Rider Swap.. Please give me the details

[LovesTimone]

We will going to see Mickey next year celebrating my DGS 2nd birthday. Some friends just went with their family and grandkids. She was telling me that it was a problem doing rider swap..a lot of CM's did not know what they were talking about..

So what the best way to approach this?

Thanks in advance

 

[brooke789]

We had absolutely no problem using rider swap! We simply walked up to the entrance (FP or standby) with extra parent and small child. Told them we had a Rider Swap. Never had any issue. Actually, we even got one on rides we weren't sure if we'd ride again just in case! Probably used it 20-30 times!

It's not something you can do on rides with no height minimums, so maybe they were asking on those rides?

 

[CMNJ]

We will going to see Mickey next year celebrating my DGS 2nd birthday. Some friends just went with their family and grandkids. She was telling me that it was a problem doing rider swap..a lot of CM's did not know what they were talking about..

So what the best way to approach this?

Thanks in advance

We've done rider swap at 7DMT and Space mountain and never had any problems. Did they say with what rides specifically they had a problem? I've seen lots of people do it at various rides one our past few trips and it always seemed like the CM understood. Perhaps this is a time of year a lot of new CM start? Also did your friend's family understand how it works and which rides offer it? I only ask because some of the posts here on the board show there is often confusion about how the process works.

 

[thepicklebee]

We have used this extensively, as when my daughter was younger she HATED rides. We were even able to obtain them for rides without a height restriction if we had fastpasses (letting the third person go a second time even if they had used their fastpass so the other person wouldn't ride alone).

 

[linzbear]

The idea behind rider swap is that if you have a child that doesn't meet the height requirements, the adult watching doesn't have to wait in the standby line again. If there are other children riding, then they can get it with the fast pass as well so they can ride twice with the other adult.

If a group of 5 adults comes up with 1 under height child and everyone has fast pass, it just looks like they're abusing rider swap to get extra rides.

 

[Aeweddle]

We used it a lot on our last trip. DD loves rides but DS is too young. It was never a problem, just make sure you have the child not riding with you when asking for rider swap. I guess people were abusing the system so the CM at the entrance asked to see the child almost every time. We never had any problems but some procedures seemed to differ slightly from ride to ride. It was particularly confusing on 7DMT. Instead of giving us a rider swap lanyard the guy at the front gave us one of the red lanyards they use to time the wait. The second CM wouldn't give me the fast pass at first. It was only our second time using swap and I didn't notice that it was different.

Don't expect the second CM to always notice the lanyard. Have it ready to hand to them as you approach. They will see you coming and grab the actual fast pass and swap with you. A few times I forgot and realized a bit down the line that I still had it on and had to backtrack.

 

[brooke789]

Don't expect the second CM to always notice the lanyard. Have it ready to hand to them as you approach. They will see you coming and grab the actual fast pass and swap with you. A few times I forgot and realized a bit down the line that I still had it on and had to backtrack.

I actually forgot about the lanyard about 99% of the time. Every time but one the CM saw and asked me for it with switch in hand. Every time I said "oh my gosh. I totally forgot about it!". One time I forgot and CM did not notice riding Splash Mountain. When I got to the boats a CM gave me one there. So, I think there are some even at loading areas if you've forgotten to get your ticket earlier in the wait!

 

[Aeweddle]

I actually forgot about the lanyard about 99% of the time. Every time but one the CM saw and asked me for it with switch in hand. Every time I said "oh my gosh. I totally forgot about it!". One time I forgot and CM did not notice riding Splash Mountain. When I got to the boats a CM gave me one there. So, I think there are some even at loading areas if you've forgotten to get your ticket earlier in the wait!

That's good to know! Thanks.

 

[DopeyDame]

We've used it a ton of times and never had a problem. Did your friend say what the problems were or what rides?

There's no magic to how to approach it - just go to the CM at the front of the line (either FP or standby, depending on how the first group through will ride) and show the CM the too-small child and ask for a child swap. I've literally never had a CM be confused or obstinate about it.

 

[bumbershoot]

It's about kids that are too small for the ride. You show that child to the first cm you see at the ride and ask for the rider switch or child swap pass.

If people get it for kids that are big enough but scared, or for rides that don't have a height req, they are lucky but that should not be expected.


Re: getting the timing lanyard. That's odd. I wouldn't have understood that a swap pass was needed either, if I were the second cm.

 

[Aeweddle]

Re: getting the timing lanyard. That's odd. I wouldn't have understood that a swap pass was needed either, if I were the second cm.

It was really odd, particularly because we were in the FP line. Do they time the FP line like they do the standby line? I think it was just a random mistake by the first CM. Luckily it all worked out and I certainly don't blame the second CM. I know people try to abuse the system all the time.

 

[jknc]

I dislike posts with....

Tell me
Give me
Convince me
Or
GO!!

......in the title that also lack the word "please".

Nothing personal. I'm just an angry person.

 

[LovesTimone]

I dislike posts with....

Tell me
Give me
Convince me
Or
GO!!

......in the title that also lack the word "please".

Please accept my heartfelt apology... Please may I have some info on rider swap..

 

[LovesTimone]

OP Here

We will be traveling 4 adults and my turning 2 year old Sweet Sweet DGS.

So we just start through the FP/standby line as normal? telling the CM we need rider Swap? or is there something else that I need to be aware that we need to do?

My friend said that they had FP for Toy Story Mania, but when they got to the second CM she told them they were in the wrong line, and then said her granddaughter was not tall enough to ride... My friend said that the reason we want rider swap.. finally another CM came up and had my friend and her DH crawl across the car and wait on the exit side with the Granddaughter then when they (the parents) arrived back, they got to ride, but the cast member almost forget about them.

 

[jknc]

[QUOTE

OP Here

We will be traveling 4 adults and my turning 2 year old Sweet Sweet DGS.

So we just start through the FP/standby line as normal? telling the CM we need rider Swap? or is there something else that I need to be aware that we need to do?

My friend said that they had FP for Toy Story Mania, but when they got to the second CM she told them they were in the wrong line, and then said her granddaughter was not tall enough to ride... My friend said that the reason we want rider swap.. finally another CM came up and had my friend and her DH crawl across the car and wait on the exit side with the Granddaughter then when they (the parents) arrived back, they got to ride, but the cast member almost forget about them.

My experience with swap is the people riding along and those who will swap go to CM at entrance and ask for swap pass.

The next time you ride you enter through FP with the pass. Generally the 2nd CM takes your swap pass.

My experience with this is limited to Splash, Big Thunder and Space Mt.

 

[DopeyDame]

OP Here

We will be traveling 4 adults and my turning 2 year old Sweet Sweet DGS.

So we just start through the FP/standby line as normal? telling the CM we need rider Swap? or is there something else that I need to be aware that we need to do?

My friend said that they had FP for Toy Story Mania, but when they got to the second CM she told them they were in the wrong line, and then said her granddaughter was not tall enough to ride... My friend said that the reason we want rider swap.. finally another CM came up and had my friend and her DH crawl across the car and wait on the exit side with the Granddaughter then when they (the parents) arrived back, they got to ride, but the cast member almost forget about them.

I think your friend was maybe confused and caused the CM confusion. Toy Story mania doesn't have a height requirement, so her granddaughter absolutely could have ridden. And that also means the CMs don't routinely give out child swap passes there. In any case, you shouldn't have any problems at all getting a pass for rides with height restrictions.
Here's how it works:
The whole party approaches the first CM at the start of the line - go to the fast pass line if the first group has fast passes, otherwise go to the standby line.
Show the CM the too-small child and ask for a rider swap. Depending on the ride, they'll either give you the swap pass right away or give you a lanyard to give to the cm at the loading area. Doesn't matter either way - just do whAtever the cm says.

Then the first group rides while the second group does something else fun with the little kid.

Later on (that same day or a few days later, whatever works for you!), the second group goes to the ride and gets in the fast pass lane using the child swap pass.

Hope this helps!

 

[LovesTimone]

Thanks so much for all the info. I am pretty sure I got the jest of it and how it works.