Rider swap for scared 9 year old

[ucfknight]

I have a 7 year old and two 3 year olds. What is the actual policy on the 7 year old riding both times (with each of us) while the other adult waits with younger ones? Some CMs actually ask if he would like to ride again with other adult and some won't allow it. Not sure which is right.

If you are talking about an actual rider swap pass, it is good for 3 people (the adult who had to wait with the non-rider plus 2 guests). Your 7 year old could ride the rides needing rider swap twice (once with each adult).

 

[MrandMrsRusso]

Visit the disneyworld dot disney dot go dot com website and enter the search term "rider-switch" without the quotation marks(replace the word dot with a period). Click on the first search match with the family photo. Open both information areas by clicking Read More, then print that out and carry it with you.

Sorry for the website address, the board has a rule that i cannot post website URLs until i have posted at least 10 times on here. Silly being that I am trying to help. Good luck!

 

[Alesia]

Visit the disneyworld dot disney dot go dot com website and enter the search term "rider-switch" without the quotation marks(replace the word dot with a period). Click on the first search match with the family photo. Open both information areas by clicking Read More, then print that out and carry it with you.

You can print it out, but it won't do any good. CMs are required to follow their training, not what the website says.

 

[RMulieri]

We were never allowed to once DD met the height requirements.YMMV

 

[ucfknight]

You can print it out, but it won't do any good. CMs are required to follow their training, not what the website says.

And that's when you request to speak to their manager.

 

[tarak]

We've been told by multiple cast members on the Barnstormer that my 5 year old can't ride with my 7 year old even if we are in the row behind them. We specifically asked once, and were told no.

We've also been told multiple times that it is not allowed even though we weren't trying to do it. On at least 3 occasions when telling the cast member there are 4 in the party, they have asked the ages of my kids. When we told them 7 and 5, they've said to make sure the 5 year old sits with an adult.

This was my experience as well. My nine-year-old was a bit scared to ride, but okay if she could sit with me. My ten-year-old planned to sit with my son, who was six. I was told only I could sit with the six-year-old. Being the row ahead or behind wasn't sufficient. Maybe they were more lenient in the past. This was just three months ago in January of this year.

 

[Manders77]

As a parent who has used Child Swap extensively for years with my two kids, we have ALWAYS been asked to see the child before they would issue the pass and a few times they did measure to make sure he was too small. Since I still have a 21 month old, we actually are using child swap to our advantage to get around tiering at Epcot and DHS. So there are some pretty significant advantages to it that would very quickly be taken advantage of especially in tiered parks if they let anyone who was "scared" use it. I just don't see that happening except on very rare instances. Before I get flamed though (for using Child Swap as a strategy to get around tiering) please understand that this is NO picnic for anyone except my DS8 because whichever adult waits with my toddler will pay dearly, trust me He loves rides and is not happy when he can't participate. I also have very tall kids so they will hit the heigh requirement very early for some rides they may or may not be ready for maturity wise and we will be in "doesn't want to ride but tall enough" boat as well once he turns 2 and hits 40" (he's close now and my older DS hit 40" at 2 year 4 months). I still do not think the policy should be for kids who make the height requirement though.

. When we go back next year we will take advantage of rider swap if DS is too short. I'm in the sort of same boat except I have daredevil short kids. Our last visit Dd was 4.5 and was only 38 inches. She's 6 now and 41-42 inches. DS is 3.5 now and at his 3 yr appt he was only 36 inches. We don't think he'll be tall enough just over 5 but he may surprise us. I see the reasoning about having just the height requirement. Look at the old GAC people took advantage and they changed it to the DAS. I won't flame you for using a system that you are legitimately using for the right purposes. And using it to your advantage. Just like people who were commando Legacy FP users. Just used it within the limits to better their experience. But yes sitting out with a child who wants to ride is no walk in the park. Both my kids are developmentally delayed so add that and it's a headache . Our last visit we skipped height requirement rides all together .

 

[#1DopeyFan]

Last September, my (just turned) 8yo DS would go through the lines with us and then chicken exit at the last minute on the few rides he had previously ridden and hated (EE, Splash, Space). He only had to wait a few minutes and was fine.

 

[Lisa LSR]

I have a 10 year old daughter who is afraid of roller coasters, and an 8 year old son who loves them all. Counting my husband and me, there are 4 of us. I have no desire to be "disconnected" at a busy park, so we all stand in line together. When we get to the front, I usually sort of communicate to the CM that my daughter is afraid, changed her mind, whatever. They aren't going to say "No, she HAS to either ride, or ALL of you have to leave!" At that point, we've been in line for a while. So she goes through the chicken exit practically at the same time we are getting on the ride. She stands right outside for a blink until we are done.

It's really our only option, and it worked like a charm, time and time again, last November.

We get more family time, no one is forced to ride a ride they don't want to ride, and everyone gets to ride what they want. It's a win-win-win!

 

[Alesia]

And that's when you request to speak to their manager.

And the supervisor will explain that they can't give a rider switch pass, but that the child can go through the line and exit just before boarding.

 

[tinkerbellybutton]

OP,

We used to have the same problem, when our older (tall enough) child wouldn't ride the thrill rides, but our younger son loved them. Sometimes we had no issues getting a rider swap for the "tall enough child". Other times we were told it was only available for children who were not tall enough. It really, truly depends on the CM working the entrance to the queue. I will say that they gave the rider swap to us more often than they denied it. Thankfully now he'll ride all the attractions, except for Tower of Terror, but he is old enough to leave alone for that ride.

 

[ckergald]

I have 2 sons, ages 3 and 6.
My oldest loves everything, my youngest wont ride anything.
I tried to get a rider swap for Toy Story mania, since the line was so long so that both me and my wife would be able to ride it while the other sat off the ride with my youngest. I was told since the ride did not have any restrictions they will not provide a rider swap.