My experience with Rider Swap - 2/23 thru 2/28

Speaking of my November trip, maybe this group could offer some help. I will be going with 5 adults, 2 boys who are over 44 inches, and my daughter who just turned 2. So I will be making FP reservations for 7 people total and using my daughter to get the rider swaps.

How do I make this work best with 7 people? With 6, it is pretty easy (Get 3 FP for one group, get 3 RS for the other, do the opposite on the next ride). With 7 it's not as easy. If I do 4 FP and 3 RS on ride 1, that leaves me with 3 FP + 3 RS for Ride 2, thus one adult cannot go on Ride 2. No big deal, but if anyone has any ideas I'd love to hear them.
 
I did not do this. I did not want to have to deal with that with the three kids. I just made sure that we had a FP for the most popular rides so that we could rope drop the less popular rides and not have any wait at all.

In Hollywood Studios, we rope dropped Toy Story Mania so we were walking with the Slinky Dog people. It was pretty crowded but people seemed to be behaving themselves. I was towards the back of the rope drop crowd so I’m not sure if the same can be said for the people up front.

For that ride in particular, the way it works is there is a bridge over the Slinky Dog track. The entrance to the FP and standby queues is over the bridge but the standby line is so long that it extends out the entrance over the bridge and into the rest of Toy Story Land. They keep these people on the right side of the bridge. The FP people can walk past them on the left side to get to the FP queue. The rider swap person was standing all the way to the left about halfway across the bridge.

I know this is an old post, but bumping because I had this exact question. We are rope dropping SDD 3/5. We have 5 people (3 adults, 6 year old, baby). If I'm reading right, the 2 adults/6 YO child riding first stay in the long standby line to the right. I will have the baby in a stroller; we do not stay in the line, but instead go to the left as if we had FP until we reach the rider swap person, and tell them what we are doing. They will scan my band as a group 2 person; can I also bring my 6 year old's band for them to add her to group 2? Since she is riding standby, she doesn't need to scan in order to ride the first time (although I envision we would be done with the process and I would return to her before she rides anyway?). Correct?
 
I know this is an old post, but bumping because I had this exact question. We are rope dropping SDD 3/5. We have 5 people (3 adults, 6 year old, baby). If I'm reading right, the 2 adults/6 YO child riding first stay in the long standby line to the right. I will have the baby in a stroller; we do not stay in the line, but instead go to the left as if we had FP until we reach the rider swap person, and tell them what we are doing. They will scan my band as a group 2 person; can I also bring my 6 year old's band for them to add her to group 2? Since she is riding standby, she doesn't need to scan in order to ride the first time (although I envision we would be done with the process and I would return to her before she rides anyway?). Correct?
You all stay together until after the MBs are scanned. Otherwise anyone could go up and say the rest of the party is over in the standby line somewhere, and essentially score free FP.

At RD there will be a mad dash for SDD. The line will be long and form quickly. Because time is of the essence, all of you should get into the SB line to secure your place in it. When you get to the CM doing the RS, you will be asked who the riders and non-riders are. Your MB will be scanned, as well as that of your 6-year-old, and one of the other adults, if s/he wants to go again. You will then be free to leave with the baby until your turn.
 
You all stay together until after the MBs are scanned. Otherwise anyone could go up and say the rest of the party is over in the standby line somewhere, and essentially score free FP.

At RD there will be a mad dash for SDD. The line will be long and form quickly. Because time is of the essence, all of you should get into the SB line to secure your place in it. When you get to the CM doing the RS, you will be asked who the riders and non-riders are. Your MB will be scanned, as well as that of your 6-year-old, and one of the other adults, if s/he wants to go again. You will then be free to leave with the baby until your turn.

Great, that makes sense. I guess I was confused as to where the RS CM was located, I was thinking we would have to get out of line/lose our place in the madness, but now that I think about that, it doesn't make sense that we would have to do that! Thanks!

Edited to add: So we don't lose valuable time having to park the stroller, can I just keep the baby in it while we join the line? Since we will leave the line with it once MBs are scanned?
 
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Great, that makes sense. I guess I was confused as to where the RS CM was located, I was thinking we would have to get out of line/lose our place in the madness, but now that I think about that, it doesn't make sense that we would have to do that! Thanks!

Edited to add: So we don't lose valuable time having to park the stroller, can I just keep the baby in it while we join the line? Since we will leave the line with it once MBs are scanned?
Yes. When we did RS back when DD was an infant, we just pushed the stroller up to the entrance. Since the RS is done at the start of the real queue, we never entered that part where strollers are not allowed, we were just in the spillover that goes into the walkway.
 
Yes. When we did RS back when DD was an infant, we just pushed the stroller up to the entrance. Since the RS is done at the start of the real queue, we never entered that part where strollers are not allowed, we were just in the spillover that goes into the walkway.

Thank you!!! This takes away so much of my anxiety about RD for SDD!! 😃
 
I realize this was an old thread but I am preparing for upcoming trip:
Both adults get to experience the headliner attraction, the too short kids is also happy because they don't have to wait in line for something they can't ride. Instead, they can do something else.
We have one child who loves all the thrill rides and one who does not. I have to split the fastpasses up (for example) Tower of Terror for one child and one adult/Alien Swirling Saucers for one child and one adult.
Because everyone in our group does not have fastpasses for the ride we ran into problems trying to do rider switch at some of the rides last year (Space Mountain is one I remember) I was just wondering how it is working in 2020.
 


I realize this was an old thread but I am preparing for upcoming trip:

We have one child who loves all the thrill rides and one who does not. I have to split the fastpasses up (for example) Tower of Terror for one child and one adult/Alien Swirling Saucers for one child and one adult.
Because everyone in our group does not have fastpasses for the ride we ran into problems trying to do rider switch at some of the rides last year (Space Mountain is one I remember) I was just wondering how it is working in 2020.

If everyone is tall enough to ride but chooses not to be aware the swap may not be offered or would be done with everyone waiting the line and doing the swap at boarding - this would require everyone to have a FP if using the FP line.

If you have a guest who can't ride due to the height restriction and want to use the FP line reports are mixed as to the rider switch. The more popular rides line FOP, SDD and 7DMT have reports of everyone riding needing a FP including the parent riding 2nd.

Plan accordingly - and enjoy the 1-1 time with each child if you have to spit up!
 

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