No "Real" Child Swap on Test Track!

[pershing]

If any of you have a cute little scardy cat like my 7 year old and are planning on child swapping your way thru the World, Test Track is not a true child swap.

I found that out last night when I told the CM I wanted to child swap and she handed me a re-entry ticket for Fast Pass Return. She said that was all they offered for child swapping.

Considering the Fast Pass Return line was way out into the walkway, there wasn't any benefit there at all!

Not like Space Mountain or Splash Mountain at all.

 

[beattyfamily]

If any of you have a cute little scardy cat like my 7 year old and are planning on child swapping your way thru the World, Test Track is not a true child swap.

I found that out last night when I told the CM I wanted to child swap and she handed me a re-entry ticket for Fast Pass Return. She said that was all they offered for child swapping.

Considering the Fast Pass Return line was way out into the walkway, there wasn't any benefit there at all!

Not like Space Mountain or Splash Mountain at all.

Actually that is what a lot of rides offer now. I got one of those special Fastpasses at RnR and Splash Mountain.

 

[kpk89]

That's what we got for Space Mountain, TT, RnR and Splash (we were there in May.) I like that better, because then the rest of the family can go enjoy themselves instead of hanging out in a child swap queue area.

Plus, it meant that my scaredy cat husband gave me his FP for RnR and I got to take my son again, while dh waited with the little girls. Again.

 

[addicted2disney]

Space Mountain, Rock & Roller Coaster, Tower of Terror, Big THunder Mountain and Splash Mountain have all given me just a fast pass for up to 3 people for child swap. Test Track used to let you walk back up the exit and wait there.. but not anymore...

 

[pershing]

I guess they are inconsistent about this, 'cause yesterday Space Mountain, Big Thunder and Splash Mountain let us swap standing right there!

 

[addicted2disney]

Ive always walked up to the CM standing at the entrance and told them I wanted to child swap. Thats when they would give me the child swap fast pass. I got to wait in a separate spot once for Space Mtn about 4 years ago, but not anytime lately. Ive always been given the fast pass.

 

[Chuck S]

It probably varies by how crowded the park is, or it could be that people were somehow "abusing" it the old way, so they changed it.

 

[girliemomx3]

Bummer...I guess things have changed since I was there 5 1/2 years ago. We used to get the pass and walk in the exit after the baby pass off!!

 

[disneymom727]

Are you able to use the fast pass they give you to ride immediately or does it have a designated time that you have to come back at?

 

[CJBaby]

At SM last week I was given a child swap pass to use in the FP lane (not that I needed it, it was walk-on on the regular side as well.) I asked the CM why we're not supposed to go to the unloading area. He told me that people have actually been trying to sneak their kids onto the rides once they're inside the building, so they've implemented this plan. It actually worked out b/c my dd2 loved playing with all of the games in the gaming area, but only b/c it was walk-on. I wouldn't have wanted to wait in the FP lane if it had a line (and I didn't last October when she was only 15 months old, and I thought the CM was wrong about kids not being allowed in the building.)

Either way, I would hope they would notice a 2 year old sitting in a rocket!

 

[pjupton]

This is what we got at both Mission:Space and Soarin' on Monday. I did not like it at all, since basically, we had to wait in the Fastpass line twice. The fastpass line at Mission:Space was dreadfully slow and possibly even took longer than the standby line as the CM loading the ride cleared the standby area every time and then added about 6 people from the fastpass line.

It definitely meant a much longer wait for my children than if we could have just swapped and each parent gone on back to back rides.

The ticket they gave us was good for up to 3 people and listed an expiration date of October 31.

 

[mmccan]

I may be in the minority, but I kind of liked this way to child swap. We would go and get a pass and then I would take my oldest son on the ride while the other 2 boys waited with my husband. Since this pass was similar to a fast pass and could be used at a later time during the trip (most of the passes had an expiration date several days later; the splash passes did not have an expiration) we often would go do something else and then come back another day to use our passes. This worked best for us because then my husband or I would take our oldest and get a fastpass for another ride (BTMRR in MK) and while we waited for our fastpass time to come up for that ride we would ride splash. The other one of us would take the younger boys to do something else during this time and then all the kids were happy and our oldest got to do the ride twice during the trip with out waiting.

 

[AnaheimGirl]

I may be in the minority, but I kind of liked this way to child swap. We would go and get a pass and then I would take my oldest son on the ride while the other 2 boys waited with my husband. Since this pass was similar to a fast pass and could be used at a later time during the trip (most of the passes had an expiration date several days later; the splash passes did not have an expiration) we often would go do something else and then come back another day to use our passes. This worked best for us because then my husband or I would take our oldest and get a fastpass for another ride (BTMRR in MK) and while we waited for our fastpass time to come up for that ride we would ride splash. The other one of us would take the younger boys to do something else during this time and then all the kids were happy and our oldest got to do the ride twice during the trip with out waiting.

I'll be in the minority with you. Every ride on which we swapped was done this way when we were there last week, and we did all of them except Mission Space. I loved doing it this way, because I could take our 2yo on another ride while dh and dd8 rode the "big" ride, then dh would take dd2 on another ride when it was my turn to ride. I can't imagine making my 2yo wait in line (even a short fast-pass line) with the rest of us, then be told she couldn't ride. Wanna see a melt-down? That'd be my daughter getting so close and being told no.

 

[AnaheimGirl]

I guess they are inconsistent about this, 'cause yesterday Space Mountain, Big Thunder and Splash Mountain let us swap standing right there!

I'm a little confused. How do you swap standing right there on Space Mountain, when riders get off at a different spot than where they got on? BTM and Splash I can see it, but Space seems like it'd be hard to to it that way.

Thanks!

 

[seashoreCM]

If the fast pass line is really long that usually means there has been a recent ride breakdown. I would not bother to wait in such a long fast pass line but instead come back later. Expired fast passes are always valid later in the day if a breakdown had taken place.

the CM loading the ride cleared the standby area every time and then added about 6 people from the fastpass line..

That is a goof up, possibly an honest mistake. Anybody know of a procedure to follow or a number to call (if you have a cell phone) for guests who want to play instant quality assurance imagineer?

Disney hints:
http://members.aol.com/ajaynejr/disney.htm

 

[Tigger&Belle]

There can be a difference if you are swapping with a child who is tall enough to ride, but doesn't want to vs a child who is not tall enough to ride. You may be allowed to all wait in line together and go through the preshow if they child is tall enough. Then they may allow you to swap at the ride. You'd have to ask at each ride, though.

 

[beattyfamily]

There can be a difference if you are swapping with a child who is tall enough to ride, but doesn't want to vs a child who is not tall enough to ride. You may be allowed to all wait in line together and go through the preshow if they child is tall enough. Then they may allow you to swap at the ride. You'd have to ask at each ride, though.

Yes, this has been true for us at Splash Mountain. Our DD age 6 is tall enough but afraid of it and he measured her and then told us we all had to go in the line together and swap at the ride itself...but it absolutely depends on the CM working at the time so just ask upon arrival at the ride how they will handle it.

 

[pjupton]

This worked best for us because then my husband or I would take our oldest and get a fastpass for another ride (BTMRR in MK) and while we waited for our fastpass time to come up for that ride we would ride splash. The other one of us would take the younger boys to do something else during this time and then all the kids were happy and our oldest got to do the ride twice during the trip with out waiting.

I can see why you might like it but our kids are the same age so if one can't ride, neither can the other. Travelling with two toddlers, our park time was limited so we didn't want to have one parent ride, schlep across the park to another attraction we could all do, then schlep back for the second parent to ride. Guess that's why we didn't so many of the "big attractions" this week? Oh, well, I guess I'll just need to plan another trip!