Is this correct?

[Oakenshield]

Just curious because it's a bit confusing to me. The Parent swap pass you can get on rides, will that allow the 3 of us (2 adults, 1 toddler) to wait in line, and then when it is our turn, one parent waits, and one rides with the child, then when the ride is over the other parent can ride with the child?

 

[marauder]

Yes, that is basically how it works. Always ask for details with the line greeter, they will tell you if rider swap is available for the ride and anything specific to the ride itself. Some rides have the same board/offload area and things are real easy with them. Other rides have board in one area and offload in another.

One hidden advantage is that if you have more then just two adults and 1 non-rider, the 4th person can also ride the ride again with the person riding the ride the second time, so the 4th person can ride the ride twice without having to wait again.

 

[disney world dreamer]

what?
no.
the point of swapping is so that the child does NOT go on the ride but the parents don't have to "suffer" by waiting in line twice.

the reason you swap is cuz the child is either not tall enough or is too scared to go on.

the point of swapping is NOT so that the child can experience the ride twice while only having to wait in line once.

so what happens is one parent rides while the other parent waits with the child.
then the parent that just rode waits with the child while the other parent has the chance to ride.

 

[marauder]

I don't think you understand the hidden benefit. If you have a family of 4 and 3 of them like the ride. The two parents each ride the ride once, the person that can't ride the ride doesn't and the fourth person can ride the ride twice with only waiting in the line once.

Here is how it usually works,
1) entire family enters ride line.
2) at a certain point in line person that can't ride and one parent go to a waiting area
3) all people except for people in #2 ride the ride
4) other parent and one person meet up with people in #2 and other parent takes person that can't ride the ride to the exit
5) parent and one other person can now ride the ride

 

[slzer0]

I don't think Disney has waiting areas. That's universal.
With Disney the non riding child never enters the queue, you get a slip to enter the FP line again after the original riders are done. This way you can take the kiddo to go do something more fun than standing in line and not getting to ride.

 

[marauder]

The waiting areas is Disney also. If you look at the Disney web page itself it talks about wait areas in the official description for ride swap. The wait areas are usually informal areas where they just say "wait here". It varies ride to ride, especially when the load and unload areas are in different locations. That is why in the first post I said it is important to ask the line greeter the details for that particular ride. The details change ride to ride. Some rides use fast pass most don't.

 

[Gracie09]

The waiting areas is Disney also. If you look at the Disney web page itself it talks about wait areas in the official description for ride swap. The wait areas are usually informal areas where they just say "wait here". It varies ride to ride, especially when the load and unload areas are in different locations. That is why in the first post I said it is important to ask the line greeter the details for that particular ride. The details change ride to ride. Some rides use fast pass most don't.

I was just there and we used kid swap numerous times. There is no waiting areas. You get your return ticket and can come back at any point in that day. If you ask they may say you can wait over here or something like that. But we have had one parent ride and the other take the kids on a separate ride and then returned hours later.

 

[marauder]

It is up to you whether you post what happened with you vs the official Disney policy. I could have sworn one of the policies of this group was that you weren't supposed to post things that don't click with Disney policy. What I posted was official Disney description of things. See here for details
https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/rider-switch/

The reason I was saying to specifically check with the line greeters is because it depends on them which method is used. I have seen both methods used. I think Disney publishes the one method so people don't expect the other method. I am betting you get parents always expecting fast passes when there are better ways to handle it for particular rides or the published method is the new method and they are going to slowly phase the old method out.

 

[Gracie09]

It is up to you whether you post what happened with you vs the official Disney policy. I could have sworn one of the policies of this group was that you weren't supposed to post things that don't click with Disney policy. What I posted was official Disney description of things. See here for details https://disneyworld.disney.go.com/guest-services/rider-switch/ The reason I was saying to specifically check with the line greeters is because it depends on them which method is used. I have seen both methods used. I think Disney publishes the one method so people don't expect the other method. I am betting you get parents always expecting fast passes when there are better ways to handle it for particular rides or the published method is the new method and they are going to slowly phase the old method out.

Disneys website is not always the most up to date on things. You are welcome to do a search for this and see what comes up. And if you feel I have violated a website rule feel free to report the post.

 

[StitchesGr8Fan]

The Disney website is outdated. They do not allow the non-riding child to enter the line if they do not meet the height restriction because there is too much risk the parent will try (and succeed) to sneak the child on. We used the child swap last month and at no point did all of us enter a line and then go to a designated waiting area.

 

[marauder]

Disneys website is not always the most up to date on things. You are welcome to do a search for this and see what comes up. And if you feel I have violated a website rule feel free to report the post.

I am new to the site so there is no way I am reporting anyone. It was just my impression that the site doesn't like posting "work arounds". I have seen both methods of dealing with child swap. It is up to the line greeter to determine which is being used. Parents should expect the official method and be surprised if presented with the other method, not the other way around.

 

[Gracie09]

I am new to the site so there is no way I am reporting anyone. It was just my impression that the site doesn't like posting "work arounds". I have seen both methods of dealing with child swap. It is up to the line greeter to determine which is being used. Parents should expect the official method and be surprised if presented with the other method, not the other way around.

A work around is how can I let my sister use my annual pass so she doesn't have to buy a ticket or can I take my family of 20 out for dinner using my Disney dining credits for the whole week or will they really ask if my four year old is over three so I don't have to pay for him. Reporting how something works in practice is not violating site rules.

 

[heehee611]

We used rider swap on our first trip to Disney, when my sons were 1 and 4 and 1/2. MY husband was able to take DS aged 4 on the ride, and I got a rider swap pas and was able to then go on it with DS. So yes, the kid gets to ride twice so that the parents can each experience the ride with them. At least that was how it worked 3 years ago on Kali River Rapids!

 

[disney world dreamer]

We used rider swap on our first trip to Disney, when my sons were 1 and 4 and 1/2. MY husband was able to take DS aged 4 on the ride, and I got a rider swap pas and was able to then go on it with DS. So yes, the kid gets to ride twice so that the parents can each experience the ride with them. At least that was how it worked 3 years ago on Kali River Rapids!

that is not the same as OP's situation.
you had 4 people. only one of those four could not ride.
in that case it makes sense that the child goes on twice.
in OP's case it does not at all!

 

[daisygirl902]

We were at WDW last week, and in every instance where child swap was available, we went to the cast member at the beginning of the line, and they gave us a swap pass. Ours weren't only good for that particular day, they were good for about a week. One person stays outside of ride with non riding child, wherever they choose without entering the actual line, while the others ride. Up to 3 people can ride with the pass.

 

[Oakenshield]

that is not the same as OP's situation.
you had 4 people. only one of those four could not ride.
in that case it makes sense that the child goes on twice.
in OP's case it does not at all!

Ok, let me make this more clear because you seem to be upset with the answers I'm receiving. Heehee61 is actually the EXACT situation I'm describing, she just happens to have one more child who didn't ride.

My child is 2. He is almost 40inches. There are rides that only 2 people can sit on (parent and child). We are a family of 3. I'm asking if this is the scenario for ride swap: We wait in line as a family OF THREE. The 3 of us reach the ride, only 2 people can sit on the ride (let's say Dumbo). Myself and my son ride Dumbo while my husband waits. My husband ALSO wants to experience the ride with our son. ARE WE ABLE TO THEN SWAP ONCE THE RIDE IS OVER (or get a pass to come back) SO THAT MY HUSBAND AND MY SON (who just rode the ride,with me) CAN EXPERIENCE IT TOGETHER?

 

[disney world dreamer]

Ok, let me make this more clear because you seem to be upset with the answers I'm receiving. Heehee61 is actually the EXACT situation I'm describing, she just happens to have one more child who didn't ride.

My child is 2. He is almost 40inches. There are rides that only 2 people can sit on (parent and child). We are a family of 3. I'm asking if this is the scenario for ride swap: We wait in line as a family OF THREE. The 3 of us reach the ride, only 2 people can sit on the ride (let's say Dumbo). Myself and my son ride Dumbo while my husband waits. My husband ALSO wants to experience the ride with our son. ARE WE ABLE TO THEN SWAP ONCE THE RIDE IS OVER (or get a pass to come back) SO THAT MY HUSBAND AND MY SON (who just rode the ride,with me) CAN EXPERIENCE IT TOGETHER?

that is NOT how it would work.
you are not the only family that has an odd number of people.
if there is a ride that sits two people per row then one parent and the child will sit next to each other and the other parent will sit in the row in front of behind.
you will all be on the ride together and can experience it together.

btw dumbo has 2 rows in the ride vehicles meaning that the 3 of you will be in the same elephant.
just like winnie the pooh has 2 rows.
and for rides like say peter pan's flight its a bench seat so the 3 of you should be able to fit. same goes for haunted mansion if you decide to go on it.

disney knows how to keep people together.

you would be trying to abuse the system if you did what you are suggesting.

your situation truly is not like the other person's that has 4 people.

if there was a ride that your child is not tall enough for that is the time you use the swap so that one parent waits with the kid and the other parent goes on and then you switch so that the child does not go on at all.

 

[Oakenshield]

that is NOT how it would work.
you are not the only family that has an odd number of people.
if there is a ride that sits two people per row then one parent and the child will sit next to each other and the other parent will sit in the row in front of behind.
you will all be on the ride together and can experience it together.

btw dumbo has 2 rows in the ride vehicles meaning that the 3 of you will be in the same elephant.
just like winnie the pooh has 2 rows.
and for rides like say peter pan's flight its a bench seat so the 3 of you should be able to fit. same goes for haunted mansion if you decide to go on it.

disney knows how to keep people together.

you would be trying to abuse the system if you did what you are suggesting.

your situation truly is not like the other person's that has 4 people.

if there was a ride that your child is not tall enough for that is the time you use the swap so that one parent waits with the kid and the other parent goes on and then you switch so that the child does not go on at all.

There is no intent to abuse the "system" here. Just trying to clarify the 50 different things I've been told regarding the swap, not only here, but from an agent.

 

[disney world dreamer]

There is no intent to abuse the "system" here. Just trying to clarify the 50 different things I've been told regarding the swap, not only here, but from an agent.

i understand that you've gotten mixed info.
that is why i've been tyrying to explain that you do not use the swap in the way you have described.
i understood exactly what you were trying to say so there was no need to clarify it but i do hope that i clarified how it works to you.

 

[DisneyRegulars]

If you can get yourself a copy of the "unofficial guide to Walt Disney world" there is a section in that book that lets you know which rides you can do the "pass the kid off strategy" so that the kid gets to ride twice, once with each parent. There are different strategies to accomplish this depending on the way the queue works for each ride. I can't give details because my guide is currently in storage, but maybe someone else here has the book.