Minimizing time w/ child swap

[Liltx]

So my youngest is too small for Space Mt, BTMRR, and Splash Mt. DD6, DH and I want to ride all of these. DH wants to do Indy but I have done it and could skip this one and BTMRR too actually. So how do we do this and waste the least amount of time? I am thinking DH could get one FP for each and then get the swap as he goes through the FP line? Also are there attractions that we could do while he rides? Like would it work to do winnie the pooh with the kids while he does Splash, and Jungle cruise while he does Indy? Does Indy have a single rider?

We only have one day and I don't want to make my youngest sit around all day waiting.

TIA
Monica

 

[bumbershoot]

"Also are there attractions that we could do while he rides? Like would it work to do winnie the pooh with the kids while he does Splash, and Jungle cruise while he does Indy? Does Indy have a single rider?"

Those would work very nicely. And Indy does have a SR line, but it's not always open.

 

[abouley]

Not sure if your youngest will have a ticket or not? We usually get 1 or 2 FP's per attraction. Then we go up to the CM and get the child swap pass and 1 or 2 of us go through the FP line. When they come out, the other 1 or 2 of us go through the FP line again with the child swap. This works great for most rides. The Indy FP line is usually kind of slow though so beware on that one.

It works great to take the kids on another ride too while the other rides. We do that a lot or we take the time to get a snack or hit the restroom.

 

[DisneyMomma81]

Yes Indy has single rider ~ for all but 1 (early Dec.) of our 2009 trips to DLR it was just the 3 of us, DD is still too short for Indy so DS used the single rider line while she and I did something else quickly than waited for him at the exit. SR for Indy is great ~ the FP doesn't save any time *for us at least we tend to visit when the park isn't too busy, if there's no line outside of the IJA ride the FP doesn't save any time.

 

[goldies 5]

Don't forget about Tarzan's Treehouse.

 

[Liltx]

Yes, she is 4 so will have her own ticket. So am I understanding right? We could get just one FP per ride and then DH could get a child swap when using the FP so that DD6 and I could ride? Can he do this first thing in the morning while we ride Dumbo? Oh and can my kids ride alone on Dumbo or will three fit? Sorry about all the questions just want to make sure I am doing it right and not braking any rules.

Monica

 

[letthembelittle]

I am not sure about the Fastpass question but you should all fit on Dumbo, I have riden with my kids and another time with my dd and niece and I didnt feel squished.

 

[cheshiregirl]

I have never used child swap for Splash or Star Tours, but I can speak to Space, Matterhorn, Indy and BTMRR.

Of those, Space is the quickest in terms of getting the second rider on because you enter through the exit and are typically placed right on the ride. If you use an FP expect that it will take about 20-25 minutes for the first rider and then about 10 minutes for the second rider to finish up. We usually kill time by riding Buzz (however all riders will need FPs for that, so plan accordingly) or playing with the big stone ball that is right outside the ride.

For Indy, we always just use the single rider line as it is typically 10-15 minutes faster than using a FP due to the fact that you go in through the exit and skip down to where they show the movie before the actual ride. Using SR typically takes 20 minutes from start to finish. As previously mentioned Tarzan's Treehouse and Jungle Cruise make great time fillers.

BTMRR child swap works like an extra FP. Get one FP for the first rider and then use the swap to send the other rider(s) through the FP line. Depending on how busy the ride is (this one gets progressively busier as the day goes on), it can take anywhere from 10-25 minutes per rider. Since we tend to ride this one as the last ride of the night I use the time that my DH is in line to visit the little pin shop in Frontierland. On the rare occasions that we do this during the day, we grab a frozen lemonade and walk down the Frontierland trail past the mechanical pirranhas or we watch the traffic on the Rivers of America (when it is not walled off for rehab).

Matterhorn is a strange exception to the other rides in that instead of picking up the child swap from the entrance to the queue, cast members want you to stand in line as a group until you are about 3/4 of the way through the line and you reach a green umbrella that is between the two loading areas. They will then have the people who are not riding exit the line and wait for the rest of your party to finish their ride. Then they will take you in through the exit on the Fantasyland side of the ride. The approximate time between you leaving the line and the first person finishing is about 10 minutes and the second rider will be done in 5-7 minutes. Due to the short time spent waiting, typically no distraction is necessary, but if your little ones are restless, watching the subs at the Nemo Lagoon could be a good choice.

 

[Sara*s_Mommie]

With 4 of you having tickets but only 3 riding, you could get 4 fast passes and 2 baby swaps for a total of 8 rides - keep in mind too that you can use your fastpass after the time window (but on the same day) and the swap is good all day too (never tried to use it on another day so I don't know if they change the color each day). This means you could use 2 fast passes (say dad and dd go) and get a baby swap - then use the baby swap (mom and dd); then later or right then again if you want, use the other 2 fast passes and get another baby swap - hence 8 rides. The cast member will want to see the whole party though. There's only a few rides I would go to this much trouble for, but it's an option for rides you really like - and there's always other rides, things to do while 2 are on the ride - like going to get more fastpasses for a different ride.

 

[aliceindisneyland]

and walk down the Frontierland trail past the mechanical pirranhas .

Where is the trail/pirranhas? Sounds cool and we've never seen this before!