"Internal Rider Swap" - new to us and oh so helpful!

[CarolynFH]

Yesterday our party of 8 had FPs for RnR. But DGS, age 8 & plenty tall enough to ride, didn't want to. We asked the CM at the FP entrance whether there was a way to get a RS pass for him, and she told us we could do an "internal swap" instead. We all went through the line, and told the CM at the loading dock what we wanted to do. DS and DGS were taken through the chicken exit door, and the other six of us rode RnR. When we got off, DS and DGS were waiting for us at the exit. DS was allowed to get on RnR, and the rest of us waited for him in the gift shop. So everyone who wanted to ride got to ride, but no one got two rides as a result of a rider swap pass!

And of course, three hours later DGS said he wanted to ride RnR! Fortunately, we were able to get a FP for Friday afternoon, so all eight of us can ride together this time!

Edited to add: this is how Rider Swap worked on our first WDW trip in 1994!

 

[HopperFan]

Could you explain further the process of him getting to ride ...
- Did he get on empty train and move forward with it to loading?
- Did he return through chicken door to loading area?
- Did they make him walk around the front entrance with a pass?

I remember when this was how we did Rider Swap ...
... before there were passes for small children ...
we would wait at the exit and reverse load at the switch.

If they are bringing this back throughout, makes me happy as it will stop the abuse of the "Baby" Rider Switch program and it keeps groups together. Now if they would just get Rider Switch under control, stopping the doubling of FP+, that would be great.

 

[Ceryssa]

Could you explain further the process of him getting to ride ...
- Did he get on empty train and move forward with it to loading?
- Did he return through chicken door to loading area?
- Did they make him walk around the front entrance with a pass?

I remember when this was how we did Rider Swap ...
... before there were passes for small children ...
we would wait at the exit and reverse load at the switch.

If they are bringing this back throughout, makes me happy as it will stop the abuse of the "Baby" Rider Switch program and it keeps groups together. Now if they would just get Rider Switch under control, stopping the doubling of FP+, that would be great.

We have always done this; my youngest refuses to ride most anything. She is past the height requirements, but the CMs are very understanding. They usually have you wait in a designated area after you go through the queue, while the rest of your party rides, then the adult who didn't get to ride is taken to the front of the line so they can ride. It's been great for us since we both love coasters but our kids are timid.

 

[CarolynFH]

Could you explain further the process of him getting to ride ...
- Did he get on empty train and move forward with it to loading?
- Did he return through chicken door to loading area?
- Did they make him walk around the front entrance with a pass?

I remember when this was how we did Rider Swap ...
... before there were passes for small children ...
we would wait at the exit and reverse load at the switch.

If they are bringing this back throughout, makes me happy as it will stop the abuse of the "Baby" Rider Switch program and it keeps groups together. Now if they would just get Rider Switch under control, stopping the doubling of FP+, that would be great.

He got on an empty train and rode into the loading area, then onwards with the guests who loaded there.

Yes, we were very happy with the procedure. The major difference from the "early days" was that he rode alone, whereas in the past DS would get a 2nd ride. But yesterday it worked great, since we had two other kids who would have fought over who would ride with him !

 

[HopperFan]

He got on an empty train and rode into the loading area, then onwards with the guests who loaded there.

Yes, we were very happy with the procedure. The major difference from the "early days" was that he rode alone, whereas in the past DS would get a 2nd ride. But yesterday it worked great, since we had two other kids who would have fought over who would ride with him !

Awesome, that was what I hoped they did.

 

[NileNellie]

The only reason this worked out for your group was because everyone was over the height requirement. If you have non-riders who are under 48 inches, they will not be allowed in the building.

 

[WEDWDW]

He got on an empty train and rode into the loading area, then onwards with the guests who loaded there.

And,as a bonus,how cool to do what few Guests will ever get to do-ride an empty train and see the area between unload and load!

 

[CarolynFH]

The only reason this worked out for your group was because everyone was over the height requirement. If you have non-riders who are under 48 inches, they will not be allowed in the building.

If our nonrider had been under 48" we would have gotten a Rider Switch pass, and both other kids would have gotten two rides ! I'm happy that everyone who wanted to ride was able to ride and the nonrider didn't have to be alone! Also, the nonrider was able to go through the line and view the takeoff and loading dock - which helped him get comfortable enough to want to ride on Friday !

 

[tjmw2727]

He got on an empty train and rode into the loading area, then onwards with the guests who loaded there.

Yes, we were very happy with the procedure. The major difference from the "early days" was that he rode alone, whereas in the past DS would get a 2nd ride. But yesterday it worked great, since we had two other kids who would have fought over who would ride with him !

Thanks for sharing - we were offered a "swap" on a different attraction for a non rider who was barely tall enough and didn't qualify for the paper pass but he didn't even want to do the queue so we just split up instead.

Do you think you could have split the group differently so that the second ride could have been two guests instead of one, everyone still riding only once?

 

[HopperFan]

Thanks for sharing - we were offered a "swap" on a different attraction for a non rider who was barely tall enough and didn't qualify for the paper pass but he didn't even want to do the queue so we just split up instead.

Do you think you could have split the group differently so that the second ride could have been two guests instead of one, everyone still riding only once?

That is what I would hope .... five of us, one non-rider, could we go two and two.

 

[HopperFan]

The only reason this worked out for your group was because everyone was over the height requirement. If you have non-riders who are under 48 inches, they will not be allowed in the building.

Yes but that is the whole point of this thread and this service. What has been happening is groups with a tall enough but can't ride for whatever reason member have been refused Rider Switch out front ... because they are tall enough. Our group included. On the website the FAQ section implies there is a service but when you look at each attraction it says its for short children only. And many have been told at attractions no.

It sounds like they have found a way to implement a tall enough Rider Switch while maintaining the integrity of the line/FP+ system. I think it's great, and would love for them to also wrangle the Child Rider Switch as well.

 

[CarolynFH]

Thanks for sharing - we were offered a "swap" on a different attraction for a non rider who was barely tall enough and didn't qualify for the paper pass but he didn't even want to do the queue so we just split up instead.

Do you think you could have split the group differently so that the second ride could have been two guests instead of one, everyone still riding only once?

Oh yes, we were 8 people total, so we could easily have split into two groups. But we wanted to ride together (it was the first RnR ride for several younger family members who had been looking forward to this for literally years), and we were also hoping DGS would decide to ride. So we were really happy to go through the FP line together instead of leaving half the group outside while the other half rode.

 

[HopperFan]

Oh yes, we were 8 people total, so we could easily have split into two groups. But we wanted to ride together (it was the first RnR ride for several younger family members who had been looking forward to this for literally years), and we were also hoping DGS would decide to ride. So we were really happy to go through the FP line together instead of leaving half the group outside while the other half rode.

I think they meant was .... if you had a group, could not two of you have stayed behind with non-rider so that two could have ridden together instead of DS riding alone?

 

[CarolynFH]

I think they meant was .... if you had a group, could not two of you have stayed behind with non-rider so that two could have ridden together instead of DS riding alone?

Yes, but again it was a special occasion, plus it was possible that DGS would change his mind then - instead of two hours later.

 

[SaintsManiac]

We saw several situations like this on our last trip. I think it's a great option.

 

[Ava]

This gives me great hope for our trip this summer with my timid 4-year-old who is over 40" tall. I hope that she'll agree to ride (and end up enjoying) the rides she is tall enough for, but I also know I need to be prepared for the possibility that she'll refuse. I already planned to get FP+ for all four of us for the 40" rides that I think she might enjoy, but reading recent reports of "internal swapping" is encouraging.

 

[FredtheDuck]

If they are bringing this back throughout, makes me happy as it will stop the abuse of the "Baby" Rider Switch program and it keeps groups together. Now if they would just get Rider Switch under control, stopping the doubling of FP+, that would be great.

Can you help me understand what you mean by "abuse of the 'baby' Rider Switch"? We are going this summer with our 18 month old and I want to make sure I'm not doing something improper or disrespectful if we use that option. Thanks!

 

[mistysue]

This has been going on for years, it's not new.

Honestly I hope they don't change the way they handle the baby ones. Trying to get on big rides while having to split up sucks, but trying to send babies through lines will be terrible for everyone. The families involved and innocent bystanders. Not to mention the meltdowns from kids almost tall enough to board after an hour in line, no potty breaks, nothing to do. They aren't doing those baby swaps for the baby's sake.

 

[KrazeeK120]

Can you help me understand what you mean by "abuse of the 'baby' Rider Switch"? We are going this summer with our 18 month old and I want to make sure I'm not doing something improper or disrespectful if we use that option. Thanks!

I THINK what this poster is referring to is when people effectively double their fastpasses by doing rider switch.

For instance...my family is me, my husband, and our 16 month old son, who is obviously too small to ride anything with a height restriction.

In theory, I could get FP to any 3 height restricted rides and so could DH. We could both then ride everything using rider switch. This would be especially effective at Epcot, where TT and Soarin are both tier 1 and both have height requirements. I could get FP for Soarin and DH could get one for TT and then we could switch at both rides, which essentially means we would both have FP+ at both rides.

Honestly, I'm not sure where I stand on the issue. I can see both sides.

 

[HopperFan]

Can you help me understand what you mean by "abuse of the 'baby' Rider Switch"? We are going this summer with our 18 month old and I want to make sure I'm not doing something improper or disrespectful if we use that option. Thanks!

You will be fine, it is a loophole that Disney allows that I wish they would fix. The internal swap for tall enough is a good move to start.

This has been going on for years, it's not new.

Honestly I hope they don't change the way they handle the baby ones. Trying to get on big rides while having to split up sucks, but trying to send babies through lines will be terrible for everyone. The families involved and innocent bystanders. Not to mention the meltdowns from kids almost tall enough to board after an hour in line, no potty breaks, nothing to do. They aren't doing those baby swaps for the baby's sake.

NOT saying families with babies should go through the ride at all. Saying they need to close the loophole of some families getting way more FP+ than others.

I THINK what this poster is referring to is when people effectively double their fastpasses by doing rider switch.

For instance...my family is me, my husband, and our 16 month old son, who is obviously too small to ride anything with a height restriction.

In theory, I could get FP to any 3 height restricted rides and so could DH. We could both then ride everything using rider switch. This would be especially effective at Epcot, where TT and Soarin are both tier 1 and both have height requirements. I could get FP for Soarin and DH could get one for TT and then we could switch at both rides, which essentially means we would both have FP+ at both rides.

Honestly, I'm not sure where I stand on the issue. I can see both sides.

Correct.

Many families use their "baby" to multiply their FP+ and with larger groups able to do this, it adds up, potentially shutting out other families that don't have this option. A family of 5 tall enough riders (us) prebooking can get a total of 15 FP+. If a family of 5 plus a "baby" books, depending on if they enter 2 at a time or 1 at a time the first ride they can gather @ 42-60 FP+ (and that is just the first 3 pre-booked, it continues to multiply as you roll the 4th). If there is actually someone to sit with baby, like a grandparent, who doesn't plan to ride the numbers go even higher, and this can include getting double or triple rides.

So think about when Pandora or SWL opens and some family is scooping up and re-riding the Pandora rides .... while your family stands for hours in the SB. This is what needs to be fixed.

No, babies shouldn't be taken through the line, just the process fixed. It's no secret, folks brag about it all the time. This internal switch is now stopping families from trying to do this with a tall enough rider ... and then on the swap having the rider they used actually get on. (I do agree many with a non-rider are legit - I have one) but ....

I'm there often, my DD worked a popular attraction, promise you ... guests will try everything in the book to enter a FP+ line without FP+. Many times blatantly wrong. Disney has allowed this loophole and they need to close it.