Parent switch for rides and Fraidy cat dd10

[famofsix]

Hi this is my first post ever. We are going to Disney the end of April. We have 4 kids and it's the kids first time to experience the MAGIC. Problem is dd10 is afraid of all rides and dd8 and ds6 want to ride them all. ds1 (just turned one this month) won't be able to ride most rides so we were going to do the trade off thing where one parent takes the kids and then hand off the infant so the other parent can ride without waiting in the line again. Can we have one of the kids wait with a parent and infant so when we switch then a big kid can ride with the parent who waited?
And can you suggest what rides are good for Fraidy cats like dd10? We won't make her go on anything (tried that once at Six Flags...bad idea)We plan to go to MK, AK. Possibly go to Epcot and/or MGM....we have ten days of passes no expiration so we will see how much we do given the kiddos are still small. Thanks for your help I hope my post was alright being a newbie and all

 

[MNRMommy]

As long as you explain to the CM they shouldn't have a problem letting a child wait with the parent and then ride. They understand that kids don't want to ride essentially by themselves in a seat with dad or mom in another seat with another kid.

 

[letthewookiewin]

We did the "baby swap" when we were at WDW in 2004. When you get to the beginning of the que of the ride, tell the cast member that you want to do the baby swap. According to allearsnet you are suppose to get to go through the que together as a family, but we were not allowed to do this. All of the cast members told us, that the parent staying with the child not riding had to wait at the start of the que. Of course, they might let you go through together if the child is tall enough and just doesn’t want to ride. If they let you do that, one parent stays on the loading platform with the non-riding children. Once the first set rides, go back to the cast member and remind them you are doing the baby swap. Then the second set gets to ride without a wait. It worked really well for us, and we never had any problems.
My DS7 was afraid of several things when we went: Anything 3D, Big Thunder Mountain Railroad, DINOSAUR, The Great Movie Ride, Kali River Rapids (he hated getting wet)
He loved : Buzz Lightyear’s Space Ranger Spin, “it’s a small world”, Peter Pan’s Flight, Pirate’s of the Caribbean, Kilimanjaro Safaris, breakfast at Chef Mickey’s
I hope that helps some. Have a great trip!

 

[latexscooter]

We've used the swap for the past several years with much success. Usually to cut down on time I'll let DH get on the ride and I would walk over to the CM at the FP queue and ask for the swap. They would hand me one and then I'd wait by the exit for him. The nice thing about the swap is they will let four additional people (regardless of age) go back on the ride with you. Last year this meant my two nieces and her parents (all first timers) got to go on all the rides they wanted two times in a row. They were very appreciative.

 

[mjmcca]

There will be more rides that a 1 year old can ride on than you might think. Essentially they can ride anything without height restrictions.

 

[famofsix]

You are all great...thanks for the important info. I really appreciate it. The DIS board have been such a great resource for us planning our trip and answering our questions about Disney with kids! You folks are so kind! Now I feel more comfortable knowing what to do with the switching.We can't wait to go and I want to reassure our little fraidy cat DD10 that she will have fun. She doesn't realize Disney magic is not necessarily in the rides! We want all our kids to have a good time so thanks for the heads up on the milder rides vs the potentially scary ones. I guess it just depends on the kid.

 

[tjmw2727]

You can only use babyswap on the rides with a height restriction and only when there is a child who dosen't meet the restriction.

If you didn't have the baby you would not be able to use it with your 10yo unless she didn't meet the minimum height. I am really pointing this out for others reading since to OP is going to be able to baby swap.

Any of the rides without a height restriction are going to be fine for the baby and the 10yo with only a couple possible exceptions. Start out with the fantasyland rides and work your way around. If you don't want to take the baby or the 10yo dosen't want to ride something you will have to separate or use fast pass. Again baby swap is only availabe when there is a Disney imposed restriction.

One rides with a height restriction you can use baby swap and in yor case the first parent can ride with both children who want to ride, if they meet the height. I have done Big Thunder, Splash and all the others with my two dd's three in a seat. Then the other parent can ride with both children again if they wish so neither parent has to ride alone.

I will post my parent swap 101 in a separate post so this dosen't get to long.

TJ

and welcome!

 

[tjmw2727]

Here is my version of parent/guardian swap (baby swap) 101:

My advice on baby swap is to tell the CM at the attraction before you enter the line that you want to use swap and find out how they handle it. Do not wait until you are boarding! The baby/child unable to ride must be with you to do a swap so everyone must approach the line together. Some CM's have you all wait the line together, then the first parent and older child(ren) ride and other parent and younger child wait at the exit and then switch via the exit allowing the older child(ren) to ride with both parents. Off hand I think only Star Tours and Primevil Whirl do it this way.

Most rides now give you a rider swap pass. The rider swap pass works like a fast pass and allows up to 3 people total to return to that attraction anytime that day so the second parent can ride. You still all enter the line and ask to use parent swap. The CM will give you the rider swap pass and the parent riding second and the baby can then leave to do something else while the first party rides. I prefer the pass because the baby or child that dosen't meet the height requirement dosen't have to wait the line for something he/she can't ride.

Just to clarify, the purpose of parent swap is to allow a family with a child who dosen't meet the height restriction to enjoy the attraction with only "1 wait", rather than "2 waits" not to expeidate the wait.

HTH
TJ

 

[tjmw2727]

One more thought, WDW is nothing like six flags and my guess is your 10yo will want to ride most things. Many rides are more about the experience theme and show and not about "thrill".

I suggest the WDW guide book titled "WDW for kids by kids". It gives details on all the attractions from a kids point of view and would be a wonderful way to introduce your 10yo to WDW without fear.

I have also been taking my kids on anything without a height restriction since they were babies so you can all ride most of the rides as a family.

TJ

 

[famofsix]

TJ
Thanks for the great info!
Most rides now give you a rider swap pass. The rider swap pass works like a fast pass and allows up to 3 people total to return to that attraction anytime that day so the second parent can ride. You still all enter the line and ask to use parent swap. The CM will give you the rider swap pass and the parent riding second and the baby can then leave to do something else while the first party rides. I prefer the pass because the baby or child that dosen't meet the height requirement dosen't have to wait the line for something he/she can't ride.

Just to clarify, the purpose of parent swap is to allow a family with a child who dosen't meet the height restriction to enjoy the attraction with only "1 wait", rather than "2 waits" not to expeidate the wait. This is something I did not realize and it will really help. I envisined myself doing a lot of waiting around with a baby in tow so I think I will be taking advantage of the pass you mentioned. You rock! thanks!

 

[crjack]

My DS is 11 and is still pretty cautious but DD9 loves all of the thrill rides.....so we were very surprised when she was frightened during the Pirates of the Caribbean ride. Sometimes it's just hard to predict.

I do think the magic of Disney, particularly in MK, will help your DD to really enjoy herself. I agree that Buzz Lightyear is a fun one for the whole family. Aladdin is very tame, Small World and consider taking a break from outside and enjoying the Hall of Presidents. We loved it and she is a good age for it.

At AK, we all loved the Kilamanjaro Safari and the Lion King Show is fabulous for the whole family.

When we were in MK last July, the Stitch ride was fairly new but many families we talked too did not enjoy it. Very loud, bumpy and dark were the reports we heard but we did not experience for ourselves. That may be a ride where you try it out first to see what it's like firsthand.

MGM has lots of shows to enjoy. Things like Who wants to be a millionaire and Beauty and the Beast are fun to do. We watched a comedy show taking place on the street at MGM that was very funny.

I think you'll get a better feel for things after you are there. Even at 11, I still gauge my son's reaction to things as we go along.

We love to start off our visits with breakfast at Chef Mickeys. It puts everyone in a great Disney mood and then we head over to MK. I'm sure it will be a magical trip for your whole family. Enjoy

 

[famofsix]

Thanks again for all your good advice. We got the "WDW for kids by kids" from the library and DD10 is feeling the magic now. We are so excited about our upcoming trip at the end of April!