IOA with a toddler...Baby Swap?

[shmoogrrrl]

I am sure this is asked a lot, and I did search but it seems that the answers are different.

We will be spending one day at IOA (mainly to visit Harry Potter, but we will check out the rest of the park too!). My son will be a month shy of three and he is a shortie, so he is not able to go on most of the rides, it seems. My daughter will be nine and what she will ride will be hit or miss depending on her mood.

How does the Baby Swap work at IOA for anyone who has been there recently? Does it work like Disney where, my husband and daughter can ride something, then we use the pass for me and my daughter to ride?

I read that there might be a room that you have to wait in to swap? Does your spouse just come get you and you go directly on the ride?

I am trying to figure out how we are going to entertain my two-year-old most of the day with the swapping. I was thinking that we could visit the play areas and rides he can ride while taking tuns riding rides with our daughter, but I guess not if we all have to wait in line then somewhere specific?

Oh yeah, I am thinking of getting the fastpass ticket thing. I know it won't help much in Harry Potter, but it should the rest of the park. Does it really make the lines shorter? I know some rides have a single rider line, but my daughter won't want to ride by herself, so that isn't really an option for things she might want to ride.

Thanks!

 

[Sehsun]

I am not very familiar with baby/child swap since I do not have children, but at some of the rides I noticed there were signs pointing guests to child swap areas, and I even saw a few of the child swap rooms (I definitely remember seeing one at Forbidden Journey). I would guess that it works similar to Disney's child swap system?

I have read on here that people really like the Express Pass system. I would think it is worth getting when the crowds are heavier, like around holidays and during the summer (however, the prices will also be higher for the Express Pass then).

 

[flfun]

For child swap, tell the attendant at the front entrance you need to use child swap. You, and the child(ren) will be instructed where the child swap room is. Your spouse then stands in the regular line (be sure to use the single rider line if he is by himself - super short waits). Once he gets off, he goes to the child swap room and then you go immediately to the boarding area without standing in line.

You can also stand in line as a family and switch places once you are ready to board by telling the attendant at the end of the line. I've done it both ways, but with a toddler you will most likely want to avoid waiting and head straight to the child swap room.

Also, don't buy a fast pass til you see how crowded it gets, you can buy them in the park if you need them. Once again, use single rider whenever it makes sense, your waits will be short.

 

[bumbershoot]

At Disney, the swap is done *outside* of the ride. At Universal, it's inside.

For instance, on MIB, if DS didn't want to ride we would have gone through the whole line together, then towards the end of the line he and an adult would have gone to the room to wait, then the rider would have followed the signs to go to the room instead of continue along the exit, and the swap would be done there.

 

[cesariofamily]

We did the MIB swap and the room was fine and easy to contain a toddler.