Issues with Rider Swap

[bluejasmine]

Ok Im a Disney vet but never had to use Ride Swap before, my son is bringing his GF and her 4 yr old son, how does ride swap work? I want to explain it to them

 

[maxiesmom]

Ok Im a Disney vet but never had to use Ride Swap before, my son is bringing his GF and her 4 yr old son, how does ride swap work? I want to explain it to them

You have to approach the CM at the entrance to the ride queue and ask if they offer the switch. If they do, then they will give you 1 pass. An adult and the child not riding will wait while everyone else rides. When those guests are done the adult who waited gets to ride, and they can take 1 additional adult with them so they don't have to ride alone.

 

[bluejasmine]

You have to approach the CM at the entrance to the ride queue and ask if they offer the switch. If they do, then they will give you 1 pass. An adult and the child not riding will wait while everyone else rides. When those guests are done the adult who waited gets to ride, and they can take 1 additional adult with them so they don't have to ride alone.

Do they go back through fast pass queue? IS there a list of rides that do child swap?

 

[maxiesmom]

Do they go back through fast pass queue? IS there a list of rides that do child swap?

Disney has a list on their web site. I believe it is typical to go thru the FP line though one time we had a CM take us an odd way around a line.

 

[lovethesun12]

Do they go back through fast pass queue? IS there a list of rides that do child swap?

Basically you make a FP reservation for a ride (with a height requirement/utilizes rider swap) for anyone riding the first time. That group is issued the pass (must have kids with you).

Then up to three people can use the pass to ride the second time.

I’ve used it with no issues, but I did make a FP+ reservation for everyone in our party riding 7DMT (wasn’t sure if my daughter would be tall enough, and would prefer us to ride together if she is).

Also made a FP+ reservation for both DH and I at FOP because I’m not messing with the possibility of being turned away from FOP

 

[bloomcruisers]

You have to approach the CM at the entrance to the ride queue and ask if they offer the switch. If they do, then they will give you 1 pass. An adult and the child not riding will wait while everyone else rides. When those guests are done the adult who waited gets to ride, and they can take 1 additional adult with them so they don't have to ride alone.

I don’t remember any restriction that you can only take 1 additional adult.
All the tickets I’ve gotten have said 3 people may ride. No mention of child vs adult.
We have always let the older GS be one who gets to ride again but I think it could be 3 adults.
Maybe someone who has done that could clarify.

 

[maxiesmom]

I don’t remember any restriction that you can only take 1 additional adult.
All the tickets I’ve gotten have said 3 people may ride. No mention of child vs adult.
We have always let the older GS be one who gets to ride again but I think it could be 3 adults.
Maybe someone who has done that could clarify.

I have heard that too. However the Disney site states it is one person. So best to plan on that and call any extra riders Perks.

 

[bloomcruisers]

I have heard that too. However the Disney site states it is one person. So best to plan on that and call any extra riders Perks.

I guess I never read any policy anywhere.
I just know what is on the actual RS they handed me.
But, you are right, if an official policy says 1additional adult then they can change the ticket wording at any time.
They did that to require same Day expiration on the popular rides with no advance notice.

 

[maxiesmom]

To Use Rider Switch:

1. First check with a Cast member to see if Rider Switch is offered at the attraction in question.

2. Once at the attraction, approach the greeting Cast Member with your entire party. At least one adult member of your party and the Guests who are not riding will be given a Ride Switch pass and asked to wait in a designated area (usually outside of the attraction). This group is “Party 2.”

3. The other party members (“Party 1”) ride the attraction.

4. After riding the attraction, Party 1 locates Party 2 and gives the Rider Switch pass to the adult member who will be riding. Party 1 takes over supervision of the non-riding children or Guests.

5. Party 2 enters and boards the attraction without having to wait in the regular queue a second time. The Rider Switch Pass must be presented to a Cast Member at this time.

If the person in Party 2 waited alone with the child, he or she may bring one other Guest back to ride the attraction with him or her. Please note that only 2 Guests are allowed per Rider Switch Pass.

Pulled from the Disney web site.

 

[WishICouldSpeakWhale]

We have never used rider switch. I didn't really know about it when the kids were little and now my son is too tall but hates roller coasters.

We get fast passes for two rides near each other. DH takes DS on Pirates while DD and I ride Splash or Thunder. Later, DD and DH will do Space mountain while DS and I do Buzz. Another day, we will switch so each parent gets to ride the big coasters.

This works for us because we usually go for several days. There are also a few rides (like Space mountain) that DH likes and I don't. But it also allows my son to get to use his fast passes instead of giving them to his sister.

 

[AngiTN]

I have heard that too. However the Disney site states it is one person. So best to plan on that and call any extra riders Perks.

The site is wrong. (go ahead, use your shocked face )
The Rider Swap tickets themselves say 3 people.
So nope, not even perks, it's for certain 3 people

And in case you are wondering, is it only some rides that say that, nope, it's all of them
Here's another.

They've always said 3, even before FP+. The site has been wrong for years. Sad huh?

 

[HollyMD]

My DS is 2, and we have been to Disney with him 3 times and going back this October. We have used RS every trip with no problems. My DH and DD will FP an attraction and I will get RS for it. When they are done, DD and I ride it with RS. That way, I can use my FP for DS to see characters and ride. We have also done it where I get a FP and then we get RS for DH and DD. We have yet to have an issue.

 

[AngiTN]

I guess I never read any policy anywhere.
I just know what is on the actual RS they handed me.
But, you are right, if an official policy says 1additional adult then they can change the ticket wording at any time.
They did that to require same Day expiration on the popular rides with no advance notice.

I would not expect that they are going to change them to say 2 people. It is simply an error on the website that they have never fixed. It's been 3 on the actual pass since Rider Swap started. The expiration is not part of the rule at all so that is not even a change really. There's no mention of when you can re-ride in the rule. So that is different

What I would find you can't expect is as PP does, to get one for kids who are tall enough to ride and simply want to sit out, for whatever reason. They are not technically for that purpose and not all CM will give them. So it is tricky to plan to use one for a tall enough child. You may be denied the swap. I have seen this happen when riding more than once.

 

[danielocha30]

I used child swap on my last trip and this is how it goes:
When using fastpass line, all riders need to have FP for that attraction and will ask the CM for the Child swap pass. First group will ride and will be given a pass for 3 people.
When standing on regular line:
First group will ask fir the child pass, will ride, and the person who stayed behind with the child now can go on the FP line with the child swap pass and 2 more people.
Does Disney is trying to avoid people abusing child swap to get a FP for others? Maybe

 

[AngiTN]

Do they go back through fast pass queue? IS there a list of rides that do child swap?

This website has a list of all the rides with a height restriction, the height restriction and some ideas of things to do while waiting. It's near the bottom of the page. I haven't read the other info on the page related to the Rider Swap so I have no idea if it's accurate or not, I just liked their chart to give to a friend that needs it for next week and there's no other way to link it easily

https://wdwprepschool.com/how-to-child-swap-rider-switch-at-disney-world/

 

[tink20]

This website has a list of all the rides with a height restriction, the height restriction and some ideas of things to do while waiting. It's near the bottom of the page. I haven't read the other info on the page related to the Rider Swap so I have no idea if it's accurate or not, I just liked their chart to give to a friend that needs it for next week and there's no other way to link it easily

https://wdwprepschool.com/how-to-child-swap-rider-switch-at-disney-world/

Thank you! This is very helpful.

 

[KrazeeK120]

Do they go back through fast pass queue? IS there a list of rides that do child swap?

Disney has a list on the website.

There are probably only a handful of things that the 4 year old isn’t tall enough to ride though, so you won’t need to use RS very much.

 

[Minniemouse07]

We have never used rider switch. I didn't really know about it when the kids were little and now my son is too tall but hates roller coasters.

We get fast passes for two rides near each other. DH takes DS on Pirates while DD and I ride Splash or Thunder. Later, DD and DH will do Space mountain while DS and I do Buzz. Another day, we will switch so each parent gets to ride the big coasters.

This works for us because we usually go for several days. There are also a few rides (like Space mountain) that DH likes and I don't. But it also allows my son to get to use his fast passes instead of giving them to his sister.

You can still use Rider Switch even though your son is over the height requirement. This is the explanation of RS from the WDW site (emphasis mine):

If a child does not meet the height requirement or a Guest does not wish to board a particular attraction, no problem! With Rider Switch, one adult can wait with the non-rider (or riders) while the rest of the party enjoys the attraction. When the other adult returns, they can supervise the non-riding Guests, and the waiting adult can board the attraction without having to wait in the regular line again!​

My son is 12yo and won’t ride any roller coasters either. RS is valid for any guests that don’t wish to ride.

 

[AngiTN]

You can still use Rider Switch even though your son is over the height requirement. This is the explanation of RS from the WDW site (emphasis mine):

If a child does not meet the height requirement or a Guest does not wish to board a particular attraction, no problem! With Rider Switch, one adult can wait with the non-rider (or riders) while the rest of the party enjoys the attraction. When the other adult returns, they can supervise the non-riding Guests, and the waiting adult can board the attraction without having to wait in the regular line again!​

My son is 12yo and won’t ride any roller coasters either. RS is valid for any guests that don’t wish to ride.

However, just like with the number of guests who are allowed per swap pass, this is an area that is technically incorrect on the website and will be meet with mixed results in parks. I have seen people denied passes when the person was not too short especially when old enough to wait alone

 

[WishICouldSpeakWhale]

You can still use Rider Switch even though your son is over the height requirement. This is the explanation of RS from the WDW site (emphasis mine):

If a child does not meet the height requirement or a Guest does not wish to board a particular attraction, no problem! With Rider Switch, one adult can wait with the non-rider (or riders) while the rest of the party enjoys the attraction. When the other adult returns, they can supervise the non-riding Guests, and the waiting adult can board the attraction without having to wait in the regular line again!​

My son is 12yo and won’t ride any roller coasters either. RS is valid for any guests that don’t wish to ride.

Thanks. We typically go for 8 days, so my husband and I manage to get on all the rides we want to. My son will ride SDMT, so we can all go on that together.

Our method doesn't work for everyone, but it's just another idea that might work for some.