child swap, use single line path. You shouldn't have to wait long if u use that line.

There is not a single rider line at Space Mountain.

 

[Sleepy425]

Except some people are reporting they cannot do rider swap through FP unless both adults have FP, so that this can no longer happen. So it is a risk not booking you both the Space Mountain FP. I don't have personal experience, just what I have read on here.

 

[staceyeileen]

Except some people are reporting they cannot do rider swap through FP unless both adults have FP, so that this can no longer happen. So it is a risk not booking you both the Space Mountain FP. I don't have personal experience, just what I have read on here.

Where are people reporting that? I use rider swap quite often as a local passholder.

 

[Angel Ariel]

I wouldn't use fp for space mountain. If u r doing child swap, use single line path. You shouldn't have to wait long if u use that line.

Space doesn't have a single rider line.

The only single rider lines I can think of off the top of my head are Test Track, RNRC and Everest.

 

[Angel Ariel]

Except some people are reporting they cannot do rider swap through FP unless both adults have FP, so that this can no longer happen. So it is a risk not booking you both the Space Mountain FP. I don't have personal experience, just what I have read on here.

This was reported a few times on the DIS last year, but more recent reports seem to indicate that that is not the policy.

 

[Sleepy425]

Where are people reporting that? I use rider swap quite often as a local passholder.

There was a long thread about it a couple months ago. If it has changed, good to know. But at that point it was hit or miss if cast members would let you through. But as with everything with this roll out, things change so quickly you never know when it could change again. Thankfully my son is tall enough to ride things this trip so I don't have to worry anymore.

 

[staceyeileen]

There was a long thread about it a couple months ago. If it has changed, good to know. But at that point it was hit or miss if cast members would let you through. But as with everything with this roll out, things change so quickly you never know when it could change again. Thankfully my son is tall enough to ride things this trip so I don't have to worry anymore.

I'm not sure anything has really changed, but maybe there were just a couple of uninformed CMs or something. I didn't read the thread you're referring to so I'm not sure which it is. Personally, when I approach a CM standing at the ride entrance and ask for a rider swap, that CM doesn't even know which line I intend on using at that point so there wouldn't really even be anything for them to object to, kwim?

 

[Sleepy425]

We

I'm not sure anything has really changed, but maybe there were just a couple of uninformed CMs or something. I didn't read the thread you're referring to so I'm not sure which it is. Personally, when I approach a CM standing at the ride entrance and ask for a rider swap, that CM doesn't even know which line I intend on using at that point so there wouldn't really even be anything for them to object to, kwim?

I'm glad to hear this. Sucks to think parents of young kids would have to waste a kids' FP if the parents each needed one for Rider Swap. I wasn't too thrilled to hear that they were enforcing that, so I'm glad all the CM are on the same page now.

 

[Imagineer22]

So if one adult gets a FP for the ride and we use rider swap, does the whole party enter the FP line and non riders wait at the loading station somewhere?

 

[Angel Ariel]

If you use FP+ in conjunction with rider swap, the first riding adult rides via FP+. Non riders wait with the non-riding adult outside the ride. Those who are too short are not allowed to enter the queue at all. When the riding adult exits, they join their family outside the line and then the second adult takes the RS pass up to the attraction entrance. They will be allowed to enter the FP+ line using the RS pass.

 

[staceyeileen]

Another thing to note is that the rider swap ticket is generally good for at least the the remainder of the day. Some of them are valid for several days or weeks, it seems to be random. The non-riding adult doesn't have to use the RS ticket right away; they can come back later in the day.

 

[Imagineer22]

So my 4yo is over 40" so she is tall enough for some big rides. She likes roller coasters and log rides but as with any young one she may change her mind. What happens if we have a FP booked for a ride and she decides she doesn't want to ride last minute? Can one of the adults use the FP? Do we just skip the ride and book another FP with the AP on the fly?

 

[Angel Ariel]

One of the adults could use the FP+, if someone wanted to, yes.

You could also try changing the FP+ in the App. What's available will vary..the earlier in the day the FP+ you're trying to change is, the better selection you'll have to choose from if you want to change one.

 

[staceyeileen]

So my 4yo is over 40" so she is tall enough for some big rides. She likes roller coasters and log rides but as with any young one she may change her mind. What happens if we have a FP booked for a ride and she decides she doesn't want to ride last minute? Can one of the adults use the FP? Do we just skip the ride and book another FP with the AP on the fly?

Honestly, I would not use any of your 4yos FPs on rides with height restrictions, especially if you're not certain she will want to ride. Why? Because you can use RS to your advantage since you have the 2yo. The 4yo will always be able to tag along with the adult using the RS ticket.

Now if you had a thrill seeking 4yo, then the above advice may not apply, and you might want to use their FP on the coaster as well as let them ride a 2nd time with the RS ticket.

 

[MmmSuite]

Rider swap was awesome for us! We'd make two FPs(we are a family of 5 or 7 when my ILs were with us) and then the others that wanted to ride(up to 3)would go back on with Rider swap. We had a 1 year old. We did this for FP and standby many times.

My youngest is too small and my middle was hit or miss about wanting to ride things even if he was big enough. My oldest did 7DMT 4 times because of Rider Swap. He and I went standby at rope drop and were second in line and the hubby got a Rider Swap and took him on. The the next day they got on Space with a 5 min wait and I swapped their Space FP for a 7DMT that appeared and then I did the Rider Swap with him later in the day.

Star Tours, Splash, Big Thunder Mountain, Dinosaur, Soarin', Mission Space, and Primeval Whirl all allowed Rider Swap with one or two FPs for us.

I plan to do the same this trip.

 

[Imagineer22]

Going a little off topic, but RS tickets brings up new questions. Say we go to Splash Mountain and my 4yo wants to ride and we don't have a FP. Do I wait in the standby line with my daughter and get a RS ticket at the load area? Then once we are done riding my wife and daughter get to ride going through the FP line using the RS ticket?

 

[staceyeileen]

Going a little off topic, but RS tickets brings up new questions. Say we go to Splash Mountain and my 4yo wants to ride and we don't have a FP. Do I wait in the standby line with my daughter and get a RS ticket at the load area? Then once we are done riding my wife and daughter get to ride going through the FP line using the RS ticket?

Yep sounds like you've got it. Except the RS tickets are given out at the line entrance, not the load area.