Help me understand fast pass and child swap!

[mjkaferle5]

Everytime I think I understand this.......I then feel I don't.

How would these scenarios work:

We will have 5 fast passes per ride ( DH,DW,DS's 8,5,5).

Let's say we get the 5 fast passes for EE. My two DS's 5 & 5 (twins) will probably not want to ride. So we will child swap with DS 8 riding. 5 fast passes, 3 riders. Let's say DW and DS8 ride first. Do they give the CM one fast pass each and then when we swap I give a fast pass to CM. So that leaves us with 2 remaining fast passes? I am getting more confused typing this!!!

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Or let say same type of scenario were none of the kids ride and we have 5 fast passes for just DW and I. How does this work?

Thank you in advance for any help!!

 

[hsmamato2]

if you got 5 passes, but used only 3, you'd still have 2 left, the passes are good for a length of time-i.e. from 11:00-12:25 on that day, so 2 of you could get in line all over again and use them after you're done riding the 1st time, or be nice, give them to a stranger who would use them,that's always fun-
babyswap is great -say you and the fam wait in line, get to the ride, ds and dh go on while you wait with the littles, then when ds and dh get off, ds can go with you again if he wants,while dh waits with the littles, they don't make you ride alone, for baby swap- the whole family only waits once, which is why it's great- there's a section at the ride area for swap parents to switch....
it doesn't matter which line you're in(as long as it's not single rider) when you get up to ride just tell cast member baby swap,and they'll tell you what to do-

 

[beattyfamily]

Everytime I think I understand this.......I then feel I don't.

How would these scenarios work:

We will have 5 fast passes per ride ( DH,DW,DS's 8,5,5).

Let's say we get the 5 fast passes for EE. My two DS's 5 & 5 (twins) will probably not want to ride. So we will child swap with DS 8 riding. 5 fast passes, 3 riders. Let's say DW and DS8 ride first. Do they give the CM one fast pass each and then when we swap I give a fast pass to CM. So that leaves us with 2 remaining fast passes? I am getting more confused typing this!!!

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Or let say same type of scenario were none of the kids ride and we have 5 fast passes for just DW and I. How does this work?

Thank you in advance for any help!!

Fastpass is a separate issue from child swap. You can allocate the Fastpasses however you want to. You have 5 Fastpasses come out of the machine if you put in 5 park tickets. Do with them as you please.

For child swap, when the children are too short to ride, you tell the CM working the ride and they will tell you how they handle child swap, which usually they will hand you a child swap pass which is good for up to 3 people and good all day. IF the child is tall enough to ride, then there will be no child swap pass; you would just swap at the ride in the stand by line OR you can just do your own swap using your 5 Fastpasses.

We always get 4 Fastpasses for our family of 4 and our younger DD doesn't ride so one parent goes with older DD while other parent waits outside with younger DD and then second parent goes with older DD (again) while first parent waits with younger DD...leaving no extra Fastpasses. If your family did this and both 5 year olds didn't ride it, you'd have one extra Fastpass left over (5 Fastpasses but 2 parents and one child riding = 4 Fastpasses).

If your children aren't tall enough and you get the child swap pass, then you'll have that pass which your 8 year old can ride again with a parent. So with 4 Fastpasses and the child swap pass, your 8 year old can ride 3 times and one parent can ride twice, while one parent rides once.

With 5 Fastpasses and 4 people riding, you'll always have one Fastpass left over.

I hope you undertand and I didn't confuse you more!

 

[Deesknee]

First 2 riders each give CM a fast pass. You stand with him at this time & inform CM you would like a child swap pass. When first 2 riders get done, take child swap pass & ride again. (usually the child swap pass allows a total of 4 riders on this pass) This will leave you with any other fast passes you have left to use in the same manner. At least that's how it has worked for us in the past (most recently Nov. '05). I hope this helps you understand. Good luck.
ps. we have triplets teenagers & 2yo. child swap came in VERY helpful! Enjoy!!!

 

[seashoreCM]

If some people are not going to ride, then don't get fast passes for them. Then their tickets can get fast passes for something else without waiting for the first set of fast passes to mature (or two hours if that comes first).

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/fastpass.htm

 

[hsmamato2]

Oh, you can do child swap if you have kids who don't want to ride a scary ride but are taller than the requirement, I have a ds who HATES scary rides,and we always do the swap thing when dh and I want to ride,but he wants to wait- the swap is for those too young,or too scared -but not really just babies, it's also for any kid who doesn't want to ride, but can't take off alone either.technically, the baby swap doesn't make anyone behind you wait longer either,since the whole fams waiting anyway, just a matter of one parent going,then the other parent waiting till the 1st gets done,and riding-it's a good system,espcially for those of us with kids who are taller, but don't enjoy scary or thrill rides.

 

[beattyfamily]

Oh, you can do child swap if you have kids who don't want to ride a scary ride but are taller than the requirement, I have a ds who HATES scary rides,and we always do the swap thing when dh and I want to ride,but he wants to wait- the swap is for those too young,or too scared -but not really just babies, it's also for any kid who doesn't want to ride, but can't take off alone either.technically, the baby swap doesn't make anyone behind you wait longer either,since the whole fams waiting anyway, just a matter of one parent going,then the other parent waiting till the 1st gets done,and riding-it's a good system,espcially for those of us with kids who are taller, but don't enjoy scary or thrill rides.

Yes, anyone can swap BUT when you are tall enough to ride but don't want to, they measure you (if you are a child) and if you are tall enough to ride it, they do not hand out the child swap pass but tell you you will have to all go in the line together and swap at the ride itself.

This happened to us at ToT, Splash, TT, and Thunder with our 6 year old who doesn't like these rides. It happened more then once.

Some rides do no offer child swap at all, like those without a height requirement, like HM for example.

Best advice is to ask the CM at each ride how they handle it.

 

[mjkaferle5]

Yes, anyone can swap BUT when you are tall enough to ride but don't want to, they measure you (if you are a child) and if you are tall enough to ride it, they do not hand out the child swap pass but tell you you will have to all go in the line together and swap at the ride itself.

This happened to us at ToT, Splash, TT, and Thunder with our 6 year old who doesn't like these rides. It happened more then once.

Some rides do no offer child swap at all, like those without a height requirement, like HM for example.

Best advice is to ask the CM at each ride how they handle it.

Just to add another fly in the ointment!!...........we will also have a 10-month old with us as well. I think our three older boys will all make the height requirement, but the baby definitely won't. In that case, do we get a child swap pass or wait in the line?

 

[beattyfamily]

Just to add another fly in the ointment!!...........we will also have a 10-month old with us as well. I think our three older boys will all make the height requirement, but the baby definitely won't. In that case, do we get a child swap pass or wait in the line?

Then just go to the CM working and say you'd like to child swap and they will tell you how they handle it. They will give you the child swap pass which is a special Fastpass for up to 3 people.

So if you got the 5 Fastpasses, the first parent goes with the regular Fastpasses and older child then the second parent goes with the second set of Fastpasses and the older child and then you/or spouse can use the special child swap Fastpass for one more ride (older child goes 3 times!!).

 

[mjkaferle5]

Thank you, beattyfamily!!

 

[txtxyeha]

If I use my park ticket to get a FastPass, how long will it be before I can get another FastPass?

 

[wdwguide]

If I use my park ticket to get a FastPass, how long will it be before I can get another FastPass?

The time when you can get another will be printed on your FastPass.