How is rider swap working with FP+?

[doconeill]

Just checking, rider swap technically only works with kids who are too short to ride, right?

My son is nowhere near too short, but he's a huge chicken and on top of that has a strong tendency towards motion sickness so the few roller coasters he has tried have almost all led to a sick child.

My husband and I are just going to have to trade off skipping rides while the other goes with our daughter, aren't we? We'd like to have the chance to each ride with her on some rides and not have my son waiting around for hours while we do it, but we can live without it.

You can do rider swap with your child who doesn't want to ride. Your other child can ride twice, once with each parent. No need to skip rides, just ask the ride attendant at the beginning of the ride to get. Rider switch card. Make sure you all are there when you ask.

The only guaranteed way to get a Rider Switch pass is to have a guest who does not meet the height requirement for the attraction. The cast member must see the guest and may require they be measured.

A generic "child swap" can potentially be accomplished other ways. It depends on the attraction and the CM. They may choose to give a Rider Switch pass anyways...but it is not guaranteed. They may instead have you all go on and swap at the load area, or wait in a waiting area (Space Mountain, for example, has the "Alpha Lounge")

 

[blessedby3]

You can do rider swap with your child who doesn't want to ride. Your other child can ride twice, once with each parent. No need to skip rides, just ask the ride attendant at the beginning of the ride to get. Rider switch card. Make sure you all are there when you ask.

I was going to ask about the "scared" child too. My DD6 is very scared of anything "big" and fast. On a Facebook WDW group, people were saying that you can for sure get a rider switch for a scared child. This will be our first trip with our pint sized dd where she will meet most height requirements. I wanted to be sure one way or the other before we go…as to if we can get her one or not. They were pretty adamant on the FB page that we could. Wanted to get input from the Dis on this…thanks

 

[blessedby3]

I was going to ask about the "scared" child too. My DD6 is very scared of anything "big" and fast. On a Facebook WDW group, people were saying that you can for sure get a rider switch for a scared child. This will be our first trip with our pint sized dd where she will meet most height requirements. I wanted to be sure one way or the other before we go…as to if we can get her one or not. They were pretty adamant on the FB page that we could. Wanted to get input from the Dis on this…thanks

anyone?

 

[doconeill]

anyone?

Read my post before yours.

 

[summermac]

I was of the impression that there were "chicken exits" at most WDW attractions that are thrill rides. This means your son can wait in line with you guys and then go wait elsewhere until you are finished. How old is he? Asking b/c at certain places (Test Track for example) there is a very nice indoor area where he could play the simulators, etc while you guys ride.

Also, many of the ride queues are at least interesting and neat (as opposed to waiting outside somewhere x2) so it wouldn't be horrible to wait in the line.

 

[famy27]

With all your knowledge, if you were in a situation where you could utilize RS to get around the tiers would you do it or would you consider the chance of it not working too high?

Still unsure of what we should do. In order for it to work for us we need the swap ticket to get 3 people in not 2.

We were there in October and we absolutely used the strategy you're describing with FP"+" and had no issues. We were able to bring three people with each RS pass. We didn't think to try it until halfway through the trip, but it worked perfectly for the three or four days that we used it.

We used it for Soarin and TT at EP. We were there before tiering, so it wasn't necessary, but it did allow the big kids in our group to ride each one twice. We also used it for the mountains at MK and at HS for ToT and RNRC. It was not crowded enough at AK for us to need this.

We are planning on using this strategy again in June, unless the RS policy changes prior to that time.

 

[blessedby3]

Read my post before yours.

I did read your post, but it says the only guaranteed way to get a swap is if your child is under the height requirement. The people on FB were saying that FOR SURE it was for height or a scared child. I think you are saying no (could be possible), but these others are saying yes in every case. Just curious as to if Disers have been given the swap for scared children.

I was of the impression that there were "chicken exits" at most WDW attractions that are thrill rides. This means your son can wait in line with you guys and then go wait elsewhere until you are finished. How old is he? Asking b/c at certain places (Test Track for example) there is a very nice indoor area where he could play the simulators, etc while you guys ride.

Also, many of the ride queues are at least interesting and neat (as opposed to waiting outside somewhere x2) so it wouldn't be horrible to wait in the line.

She is only 6. No waiting alone

 

[doconeill]

I did read your post, but it says the only guaranteed way to get a swap is if your child is under the height requirement. The people on FB were saying that FOR SURE it was for height or a scared child. I think you are saying no (could be possible), but these others are saying yes in every case. Just curious as to if Disers have been given the swap for scared children.

You are asking "for sure". And I'm telling you no, you cannot for sure get a Rider Switch Pass - very specifically, a Rider Switch Pass - for a child that meets the height requirement but is too afraid. It's hard to do for attractions that lack a Fastpass line, but the child might still be too afraid for. (Of course, more attractions have Fastpass+ return lines now, but that hasn't really changed operations.)

You may be given a Rider Switch Pass if the child is too scared. Or you may be directed to go through the line with them, and switch at a waiting area. Or...there are different ways and the cast member will direct you as necessary.

There was even a brief period where they were not giving Rider Switch Passes at all at Space Mountain, and having the people wait in the "Alpha Lounge" inside instead.

I don't know what Facebook group you are reading for that information. But there is is often confusion on a Rider Switch Pass and a "child swap". The Rider Switch Pass is a _form_ of child swap, but it is not the only form available. Disney DOES say that child swap is available at most attractions.

 

[Iowajes]

Chicken exits are great if they are old enough to wait a few minutes unsupervised. No need to separate the group.

 

[blessedby3]

You are asking "for sure". And I'm telling you no, you cannot for sure get a Rider Switch Pass - very specifically, a Rider Switch Pass - for a child that meets the height requirement but is too afraid. It's hard to do for attractions that lack a Fastpass line, but the child might still be too afraid for. (Of course, more attractions have Fastpass+ return lines now, but that hasn't really changed operations.)

You may be given a Rider Switch Pass if the child is too scared. Or you may be directed to go through the line with them, and switch at a waiting area. Or...there are different ways and the cast member will direct you as necessary.

There was even a brief period where they were not giving Rider Switch Passes at all at Space Mountain, and having the people wait in the "Alpha Lounge" inside instead.

I don't know what Facebook group you are reading for that information. But there is is often confusion on a Rider Switch Pass and a "child swap". The Rider Switch Pass is a _form_ of child swap, but it is not the only form available. Disney DOES say that child swap is available at most attractions.

I have never known there were 2 different passes. Child swap and Rider Swap& I thought it was just a child swap pass. Guess I will just have to see when we get there.

"Walt Disney World Tips, News and Fun Facts" is the group

 

[vicki_c]

I did t read the whole thread, just the end but I can personally confirm that we have been turned down for a swap pass (notice I am avoiding the terminology!) with kids that were tall enough but just afraid. This has happened to us at Tower of Terror more than once. We were told it was only for kids not tall enough to ride.

 

[doconeill]

I have never known there were 2 different passes. Child swap and Rider Swap& I thought it was just a child swap pass. Guess I will just have to see when we get there.

"Walt Disney World Tips, News and Fun Facts" is the group

Child swap itself is not a pass - it is just a generic term for taking turns at an attraction while someone watches a child. A Rider Switch Pass is a formal method of doing a child swap that involves a special Fastpass-type ticket and allows the bearer to use the Fastpass return queue (with up to two additional guests), and is generally only available at Fastpass attractions that have a height requirement, but are occasionally used elsewhere.

See the link in my signature for more details including what a Rider Switch Pass looks like.

 

[blessedby3]

Child swap itself is not a pass - it is just a generic term for taking turns at an attraction while someone watches a child. A Rider Switch Pass is a formal method of doing a child swap that involves a special Fastpass-type ticket and allows the bearer to use the Fastpass return queue (with up to two additional guests), and is generally only available at Fastpass attractions that have a height requirement, but are occasionally used elsewhere.

See the link in my signature for more details including what a Rider Switch Pass looks like.

Thanks…I didn't see the link you have until you pointed it out. These are indeed the same swap tickets we have used in the past with our daughter (when she has not met the height requirement). Thanks again

 

[JEWLSVERN]

Just checking, rider swap technically only works with kids who are too short to ride, right?

My son is nowhere near too short, but he's a huge chicken and on top of that has a strong tendency towards motion sickness so the few roller coasters he has tried have almost all led to a sick child.

My husband and I are just going to have to trade off skipping rides while the other goes with our daughter, aren't we? We'd like to have the chance to each ride with her on some rides and not have my son waiting around for hours while we do it, but we can live without it.

Quote from the Disney site.

If Guests in your party dont want to board an attraction, you dont have to miss out. One adult can wait with the non-rider while the rest of the party experiences the attraction. The waiting adult can then board the attraction without having to wait in the regular line again when another adult in the party returns to supervise the child or children who do not rideeither because they do not meet the height requirement or simply do not wish to ride.

 

[doconeill]

Quote from the Disney site.

If Guests in your party dont want to board an attraction, you dont have to miss out. One adult can wait with the non-rider while the rest of the party experiences the attraction. The waiting adult can then board the attraction without having to wait in the regular line again when another adult in the party returns to supervise the child or children who do not rideeither because they do not meet the height requirement or simply do not wish to ride.

Although there are various aspects of that web page that are in fact incorrect (mainly on the "how you do it" part), this is correct.

The methods, however, depend on the child, the attraction, and the CMs involved.

 

[skittlesrock]

Although there are various aspects of that web page that are in fact incorrect (mainly on the "how you do it" part), this is correct.

The methods, however, depend on the child, the attraction, and the CMs involved.

I still don't know what to do.. help help help!!!!!!

do I change my fastpass selections so one of us gets a fastpass and the other parents gets a rider's switch pass for our height restricted children???? Are the CM's strict and only allow both parents to have a fastpass selection to obtain that rider's pass??

 

[doconeill]

I still don't know what to do.. help help help!!!!!!

do I change my fastpass selections so one of us gets a fastpass and the other parents gets a rider's switch pass for our height restricted children???? Are the CM's strict and only allow both parents to have a fastpass selection to obtain that rider's pass??

Only you can decide what you should do. There ARE CMs out there that won't give a Rider Switch Pass if the stay-behind guest doesn't also have a Fastpass (and would "trade" the FP for the RS pass). There aren't many, but they do exist. It is a fairly rare occurrence, but I am surprised by the earlier post saying they were blocked - I hadn't heard of it happening in quite a while.

How they'd do this with FP+ I don't know.

 

[mobay2000]

Quote from the Disney site.

If Guests in your party dont want to board an attraction, you dont have to miss out. One adult can wait with the non-rider while the rest of the party experiences the attraction. The waiting adult can then board the attraction without having to wait in the regular line again when another adult in the party returns to supervise the child or children who do not rideeither because they do not meet the height requirement or simply do not wish to ride.

I saw the same quote on the website under guest services/rider switch service. I fully intend to have said quote bookmarked on my smart phone just in case since my dd8 tends to chicken out of (mostly dark) rides as well

A suggestion: DD8 does better on dark rides when it is dark outside and she isn't suddenly immersed in darkness...eyes already adjusted I guess.

 

[mummabear]

Currently the Disney website says that only 2 guests are allowed per rider switch pass. Not sure if that is a change or if it has always read that way. I know we have used rider swap in the past and 3 were let on with the second group.

As for the original question, who knows? I don't think the intent of rider swap is to allow the essential doubling of FP+ reservations, but reading the posts here people were obviously doing it with FP. It seems like the way it should operate is that all the adults that want to ride the ride make FP+ reservations and then swap at the entrance. But that may be too hard for Disney to enforce.

We were told by a CM to do it this way under the legacy system and in a 28 day trip were never told off by any CM or told it wasn't the standard way of doing it. Of course this could have changed with the new system.

 

[FreeThinker]

We preferred to just use the old fastpass system, and pull FP for those rides, but have done the rider swap several times in the past 2 years. Usually DH and 2 kids would go ride while I stayed w/ the baby and the other 2 kids who could ride (family of 5 kids). They would give me 3 of the rider-swap passes, one for each in my party. Then DH would watch the baby and his 2 kids, and I would take the 2 who had not ridden yet. SOmetimes they would let all of us ride again (so me and 4 kids), but other times they only wanted 2 kids w/ me. That might be due to our family size, but it was different at different rides. It might also change according to how busy the ride is. At Dinosaur one morning she told us to all go again, and at Star Tours they would often let more of us go the second time, but other rides, like ToT, usually just wanted the ones who hadn't ridden yet to go.